It's been pretty hot and dry here lately, although the month of July finished up only less than 1/3" less than normal for precipitation. Both hives had a fair amount of activity on the outside of the hives and plenty of 'first flights' could be seen.
Genesis: Looking underneath the lid on this hive I was a little disappointed to see that the bees hadn't really touched the second super yet. The first super was still about 80% complete. I was really excited to see the amount of propolis that the bees had managed to set into this hive. Amazingly, the new woodenware I had for the past few months now has a beautiful reddish tint to it. I managed to scrape some off and actually tried eating it. Tasteless!
A look deeper into the hive revealed massive amounts of honey and capped brood. Fewer eggs, but I did see them. I'd estimate that each frame weighs at least 8 lbs. I didn't explore down into the lower brood chamber and I'm told, it's not necessary.
Exodus: The bees are just now working on this honey super. As has been the case for the entire season, this hive seems to be about a week behind Genesis. As usual, the Exodus bees were a little more aggressive and were bumping my veil during my inspection. The reddish propolis stain was everywhere and the top brood chamber was filled with honey, capped brood, eggs, and bees. I saw a bee emerging from its cell and watched as it chewed its way out, that was a first for me.
I did have to pull some weeds and grass that were obstructing the hives a bit, but other than that, no other maintenance issues.
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