More Bee Stuff

With the next few days forecast to be rainy, we decided today was the day we needed to get back in the hives and see what was going on.

First, we checked the Nuc that we made last time, and saw eggs and larvae.  We knew a queen had successfully hatched.  Since there were only 5 frames, we decided to find her so we could clip her wings and mark her.  Easier said than done. 

Finally, I spotted her on an empty frame (what was she doing there?) and nabbed her with the Queen Catcher.

We decided to take her inside to the bathroom... the smallest enclosed space we could think of.  We had a heck of a time trying to hold her still so we could clip the wings, but after many failed attempts we finally did it... and then marked her with a bright green dot to boot, so she'd be easy to spot.

Now, each year has a different color (to make it easier to tell how old the queen is)... and I'm pretty sure this isn't a green year... but we grabbed the brightest marker Lisa had.  Not looking forward to doing THAT again!

The first hive was fine... the second one (which had swarmed earlier) didn't appear to have a queen.  So, for lack of a better idea, we stole a frame of eggs and put it in, hoping they will raise another one.  If not, we can always combine the Nuc back in with the hive and split it again later. 

Beekeeping... always a challenge with no real 'right' way.  It could drive an analytical person like me crazy.

But we have a new Nuc queen, and she's marked and clipped.  Hallelujah.