Bees: Neglectful Beekeeper

I have been neglectful in posting and neglectful as a beekeeper. Last year, my bees got inspected once a week for the first month then every other week for the second month then a couple more times after that. They do a pretty good job on their own, once established, but I really feel like I have been shortchanging both hives for attention. That said, mostly I have neglected writing up anything. The biggest reason I didn't write anything up is because I haven't been taking pictures. Today, I managed to inspect my second hive (which doesn't have a name yet) a got a couple shots.

These bees are doing surprisingly well considering my gross missteps previously. I think they like their home, although they certainly made a mess of it. The first box ended up totally unmanageable. They built the comb in-between the frames instead of on the frames. At this point, my plan is to wait until Spring and take the whole box, frames and all and try to realign the comb when it's empty. They got a second box, this time with every other frame of drawn comb and every other frame of starter wedges. They did a great job drawing that out and filling it up with eggs and nectar. So much so, that they needed a third box. The new box is pure wax foundation. The bees seem to like it better than the coated plastic.

Anyway, here are some shots I got. One thing I found is that it is really hard to take good photos in bright sun while wearing a net over your head. Next time, I think I might bring the good camera and take the net off my head.

A little blurry with the queen (yellow dot)

Clear shot, but I missed the queen

Just got her this time (right edge) plus eggs