July 2010, We realize now that with the combination of weather, and dead queens that we will probably not get any honey from the bees this year. They may not even make enough to survive the winter. We'll need to watch closely and make sure later on, as it starts to get cold, that they are storing enough honey. If not then we will need to feed them as long as the feeders do not freeze.
We checked the (middle) hive that survived the winter, and while we could not find a queen it showed some sign that there was one. The brood we found was in an organized pattern, but I suppressed my hopes until we found brood cells capped that were not the typical bullet shaped drones. This was our proof that we had a queen. I was relieved and amazed. It is obvious that nature has it's order, bees have survived millenniums without humans, and will continue to survive without us, probably forever. I am blessed to be able to observe bees at work. Correcting mistakes and adapting to the world around them. Surviving, multiplying, carrying on, day after day. They just don't give up! I am sure there is a life lesson here... if only i could find what it is...
Anyway.. all is well. We have three hives with queens. Now get busy gathering honey!
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