Things have improved significantly from last week. We now have new queens in both hives. We are expecting to see new eggs and larvae when we do a full inspection next week, weather permitting. Being queenless during the middle of the main honey flow allowed the bees to fill the brood nest with nectar. To address this problem, we have pulled about 25 pounds of honey from the hives. This freed up one deep and nine medium frames of drawn comb which we returned to the hives. The bees will clean and reuse this honeycomb. Over the next week, we should see the bees move around the nectar as they build back up the brood nest.
Swarm Update: The swarm of bees that took up residence in the soffit of the sanctuary did not get removed as hoped for. We did get a hive set up to receive them and, weather and schedules permitting, will get to them this week.