Inside the hive

[beetiger]

bard_bloom says I should show you guys a picture that I took during a hive inspection today. It's the first time I've taken a camera out to the hive when I've been in there, and this was mostly to help me figure out what's going on in there, but maybe you are curious.

In any case, you can see some little bee faces just about ready to emerge from their cells, and some little bee butts where the bees are working inside the cells.

Bee heads and bee butts

Comments

[autumnquest.livejournal.com]

So I take it the hive is doing well? That's great!

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Cool.

What's the valley/depression in the top left, and is that a practice queen cell?

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

*laugh* You could probably tell me more than I could tell you!

I think the depression is just the bees building the comb wiggly there, I'm not sure why. A lot of the comb in the hive is a bit wavy, despite being on plastic foundation.

I had a lot of what looked like those small open queen cells when I opened the hive two weeks ago, and seem to have somewhat fewer now, though still several each on several frames.

I'm still not sure if they made a new queen during the season, but I think so.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Well, they certainly could have requeened themselves; on the other hand, apparently bees make practice queen cells fairly often and they aren't actually *used.*

I really need to get into my hive; haven't done much recently.

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Do they really? Well, perhaps they were just bored indoors with the huge amount of rain we've been having and needed something to keep themselves amused. ;)

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Are the baby bees really blue, or is that a trick of the camera's interpretation of the bluish outdoors shadows?

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't that be cool? But, no, those little heads are really black. Cameraphone + heavy gloves does not make for the very best photography.

[rowyn]

D'aww, cute! Homemaking bees!

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

Oooooooooooh!

*snags as a new background*

Thank you!

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Heh, you're motivating me to try to get an actual good picture for backgrounding next time I am in there!

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

*nodnodnodnod*

Please?

[mamapear.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

BEE BUTTS!

Jordan keeps saying he wants bees and I keep saying yes (even though I'm allergic, I'm not scared of bees) but then he doesn't get off his hiney.