Hive inspections on double brood

[MattC]

Any tips from old hands?

Main differences/challenges I'm finding are more bees, more scope to squash bees, more boxes lying around on the ground, harder to find queen. So any advice greatly appreciated.

(And yes, I realise changing hive type might be the longer term fix, but that doesn't help right now...)

 

[drstitson]

you need to ask yourself "what am i looking for?" as for any inspection on any format hive.

 

[enrico]

I only inspect the top box. If I see eggs I have a queen, queen cells are generally between the box's. generally the bottom box is full of stroppy bees!
People with loads of hives save time by simply splitting the box's and looking between them for queen cells, if there are none they stop there! Depends how fussy you want to be. If I look through the bottom box I either do it first by placing supers, QE, top bb on ground and check bottom bb on site, or if they are stroppy move it so the fliers return to the hive site.
Hope this helps
E

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I check bottom box first.
Have actually found a QC in one last week
It's a bugger if there are three supers on top as well!

 

[drstitson]

"Have actually found a QC in one last week"

when there were absolutely NONE upstairs?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yep!

 

[Stickyfingers]

"Have actually found a QC in one last week"

when there were absolutely NONE upstairs?

Have had this as well. Risky business leaving the bottom. I use a frame holder now and have a quick scan. It helps distance yourself against the stroppy ones.

 

[dickndoris]

I find QC in both. More often on the entrance side of the lower brood half way up the frame edge. All has changed now I use poly hives! The queen lays in all frames if she can and she is often found on the outside frame. I really don't mind looking through supers as a brood as you can do it so quick. When you have 12x14 then standard nat brood on top its harder and the guys that have double 14x12! Phew. That will make for a long morning. Glad I changed to the larger frames early on.
If your only putting a super on as the extra brood box you shouldn't have any bother. I like things to be simple and I have had no problems. If they need space then give them it or they will be off!

 

[fiftyjon]

If I want to find the queen in a double brood hive, I smoke at the bottom entrance or under the mesh floor then wait at least three minutes. I remove the supers leaving the QX in place if there is one. Move the top box away and look through it the queen is generally in that box.

Inspecting a double brood system I find is generally fairly easy, as others have said, split and hinge the top box, looking up you can see if there is space and if queen cells being formed. If I want to see if there are eggs, then a middle frame is pulled out, if I see eggs then I have a laying queen.

I might check the bottom box quickly for any odd cells, that may be there although none were seen in the top box.

 

[MattC]

Thanks for the comments.

What's the rationale for inspecting bottom box first? If you're trying to find the queen I'm thinking inspect top box first, if no sign of her than assume she's fled downstairs and you can place on the ground nearby without worrying she'll get squashed etc. Then go through the bottom box thoroughly at your leisure. And if you find her in the top box (and no QCs along the bottom of the frames), there's no need to dismantle the hive further.

Or am I missing something?

Edit: cross-posted with fiftyjon, who does suggest top box-first, so I guess I'm asking the others... and I've heard bottom-first suggested elsewhere too.

 

[Travelator]

If you do the top box first, by the time you get around to doing the bottom box it will be full of disgruntled bees. Some of them are returned foragers wondering where the supers have got to, and others are ones that got shaken down out of the top box and end up getting inspected twice.

 

[Erichalfbee]

The bottom box has lots of grumpy bees

 

[Finman]

The bottom box has lots of grumpy bees

I do not inspect the lowest box. Nothing new in there. Only those evil foragers.
Why it should be inspected?

 

[fiftyjon]

Edit: cross-posted with fiftyjon, who does suggest top box-first, so I guess I'm asking the others... and I've heard bottom-first suggested elsewhere too.

I don't routinely check the bottom box unless I think its necessary. Most of the time it's just the top box(s).

 

[Gribbee]

Checked mine last Sunday, 3 QC's in bottom box.

 

[Finman]

Checked mine last Sunday, 3 QC's in bottom box.

= Farewell to swarms! However I do not inspect it.

 

[BeeNice]

I only inspect the top box. If I see eggs I have a queen, queen cells are generally between the box's. generally the bottom box is full of stroppy bees!
People with loads of hives save time by simply splitting the box's and looking between them for queen cells, if there are none they stop there! Depends how fussy you want to be. If I look through the bottom box I either do it first by placing supers, QE, top bb on ground and check bottom bb on site, or if they are stroppy move it so the fliers return to the hive site.
Hope this helps


E

Hi
This year is turning out to be pretty good, I have 2 hives, one on Brood + half and the other on double brood. I have inspected both top brood boxes and have been wondering what's happening below, now I won't even think or worry about the bottom brood boxes. Thanks for that. Steven