More Beekeeping:

Adam did a little hive maintenance today. He unstacked the whole hive in order to add 3 pieces of "bee furniture" that he's built.
Here he checks out one of the newest frames,which the bees have only had about a week. Already they are building new comb on this one.
This is a Miller Top Feeder. Adam built 2 of them. They sit on top of the hive and he puts honey or sugar water in them. The bees can eat without drowning in the liquid.
Adam also built this integrated pest management device :) It's a screen that the mites can fall through, but they can't get back up into the hive. Without it, they would fall from one bee, but travel back into the hive by way of another. This goes on the bottom of the stack.
Here Adam is restacking the hive: screen on the bottom, then the slotted board (remember?) that gives ventilation and room.
Lastly, he and Anna sifted powdered sugar onto the bees and frame tops. They'll clean the sugar off each other, and simultaneously remove mites as well. Our hive doesn't have mites, but it's good to do these preventative measures. A mite infestation can kill off your hive.