Outside/External Temperature for First Colony inspection

[einsteinagogo]

Currently Day 6, after a swarm turned up in an unprepared second hand empty hive in the garden (it has drawn brood and super comb, from what I remember!).

I've read many texts about not opening a hive for inspection in cold weather and chilling brood. This will be the first inspection of this hive, to check for eggs (and queen if possible), and treat with Trickle2, if time permits, check for eggs, capped brood, honey etc

Q. Should I delay/postpone if the temperature is below < 16 Degrees C outside, as forecast for weekend, looks to be cold 14 Degrees C?

or just take a quick peek, cover board off, super off, quick check of brood frames, clean any brace or burr comb, check stores etc

thanks

Andrew (newbie Beekeeper!) - first time out with own hive, done courses, helped other beekeepers, and been mentored, but this is now on my own!

 

[Luminos]

Trickle 2 takes literally a few seconds, and as OA is generally done in winter I should think the temperature now is not as important as reducing a potential varroa load.
(Retreats once more to below parapet).

 

[galileo]

Cover them with a clean towel or two during your as rapid as possible inspection / treatment, and all should be well.

 

[BeeNice]

You can open up okay, depends if the hive is in the sun, which would make it warmer. Have a look on the outside first, is there any pollen going in which could be a good sign that you have a laying queen. Be quick, as long as you see eggs then do you treatment and close up. It could be a good idea to have some fresh frames handy to change over the older ones that don't have brood in them. You may want to put on a 1-1 syrup feed to help build up new comb.

 

[einsteinagogo]

thanks guys

Live in an area, 360 degrees around the garden of OSR.

I'll prepare fresh frames, for brood box.

there is a lot of pollen going in, since Day 1, see my videos here, if you've not seen already.

Live in an area, 360 degrees around the garden of OSR.

I'll prepare fresh frames, for brood box.

there is alot of pollen going in, since Day 1, see my videos here, if you've not seen already.

http://youtu.be/uc--ceZdnH8

http://youtu.be/ZiSxqnajZ_Y

 

[oliver90owner]

to check for ... queen if possible

Err why?

Never yet had a swarm arrive without a queen! Prime and she will be laying; cast - doubtful.

Is there a queen excluder in this unprepared hive? If not, then she will be, almost certainly, upstairs.

No wax to be drawn, so a risk of disease carried in as well as disease already in the hive.

If the weather has been good, there will be stores and with no brood to feed until perhaps yesterday, likely quite a bit.

So the questions are: Is an inspection necessary at this particular time? Could it wait a day or few? The answers, of course, are no and yes respectively.

Take extra care with inspections, until you are confident of the colony being disease-free, is my advice, particularly so if you know nothing of the history of the hive and clearly nothing of the inhabitants. You have a much higher (than normal) risk with the health of your new colony.

 

[einsteinagogo]

well I'm not bothered in checking for the queen, just checking for eggs. If there are eggs (there is likely to be a queen, okay could be laying worker).

There is QE.

I know of the history of hives, do not know of the history of the swarm. This is my first colony, so I know the risks to other colonies, as this is my only colony, little risk to my single apiary and I'm aware of the risks involved in visiting other apiaries.

These hives would have been scrapped and flamed, but it was only a few days between being delivered on my drive, and the swarm arriving! I was hoping to clean them, and get bees at the end of August/Sept!

 

[Skyhook]

If I'd waited for 16C I wouldn't have done my first inspection until about May this year! 14 is absolutely fine. There is a calculated risk in temperatures much lower than this, but only to brood and frankly, if you keep it quick, theres unlikely to be problems from popping a frame out for a few seconds if it's 10C, just a little extra work for the bees building the heat back up when you close the hive.

.

 

[itma]

Q. Should I delay/postpone if the temperature is below < 16 Degrees C outside, as forecast for weekend, looks to be cold 14 Degrees C?

No.


The bees brood has to be kept at around 35C.
Almost every day of the year in the UK means that the brood will get 'cold' when inspected.

"Chilled brood" is grossly misunderstood by most beekeepers - even some teachers.
Strictly, it refers to brood death when for some reason the number of workers is not enough to keep that much brood hot enough. So they sacrifice the edge of the brood nest and the larvae and pupae die, maybe even going mouldy before the bees are able to clean them out. It usually happens when they make an early Spring start, and the weather turns very cold. (This needs to be distinguished from Foul Brood diseases.)

Obviously, the colder the weather, the quicker you should try and be with your inspection. Getting a little cold isn't good for the bees, and some would tell you that it invites Chalkbrood, but it is astonishing how much cold it takes to stop brood emerging. Take a brood frame out of the hive, leave it in the boot of your car and for many days to come you will have bees emerging from their cells. I'm sure they'd be stronger and longer-lived if kept properly warm, but bejaysus can they survive!


The important thing to recognise is that there is NO magic threshold where half a degree makes the difference between inspection being possible and impossible.

 

[einsteinagogo]

Excellent, thanks for clearing up.

Inspection on Saturday, I thought it was rather odd, during the 3-4 months of training, Hives were always opened up late of an evening for the beginners beekeeping courses, approx 7.30-8.00pm during the Summer (June-July), which was always colder than the temperature currently.

So just checking. I'll let you know what I find!