Every spring beekeepers have to take stock of their bee hives. Which ones are strong and which ones are weak.

The strong have amazing build up of population, because the queen is laying like crazy, and the weak have a queen that is really just walking around the combs not doing anything!

So that's where re-queening comes in. You have to remove the queen who is not doing anything and introduce a new one.  This sounds easy, but does not always go the way you think it should! 

Yesterday, I opened a few queen cages that had been in their new hives and most f them just walked out and were accepted by the hive. But one decided this was her time to check out the neighberhood and flew off! Another got balled by her hive, which is when the bees all jump on her and sting her to death!  I was shocked by this, I'd read about this, but never seen it before.  Then I looked around the hive and found a queen cell...that explains their none acceptance of the new queen.

Today I'll check to see if the queen that flew off decided to come back, I hope so, but I am not in charge of their lives, they pretty much do as they want, I am simply a bystander as the do their thing.

Bees pollinate my neighbors trees and flowers and provide me with honey, beeswax, propolis and pollen. Amazing!