when is it time for first inspection

[Erichalfbee]

Well, it's 12˚ and I'm going to take a cup of tea up to the apiary and watch them for a while. If the weather continues like this.....wall to wall sunshine today..... I will have a look maybe at the weekend when they are busy on the pussy willow.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That'll be never where I live.

Sorry, I had to laugh at that!!
I think our bees ooop north have a hard time of it but at least they get lots of sycamore,blackberry and ivy.
I'm really envious of beekeepers down sarf where the sun shines....sigh

 

[nottingham]

My bees are flying well out of their hives should I open them for an inspection?

The first thing you have to think about is, what are you looking for when you under go your first spring inspection?

I over winter my bees in a nuc, so when it is a warm (10`c - 12`c) and windless day. I move my bees into a national brood box.

your first spring inspection, isn't really an inspection. It is more like a quick ****.

I moved the 5 frames from my nuc box into the national brood box and added a sugar feed frame. I saw the the queen had started laying brood but it had all taken no longer than 3 minutes. Inspection over.

Don't stress out your bees. The way I winter my bees means that I have 2 - 3 weeks untill I do my next inspection and even then the bees will not swarm untill the queen has filled all the brood frames.

 

[nottingham]

P-E-A-K is picked up on the beekeeping forum web system as a swear word lol sorry ppl lol

 

[jezd]

Thought it was 12 degrees. Doesn't Hooper say 12? Don't hold me to that though, I'm going from memory, which never serves me correctly

15'c min

 

[BILL.HEARD]

End of March or early April, you really need 15c+ and a nice calm day, you will do more harm than good exposing the brood if its to cold. You can heft a hive to see if food is required, you will later be looking for a good brood pattern, any disease and frame replacement, plenty of time yet.

 

[psafloyd]

Have a look asap when the bees are flying and the temp is 12c.
I opened mine and lifted each frame the week before last.

Damn. I could have done it on Saturday, then, as it was just over 15C and they were going mental.

In a good way, that is.

 

[louiseww]

Can you make me one too please, I am sure I can find a use for it!!!!!
Presume all the old blokes tales were before global warming or climate change?
Louise

 

[iball]

P-E-A-K is picked up on the beekeeping forum web system as a swear word lol sorry ppl lol

I wonder if peek works?

 

[victor meldrew]

As a long standing Radio amateur ,I learned a long time ago ,not tell a depressed American to "keep his pecker up"

John Wilkinson

 

[itchyhives]

I did my first quick inspection today, thermometer next to the hives was reading 20 deg so went in to check on stores level and laying queen. There tucked away in a little orchard so very well sheltered from wind and in direct sunlight.

 

[Rosti]

As a long standing Radio amateur ,I learned a long time ago ,not tell a depressed American to "keep his pecker up"

John Wilkinson

and along the same lines, a friend of mine conducting a food safety audit in the States was reported to his auditing body and repremanded because at the lunch break he announced that he was just nipping outside for a ***

 

[victor meldrew]

Likewise ,Hobo's object to being referred to as tramps

John Wilkinson