Bees 2.0

I ordered another package of bees from Carolina Bees who are on our Natural Beekeepers list.

Annalys suggest that the the colonies may have absconded in the fall. To abscond is to leave with no forwarding address.  That description matches what I have seen in the hives.  There was a sudden drop in population like a swarm had happened. They left enough workers to tend to the brood they left behind and they left food for them.  There was capped and uncapped honey and lots of uncapped pollen. 

Yesterday, I extracted the honey that remained after all the abandoned bees died. We have a little more than 2 quarts.

I have 3 empty combs in one hive, kind of hoping it will encourage a swarm to wander in and call it home. The other hive is clean and will receive the new package on April 29.