how often is too often

[Erichalfbee]

Or you could run a Warre hive. April, add one or two boxes. Let them swarm if they want. September take one box of honey if they can spare it and leave alone for winter. Circle starts again in April. That’s two checks (not inspections) a year. It really is that simple and don’t believe anyone that tells you it cant be done.

Of course it can be done but supremely selfish and lazy.
Other beekeepers have to mop up the varroa in their own hives and innocent householders have to pay for bees to be killed in their chimneys and walls.
Silly advice

 

[bingevader]

Easy tigers!
The majority of hives in the UK are still nationals and none of these swarm?!
Are the householders who receive swarms from national hives not innocent then? ;D
Supremely selfish and lazy is a bit harsh.
Erichalfbee, I seem to remember you advocating saving honey over bees, because you could always get more bees!
I manage a mixture of hives (on a very small scale) they are all managed for swarms (but I'm happy to admit, not always successfully) and treated for varroa.

 

[Swarm]

Easy tigers!
The majority of hives in the UK are still nationals and none of these swarm?!
Are the householders who receive swarms from national hives not innocent then? ;D
Supremely selfish and lazy is a bit harsh.
Erichalfbee, I seem to remember you advocating saving honey over bees, because you could always get more bees!
I manage a mixture of hives (on a very small scale) they are all managed for swarms (but I'm happy to admit, not always successfully) and treated for varroa.

Obviously the point went straight over your head, it was sarcasm. If you want to find the lengths Erichalfbee is prepared to go to to make sure her bees are healthy, you need only read the posts in last year's varroa counting thread.
Untended Varroa bombs are something no beekeeper would want around their apiaries.

 

[Beefriendly]

I manage a mixture of hives (on a very small scale) they are all managed for swarms (but I'm happy to admit, not always successfully) and treated for varroa.

Everyone gets it wrong occasionally, most practice trying to prevent swarming...not celebrate when they do....

 

[Millet]

No it's not. I've had aggressive local bees, you've had aggressive local bees...ever get any serious amounts of honey from them? Answer=NO.
I have aggressive Buckfast F2's and they do produce honey. I have gentle "pure" Buckfast and gentle F1's and boy do they produce honey...
It's genetics, forage, weather and management. Nowt to do with aggression.

Got to Agree with you there.. my angry Mongrels produced nothing apart from sweat on my brow..

 

[Fraise]

How often is too often ?

Sorry .... but every time I read the heading I smile:

How often is too often?

Once a king, always a king
Once a knight is enough

or perhaps if you are a on the wrong side of retirement:

Once a king, always a king
once a week is enough

 

[john t]

inspecting colonies....

every 7 days this time of year but we started out a little over enthusiastically and had to resist opening every couple of days to see how they're getting on

restrict ourselves to 4-5 days now

is there a rule of thumb?

there are no set rules no set inspection times. its about what your bees are doing and the weather conditions and the time of year
the best way to learn is to get involved either by inspecting your own hive or other keepers hives, you wont learn everything reading books, if you over inspect, its unlikely you will notice and your bees will be fine,

an observation hive is worth looking into, you can sit and watch for hours and learn so much

 

[bingevader]

Obviously the point went straight over your head, it was sarcasm. If you want to find the lengths Erichalfbee is prepared to go to to make sure her bees are healthy, you need only read the posts in last year's varroa counting thread.
Untended Varroa bombs are something no beekeeper would want around their apiaries.

Erichalfbee is extremely helpful and very knowledgeable, which was why I was so surprised.
I did ask at the time if I'd missed something and there was no response.
I could only then assume she was serious.
If not, I missed her sarcasm.
It's the gross generalisation that anyone who doesn't run a national is a lazy and supremely selfish bee keeper I was questioning.

 

[mickbees23]

Every 5 days for me.
If you are removing swarm cells and they are determined to swarm they can take a larvae at day 5 or 6 and it will be capped as a scrub queen in 2 or 3 days so even 5 can be too long.
7 days seems to work for most folks but I clip my queens as working 5-6 days a week make it a big gamble for me not to clip. I turned up to a colony today that was swarming but at least the queen was in the grass and the bees on the hive so nothing lost.

The important thing is to get to know your bees and understand what they are likely to do. The colony that swarmed was a colony I was asked to take ownership of last year as the previous keeper had died so I had no idea what they were like. 6 feet away I have a colony on brood and half with 4 supers stuffed to the brim with bees and still no queen cells. You can't second guess them they are just too clever....LOL

Cheers, Mick.

 

[drex]

I inspect as often as is needed. Before inspecting I ask myself why am I inspecting? If for swarm prevention then every 6-7 days, if to see the results of a test frame after about 3 days and so on. If pre winter prep was satisfactory there is no reason for me to inspect over winter, so I don't. Only inspect if you have a reason to inspect. That reason determines the frequency for me.