The fate of Metropolis is decided - it shall live...for the moment.
I had a scare that the normal monarchal system had been over-run by Drone-laying anarcho-syndicalists (laying workers), but it seems that the new imported queen had survived her introduction into Metropolis.
A typical frame from the Metropolis Brood box..
... and one with a patch of brood!
More brood, different frame.
In all I had four sides that had at least some brood, with grubs visible, too.
I didn't see the queen in person, but only she can be responsible for these,
so I have to assume she is alive and well, if a little less productive than I would like.
While I was there, I counted about the equivalent of 2-3 frames of capped honey in there, as well as sundry uncapped and nectar. This should be enough to get them through winter.
I took out the queen excluder, and that'll be it until next springtime.
The weather was kinda coolish, and the girls were pissed off with me.
While working, I noticed the tone of the buzzing around me had lifted a notch...
At the seam in the glove you can see where one disemboweled herself, while trying to sting me.
Another attempt, this time successful.
I looked down and had 2 seperate bees spinning in one inch circles,
tethered by their guts to my jeans, the sting at the anchor end.
Kinda like when you tie a fly with a thread.
By the time I got the camera, they had fallen off.
This one actually got me in a mild kind of way, through my jeans.
++++++++++++++ ooooooooooooo ++++++++++++++
THIS YEARS STING TALLY:
Jonas : 2
Adrian : 0
Edis : 1
++++++++++++++ ooooooooooooo ++++++++++++++
Meanwhile, in the other hive, the girls had emptied the feeder, I filled it up again twice.
A total of 8 kilos of sugar had gone into that box in the last week or so,
should be enough to get them through the cold season I hope.
They would have had no chance as they were, with no honey at all at the start of winter.
One of the brood frames, bees shaken off
One of the previously empty frames, now glistening with sugar-syrup.
It's not nectar, and it's not honey, but it is sugar syrup that has been through a bee.
I wonder what it tastes like?
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