Growth

What's going on in there anyway?

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Nest

After orienting to their new situation, bees start building their nest. The cluster settles down in the first third of the hive, nearest the entrance. And comb constructions begins. Initially, the comb's extent is controlled by the cluster's size and it's ability to keep the nest warm enough. But once some comb is available and brood rearing is underway, bees expand their comb building activities as they can control their hive environment better. When new bees hatch increasing the population, comb building advances beyond the cluster's physical boundaries.

The bees build a nest structure that enhances colony function and optimal survival. It can be divided into two three parts.

Broodnest Core

Near the entrance and toward the bottom of the comb is the broodnest core. Cell size is smaller here than anywhere else in the hive. The bees keep the broodnest core open for broodrearing. And they cluster there when they overwinter.

The broodnest core is the central focus of nest activity. Everything radiates outward from the broodnest core.

Broodnest

Surrounding the broodnest core is an area of larger cell sizes. Cell size gradually increases away from the core area, with the largest broodnest cell sizes next to the top bars above the core and away from the entrance.

Honey and pollen are overwintered in the broodnest. This food fuels colony expansion during late winter/early spring before the bees can freely forage. As broodnest food is consumed, empty cells become available and are used for more worker brood. The largest cells are emptied last. And are used to rear drones which are necessary for late spring/early summer swarming.

Honey Storage Area

Beyond the broodnest is the honey storage area. Honey, beyond that needed for survival, is stored here. Cell size and comb orientation are chaotic in the honey storage area. The bees will move honey in and out of the honey storage area depending upon the needs in the broodnest. It's this area that is harvested by the beekeeper.

You can read more of my nest observations here and here.

Behavior

It's no small task for a few pounds of bees to build a functional nest. Raise a large overwintering population. And store enough food to overwinter. All in just a few months. For the bees to succeed, the location has to be optimal. The bees must make the appropriate colony decisions quickly. And few problems should confront the colony.

Not all colonies survive.

Progression

This is how one broodnest progressed at weekly intervals: