Wow! Not only is this the most mild tempered bee colony I have experienced, they are also quite industrious. All frames have beautiful white comb drawn and closely packed capped brood cells throughout the center of the hive. No queen cells seen. Pictures below show outermost frame and center frame. The queen obviously is viable which is good news in that she may go for the usual three years, perhaps more. Of course, I'll check each year to ascertain her laying pattern. Here's a site as a reminder of the bee life cycle:
http://blogs.evergreen.edu/terroir-zack/life-cycle-of-the-honey-bee/
Friend and neighbor, Christie, took photos of both sides of each frame. I went to frame six and decided that was sufficient, wanting to close the hive to retain warmth. Did not see the queen but know she is healthy and extremely capable. Because all frames had drawn comb and most were 3/4 full, I added the next regular super for the bees to begin comb building and a second box for brood and honey. Will continue to feed the 50/50 cane sugar/water syrup as long as they take it and are building comb. Next hive check in two weeks to see how they are handling the second box.
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| First side/ first frame |
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| First side/ sixth frame |
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| Second side/ sixth frame |
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