Looking Great!

I'm happy to report that despite the new, two-gallon, top feeders being full about 3 days after we put them on, today they were empty and all that syrup has been converted to wax on the new foundation frames! Huzzah!

Also, we performed alcohol washes on both hives and found a <1% infestation of Varroa on both mite checks (reported proudly to the BIP Mite-A-Thon).

We also were lucky enough to spot both queens (easier now that they're both marked).

We did see one small hive beetle (which Clay squished), but most hives have a few running around and they aren't typically a problem in strong hives.

We filled the feeders back up and are now in great shape for winter!

Our next check will be: Saturday, September 24th, 2022 at ***11am*** in the A2B2 teaching apiary in the Campus Farms area of Matthaei Botanical Gardens. [PLEASE NOTE LATER START TIME!!!]

Plan:
1. Checking top feeders to see if bees are taking syrup.
2. Check frames to make sure all drawn comb and filled with honey.
3. Mite test (alcohol wash) to make sure we have strong bees going into winter
4. If mite counts are above threshold, treat with FormicPro strips.

If you would like to join the A2B2 Flow Hive Team or would like to know more about the Flow Hive in general, please contact Jen Haeger at [email protected].