That's awesome. I think we're going to wait until after the buckwheat, depending on our next mite check, then use formic. We have oxalic acid pads in our boxes right now and will continue with that.Not one mite in all 3 hives! Queens are laying nicely, honey and pollen over packed brood frames, me so very happy! Now I can hold treatment till the temp steadies below 80 and give them a Formic Pro treatment as a matter of course.
Sounds like you're in good shape. Naming bees? Let's see you come up with about roughly a HUNDRED FOURTY THOUSAND more.
I have named mine collectively The Crew. When I get whacked, which is rare, I have all kinds of colorful names for that one even though it's my fault, under my breath of course. 
With all the comb drawn I'm excited to see how much we get with the fall goldenrod flow.
That's fantastic! I hope you have a good nectar flow.Juist did my first extraction last weekend and got 15 pounds!
I use Apigard for a couple rounds in the fall when the supers are off before closing up and once again in the spring before putting the supers on. During flow season I use oxalic acid treatments because it doesn't leave dangerous amounts in the honey. Started with one explosive nuc last year and split it over the season to three hives (sacrificed any hope for a harvest to expand). One hive didn't survive the winter, but bees from the other hives took over the empty hive box and just exploded in numbers. Going to try expanding to four hives next year. Maybe five the next.
Wish we had goldenrod here.
a disaster the prior year from a beekeeping friend. Have since switched to all wood. Put a deep on 3 wks ago and told us the frames are completely drawn with syrup feed, the bee numbers are teeming. Sent a pic of a beautiful brood frame of pollen syrup and capped brood. Asked us to walk them through a mite chk this wkend. His better half will be doing it, wants to know about winter prep. DW is really happy with what is taking place with "HER" bees. Phew, glad to hear that! Don't want to incur that wrath!
It's strange they had so much trouble with their plastic hive. We have friends that use one and so far they are really liking it. Of course they had drawn frames from last year, so that makes a big difference. It's great you were able to help them out with her bees...lolGot a call from the couple we're "coaching" on their 2nd attempt at bee keeping after they had bad advice and plastic hives and frames,
