Bee Yard Upgrade

I've been trying to keep my operation small, so for so good, but some times I think I may want another one or two and then I scramble to make all the parts and the last thing I think of is a stand. So after a few years of visiting other bee yards during field days with the NBBA and seeing how others bee yards are laid out, I finally decided to give my yard a little upgrade. Gone are the individual hive stands, (which worked very well for me so far) and install new bench type stand with a bit more room. To me the area looks larger and much better, only time will tell. Here is a before and after look at the two sides of my bee yard. 

Spring is on the way

 The other day I took off the winter wraps and feed them syrup made by Ambrosia, a German company that also has fondant I use. Today the temperature is up and they are out and about and looking good. I also noted that there wasn't as much bee poop on the front as in previous years, a good sign of their health, I hope. I cleaned out the bottom of each colony with a piece of wood I modified to fit into the entrance all the way back to each corner to remove any dead bees, a few as to be expected. Here is a look them with the feeder pails on top and a short clip of the activity going on.