Probably my last blog for awhile. Yesterday I dissected the hive. Found a lot more bees than I thought and a lot of honey which I salvaged and am also melting down the wax. Could not find a queen in all the mess, but that doesn't mean she wasn't there. Looks like they all died at once, shades of Jonestown as they all had little cups in their hands. If it was disease, I don't think they would all have died simultaneously, probably stress and the cold snap, with dysentery thrown in. Still kind of sad, maybe if I had brought them into the garage they may have made it. Have to clean up the mess in the hive today and make it ready for the next swarm. As I am thinking about it, I'm not sure the top bar hive works well in the northern climes, will have to work on insulating it before next winter.
Almost done with the roof for the new hive, kind of making it up as I go (will post a picture when done). Ordered bees from a guy upstate, will pick them up in May, tried to find an apiary who doesn't use chemicals. Sounds like catching another feral swarm is iffy at best but will still try when spring arrives.
So long for now.
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