An Examination of a Feral Honeybee Colony for Parasites: 4
All photos copyright 2001, David L. Green Unauthorized use prohibited
October 14, 2001, Stuckey, SC
Second Board Off
The main brood area is exposed by the removal of the second board. There is a surprising amount of brood for this late in the season, another indication of a strong colony. All the brood in evidence is sealed; there is no young (open) brood, denoting that the queen has now shut down for the season. The bees offer no resistance; rather they are focused on damage repair. I only occasionally used a small puff of smoke for control. These are no doubt descendants of my own bees. I have a former bee yard about a half mile away, which has not been used for three years. Another bee yard is still active, about a mile and a half away. Varroa mites have been present in both bee yards.