This inspection was a big reality check, and honestly one of the most important learning moments of my first month of beekeeping.
During the first few weeks I had been checkerboarding the frames, alternating drawn comb with empty foundation to encourage the bees to expand faster. The technique itself is fine, but I also made sure temps were above 50°F at night and 60°F during the day before doing it, which was the right call for the bees' comfort.
Where things went sideways was the feeding. I was heavily feeding sugar water AND stimulants at the same time, thinking I was giving the colony every possible advantage to build up fast. Instead the bees packed all that sugar syrup straight into the brood frames, leaving the queen less and less space to lay eggs. Classic case of too much of a good thing!
Stopped all feeding immediately after this inspection. The colony is strong enough to forage on its own, especially with Hayward's spring flowers in bloom.
Also spotted what looked like possible supercedure cups, which got me worried about losing the queen. Kept a close eye on these going into the May 24th inspection.
The good news, population is clearly booming! All 7 frames are covered in bees and I can see new white wax being drawn on the outer frames, a sign the colony is expanding and running out of room. Adding a second box is coming soon!
