Types of Hive Inspections

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

margob99

House Bee
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
400
Reaction score
1
Location
Amersham
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2
Come on, own up, does everyone in here do an Absolutely Full Inspection (ie extracting and scrutinising both sides of every single frame) every single time you visit the hive, particularly in summer, every single 8 or 9 days?

I'm just curious, like ...
 
See, straight away, you've made me feel better, PH! Thank you xx
 
Yes! Ummm don't fancy the bees swarming missing Queen cells, but then perhaps some may not be bothered. Also, i look for disease and a brief oh, that'll do in my book isn't inspecting, but then its my opionion, hey ho.
 
Last edited:
.
When you look every morning your face in the mirror, how many types of face you see there?
How often you make a full inspection?
 
I answered the question as asked.

Do I do full inspections every time. No I do not?

The next question I was expecting was why not?

Because I have no need to.

Why not?

Because every colony that was in danger of swarming has been A/S so I am awaiting virgins mating and when they have that is my swarming issue over for the season.

PH
 
...then I believe that the original poster may be lead to a false sense of security.

Personally, I like it when others dont do full inspection - crack on, please continue, cos I reap the reward in Swarms!!!!!




:party:
 
yes i do as a newbie i think its good practice to do so
 
Not at all Widdershins as if my use of English is right (and I believe it is) I have (I hope) clearly explained why I do not.

If anyone is not in my position then it is their choice whether to inspect ad nauseum for cells and sickness.

I can only comment on what I do.


PH
 
Yes! Ummm don't fancy the bees swarming missing Queen cells, but then perhaps some may not be bothered. Also, i look for disease and a brief oh, that'll do in my book isn't inspecting, but then its my opionion, hey ho.

Do you ease back on the once every 7 day inspections after the main swarming season is over?
 
YES. (just to be different and as it is what I do)


(Like the one word reply of PH) LOL:patriot:

But seriously how long do it realy take to lift out a frame, look one side, flip it round look second side? 40 - 60 seconds?

But a lot of it comes down to you last inspection and knowing what you know from that, what action you expect or need to do this time.

So realy am I contridicting myself? Sounds like it! But as I said, still ony a 40 secs to see a frame.

about 5mins tops for a FULL inspection single brood box.
 
Last edited:
Come on, own up, does everyone in here do an Absolutely Full Inspection (ie extracting and scrutinising both sides of every single frame) every single time you visit the hive, particularly in summer, every single 8 or 9 days?

I'm just curious, like ...

I don't inspect every frame either.

There is no need to with a single brood box colony, the only frames I look at every time are the brood nest frames +1 more to see if the queen has expanded where she is laying. There is no need to look at the outer stores and the pollen frame or every frame in the super.

Supers are easy to judge when you need to lift them, if I get a sharp cramp like pain all the way down the back of my right leg they need another super. A friend of mine does pretty much the same although he more than often just lifts one side of the brood chamber to see if he can see queen cells if none he gently lowers it again and walks away.
 
,i inspect regular as clock work every Sunday just before church..no make that pub lunch.:reddevil:..mid april till end of june, then a bit more addhock depending on supers rather than 7days

i just lift the brood and quick look for QC and grubs,blow on them to dispece if it looks lumpy, dont look for the queen, unless i dont see grubs

worried about inspections every the 8 to 9 days,,
i could not leave the swarmy hive 9 days, it would have capped a QC and the old queen fled
 
Last edited:
I don't. I don't think I need to do every hive every seven days. If only a couple of hives on a site, there is less of a problem of spread of disease than say with 20 colonies all squeezed together.

It is a case of 'notice anything different' triggering a more detailed investigation. Pulling everything apart every week is not good for the bees either. Less stress is good.

That is why a thread like this is never really going to help. Everyone has a diffeent perception of what must be done every time the colony is opened. I used to look carefully at every frame. Now it is different, but that is ten years on and a lot of inspections later. Those new beeks got caught by the EFB recently. Simply inexperience. Caught cold. Don't let it happen to you.

The opening post was saying 'own up' as though it is wrong not to do it the way it was described. Effectiveness is the name of the game. Some will take longer than others and still may not spot the signs as early as another.

Regards, RAB
 
I normally have a look carefully once in the spring then just have a wee peek at the outside brood frame from then on - this usually tells me quickly if any further probing is necessary
 
I normally have a look carefully once in the spring then just have a wee peek at the outside brood frame from then on - this usually tells me quickly if any further probing is necessary


Can you humour me mbc and outline what you might or might not see from one outside brood frame that might suggest that you look further?
 
Last edited:
Ban you humour me mbc and outline what you might or might not see from one outside brood frame that might suggest that you look further?

If the queens still laying strong on the outside frame of brood then the bees are very unlikely to be preparing to swarm - move on to the next one.
If the queens slowing down look further and determine why, very simple and saves loads of time when looking through a good number of colonies
 
Back
Top