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What to Look for in the Hive <br /> • • The presence of eggs (one egg per cell) will indicate the queen is there and laying. If you see eggs, <br /> it is not necessary that you see the queen. <br /> • Move around the hive so the sun is behind you and shines into the cells to better observe eggs. <br /> Keep the frame you are inspecting over the colony so the queen does not inadvertently drop to the <br /> ground where she may be lost. <br /> • Note how much comb the bees have constructed, or"drawn," on the foundation, the presence of stored <br /> sugar syrup in some cells, and possibly some stored pollen. The colony may have larvae in cells. <br /> • For a nuc, move full frames of honey all the way to the outsides of the deep box (one to the right, <br /> and the other to the left), but keep the frames with brood in the middle. This placement encourages <br /> the bees to draw comb on the foundation. If there is brood on the honey frames that came with the <br /> nuc, leave those frames in the center. Remember, the brood frames always need to stay centered. <br /> If you move frames with brood to the edges of the box, the bees will not care for it. <br /> • Slowly and calmly replace the combs with brood in their original order. <br /> • If the smoker is still lit, congratulations are in order. <br /> Feeding the New Colony <br /> Continue feeding light sugar syrup (1:1) until a continuous supply of nectar is available in the field and the bees <br /> have constructed, or"drawn" wax combs throughout most of the first deep hive body. Feeding sugar syrup is <br /> especially important when starting with foundation since the bees need to produce comb to raise their young <br /> and store food. Generally, a total of 20-25 lb of granulated sugar(5-7 gals. of 1:1 sugar syrup) is required per <br /> package and less for a nuc since it will have some drawn comb. Be sure the syrup in the feeder is not spoiled. <br /> If the syrup looks or smells bad, toss the syrup and rinse the feeder and refill with fresh syrup. The colony <br /> should have at least two full frames of syrup stored before you stop feeding. Buy ample sugar and err on <br /> illfeeding your bees longer. <br /> I lot <br /> N <br /> 36 QV, \ <br /> __. <br /> BiologyBox <br /> d . 0 1 <br /> ',fit ,„ , ... <br /> Wax Glands and , 4 <br /> "Drawing" Combs , <br /> di <br /> Honey bees have glands on the underside of . <br /> the abdomen that produce and secrete wax (see "' .. <br /> Figure 34). Each gland produces a thin, wax flake <br /> which the bees instinctively mold, flake by flake, ,. <br /> into beautiful hexagonal cells. Beekeepers call the <br /> process of the bees secreting wax and building <br /> out the wax comb, "drawing comb." <br /> Wax is a complex carbohydrate, which means <br /> l ,. <br /> to produce it, bees must be consuming a <br /> large amount of nectar or sugar syrup (simpler ' r <br /> carbohydrates). To encourage your colony to - x <br /> construct wax cells on foundation in spring and j <br /> early summer, feed them lots of syrup. _ " <br /> During a good "nectar flow," feeding them will not "\ i - <br /> be necessary. By late July and early August in6 <br /> 4- -- <br /> Minnesota, bees naturally stop drawing comb and + <br /> • ...." <br /> feeding syrup will not convince them to start up <br /> again. Do not expect your colony to draw comb Figure 34.This bee is secreting wax flakes from glands on <br /> on foundation in late summer. the underside of her abdomen (photo by Jessica Helgen). <br /> Beekeeping in Northern Climates 39 <br />