On a wing and a prayer...

Since Apollo is my only surviving hive at the moment and its residents have been through a lot already this year, I can only send up a prayer on little honeybee wings that these girls will make some honey to spare this summer.

This morning I installed a beetle trap and put on a queen excluder and two shallow honey supers. The inner cover had deteriorated over the past three years (assisted by the wax moth infestation a few months ago), so I replaced it. While I waited for the smoker to do its job and the bees to calm down and retreat, I peered down into the top brood super -- nice to see it was chock full of bees and they were storing some honey around the edges of the frames.

I removed Rocky from its perch and will break it down and bag it for trash. While there is evidence that the hive had wax moths, I can't help but believe there were other problems that contributed to its demise, including hive beetles, mites and maybe too much moisture.

Sweet Beezus is ready and waiting for new occupants. I can't find my receipt from Rossman Apiaries, but if I recall correctly, my package bees will ship out sometime next week or the following week. Maybe the second time around will be the charm for this hive.