On a sunny spring day, Bob invited us to take a closer look at his beehives near Katonah. The winter had hit many beekeepers hard — several lost colonies, and Bob lost them all, at least at this particular bee yard.
Everyone had the chance to open a hive and investigate what might have happened to the bees. The stories varied widely: some hives were simply empty — the bees had likely swarmed in the fall. In others, the bees were still in the comb, with honey nearby. These colonies may have been weakened by e.g. high mite loads and then possibly froze. Elsewhere, wax moths had taken over.
Keep your ears open — maybe Bob will invite us again! In the meantime, he’s installed new bee packages, and his bees are already out gathering honey.
A very informative and fascinating day — thank you, Bob, and thanks to everyone who joined!
