Hidere all!
 
   What an unusual year!  I lost all five of my hives last winter to mites (??) and restarted four
with packages.  Then came the cold wet spring, and all the packages superseded their
queens.  This was also my first year to get a (real) swarm call, located in a five foot high bush,
which is now my fifth hive.  I treated all for mites with Apistan and Crisco/sugar patties.
 
     First the "lesson:"  Two of the four built up strong and I took off honey this weekend.   One
had three solid supers on it, but the other had two of honey and one of brood, over the queen
excluder!  The hive bodies were full of pollen, nectar, and drone cells.  (The queen must have
gotten trapped in the super when I went back in to get the excluder!  I guess this one was my
fault.  I shoulda looked.  I had been so happy to see the supers so full of hardworking bees...)
That super is now a "cluster super" below the hive body.
 
   Now the "observation:"  All five of my hives are "loaded"   with swarm cells and drones.  I
have never seen so many so late in the season.
 
   Is anyone else seeing such screwy conditions in the hives?
   What is it trying to tell me?
   Comments?