I went into the 3 hives today.
#1- There is some nectar in the top super and still a few empty frames. The second super is heavy with honey. The bottom super is heavy and may have some brood in it still; I did not inspect it. I saw the golden queen in the bottom box. She was on a comb with drone brood and drone-sized cells. An alcohol mite count showed a 1.6% infestation, below the 2.0% threshold. I will repeat the count in 2-3 weeks. If high, I will treat with the shop towel/oxalic acid as per Randy Oliver.
#2- This is the most recent swarm, hived 10 days ago. The bees are on 4 frames with brood and larvae. They have done a good job on cleaning all the comb. There I spotted the queen. I can tell by her coloration that she has some carniolan in her. A significant number of the workers are also dark.
#3- The bees now cover 6 frames and I saw an excellent brood pattern on at least two frames (I did not inspect the final frame).
So all three seem to be doing well. We should get some honey from #1, but I don't expect any from #2 or 3. Olea's continues to diminish. There are still some bees visible through the window, but very little action at the entrance. The swarm trap is back up in the front, but not much happening there.
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