On Thursday we had an email informing us that there was a starvation risk and if there aren't enough stores to feed the bees. We went along and the supers were still unused so fed them sugar syrup 2:1.
Today we went to check on them, they still had plenty of stores so no risk of starvation at the moment. We went with the intention of taking away the super however they have in fact started to draw out the comb in there with plenty more bees working. We have therefore left the super for them to play with and hopefully fill.
We also found the Queen, huzzah!! and even managed to mark her. Worried about using the cage we just dabbed her slightly with the yellow marker, you may be able to see the yellow mark on her abdomen below. As you can see she is much larger than the other bees with a slightly different colouring. She is also much more tapered to enable her to lay eggs at the bottom of the cells.
I am very proud that I noticed her first, it is the first time that I have managed to find an unmarked Queen so chuffed that I did as she was scuttling around the place.
I also have a video with my rather unsteady hand, you will see lots of capped brood, there is larvae which is pearly white around the edges but not captured well in the video. I haven't worked out the skill of editing yet so you get to see the whole clip unedited.
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