Inspection Report - 4/15/2018

This inspection was very quick to check up on how the bees were doing. Since it was raining, 53 degrees and windy, I needed to get in and out before disturbing the colony too much. 

COLONY 1 - West Facing

I ended up removing the tar paper protecting the hive and allow some more air flow. I also removed a empty box that was not being used. By removing space for the bees, they are able to focus more on the space they are occupying and resources and energy will be focused there. 

The population was not as big as I would have liked to see, so there is a concern the queen is not performing as expected at this time of year. 

Recommendation: WATCH

COLONY 2 - North Facing

I removed the tar paper from this hive as well. It seemed that there was higher winds in this corner so did not spend much time inspecting to protect the bees. 

This population did seem stronger, but also not as big as I would have liked to see. I also found they had mistakenly built comb (wax) into areas they should not have been and thus are wasting resources. 

Recommendation: Return in one week and remove the comb if weather permits. 

SUMMARY

Inspection was very limited due to weather but I was able to see enough to give me a bit of concern that the bees are not coming along as much as I would like to see at this time of year. I will return in a week with sugar water to help them kick start the season.