
Signs of robbing: the brown staining on the front of the hive is left by robbers during a massive robbing attack. The robbers stuff themselves with honey and then excrete some as they start flying home. If you see more bees than you expected zipping in and out if the hive at this time of year, brown staining on the entrance side of the hive is a sure sign of robbing. Other things to look for:
- Unlike returning foragers laden with nectar and pollen, robbers may not shoot right into the entrance. Instead, they fly from side to side, waiting for an opportune moment to sneak past the guard bees.
- You may see bees fighting at the entrance or on the ground in front of the hive. These are the guard bees defending their colony to the death, and this behavior is a sure indication of robbing.
- Unlike foragers that leave the hive empty, robbers leave the hive heavily laden with honey, making flying difficult. They tend to climb up the front of the hive before taking off, and once they’re airborne, there’s a characteristic dip in their flight path.
Photo courtesy of Oliver Frank

Using 8 frames in a 10-frame honey super allows the bees to draw 'fat' combs, making uncapping easier because the combs protrude past the frames, and also making harvesting more efficient due to having fewer frames to uncap per box of honey. This approach is also more "natural" as bees not on frames draw wider combs for honey storage. Photo courtesy of Oliver Frank.

Bees clustering below the brood chamber. This shows the bottom of an overturned slatted rack. Photo courtesy of Oliver Frank.

Honey Extractor Brace -- plywood brace Kirk cut to fit the extractor's diameter and screwed to the bench. He also screwed the straps to the bench.
Master Builder Kirk Welton

Honey bee eggs at bottom of cells (tiny white rice-like shapes on left)
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

good brood pattern; solid pattern of capped brood, surrounded by pollen and capped honey on edges of frame
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

open queen cell at bottom of hive frame (center photo); swarm cell
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

drone brood to right of worker bee brood (in front of gloved finger)
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

drone bees walking up edge of frame (3 drones along line of honey cells and wood frame)
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

drone frame full of drone brood with some drones emerging from their cells
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

homemade solar wax melter (styrofoam box/cooler wrapped in foil with piece of glass on top)
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

Small Hive Beetles (SHB) active on frame of worker bees (SHB inside cells on left)
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

Varroa mite on back of center bee; drone on lower right towards center
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

evidence of Varroa mite; white droppings (feces) on cell walls
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

wax moth infestation and droppings (white web, brown-red pellet droppings)
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing

Poor brood pattern; dead larvae and pupae in cells, sunken cells
©Kimberley Navabpour/Sunset Publishing