End of the Season

{I meant to write this weeks/months ago, but never followed through. Here's a little note about the end of the active outdoor bee season.}

First of all, I continued to see elder bees leaving the nest. The one above is old enough that her wings have beat enough to destroy themselves.

Now, with the hive population and the temperature dropping, it's time to prepare for the winter. I did one last inspection of the hive - should have, but did not check to see if the queen was present - and made sure there was enough honey for them. I was shocked, actually, at the volume they'd accumulated since I'd initially been very concerned about it. Somehow, they had increased their stores to a level that indicated preparedness for the harder months ahead.

Also, I was able to see SHB's again. This was the second time I'd seen any, though I'd seen one hole through a comb at one point. (Their trademark: the beetles eat the comb and jump around from frame to frame, destroying everything and making life miserable for the bees.) Since they hadn't been visible for the majority of time I'd been inside the hive over the summer, I was less concerned about them. If they are inevitable, and they are not annihilating the hive, I guess I have to just cope with them, an extermination or pest-control plan in order for emergency use.

Finally, the closing steps in preparing the hive for winter....