To smoke or NOT to smoke, that is the question

Personally I have never smoked. It causes lung cancer and just smells horrid. However I have smoked my girls now and again. I am trying not to smoke them every time I take a peek. Today when I went out I wanted to disrupt them as little as possible. I don't really know how much it disrupts them, does it set them back a week? A few days? Who knows for sure but I know that it causes them to gorge themselves on honey and then they have to put it all back. Surprisingly I was not attacked too much. I only had one headbutting experience and she was not around very long. Some beekeepers have started using liquid smoke. The idea is that it is easier on the bees and your spray bottle never goes out. I might try this just so I have a comparison.

Here is a photo of the bees and something they love to do. This is a picture of the outer cover. They just love working the top. It doesn't ever turn into much. The outer two rectangles are propolis.




Here is a good photo of how they are working the frames. You will notice how the right five frames are still empty. Usually they work the middle and go out but in this hive it looks like they prefer the left.


They all seemed to be working a little slower this week and last week. I don't think I will have to put on any more supers for at least one more week or so. I will probably check them again in a week to see if they need anything.

It is time to start getting ready for the big harvest. I purchased a 400 micron filter that fits in a 5 gallon bucket. It is reusable and should really help a ton.