How long to inspect a hive

[msillence]

So how long do people take to inspect a hive.
I guess a double brood box takes longer, but I find it seems to take me about at least 1/2 an hour.
Are there any efficient short cuts?
How do people manage >10 hives?
Does it just get quicker with experience?

Thanks,
M

 

[Hivemaker.]

So how long do people take to inspect a hive.

Inspect it for what?

 

[AndreaW]

You need to go in with a purpose : What am I looking for? For instance my "inspection" today lasted all of one minute on each hive - I have virgin queens in both my hives and do not want to mess with them so only took the roof off and the crownboard to check the frames on the super were being drawn / had enough room.

Each inspection is different but you need to have a reason to open a hive - are you assessing for disease, queen cells, stores, queen laying. Some things take longer than others.

 

[Queens59]

Msillence - you do NOT need to check every frame every time. By lifting off the super you know they have/have no stores. In the BB check central frames only - and if something appears Q cell/charged cups etc - you need a full inspection. Otherwise close up and leave them to it.

 

[For want of a better word]

One advantage of using double brood or brood + 1/2... at this time of year only need to tip up top brood to take a quick look for queen /swarm cells

So they say

 

[msillence]

Msillence - you do NOT need to check every frame every time. By lifting off the super you know they have/have no stores. In the BB check central frames only - and if something appears Q cell/charged cups etc - you need a full inspection. Otherwise close up and leave them to it.

I thought you needed to check every frame for queen cells... This is the most time consuming bit as the frames are quite irregularly drawn.

Thanks,
M

 

[tidymeup]

I went through 10 of my 11 colonies last night in two hours and they were over two apiaries. You do get quicker at looking as you know where to look and what to look for.

Their is no point in rushing things if you have the time and the wether.

Some of the colonies you already know where things should be from the last time you checked. Some times it's enough to check a couple of the middle frames if you have a newly mated queen and you see eggs their you put everything back.

 

[Cazza]

One advantage of using double brood or brood + 1/2... at this time of year only need to tip up top brood to take a quick look for queen /swarm cells

So they say

Hah B****y Hah!
Cazza

 

[Queens59]

I thought you needed to check every frame for queen cells... This is the most time consuming bit as the frames are quite irregularly drawn.

Thanks,
M

Not really - I was taught that if you check the 3 central frames and find a queen cell/loaded cup then check the rest - otherwise don't...I was dubious but it seems to work. I think it works as bees are most likely to make cells from the middle outwards

 

[E1M]

I am amazed that you find 1/2 hour as being too long! My wife and I were talking about this last evening and as we only have one hive presently, we thought that 1/2, which is on average how long we take, is not long at all. Personally, I could happily spend longer and thoroughly enjoy it, but I don't want to upset the bees. I, again, personally, don't think it is worth "taking short cuts", particularly if you want to keep your bees in good condition, well tended and record all that you see.
On the other hand I do sympathize with those who, like our mentor, have 30 colonies with more than 4 supers on many. Especially as they are out hives and he really must do it all in one go. Ours are in the garden and even if we get to 3 hives we shall just take our time over a few days. However, if you still work, perhaps time is a more limited commodity.

 

[oliver90owner]

but I find it seems to take me about at least 1/2 an hour.
Are there any efficient short cuts?

No short cuts. You simply have an agenda.

Eggs present?
Adequate stores?
Brood pattern good?
Space for brood and honey storage?

Job usually done in five minutes or less. Only if one expects queen cells would one search all through the frames; never look for the queen unless one needs to find her; brood disease is not expected but one is always on the lookout for any signs - and if anything suspicious is noted, further, closer inspection is always carried out.

A double brood may take a bit longer, as will the hive with four supers. Time per colony could be measured as individual (actually time going through frames) or per working day which might depend on different locations and how many colonies at each. For me, kitting up and getting there takes far longer than the quick inspection of actually looking in the hive, once the Q/E is removed.

How do people manage >10 hives?

Some have rather more than that and at some point it becomes a full time occupation.

If they were all at one location, smoker only needs lighting once (and maybe topping up with fuel), each hive can be smoked in advance of opening, roofs removed and crownboards 'loosened' (leaving the bees to settle before actually getting to them) and you would know if there are likely swarm cells from experience.

'Knowing your bees' is one important aspect. Space, colony expansion, drone cells, age of queen, forage flow and weather can all make a difference. If one finds queen cells in one colony, then expect more, if after three or four there are none, the expectancy of finding the others in swarming mode is reduced. So ten hives can be much quicker rate overall than the single colony.

Does it just get quicker with experience?

In a word, 'yes'.

RAB

 

[hedgerow pete]

depends on what your looking for and what your doing, as a newbie i would say half an hour per hive is about it, some less some more.

all newbies and many others like to inspect every single frame in the super and every single frame, both sides and the bottom of a brood frame.everyone makes that mistake as it were,

personally i can keep a hive open when using cover clothes for an hour to work with a newbie or when dealing with certain ideas and people

on my own i would say less than 3mins easy to judge a hive and go to tohe next one, i can tell what is happening with the supers by just there weight and very rarely look at the them, i can see whats happening in a hives brood box with 4 frames on a single and 6 with a double.

when dealing with it on a commercial nature, i would suggest that from time of hands touch to time hands walk away , 30 seconds is SLOW it should be nearer 10 to 15 seconds per inspection per hive.

the big mistakes or not as it were with most people is that they insist on finding the queen every single time and flaf and panic when they dont, the must look at both sides of every frame, 11 per box four boxes 44 frames , both sides, makes that 88 sides to look at, i do 10 max and can see whats what.

so i throw down the gaunlet , four frames for a single brood 6 for a double, view both sides, equals the ability to quantify the state of a hives health. done and dusted in less than 5 mins

who does it in less?, i can name at least 5 of you here, that that easily match me if not beat me.

and just because it takes half an hours does not mean your doing it wrongly, your not, if it takes half an hour , it takes half an hour, i have done half a brood box before no in thirty mins and the whole box almost an hour, so dont be ashamed if your times are differnt the point is at least your doing it your way which for you is the best way

 

[rae]

Job usually done in five minutes or less. Only if one expects queen cells would one search all through the frames; never look for the queen unless one needs to find her; brood disease is not expected but one is always on the lookout for any signs - and if anything suspicious is noted, further, closer inspection is always carried out.

Indeed. The only reason to go through the whole thing is to check for queen cells during swarming season. Other than that - as soon as you get to a frame of eggs or very small larvae, you have a queen, close up. Full inspection - about 20 minutes. Checking for the presence of eggs - 5 minutes.

 

[msillence]

I am amazed that you find 1/2 hour as being too long! My wife and I were talking about this last evening and as we only have one hive presently, we thought that 1/2, which is on average how long we take, is not long at all. Personally, I could happily spend longer and thoroughly enjoy it, but I don't want to upset the bees. I, again, personally, don't think it is worth "taking short cuts", particularly if you want to keep your bees in good condition, well tended and record all that you see.
On the other hand I do sympathize with those who, like our mentor, have 30 colonies with more than 4 supers on many. Especially as they are out hives and he really must do it all in one go. Ours are in the garden and even if we get to 3 hives we shall just take our time over a few days. However, if you still work, perhaps time is a more limited commodity.

It's not that I find it too long with one colony and I'm in no great rush but I'd like to expand and not have it soak up all my time.

Thanks for the suggestions and comments, I'll follow where queen cells develop and see if it follows the central pattern, that would save a lot of time.

Thanks again,
M

 

[YorkshireBees]

I have no great wealth of experience, however having built upto, currently, 17 colonies I do not have the time to spend 1/2hr on each and every hive. Having said that it varies greatly as at the moment I have hives on double brood, some on single with demareed brood box on top and all with 2-3 supers (in various stages from full to just being started on).
Therefore at this time of year my inspections can take longer than usual. Once demareed and I am happy with the manipulation, I do not inspect the bottom BB for 2-3 weeks normally so that saves time, also after knocking down any QC's in the top BB on the next inspection, I only need to check on the progress of any brood left.
Same as has been said about supers, I only really check the top super for space (ie do they need another one) and the bottom supers only get checked when I believe they are ready for extraction.

Including taking apart and re-assembling I would say 5-15mins per hive depending on what I need to do.

My hives are in 3 apiaries which are not more than 5mins apart and 5mins from my equipment storage. So I tend to do 1/2 of the hives in one visit and then re-stock the car before doing the rest.

 

[Poly Hive]

I appreciate that newbies love to handle the bees and want to revel in the experience.

However.................................

The longer the colony is open the more stress and upset for the bees and it behooves us, the ones with the power, to do our best to NOT overly stress them.

They have no choice. We do.

Open with a firm agenda, with a plan A and B for what ever you expect to find, and if it is not what you expected a good idea of what you intend then.

Do it and close it.

Be fair to your charges and they will repay you.

PH

 

[madasafish]

Year 1 I literally photo'd each frame and each side.
Year 2, I rarely photo'd anything.

Year 3: (this year) inspection in summer takes 5-10 minutes

That's my succession..

 

[scuttlefish]

Open with a firm agenda, with a plan A and B for what ever you expect to find, and if it is not what you expected a good idea of what you intend then.

Do it and close it.

Checked three hives the night before last - longest of them took ten minutes to go through the BB of a new hive in detail, shortest of them took 30 seconds to pop the top off and see if they'd drawn/filled the top super yet.

 

[Swarm]

Some of these times quoted are a bit quick aren't they? I mean, it can take longer than seconds to puff a bit of smoke and scrape the top bars.

 

[tonybloke]

smoker in left hand, hive tool in right hand?