Yesterday I got back from a business trip, but couldn't resist taking a peek at the syrup buckets. The 2 package hives are almost out of syrup, but the nuc was out of syrup--again. I put another bucket on and figured I'd do an inspection today.
Today I looked at the Happy hive. I wasn't looking for the queen, just checking to see how things are going. The hive is almost out of syrup, and almost out of room in the first box! For frames 1-10, they are building out into number one, but still have room in frames 9 & 10. I think because the grease patty is on top of 9 & 10. Still tomorrow I'm going to put another box of frames on top and put on another bucket of syrup.
I looked at the Not-So-Happy hive, and I was pleased to see that things are filling in nicely. This hive appears to be growing slower, but the combs look good so I don't think there is anything to worry about here. I just need to be patient. They have filled into about 6 frames so I don't need another box yet, but I will be putting more syrup on top tomorrow.
Lastly the nuc hive is doing well. The top box appears to be filling in faster than the bottom box. I think if this continues, next week I will try swapping the boxes. They still have room so I don't need to add another box yet, but I do need to keep an eye on the syrup. It's going fast!
The best news on the nuc hive is that I finally spotted the queen! She is marked with a little daub of white, and she was in the bottom box when I was inspecting it--pretty much in the middle of the box.