When to Inspect

[iball]

I've been inspecting my bees every Friday for the last 5 weeks.

I won't be able to get into them this Friday or Saturday and the weather forcast for Thursday is rain all day.

So do I go in this afternoon 2 days early or do I leave it until Sunday, which would be 9 days between inspections.

My inclination is today and then a quick check on Sunday to get me back to Friday inspections, whilst maintaining 7 days or less inspections.

Ian

 

[Onge]

I would go in today.

 

[margob99]

I would leave it to Sunday

 

[iball]

All we need now is a third, different, reply and the old beekeepers adage is proven.

 

[Grub]

I would leave it to Sunday

Sunday
But if the queen is cliped you would be able to leave it longer
I am not saying how long just in case but somone will tell us

Grub

 

[Brosville]

now if you had a Warré, you'd be fine until September (or spring..........)

 

[Cazza]

Surely depends why you are inspecting and on the hive and it's previous history? New queen/old queen/swarmed already or not? More info needed.
Cazza

 

[oliver90owner]

my bees

That much information isn't a lot to go on, is it? So wouldn't have a clue.

RAB

 

[Brosville]

just leave the poor things alone for a bit, they'll probably be fine..........

 

[Rosti]

Surely depends why you are inspecting and on the hive and it's previous history? New queen/old queen/swarmed already or not? More info needed.
Cazza

but if there were no adverse signs or followups required I would wait till sunday as well, especially if you consider that you lose 2 days build up everytime you invade the brood box (or so some wisoned old nameless unattributable beek told me in a pub, the name of which I cant remember)

 

[Brosville]

and a total loss of Nestduftwärmebindung every time, which is not a good thing!

 

[Chris Luck]

I'm fascinated by all this, what are you looking for / at? I only open my hives if I really, really, really have to. Otherwise it's just supers on and supers of.

Please do explain, I only have bees and honey.

Chris

 

[Rosti]

I'm fascinated by all this, what are you looking for / at? I only open my hives if I really, really, really have to. Otherwise it's just supers on and supers of.

Please do explain, I only have bees and honey.

Chris

No, not falling for that one! Should be posted in the adult forum!

 

[Chris Luck]

I'm straight as they come with this, I don't mess with my bees. From my perspective, which is no doubt way out of fashion, they are bees and know what they are doing just as they did before I was born and hopefully will do after I'm dead.

In a natural situation, (yes, such things do still exist), bees do not open their colony once a week or even once a year and poke themselves about, so...

....please do explain to me what you are doing and what I'm doing wrong...

....other than living in France.

Chris

 

[Rosti]

Chris, apologies I'll take your question at face value then. I can only speak for myself.
I am a beekeeper, therefore I will practice active husbandry, if I did not do that then I would be a beewatcher (are you a bee watcher Chris?). I inspect with the intention of evaluating for and reacting to evidence that suggests:

To maintain my IPM or to check my intergrated pest mangement program is effective
I may be about to lose my investment (pro-active swarm management)
A colony that is weak and needs additional building up or support
A queen that is failing in some way
Monitoring the progress of some previous manipulation (e.g. split / combine / AS).

Does this have to be every 10 days, no, unless it is swarm season and I do not want to allow swarming. It is still the latter stages of swarm season in my book, hence a 10 day (more convieniently 7 day) inspection at this time.

 

[Mike a]

and a total loss of Nestduftwärmebindung every time, which is not a good thing!

How do you pronounce that !??!
Nest - duff - warm - me - bin - dung ?

That has got to be word of the week !!!

 

[oliver90owner]

Look! if it happens to be a nuc (or even a small cast swarm) on six standard frames drawn, in a 14 x 12 brood body full of foundation, and with a super of foundation, that is one thing; if is on double brood and brimming with bees that is another. A whole range of scenarios in between. And here we have not a single clue given for this one!

I'm obviously with Cazza on this one as we posted about the same time AND are in agreement.

RAB

 

[Chris Luck]

I am a beekeeper, therefore I will practice active husbandry, if I did not do that then I would be a beewatcher (are you a bee watcher Chris?).

That sounds very much like playing with words and taking a superior attitude, but be that as it may be I should perhaps be clear that my bees, (that I watch), don't suffer from any problems and still provide what I consider a fair enough yield even after swarming. I would expect in a decent enough year to get 20 to 30 kg per hive.

I occasionally loose a colony but I would consider this to be a natural occurrence and survival of the fittest.

Sorry if this it a bit of thread drift, but I am interested in the reasoning behind all this. and I'm quite happy to be in a minority of one.

Chris

 

[justme]

All we need now is a third, different, reply and the old beekeepers adage is proven.

Ok, I went in today ,intead of Saturday cos away fri morn -sun eve, weather crap tomorrow - maybe.....

Both colony and small split in nuc box had queen cells capped. The colony I had believed, had a virgin queen running around last week......? the nuc had had a sealed queen cell pulled apart last week and I hadn't been sure whether to reunite or not, I didn't.

Today- The colony had 5 sealed cells, I scratched two small ones, cut 1 good looking one out and put in a cage to keep in nuc as back up and left two nice looking ones in. Rightly or wrongly, I'm sure someone will tell me:.)

But hopefully I will now have both with queens in a week or so, and even more hopefully, NO swarms......

 

[iball]

It looks like I've opened up a can of worms here..sorry.