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Great thread Vin. I took up beekeeping in spring 2016. I would highly recommend having a second hive. There are so many ways you can fix one hive using resources from the other, even if the second hive is just a nuc (pronounced nuke, short for nucleus hive).

Also, check out beesource.com. It's the closest thing the beekeeping world has to Cigar Asylum. Some of the biggest names, scientists, large commercial outfit owners, and a ton of very experienced beekeepers post there. If you haven't watched them yet, check out the series called the Sustainable Apiary by Michael Palmer. It's easy to find on YouTube. I've watched it twice and plan to again. I learn more each time as I have more experience under my belt. I would also recommend joining a local beekeeper club. Mine has been a huge benefit for the costly sum of $10/year/family.

If you haven't yet, you also need to do mite level checks. Powdered sugar or alcohol tests to need to be done periodically to know your mite/bee ratio. Even if you treat, you need to know your levels. Most die-offs and absconding happen due to high mite levels aka PMS. No, not that one. It stands for Parasitic Mite Syndrome. It's where the colony weakens due to various viruses introduced by high mite levels. If you ever have questions or want talk bees, please let me know.