No longer under close observation
In the end I decided not to attempt to overwinter the bees in the observation hive and they were moved to a nucleus in an out-apiary to see out the winter without prying eyes — assuming the mice don’t try to get in of course.
It is a very small colony, so I’m not sure how they will fare.
And with hundreds of workers gone from the office, there will inevitably be a drop in productivity … How will I ever cope?
First of all I will have to clean out the hive ready for another colony of bees next spring.
You can see a summary of the story of the observation hive in December’s BeeCraft magazine.
Turlough, Vita’s Guest Beekeeper Blogger