I think the bees missed us. They were all very calm. 3Reds and I went in to check the hives and never even got a head butt.
The little nuc we started a week before we left has an active queen who is laying a very good pattern. Some of her first eggs should be emerging this week as clean up bees. I've already got someone willing to buy the nuc from me. I'll turn it over to him in 8 days, and by then, the hive should have a lot more bees. The nuc has one or two frames of brood (all laid in the past two and a half weeks, and two frames of honey/pollen.
The hive with the new Italian queen looks like it is doing well. We found, caught, and marked her today. Lots of good looking brood in that hive.
My split with the old queen is doing sorta OK. I'm still not happy with the pattern, but unwiling to go in and murder the White Queen, just yet.
And that leaves the hive that I haven't split, requeened, or messed with (other than pulling a few frames to help one of the other hives). It is percolating right along. The bees are starting to draw comb in the honey super, and the top deep looks like it is full of honey and pollen.
It was nice to be gone for 10 days, and not sit around worrying about mistakes or second - guessing myself. I think the bees were glad we were out of their "hair," and let them do what they like to do.
