Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Oh, good! No need for emergency feeding of sugar. Here, a newly started hive might starve over winter without help. Sugar isnt a good solution, but dead bees is a terrible outcome.
Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Is your weather turning into spring or fall?
Mike Barkley wrote:No. Install the frames with foundation. A swarm will still move in. If you capture a swarm somewhere else just place them on top of the frames with the cover removed. Add the cover once they get inside. Working with no foundations is more suited for experienced beekeepers.
Mike Barkley wrote:Sounds like you didn't have much choice except to remove the burr comb from the lid if you ever wanted to access the inside again. Bees can work extremely fast filling empty spaces. It can become a tangled mess that only a bee can appreciate. Frames & foundation are for human needs not for the bees needs.
I suggest removing the old comb from the floor. Melt it down & use a paintbrush to add a thin layer to the artificial foundations. Then install all the frames back into the hive. Don't beat yourself up over forgetting. Consider it a lesson learned the hard way & move on. It seems there is plenty of bee activity near you so I think you'll have more soon.
About honey harvest ... since I don't know anything about your seasons or pollen availability throughout the year just remember that is the bee food supply. Harvest very sparingly & only after they are well established with a large honey supply.
Good luck. You got this!!!