The BeeHiveCastle is absolutely thriving at Day 37! All 8 frames inspected and the colony is doing beautifully. More brood visible on every frame and the bees are actively working on drawing out the remaining comb. The colony is clearly growing fast and running out of space, the second box is coming just in time!
We found false queen cups on the frames, but after careful inspection there was no larvae inside any of them. These are practice cups, not real swarm cells. The bees like to build these as a precaution and they are completely normal in a healthy, growing colony. No cause for alarm!
No queen sighting this week but strong evidence she is laying beautifully, fresh eggs and young larvae visible on multiple frames. Sometimes she is just harder to spot when the colony is this busy and full of bees!
Exciting find, lots of pollen packed on Frame 8, the outermost frame! Foragers are bringing in a great variety of pollen which is excellent for brood nutrition. The colony is well fed and building up fast.
Added sugar water to help with comb drawing on the existing frames. The bees need wax to finish drawing out the foundation before we can add the second box.
The big day arrived! Added the second medium box to the BeeHiveCastle on June 4th. Sprayed sugar water on the new frames to encourage the bees to move up and accept the new space. Placed a pollen patty as a bridge between the bottom box and the new top box, this helps guide the bees upward naturally.
Other than the one sting incident, the rest of the colony was completely unbothered, they were too busy with the sugar water to care! The second box is now on and the BeeHiveCastle is growing. Next inspection on June 8th to check how they are settling into the new space!