Made a quick check of both Wilde and Twain today, mostly to see whether the start of the nectar flow had led to any bee needs. Long story short: Twain needs a new queen. There was almost no brood, the population of bees is pretty low, and you can feel the lack of life in the hive. This is hard, but this is life: the queen must die, long live the new queen.
I've found a beekeeper not too far away who can sell me a new Italian queen, and I will try to get her installed tomorrow. It's a sad day. Sam has offered to do the deed to poor Queen Eleanor to spare my heart, but I'm going to stand up to this responisbility. I may try to hang on to her to help a new beekeeper learn to mark a queen. Or not – not if if means keeping her terrified in a box without proper attendants for a day or so.
Anyway, more details to follow.
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