Saturday, September 24, 2011

Inside the Hive

Worker bees are responsible for constructing the combs. Using wax secreted from their abdomens, they build the combs downward from the top of the hive. They attach each comb, which consists of two layers of horizontal, hexagonally shaped cells, to the roof and walls, leaving small passageways along the walls to allow movement between combs. In a typical nest, the combs will have cells for storing honey up top, followed by a layer of pollen-storage cells, and then beneath that the brood cells for workers and, off to one side, drones. Finally, at the bottom or off by themselves to the sides hang the peanut-shaped cells that house infant queens.
Here they are building up the comb to fill with honey.


I believe these frames are unprocessed nectar and the pollen storage cells. There may be some brood cells but right now they are more concerned with storing up for the winter.





Super filled with honey.


Taking the honey supers back to the house to be extracted.

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