It's been 3 weeks since I checked my hives and moved them. The weak hive is dead. No live bees, though lots of honey. The top box seems like about 50 lbs. My stronger hive is doing well. Maybe even more bees than last check. At least similar numbers. I checked it without gloves, face netting, or hive tools, so I didn't look too long. I'm glad they survived our brutally cold (-12 F) and windy (gusts to 30 mph) night.
I will work on wrapping up and securing the honey-filled frames from the dead hive. I plan to use these to feed my bees this spring. I have a package coming mid-April. I want to see if I can get them going without feeding sugar water.
I left the tarp on the hives for now. I think I'll leave it a couple more weeks until the weather is warmer and more settled. I suspect my weak hive died from too much damp drafty air coming off the pond and from being in a location with no winter afternoon sun. So now my live hive has both draft protection and afternoon sun.
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