Kevin wrote:

> So.  What does the list think, or what is the opinion for hives that are in
> out apiaries, and are not tended to very often?  Yes I do belong to a local
> bee club, and will address the group on Friday and ask for assistance... my
> wife has also taken to tending hives in a limited sort of way.

I was incapacitated for a few months with inner ear disease and the bee
club I belonged to did everything for me including spring and early
summer management.

I hope that your club members are as kind as were mine. You could also
"lend" your bees to one of the club members and allow them to harvest
the honey in payment for managing the hives. It seems that even if you
stack supers, you are going to hit a wall in October with a bunch of
hives with lots of supers that the bees have setup for over wintering.
Plus, I would almost count on the queen having laid in the supers,
because of the ebb and flow of nectar storage during the summer. In my
opinion, you will come back to a mess unless you get help. Especially if
they keep you an extra month or two, which is not out of the question.
Been there, done that.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Me