Weekly inspections

[Hivetool2021]

Hi all just a quick question, are fellow beekeepers still doing weekly inspections at the moment or are you leaving it longer .

 

[Finman]

Hi all just a quick question, are fellow beekeepers still doing weekly inspections at the moment or are you leaving it longer .

It might be swarming period over. Not then weekly inspections.

 

[E&MBees]

Hi all just a quick question, are fellow beekeepers still doing weekly inspections at the moment or are you leaving it longer .

I’m still doing inspections every 5 days. Glad I am, as my bees still believe it’s swarming season.

 

[smok]

my last inspection was two weeks ago,didn't seen any more queen cells.
today inspect all my colonys ,no queen cells detected,in my case i think extend inspection time table to 3÷4 weeks apart
all 11 colonies has full of brood double brood boxes and 4 or 5 supers,because I'm not using queen excluders some supers have brood in ,from a half to full

 

[Worker bee]

Been checking twice a week through swarm season up until now. Found a few swarm cells the other day loaded with royal jelly in one hive. I checked it four days previously.

 

[pargyle]

I'm not doing 5 7 day inspections now ... not been any signs of queen cells lately, they have been piling in the nectar ... plenty of space with the supers they have and all I'm doing is looking to see if they need another super .... it pays if you know your bees ... and what they are like.

 

[Wilco]

I still am on weekly inspections. They've largely settled down but a couple are definitely trying to make me think I'm going mad.

 

[Curly green finger's]

After my last inspections of my home colonys and work I'm still inspecting every 5 days.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I still am on weekly inspections. They've largely settled down but a couple are definitely trying to make me think I'm going mad.

I know how you feel

 

[ericbeaumont]

Haven't done weekly inspections for some years.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Haven't done weekly inspections for some years.

How you working it Eric to not have to do weekly inspections?

 

[Sutty]

Haven't done weekly inspections for some years.

Clipped queen's?

 

[Swarm]

Only inspecting I'm doing is the nucs, I did lift a super off to check the colony was queenright but when I saw the mess of nectar from broken brace comb, I decided it was far easier to put it back and leave them clear up.
They all looked happy so I'll take it they sorted themselves out, bless them. I apologised for the intrusion and closed them up

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I tend to inspect colonies that I'm concerned about rather than all of them all of the time. Sometimes I am unlucky, most of the time, not.

 

[Norton Caff]

Once every 7 days. I feel every 5 days is too much disturbance.

 

[manek]

About every 10 days, checking they have enough space for stores, not a full inspection.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Clipped queen's?

Clipping gives a window of 14 days before I lose a swarm with the first virgin, but plenty of early space and young queens gives reassurance.

By May/June many are on triple brood and the rest double; at the main flow the top brood of a triple goes above the QX; extracted top box gives good combs for nucs next season.

I like a vertical AS or sometimes a walkaway split; at the main flow a 4f nuc is taken out and the rest put back together; the nuc is overwintered as 6f.

Running colonies all over the place (my own plus those of another beefarmer) gives me an insight into flows and apiary strengths: OSR, borage or bell heather gets work but an apiary standing still gets little attention. Lost half a dozen clipped queens this year, and two or three virgin swarms (arrived late).

Yesterday was my first day off since the beginning of April: had an afternoon kip and sniffed at some admin. but would really like a week in Norfolk...

 

[madasafish]

Stopped weekly inspections hives mid June.
Since then only 1 swarm.
Still do weekly check on nucs and mating nucs.

Lifting down 4 to 5 supers per hive to inspect is bad enough. Putting them back again is worse. My body - and the bees - agree: inspections are bad for you!

 

[user 819]

Weather is thwarting me to go deep in to colonies, bees seem busy and plenty of space for nectar. Brood space was good some 12+ days ago and all Q's are or awaiting VQ's.