First check since adding the second box on June 4th! The colony is doing exactly what we hoped, the bees are busy finishing up the remaining frames in the bottom box, drawing out comb and filling cells beautifully. New brood visible on the new frames which is a great sign that the queen has been actively laying since the box addition.
The second box has not been touched yet but we spotted bees actively cleaning it out, exploring and preparing the new space. This is completely normal! Bees typically spend a week or two cleaning and priming new frames with wax before the queen moves up to lay. Patience is key here.
No queen sighting this week but strong evidence she is actively laying, fresh eggs and healthy larvae present throughout the bottom box. The colony feels very queenright and calm throughout the inspection.
Added top feeder with sugar water to help encourage comb drawing in both boxes. The extra nutrition will help the bees build wax faster and expand into the second box more quickly.
One of the most exciting moments of this inspection, we witnessed a waggle dance happening live on one of the frames! A forager bee was performing the figure-eight waggle dance while other bees gathered around watching intently. The waggle dance is how honey bees communicate the exact location of a food source to their nestmates — direction, distance, and quality all encoded in the dance. Seeing it up close on a frame you are holding is truly one of those magical beekeeping moments that reminds you just how remarkable these little creatures are! 🐝🕺
No queen sighting this week but the colony shows strong evidence she is healthy and actively laying. Fresh eggs and young larvae are visible throughout the bottom box frames, which confirms the queen has been busy since our last inspection. Sometimes she is just too well hidden among thousands of busy bees!
We also noted false queen cups on the frames again with no larvae inside. These are practice cups, not real swarm cells. The colony has plenty of space with the second box now on, so there is no swarm pressure. Will keep monitoring each week.
