bees, frames, and the shakes...

[RoseCottage]

whilst away on honeymoon I had a fellow beekeeper look after my girls. during his inspection he determinedly shook bees from each frame. This resulted in the brood extensions they had made on standard bb frames snap and fall off. I am moving the girls onto a deep bb at the moment.
I am only a 1 yr beekeeper but so far I do not believe violent shaking is needed in my small 2 hive setup. We are blessed with calm bees in both hives and manage to check for queen cells, eggs, the queen and the state of the colony by slow deliberate movements, a finger or two and a little focussed blowing or light smoke.

What do others do?
Sam

 

[Black Comb]

You need to remove the nurse bees from the frames in order to inspect the brood for disease etc and also look for queen cells.

In days gone by beeks used a brush or goose feather, nowadays the taught method is to shake them off.

 

[RoseCottage]

so I have done this with my hand and some blades of grass.
Shaking frames violently to me just has one logical outcome - irritated bees.
sam

 

[Finman]

You need to remove the nurse bees from the frames in order to inspect the brood for disease etc and also look for queen cells.

In days gone by beeks used a brush or goose feather, nowadays the taught method is to shake them off.

I have never heard or done that job.

The hive will be disturbes many days. That is worse than any disease.

For example, when you shake the egg cells, eggs are here and there on cell walls.

Just awfull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[shonabee]

It does sound like the shaking-bees-off must have been pretty enthusiastic in order to break the frame.
But I guess everyone has their own way of doing things and he was helping you out by checking on your bees whilst you were away.

 

[tidymeup]

Personally i like the method of placing the back of my hand gently on the bees which will move them out of the way and as far as i can tell causes no ill effect.

 

[Incatatus]

am a new beek, but was taught last year to just gently blow, they get out of the way because they din`t like our smelly breath!!

 

[Finman]

am a new beek, but was taught last year to just gently blow, they get out of the way because they din`t like our smelly breath!!

That is a good habit and of course a little bit smoke is good too.

One problem In nurse them is that when you take a frame off and then look it a while, bees cover with thick planket the open gavity.

"But I guess everyone has their own way of doing things and he was helping you out by checking on your bees whilst you were away. "

In nursing it must be some mistake if the brood frame is so full of bees that you do not see brood.

Too few space for bees or

you give them time to block the open frame side.

 

[Finman]

Personally i like the method of placing the back of my hand gently on the bees which will move them out of the way and as far as i can tell causes no ill effect.

That is good too. When bees smell odor of hand, they try to escape.

But if you do the inspection so slow, the brood will catch a cold.
Inspection must be rapid happening where you look with with quick wast sight that brood seems normal:

 

[Black Comb]

Well I went to a inspection demo on recently by the RBI.
(This was to show us new beeks how to inspect.)

He shook every frame. No noticeable damage to bees and they did not seem to mind. There is a right and wrong way to shake them of course.

BTW, I read the original post as the extra comb built at the bottom had fallen off, not a broken frame?

Congratulations RC on your recent tying of the knot.

 

[Finman]

He shook every frame. No noticeable damage to bees and they did not seem to mind. There is a right and wrong way to shake them of course.

.

When I started beekeeping, bees were so mad that they had killed me if I begin to shake them.

What ever you do but it is really harmul and unnecessary habit.

But if you do not know what to do

SHAKE BEES

I use to greet Hivemaker "shake bees". It is so funny habit. It is maritime climate, I think.

.

 

[Polyanwood]

Come on then tell us how we make sure that there are no queen cells. It is cruel how you mock us, but I think your advice is usually fantastic!

(I don't shake all my frames. I don't like to shake them before I am certain the queen is not on the frame. I only shake them for a reason - most usually if I am on a mission to reduce QCs for example when doing an artificial swarm.)

 

[Finman]

Come on then tell us how we make sure that there are no queen cells.

If you find over 5 queen cells, you may find them more. You need not find them all because it is imposible.

MAKE A FALSE SWARM AND LET THE QUEEN CELLS BE

SHAKE BEES IF YOU DO NOT INVENT ANYTHING ELSE!

 

[VEG]

MAKE A FALSE SWARM AND LET THE QUEEN CELLS BE

If you leave all the queen cells be you could risk loosing further swarms as caste's.

 

[Finman]

If you leave all the queen cells be you could risk loosing further swarms as caste's.

I have done that for years. When old bees move away, the queen emerge normally and mark othes queen cells to be klled. So it happens.

If they want to swarm, they may take with them that only queen and raise from larvae new queens. That is very rare but *.* happens.

 

[Polyanwood]

I was arguing with a beekeeper who lost 3 swarms this weekend... I think because he left several QCs when he did his Artificial Swarm... he was nearly crying. His colonies have now swarmed several times. I told him I try to leave just one - which he thought was high risk!!! I think high risk is having swarm after swarm then cast after cast because you leave lots of QCs

OR is someone doing these artificial swarms incorrectly???? On reflection perhaps I should have said... are you sure you didn't leave QCs in with the queen?

 

[Finman]

.
If the bee stock is mad to swarm, nothing can stop them.

If rape honey stuck the hive, they surely swarm and follow no book wisedom.

many things have happened to me during decades, but it is imposible to live or do hobbe with 120% quarantee.

Winter goes thinking about varroa, then swarming and what next.

What ever domestic animals you have, you have losses. You may cry or not cry.

 

[Roy S]

Blimey how hard was he shaking the frames to snap the frame extensions?...if thats what I gather you mean?
It doesnt take much of a shake to dislodge the bees, its certainly never has had any detrimental effect on any colonies of mine as far as I'm aware, but losing half the colony due to missing a QC would.