Atten - tion!

First hive inspection today! Very excited-yet-trying-to-maintain-an-air-of-calm-in-the-face-of many-many- bees.

Weather - check. Hot, sunny and calm.
Equipment - check. Hive tool, smoker, bee brush.
Me -check. Suited, booted and gloved.
Andy - check. Camcorder at the ready.

I do as I am told, and at Andy's request, pop an anti-histamine 'just in case.'

And then off I go. All is calm. Very little smoke needed, which I am pleased about because I want to avoid using the smoker as much as possible. I mean, I don't like having smoke blown in my face, and I bet the bees don't like it either.

Frame one - nothing to be seen. It is a new frame and the bees haven't reached the end of the hive yet.
Frame 2 - a bit of drawn comb on one side, mostly drawn comb on the other.
Frame 3 - mostly drawn out. Eggs! I saw eggs! That means the Queen has been there in the last three days and is laying.
Frame 4 - stores and drone cells. A little bit of brace comb dangling off the bottom. Am I sure it isn't a queen cell? Positive.
Frame 5 - stores, capped cells and - THE QUEEN! I see her! There she is! Waddling across the bottom of the frame, unmistakable. I am sooooooooo glad I've seen her!
Frame 6 - stores and drone cells
Frame 7 - stores, some larva and, I think, more eggs
Frame 8 - the starting of some drawn comb
Frame 9 - Empty
Frame 10 - Empty
Frame 11 - Empty - save for the occasional bee wandering across going, 'Hmmm, this looks nice and empty. Lots of building to be done here.'

Job done, all seems well. I re-assemble the hive. The bees have been doing their stuff well over the past week. Nothing to panic about, although they have almost gone through the contents of the contact feeder, and my instinct is to give them another bucket full, especially as we are in what is called the 'June Gap' where nectar sources tail off momentarily before revving up for summer proper. The nucleus needs a bit of additional help to get it going. But I am happy, and impressed with what they have done so far.

And they seem happy, too!

Meanwhile, Andy had been filming the inspection, giving a running commentary and, bless him, trying not to make an obvious suggestions as I went through the hive, in case I threw a frame full of bees at him.

Indoors, we watched the footage, getting all excited because it managed to catch a brief glimpse of the Queen again. The Queen, in passing, happened to mention her name was Mildred. So Queen Mildred of the Appropolis it is! Very grand, as befitting her Royal status. (I did wonder, as she is an Australian Queen, whether we should call her Edna, but, as Andy pointed out, if she said her name was Mildred, then Mildred it should be.)

And does my bum look big in a bee-suit?

Yes, it does!