Summer

During the 2nd summer, a nest of a small hornet (Vespa analis) was twice made in the immediate vicinity near the elementary school, and the giant hornet appeared at the school colonies earlier than in ordinary years. However, the giant hornet was not seen even once at the nest on the gymnasium, 13m above ground this year, either.

Autumn

When it became cool and the tall goldenrod bloomed, the number of bees of the nest increased. The lower part of the nest began to swell compared with summer, and the nest became large.

Winter

2002 was a warm winter. The cold did not last long, and spring came on early. The form of the nest did not change due to honey storage having decreased and the number of bees having decreased during the previous year. In March, the number of bees increased suddenly. When looked at from under a nest, it appeared to have become a form like people's buttock.　

Spring

A swarm was seen two weeks earlier (April 13) than last year. The swarm concentrated and attached on the branch of a cherry tree near the gymnasium. A second swarm was seen the next day (April 14). The second swarm flew west over the ground on which the baseball team was practicing. Photographs were taken just before the swarming and immediately after the second swarm. Reduction of the number of the bees at the time of swarm, which cannot readily be seen in a closed space nest, was readily visible in the open space nest.

Comparison of the nest just before swarm and immediately after (swarms on April 13 and 14).

	The state on April 11, 2002
	The state on April 15, 2002

The queen has an accident！ Number of bees decreases gradually.

Although May and June is generally a good season for bees, the number of bees decreased quickly. I think that the egg production capability of the queen was lost. The marks of queen cells where new queens grew in April, could be seen.

Bees could not be seen on the nest in August, 2002.

The nest where the number of bees decreased extremely (2002. 5.21)

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