Busy Weekend

I’m realizing that with the unusually warm spring, I’ll need to be ready for splits and swarm prevention earlier than I had planned.  So, I spent the last weekend finishing up loose ends.  I think I’m in good shape equipment wise, as I built more than I think I will need, at least initially.  I finished making the last inner covers for the expansion I’m planning.  I use this design from Honey Run Apiaries.  If you aren’t handy building them, you can buy them as well.

I will not be buying queens this year.  I’m going to graft off of my existing survivors.  So, I organized the equipment for two cell building nucs this weekend so they will be ready to go.  One thing that concerns me about grafting is the timing.  I travel frequently for my day job, and could run into a situation where I have a set of ready queen cells and nowhere to put them.  I built a hatching frame in which I can put cells in, allow them to hatch and keep the queens segregated (see picture).

There are two hives at my house that I want to move to the outyard, which I will probably do next weekend.  I only want two hives and some nucs in my backyard in order to prevent any potential neighbor issues.  The hives are small now, so I want to move them before they get too big.

I’m seeing dandelion greens poking through the grass.  If the weather holds, I could see them blooming a few weeks early.  Once that happens everything will kick into high gear!