Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: FrogPond on May 23, 2005, 07:41:45 PM

Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: FrogPond on May 23, 2005, 07:41:45 PM
OK, this might be a silly question, but is there such a thing as checking a hive too often? One of my hives seems sort of week and I am not seeing much brood... I installed the three packages at the same time and one is lagging. But I am not sure if I should (could?) check every day to see if the bees are coming along. I am pretty slow at checking and I want to make sure the queen is in there - or not. On the other hand, I do not want to pester them and cause them to do some odd behavior. Comments appreciated.
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: lee on May 23, 2005, 08:02:30 PM
your bees did the same thing my bees did. i installed 3 packages at the same time just like you did all are doing good but one of them here is a pic of the one that is lagging . this hive must bee a bunch of bums :lol:  (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid169/pfd05a0dc74fc12dd5d1c096d31675230/f40b28a6.jpg)
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: SherryL on May 23, 2005, 08:04:45 PM
Yep, you can definitely check too frequently.  This topic was just discussed not too long ago (maybe try doing a search, or just look back a page or two), but everytime we open the hives, smoking, jostling frames, ect., we're setting the girls back days.

I try to take a look once a week - later in the summer as I get busy with things, sometimes that week slips to 9 or 10 days, but if you don't get in there often ENOUGH then you can start running into burr comb problems, and issues with queenlessness, ect. that you might have been able to avoid or detect sooner if you're not getting in there often enough (I'm speaking of those that say I put them in in the spring, and take the honey in the fall).

This is only my second season with hives, so I'm in no way an expert, but I'm sure some of the seasoned members on the board would advise the same.
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: SherryL on May 23, 2005, 08:05:49 PM
BTW Charlie, took a look at your blog last night, what a wonderful place you have there - makes me happy just seeing the pics!
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: leominsterbeeman on May 23, 2005, 10:18:50 PM
Once a week is enough.  

How often would you like it if someone tore the roof off your house, blew smoke on you and re-arranged the furniture?

There is a lot you can learn from just watching from the outside.  

Counting take-offs and landings;

seeing  drones

Bringing back pollen

Signs of robbing

Smell

Looking for chilled brood/larvae

Hive debris

Mouses/mice/Moose
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Jerrymac on May 24, 2005, 12:03:47 AM
meeses?
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: BigRog on May 24, 2005, 12:34:02 AM
Someone has to say it
I hate those meese's to pieces

BRaawwhahahahaha
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: thegolfpsycho on May 24, 2005, 12:37:33 AM
BAHAHAHAAHA... I wanted to... but .... I.... was... um.... chicken! bahahaahahaha
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: FrogPond on May 24, 2005, 09:29:23 PM
I am pretty new to this and appreciate all the help. My hives came with a moose/meese restrictor, so I am safe there. Anything else I should know?
:lol:
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Finsky on May 25, 2005, 07:35:39 AM
Quote from: leominsterbeemanOnce a week is enough.  

How often would you like it if someone tore the roof off your house, blew smoke on you and re-arranged the furniture?

There is a lot you can learn from just watching from the outside.  

Counting take-offs and landings;

seeing  drones

Bringing back pollen

Signs of robbing

Smell

Looking for chilled brood/larvae

Hive debris

Mouses/mice/Moose

Quite an odd list to spend time? I prefer to look inside.

I use to look, are they carrying honey, pollen, from where?

I do not watch robbing. Hive must be so strong that it defence it's hive.

Chilled brood ? Not in Finland. Never seen. But I have seen holes in brood frames.

Debris? Un necessary to look after.

Mice. Cant help watching.
Title: ive checks
Post by: burny on May 25, 2005, 07:41:31 AM
good info. i check ours (internaly disassemble) as little as possible and always have a clear understanding of what im doing/looking for. always do a little cleaning when you do go in. unless something is screwed up be as respecfull of thier home as possible.  :D

                                             burny
Title: oh
Post by: burny on May 25, 2005, 07:44:57 AM
whats the problem wid mice ? they eat honey? make mess ? chuckum out!

                                                    b
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Michael Bush on May 25, 2005, 10:09:44 AM
>whats the problem wid mice ? they eat honey? make mess ? chuckum out!

They move in during the winter and kill hives.  Eat the bees and the honey and the brood until there is nothing left but wax debris and mouse stink.  I used to loose five or six hives to them every winter in every yard.  I went to top entrances on most of them and none of those got mice.  But I still lost about three last winter to mice at my outyard where I didn't get all the bottom entrances closed.  I had a nuc that I thought the entrance was high enough to keep them out.  I was wrong.  Nothing left at all except old cocoons (from the combs they ate), chewed up wooden frames and a mouse nest.  It was a styrofoam nuc and the mice REALLY seemed to like it.
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Finsky on May 25, 2005, 11:09:17 AM
Quote from: Michael BushIt was a styrofoam nuc and the mice REALLY seemed to like it.

I have had since 1987 stryrofoam hives and I have only one mouse made hole in th wall.

My friend bought his first stryrofoam hives last autumn and he has hives 2 km from me in the forest. In six hives mouses had gone in biting the  walls.

More trouble mouses cause when they are locked in my store during winter. I have brick house but somehow someone find his way to my store. Ouside of storeroom I catch many mouses. They climp to second floor via outer wall and come in through eaves.
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Barny on May 25, 2005, 11:37:01 AM
I have field mice and rats that love to make nests in my hives.  I think that the top entrance during winter would be a great fix to the moose, er mice.  My mice make nice warm homes out of cotton and, like micheal bush said leave "mouse stink" everywhere.  They also chewed up some of my pallets and brood supers beyond repair. :x  :evil:
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: lively Bee's on May 25, 2005, 11:58:47 AM
Frogpond,

If the queen is not laying a good patteren then you may have a bad queen. I bought 12 packages this year 11 were as good and gold and top notch queens 1 queen is not worth a heel of beens she lays a poor patteren and has VERY mean off sping and just is a very poor queen.

So here is what I called my supplier and told them the problem I had and they shipped me a new queen at no charge.  

She could be poorly mated.  This could also be your same problem.

Thank you
Keith
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: lively Bee's on May 25, 2005, 04:57:36 PM
Frogpond,

If the queen is not laying a good patteren then you may have a bad queen. I bought 12 packages this year 11 were as good as gold and top notch queens 1 queen is not worth a heel of beens she lays a poor patteren and has VERY mean off sping and just is a very poor queen.

So here is what I called my supplier and told them the problem I had and they shipped me a new queen at no charge.  

She could be poorly mated.  This could also be your same problem.

Thank you
Keith
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Jerrymac on May 25, 2005, 05:00:37 PM
Now that is weird.  :?

Same post about 5 hours apart???

You been nipping at the bottle :shock:
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: lively Bee's on May 25, 2005, 08:31:48 PM
hmmmm Now how did I do that :?:
I dont know :oops:
Title: mice and slatted racks
Post by: taw on May 26, 2005, 12:43:49 AM
Quote from: Michael Bush>whats the problem wid mice ? they eat honey? make mess ? chuckum out!

They move in during the winter and kill hives.  Eat the bees and the honey and the brood until there is nothing left but wax debris and mouse stink.  I used to loose five or six hives to them every winter in every yard.  I went to top entrances on most of them and none of those got mice.  But I still lost about three last winter to mice at my outyard where I didn't get all the bottom entrances closed.  I had a nuc that I thought the entrance was high enough to keep them out.  I was wrong.  Nothing left at all except old cocoons (from the combs they ate), chewed up wooden frames and a mouse nest.  It was a styrofoam nuc and the mice REALLY seemed to like it.

I have slatted racks in my hives (right above the screened bottom board. They are supposed to help curb the mouse problem (or at least keep them out of the brood chamber) and give the bees space (reduce swarming).

Anyone have good or bad experience with them? And yeah, I know this is drifting off the original topic. :)
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Michael Bush on May 26, 2005, 10:24:10 AM
I don't think the slatted racks make the mice any better or worse, they do tend to build their nests underneath, but if they arent' there they just tend to build them on the bottom bars of the combs after they chew out an area to do it.  The slatted racks will not keep the mice out or in any way mitigate the damage, nor will they make it any worse.  The mice will still get in.  They will still eat the bees and the honey and the brood.  Still chew up your frames and smell up your hive.
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Lesli on May 26, 2005, 12:39:16 PM
My hives are wood, with the traditional bottom entrance. I used the metal "universal entrance reducers" from Betterbee (or Dandant, I think both have them). No mouse problems. Don't know if it will work every year--and I do sorta like the top entrance idea.

I should point out that I live in a rural area, and mice are definitely abundant.
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: firetool on May 27, 2005, 12:24:08 PM
I would just make sure there are plany of cats and snakes around to keep the mice population down in the area. Atlest around my house.

Brian :twisted:
Title: Can You Check Too Frequently?
Post by: Finsky on May 27, 2005, 02:10:48 PM
Quote from: firetoolI would just make sure there are plany of cats and snakes around to keep the mice population down in the area. Atlest around my house.

Brian :twisted:

How it happens! I had 50 cats in my nabour and they were not able to eat all mice. Mice still  come to my house  :shock: