I'm worried that my bees may have swarmed as it's really hot these last couple of days and I haven't seen a bit of bearding and there's been a lot less activity in general. I'd really like to do an inspection this evening to see if there's any sign of a queen, but I'm sitting at work as I write this. It's a perfectly clear, hot day and it will still be very warm this evening. Is it okay to do an inspection around 5 or 6pm? I've always done them on weekends around 11am or so. If I were a bee I'd be thrilled to have my hive opened up in the evening after such a hot day, but I'm not a bee, so I could use some advice!
i do some of mine in the evening. do it before dusk and use smoke. you should be fine. don't do it after dark!
If they swarmed you probably won't find a queen. Perhapps queen cells :-D