Library Observation Hive
2013 Jan. 6
A new year and some housekeeping to be done. Will try to post a new picture soon.
2012 July 14
Bee Festival Day is here and the bees are buzzing along. They are taking in alot of sugar syrup since it is so hot and dry. A new jar is being added every 2-3 days.
2011 Dec
Today is December 20th, and I believe this means we have made it longer than ever before without having any issues with our observation hive. We have started to cover the hive at night when the library is closed. The hive still looks good, movement is slow but they are continuing to go through a jar of sugar syrup every 12-14 days. We are hoping to keep them all winter!
2011 Nov
As November rolls around, the activity in the hive has slowed down. There is still movement within the hive but we are not seeing much outside activity. We continue to supplement the bees with sugar syrup. They currently are going through a jar about every 6-7 days. At the end of summer they were going through a jar every 3-4 days.
We love having the bees in our library!
2011 Oct
Well, no beeyard report but the folks at the Library sent us several recent pictures of the hive. The smaller box to the side is a feeder for the bees. Note the burr comb that they are drawing on the glass.
Double-click any of the pictures below for a closer view.
2011 May 12
Installed the observation hive today. Kim managed a hive from package bees this spring and installed the bees in the hive earlier to give them time to get accustomed to the hive and use of an entrance tube. The hive looks good, with several frames of brood. The library helps maintain the hive, especially by feeding sugar syrup during setup and times of dearth.
The observation hive is a HUGE success with the library, and is very popular. We received an ovation when the staff realized we were there! Nice to think they are nurturing future beekeepers.
We will post a picture with the next entry.
2009 Feb 04
MCBA hosts the observation hive set up in the Medina County Library. Kim Flottum speaks at the Medina County Library most Tuesday nights. He answers questions and talks about bees, bee biology, honey collection blooming plants and anything else under the sun.
Unfortunately, the bees in the observation hive died this winter. While disappointing, it is not totally unexpected. Some colonies just don't survive and bees in an observation hive tend to be under even more stress than regular colonies.
