Ukrainian Queen Beeatrice Soon Reigns

Beatrice arrived at the Maidstone bee yard May 25th, from Transcarpathia, Ukraine. The top brood box was shaken into the bottom box. The newspaper separating the 2 swarms had been eaten through.

(*A queen was found in the hive. She was not laying but the bees were gathered around her and the cage she was put into. She was returned to the owner of the swarm. Ross graciously gave us a swarm he'd retrieved off his neighbours tree. He had two hives that overwintered and were busting at the seams. Both swarmed a couple days apart and we took the marauders in.

Here is video of the queen returning to her Tecumseh apiary.)

Beatrice is a Carnoilan honeybee - a subspecies of the Western honeybee native to Slovenia, southern Austria, and parts of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Hungary.

Ukraine produces the largest quantity of honey per capita in the world.

The Bees of War

May 27th - Beatrice dangles caged. I removed the tabs to reveal the candy. The bees will eat the candy until they release her. I added a queen excluder and super. The bees are bringing in pollen in leg fulls. All of the frames are active.