Spoke too soon
Unfortunately, like many beekeepers this year, a hive that seemed OK at the start of the season has now died. Elizabeth, always our weakest hive, appears to have lost track of honey stores - there was a clump of dead bees in the upper chamber, with about a 2-3″ region of depleted comb around it. I probably shouldn’t have reversed the brood chambers, given how weak she was.
Now we have to scramble to find a local source of nucs. Nucs wouldn’t be ready in this area until late May at the earliest, and it will be frustrating to have to wait. Another option is to split our remaining hive (once she’s built up enough) and introduce a new queen.
–Justin
