Winter Watch

Things are quiet when its cold although one day when it warmed up to about 50 degrees I had a swarm in front of the hive with bees coming and going. Even when its cold, I still see an occasional bee venture out and fly somewhere.
I just put on a entrance mouse guard to both keep out varmints and keep some wind out. Wondering if I should be putting out pollen for just in case food or not.

Jersey Cape BeeKeepers Nov Meeting

Meeting was held November 19th. Talked about how to prepare the hives for winter. Protect from wind by wrapping in lack Tar paper or place bales of hay around the hive. Space hay bales so a person can walk freely around the hive.
Also talked about plan for new bee course in the spring. Everyone is asked to contribute. Bill Eisele wants to know who will be interested in obtaining bees - Hives or Nucs in the spring. Let him know soon so he can plan for ordering.

Next meeting will be in January -

Drones everywhere

Yesterday, the hive was boiling. There was a traffic jam in front with lots of bee coming and going. Noticed a lot of drones on the ground in front of the hive and also some of the girls pushing drones away from the entrance. Other drones seemed to land and walk right in. Could the new queen be the cause of this behavior. I got ingrossed with the drones on the ground in front of the hive and wasstudying them. When I picked one up, one of the girls stung me right under my nose. Today I look like a platerpuss. Today the bees still seem more aggressive then usual. By the end of next week I plan to open up and check to see whats going on with eggs and larvae.