Bees

Good news:  The observation hive is booming.

Bad news: 3 of the 4 outside hives are dead.  Starved within inches of honey.  The neighbors bees have been cleaning out the remaining honey.   My current theory is that they didn't get a good round of broodrearing done in the fall (thanks to it being so hot and dry) so they didn't have a big enough cluster.  Then with the warm winter, they raised some brood and then starved with we had the cold spell.

The westernmost hive is still alive, but weak.  1.5 frames of brood.  I gave them extra honey from the dead-outs and reduced their entrances to the minimum.  Hope they can grow quickly.  Might end up making splits of the OH!

The above bees are dead!  But they look pretty healthy other than that. No deformed wings.

The observation hive doing great.  Drawing out new comb, queen laying in every cell possible.  Still expanding the broodnest which now covers the 2 middle frames nearly completely.

OH queen on new comb: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/421770_3560396127302_1194765696_33699441_274490565_n.jpg