It has been a few weeks since I checked Marge’s hive. The top most super is still pretty much empty from the honey harvest a few weeks back. Without some rain and a good nectar flow, they won’t make much progress drawing out wax, but I’m leaving it on to prevent overcrowding.
All eight frames on the 5th super are completely drawn out and filled with honey.
The 4th super is filled with queen cells.
I’m pretty sure this hive may have swarmed once already, so I’m surprised to see more queen cells in the making. With the drought and heat right now, I can’t imagine any swarm would have good luck starting out and surviving. I also don’t get the sense that this hive is overflowing with bees either.
Here is another frame with the start of a queen cell plus some really nice pollen.
Our resident Texas Spiny Lizard also took advantage of the hive inspection to run in and eat some bees. Here he is scampering away after chowing down.
You have mischievious bees making queen cells in supers! An older beekeeper in our association explained that colonies can swarm two or three times successively. Each successive swarm is called a ‘cast’. He reckons this ‘little swarm’ recently in the news was just a cast: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2012486/Thorntons-shop-staff-trapped-3-hours-thousands-angry-bees.html
Our ladies have been very busy making queen cells too, it seems late in the season. I am not sure any new queen will mate well now?