Hi Rojodiablo - welcome to the forum.
I have a few questions for you...
Are you in a dearth this time of year in Southern California?
Do you have any more hives and if so, what are they looking like?
Are these nucs?
My bees are ok. I am in a very healthy tree/ plant rich residential area. Lots of fruit trees, eucalyptus, and many different flowers which prodce good pollen and nectar pretty much year round.
Just came off a honey flow about a month ago as the last of the fruit trees flowered but there are lots of flowering trees for forage. Bees come home thick (nectar filled) and three colors of pollen. Yellow, red and orange.
I have 4 hives; they are all splits from my primary hive. There are two large hives; the primary and the first swarm which was March. A second and third swarm came off the same hive in April. The last one struggled, I got it going ok, bu the queen is gone as of last week. Maybe 2 lb of bees, say 8-10,000. 6 frames fairly full. The #3 hive is also smallish, but better; like 7/8 frames built. Queen is still there, but kinda quit laying.
The two large hives are 30/40,000 strong, mean and have very big queens who are aggressive and lay lots of brood. #1Primary hive is 2 boxes 95% built out, has excluder. #2 hive has 3 boxes, 2 are supers, 100% built out. Has excluder.
I got three queens coming from Oliveras bees in Northern California. One is just insurance. $35 each; pricey, but shipping pronto, so it's ok to save the hives. (Attached to the weak hive; they have fought the good fight so much, I am pulling for them!!) If all 3 queens are good to go from shipping, I will take a frame from each of the two big hives and make a 5 frame nuc and drop it in a friend's yard for a 5th hive.
I do expect good continued feed for 4 months, around late October it will slow down a but here, but not bad. (No real frost until January.)
