Hive 1: Beautiful but Weak

So my first hive, the conservative one (with foundation), is struggling. It's requeened and she is laying well, with a great pattern, but they aren't drawing new comb. Only four of ten frames drawn out. It may be that there aren't enough bees to keep any more larvae warm, but I'm getting impatient. Especially after seeing the other, natural hive that is only twelve days old.

But Hive #1 has one thing going for it. It is neat and tidy! A beautiful rainbow pattern, just as promised. A half moon of yellow brood, with an arc of orange pollen/bee bread above that, and capped white honey above that (in the corners).

Someone will probably yell at me about those bird feeders. I moved them to the shade garden when I first installed the hive, but the finches dropped tons of tiny thistle seed all over my hostas. Hostas looked diseased. It was disturbing, really it was. So I moved the feeders back to their old spot. I've surfed and surfed, haven't seen that it's a problem to have bird feeders next to a hive, but then again, this hive isn't doing so well.

One fine day, I watched a carolina wren cleaning up all the dead bee carcasses. I haven't noticed any other birds under the hive, and none eating live bees. I did see a tanager in the tree above, a rare site indeed at our house. I also saw a nuthatch hopping around on top of the hive when his feeder was empty. Darn smart, the little blackmailer! Feeder was refilled pronto hasto.

I wonder if the hive will attract some new birds? After all, the chickens attracted new birds--hawks, actually, and all kinds of other sneaky predators. Ew.