So we have just been working on building the number of colonies that we have. We have to date raised 3 new queens and are waiting on another split to finish raising another queen. I tried grafting larva into cell cups, but I am sure there were are few things that I didn't do right this time around. So I will give it another try if the timing permits.
Currently we have two hives that look like they might produce a honey crop this year. One goal for this season wasn't to purchase bees so we have been trying to build numbers which means that we are likely to have less of a harvest this year. One thing that I haven't done, but should probably do is get on a swarm call list. I did get some info on a swarm in our neighborhood, however I wasn't quick enough to get things together to capture it. It was a nice little swarm that I would have been happy to add to my hives. The one thing that was great about this is that I have never seen an actual swarm so that was exciting!
I am still hopeful as I have swarm traps out in one of the places that I keep bees and each time I have visited in the last few weeks I have seen scout bees checking out the hive. So I am still hopeful to catch another swarm. At this point in the season it really is a waiting game to see what the weather and blooms bring. I am still hopeful that we will have a decent harvest by mid-July as that is about the time I have been able to pull honey off of the hives.
This year I may also try to split the hives after pulling the first harvest of honey. Hoping that that helps with the swarming and the varroa mite population in the hive. That has been the great thing about this is the learning that I have been doing each year.
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