opening for the first time

[seaninis]

good evening..we've had a good bit of weather hence im going to open my hive for the first time. anything i should be wary of?? whats the best type of material for smoking, my girlfriend does a lot of sewing, can i use anything from that, as for the hive will it just be a check of the frames. any advice appreciated. thank you. Sean

 

[Poly Hive]

Rotten dry wood. Her sewing is probably not of much use as if you are thinking inspection cloths please forget. Go in, after a gentle smoke, check the frames for the number of brood ones, and let us know so we can suggest the way forward.

Remember not to get lost in wonder... tis an issue.

PH

 

[Swarm]

As PH, dry rotten wood. Light smoking, stay calm and methodical and enjoy the experience.

 

[mjt68]

good evening..we've had a good bit of weather hence im going to open my hive for the first time. anything i should be wary of?? whats the best type of material for smoking, my girlfriend does a lot of sewing, can i use anything from that, as for the hive will it just be a check of the frames. any advice appreciated. thank you. Sean

Cloth doesn't generally give enough smoke. But you can filter wax through fabric! Or just pour horrible leftover contaminated wax/slumgum onto waste cloth to make firefighters

 

[Arfermo]

Rotten wood is by far the best but an alternative is rolled up corrugated cardboard. Both are aided by wood shavings if you make some.

 

[misterbee82]

Liquid smoke (can get at most hardware stores) in a squirt bottle use modestly. It calms them quite quickly. One of our local club members brougt it and it worked quite well when we were transferring ours from the nuc box to their new langstroth hive.

 

[dn170221]

How did you get on?
In answer to your question, a few things to look for:
Do the bees have enough stores?
Did you see the queen or evidence of her, eggs larva?
Is there room for her to lay more if she wants?
Were there charged queen cups/cells?