I put some pieces inside my duplication hive at home. (I was originally planning to put a piece of brood chamber that I accidentally broke from the main hive, but I told myself no cheating... so I settled for some pieces of the hive instead). These propolis immediately caught the attention of the bees and many climbed out of the orange tube and began exploring the four corners of the hive. It must be the scent of honey, the remaining pollen grains, and/or the pheromones, that have attracted the bees. It was like a playground to them.
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| Photo taken 3 days ago, 8/14/2014... |
The photo below was taken this afternoon. Notice the build-up of propolis along the edges (where the tube was cut in half to provide an opening) ?
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| Photo taken earlier today, 8/17/2014 |
A closer look shows the bees have started filling up the ridges of the tube and it looks like they are extending it further. I have a feeling that the bees have decided to annex the duplication hive and they are building a bridge to connect the hive and the piece of propolis at the lower left part of the hive. This morning, I was planning on removing the tube little by little. But I got up late and when I looked inside, the tube was already with crawling bees eager to go out.
For now, I think I will leave the bees and the tube alone for a while and observe what will happen next. As of now, the bees do not show any sign of aggression every time I open the lid of the duplication hive so I can watch them and take photos and videos.
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| Here is one friendly or very curious bee that feerlessly climbed up my finger... |
Just a short video clip.
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