Guide to Hive Inspections New beekeepers frequently ask how often they should inspect their colonies. While the bees don't need to see you every week, you may need to see them in order to learn how to be a better beekeeper. Getting hands on experience will help you to learn and become more familiar with beekeeping. How To Prepare Ahead Of Time Plan you inspections for the middle calm day when many of the foragers will be out gathering nectar. Try not to open the hive if a storm is approaching or it is becoming dark. Light your smoker using a generous amount of fuel to produce a steady flow of cool white smoke. The smoke is not harmful to the bees. It helps to guide them to where you want them to go and it is a way to interrupt the chemical alarm signals within the hive. It is very helpful to have a nuc box or a spare hive body on a base to temporarily stow any frames you remove from the hive. Doing this keeps the bees on those frames calm and quiet. It also gives you a safe place to put the frame with the queen on it while you continue your inspections. Do your inspections on one of the long sides, this puts the end of the frames right in front of your hands, making it easier to move them in and our of the hive. Beginning Your Inspection The basic goal of every inspection is to check on the immature bees cells in the comb and the quantity of the colony's honey, nectar and pollen food stores. You do that by pulling out the frames, one by one, and checking on both sides. Always start your inspection with a couple of puffs of smoke to alert the bees you are going to disturb them. After your puffs of smoke wait about 2-3 minutes. Remove the cover and set is aside. If there is a bee still on it sit it on ground with the front of it facing the entrance. The bees will find their way into hive. How to Handle the Frames Try to stay calm and move in a smooth and controlled way. Remove the frame closet to the wall. Often this frame is attached to the box with little bridge of wax, so you may need to remove the second one instead. Use your hive took to separate as much as possible. Remove the frame by grasping the top bar at both ends with your fingertips and pulling it straight up and out of the box. concentrate vertically, any slight tilt will result in the lower edge of the frame scraping against adjacent frame. Look at the side closet to you and then tilt the bottom of the frame up and away from your body until it is upside down and you looking at the back surface. Once you have progressed from the wall frame to the center frame, set that frame aside. You could lean it against the back of the hive, but it's better to pop it into your spare nuc box. Remove the next frame and look it over. Keeping two frames out with give you more room to make your inspections. NOTE- If you find the queen on a frame, that frame should never be leaned against the hive. It should be either be replaced or stowed in spare box. Continue to loosen and remove the frames looking at each side until you get a good feel of how your hive is doing. It isn't necessary to look at all frames. Brood nest are once often quite symmetrical, so once you look at the center and one after you should be good. Move all of the frames back into their original position. If bees are on box edges, use your smoke to move them. What To Expect To See On A Frame

Eggs, is a good sign that the queen is busy laying eggs.

Larvae range from 3 to 6 days old when the cell is then capped over for the pupa stage.

A perfect frame if brood will have an arch to it. at the top of arch you will find capped honey. Pollen is then packed near the brood, which is beneath the capping's.

Contact Us:

James Fogleman

919.542.3157

sales@silkhopebeez.com
Guide to Hive Inspections New beekeepers frequently ask how often they should inspect their colonies. While the bees don't need to see you every week, you may need to see them in order to learn how to be a better beekeeper. Getting hands on experience will help you to learn and become more familiar with beekeeping. How To Prepare Ahead Of Time Plan you inspections for the middle calm day when many of the foragers will be out gathering nectar. Try not to open the hive if a storm is approaching or it is becoming dark. Light your smoker using a generous amount of fuel to produce a steady flow of cool white smoke. The smoke is not harmful to the bees. It helps to guide them to where you want them to go and it is a way to interrupt the chemical alarm signals within the hive. It is very helpful to have a nuc box or a spare hive body on a base to temporarily stow any frames you remove from the hive. Doing this keeps the bees on those frames calm and quiet. It also gives you a safe place to put the frame with the queen on it while you continue your inspections. Do your inspections on one of the long sides, this puts the end of the frames right in front of your hands, making it easier to move them in and our of the hive. Beginning Your Inspection The basic goal of every inspection is to check on the immature bees cells in the comb and the quantity of the colony's honey, nectar and pollen food stores. You do that by pulling out the frames, one by one, and checking on both sides. Always start your inspection with a couple of puffs of smoke to alert the bees you are going to disturb them. After your puffs of smoke wait about 2-3 minutes. Remove the cover and set is aside. If there is a bee still on it sit it on ground with the front of it facing the entrance. The bees will find their way into hive. How to Handle the Frames Try to stay calm and move in a smooth and controlled way. Remove the frame closet to the wall. Often this frame is attached to the box with little bridge of wax, so you may need to remove the second one instead. Use your hive took to separate as much as possible. Remove the frame by grasping the top bar at both ends with your fingertips and pulling it straight up and out of the box. concentrate vertically, any slight tilt will result in the lower edge of the frame scraping against adjacent frame. Look at the side closet to you and then tilt the bottom of the frame up and away from your body until it is upside down and you looking at the back surface. Once you have progressed from the wall frame to the center frame, set that frame aside. You could lean it against the back of the hive, but it's better to pop it into your spare nuc box. Remove the next frame and look it over. Keeping two frames out with give you more room to make your inspections. NOTE- If you find the queen on a frame, that frame should never be leaned against the hive. It should be either be replaced or stowed in spare box. Continue to loosen and remove the frames looking at each side until you get a good feel of how your hive is doing. It isn't necessary to look at all frames. Brood nest are once often quite symmetrical, so once you look at the center and one after you should be good. Move all of the frames back into their original position. If bees are on box edges, use your smoke to move them. What To Expect To See On A Frame
Guide to Hive Inspections New beekeepers frequently ask how often they should inspect their colonies. While the bees don't need to see you every week, you may need to see them in order to learn how to be a better beekeeper. Getting hands on experience will help you to learn and become more familiar with beekeeping. How To Prepare Ahead Of Time Plan you inspections for the middle calm day when many of the foragers will be out gathering nectar. Try not to open the hive if a storm is approaching or it is becoming dark. Light your smoker using a generous amount of fuel to produce a steady flow of cool white smoke. The smoke is not harmful to the bees. It helps to guide them to where you want them to go and it is a way to interrupt the chemical alarm signals within the hive. It is very helpful to have a nuc box or a spare hive body on a base to temporarily stow any frames you remove from the hive. Doing this keeps the bees on those frames calm and quiet. It also gives you a safe place to put the frame with the queen on it while you continue your inspections. Do your inspections on one of the long sides, this puts the end of the frames right in front of your hands, making it easier to move them in and our of the hive. Beginning Your Inspection The basic goal of every inspection is to check on the immature bees cells in the comb and the quantity of the colony's honey, nectar and pollen food stores. You do that by pulling out the frames, one by one, and checking on both sides. Always start your inspection with a couple of puffs of smoke to alert the bees you are going to disturb them. After your puffs of smoke wait about 2-3 minutes. Remove the cover and set is aside. If there is a bee still on it sit it on ground with the front of it facing the entrance. The bees will find their way into hive. How to Handle the Frames Try to stay calm and move in a smooth and controlled way. Remove the frame closet to the wall. Often this frame is attached to the box with little bridge of wax, so you may need to remove the second one instead. Use your hive took to separate as much as possible. Remove the frame by grasping the top bar at both ends with your fingertips and pulling it straight up and out of the box. concentrate vertically, any slight tilt will result in the lower edge of the frame scraping against adjacent frame. Look at the side closet to you and then tilt the bottom of the frame up and away from your body until it is upside down and you looking at the back surface. Once you have progressed from the wall frame to the center frame, set that frame aside. You could lean it against the back of the hive, but it's better to pop it into your spare nuc box. Remove the next frame and look it over. Keeping two frames out with give you more room to make your inspections. NOTE- If you find the queen on a frame, that frame should never be leaned against the hive. It should be either be replaced or stowed in spare box. Continue to loosen and remove the frames looking at each side until you get a good feel of how your hive is doing. It isn't necessary to look at all frames. Brood nest are once often quite symmetrical, so once you look at the center and one after you should be good. Move all of the frames back into their original position. If bees are on box edges, use your smoke to move them. What To Expect To See On A Frame