Wishin', and hopin'....

I'm wishing and hoping that the little swarm hive will really develop into a colony. I ordered 8-frame equipment and put it together in that wishin' and hopin'! Here's the hive all put together. I even have an 8-frame screened bottom board and a slatted rack (see second picture).

I'm sure you are wondering why I have the new hive up on the hearth - it's to keep the dogs from getting too interested in it or to have a need to claim it for themselves.

All it needs is for me to paint the hive and for the swarm nuc to grow up enough to need it. That includes developing a healthy queen and having her succeed in her mating flight and returning to the hive. She should have emerged today or maybe tomorrow or the next day.

In case the queen cells I saw didn't result in a good queen, I'm adding another frame of brood to the nuc when I inspect tomorrow. I'll only open the nuc to take out a frame and add the brood/egg frame. I'm staying away from the frame where the queen cells were.

I also plan to put the Sonny-Mel small hive beetle trap on my three thriving hives tomorrow and I plan to move Proteus about a foot backwards more into the sun. I will also probably take a super off of Mellona to harvest cut comb honey. Should be a busy inspection day!