when is it really safe to inspect a colony which has a virgin queen?

[meidel]

The virgin emerged at latest Tues 17th July. She was seen on Friday outside the hive and returning safely. It has been fantastic weather since - mid to late 20 degrees Celsius according to the apiary temperature gauge.

I'm one of those 2 hive owner newbeeks who like to look into their hives all the time and no doubt strike chill in the hearts of old and experienced beeks - who are probably thinking why the f*** would anyone do this ??? this part is tongue in cheek - I don't really inspect my hives everyday

At the same time, I'd also like to practise responsible beekeeping ( - do you know how difficult it is to balance the 2 - being a new beek and wanting to learn as quickly as I can?) so my question is, can I inspect them without jeopardising their health tomorrow? Would a virgin queen who started going out on mating flights Friday 20th July be done with them mating flights by Tuesday 24th July, 4 days later so I can check on the colony?

 

[REDWOOD]

What would you be checking the colony for ? , have a reason for inspecting your hives, remember it sets the bees back a day after an inspection, how long do you think it could take for the queen to mate and start laying ?

 

[Heather]

Leave her 2 weeks to settle and get organised- Go and plant some bee friendly plants, paint the house - anything to keep you away from her!!!

 

[coffin dodger]

I've just been through the same thing with a virgin queen, found her outside the hive on the 9th july after a mating flight and watched the bees sort of guide her back inside, left the hive well alone until yesterday (22nd) before inspecting, there are eggs, lavae and capped cells, I know it's advice from a newbie but I'd leave them to get on with it for a while yet, the bees know what they're doing.

Regards
CD

 

[meidel]

Heather and Redwood = I appreciate your replies and wanting to hold me back - but it doesn't really answer my question - when would the virgin be done with mating - I realise that in dreadful weather I could wait a whole month, but it has been fantastic weather the last week? would it really disturb her or the colony to be inspected tomorrow?

This particular colony was double brooded with no prospect of a queen adn I gave them a test frame from better, less swarmy stock ... (yeah go figure - I realise now there's no such thing, it's all down to the beekeeper). So they were double brooded and have been reduced to single brood and 3 supers - I would like to check on the state of the supers - one of them had been on the point of harvesting and the other had 10 frames each of drawn comb - so I'd like to know if I need to put on anymore supers. And since I'm disrupting the configuration of their tower, I wondered if I might as well look inside the BB to see if they've filled the BB frames with stores, would the new queen have space to lay, if there are anymore capped brood to emerge, etc...

 

[meidel]

coffin dodger - thank you for your reply too - I know that I should really wait until the weekend, you have wise words for a newbee

 

[Joseph]

A few weeks back I opened one of my colonies on a roof in London to check for a mated queen's brood, I noticed a number of bees under the floor and sure enough there she was and away she flew.
I removed the floor completely and propped the hive up on a three sided eke directly on the roof surface where this hive sits and inspected again a few weeks later. She is back and is now marked, clipped and in lay. I tend to open after two weeks of a queens emergence to check for brood.

 

[REDWOOD]

A few weeks back I opened one of my colonies on a roof in London to check for a mated queen's brood, I noticed a number of bees under the floor and sure enough there she was and away she flew.
I removed the floor completely and propped the hive up on a three sided eke directly on the roof surface where this hive sits and inspected again a few weeks later. She is back and is now marked, clipped and in lay. I tend to open after two weeks of a queens emergence to check for brood.

there is your answer, luck is on your side with this fine weather for mating

 

[beebreeder]

you can sort the supers but leave the broodbox, if the new queen wants to start laying they will need somewhere to move the honey to so a super with space is probably all they need

 

[Finman]

.
Vigin makes no limits to inspect a hive.

I have just now 15 pieces 3-frame mating nucs an I have looked quite often what is situation.
What is importand is that is the nuc queenless. It gives its marks if it is.

When manipulating with queen accidents happens quite often compared to situation that bees handle their own business in peace.

But if you do not inspect the hives, then you get laying workers, drone layers and what ever and situation continues too long.

One thing is really mystery what I have read, that some shake frames clear to see the comb.
Another thing is "full inspection".what is that?

To find the queen in every inspection makes no sense.
Virgin is difficult to find. And often virgin is out and you cannot meet it, but in the evening it is again back.

 

[protheroe]

i have had a few young or virgin queens disappear this year,i know some were balled and killed .Most of these queens went after i did quick checks.
It really is worth waiting a couple of weeks and then doing a quick check and not a full inspection.

 

[meidel]

cheers everyone - waiting until the weekend it is to see if there are any eggs or larvae.

But today I'll check the supers with a spare super ready in case they need the space - think I might try out foundationless frames interspersed between the drawn ones.

Fin - I don't know about others but I only shake frames to check for QCs and this after selecting the one frame with the QC I want to keep - if at all. Obviously I do this to make sure that I leave only the one I want to keep. Otherwise goose feathers are useful for brushing bees off the face of a comb, or blowing (I figure this is no worse than smoking them)

A full inspection is when I check all the brood frames and count out the number of frames with brood, ones with stores and ones not used/drawn and any abnormality - sometimes I don't do this - either I've marked a particular frame previously and only look at that one on next inspection or when it's been a new queen introduced into the hive, when I see a frame with brood, depending on the brood pattern, I close up without looking for her or counting up, etc...

 

[Heather]

But never shake a frame with queen cells if you wish it to be useful. You can separate the larvae from the royal jelly and so kill that larvae.
If you think a queen cell hidden by bees just blow on them to remove bees and inspect the frame.

 

[meidel]

But never shake a frame with queen cells if you wish it to be useful. You can separate the larvae from the royal jelly and so kill that larvae.
If you think a queen cell hidden by bees just blow on them to remove bees and inspect the frame.

I completely agree with the first sentence - I make my selection and then ensure it's an unsealed cell with a ton of royal jelly, put that frame to one side and then go through the rest of them. Our RBI showed us how to shake a frame - make space in the box, lower the frame til it's about 2 thirds to 3 quarters inside, thump your hands on the side of the box while holding the lugs in one strong movement and majority of bees should fall into the box and then you can see the frames better. After all i'm going to get rid of these QCs anyway. I've found that it's necessary to come back and do a second round 5 to 7 days later to make sure the bees haven't made anymore.

Incidentally our bee mentor showed us how to do a gentler shake to get foragers to fly off leaving behind nurse bees when you want to move that frame to donate to a weak colony