How offend do you inspect ?

Joelel · July 25, 2009, 02:40:12 PM

Hi All,How offend do you inspect your hives and to what extent each time ? More some times of the year then other ?

David Stokely · July 25, 2009, 06:57:13 PM

Maybe once a month do I get into the upper brood chamber. Once ever two months in the lower. Once a week in the upper supers to keep an eye on them needing more space. I only have two hives. . .

MustbeeNuts · July 25, 2009, 06:57:31 PM

I check weekly at first, then biweekly, then finally everythree weeks, it depends how deep I go but most times I check deep in old hives in may/jun one or two times, then my new hives I check in a couple weeks to see if the queen is laying, I then resume the above schedule. I did find that I should have done more of a deep check the first of july, lost a swarm becasue I didn't check deep enough. however Idid get three new splits, and they are all new queens from swarm cells, they are all beauty queens. LOL and laying strong just like there mother, so thats what I do. I'm up to 14 hives. hoping for more come spring split season.

jclark96 · July 26, 2009, 08:25:27 AM

My hive is new this year, and my comb collapsed during a 940 mile move. So I am still on the weekly inspection routine. Next year, I will check them at least monthly, for the above reasons, space, mites etc.

Nate · July 26, 2009, 08:58:35 AM

How often do I inspect?

This summer I've done an inspection in May through my hives and an inspection first week of July. It's really variable. I pop the lids periodically to see if I need to add another super. Checked a split after a week to make sure there were queen cells.

qa33010 · July 26, 2009, 03:48:56 PM

Get in to replace a couple frames and clean once a year. I try and watch them coming and going at the entrance every day (doesn't always work out) If something looks unusual then I go inspect. When I was new (ha! Still new at it!) I was getting in every week for about a month plus (I got them at the end of July), then in spring about every other week and started watching them at the entrance about that time also. By spring I had four hives (three of which are still going strong).

How often is up to each of us to decide. I do have to stand on my hands because I don't have enough hives, to check one a day each month, to handle my need for a bee fix.

Joelel · July 26, 2009, 05:25:43 PM

Quote from: qa33010 on July 26, 2009, 03:48:56 PM
Get in to replace a couple frames and clean once a year. I try and watch them coming and going at the entrance every day (doesn't always work out) If something looks unusual then I go inspect. When I was new (ha! Still new at it!) I was getting in every week for about a month plus (I got them at the end of July), then in spring about every other week and started watching them at the entrance about that time also. By spring I had four hives (three of which are still going strong).

How often is up to each of us to decide. I do have to stand on my hands because I don't have enough hives, to check one a day each month, to handle my need for a bee fix.

Hi,From watching the entrance how do you know if you got SHB or foulbrood or wax moths or if you lost your queen or if they need space ? What all can you tell at watching the entrance,i know some things but maybe you know something I don't.

Joelel · July 27, 2009, 11:47:42 AM

I would think everyone knows how offten they inspect and for what when,does most people not inspect ? Is that why there is not many replies ? 188 looks and 6 replies ?

dennis a · July 28, 2009, 11:18:55 AM

I'll get in once a month sometimes more. More dependant on weather, I like very good days, sunny, warm and not to windy when the girls are calm I can spend lots of time looking around. Seems when I rush I forget something, a CRS thing.
Dennis

NasalSponge · July 28, 2009, 07:53:24 PM

I try to never offend when I inspect!! :-D

This question is extremely subjective. I check them fairly often in the spring..every other week or so, once my supers go on I leave them alone unless I see something strange going on, then back to more often in the fall after the harvest.

qa33010 · July 28, 2009, 09:46:39 PM

What I watch for at the entrance is what kind of house cleaning they are doing (brood, trash, critters...), how the guard bees are acting, what the foragers are bringing in, smell of the hive...those are some of what I look for.

I would really like to get the book 'At The Hive Entrance' to learn more and maybe even enlighten me on some things I have seen and didn't know it. Oh well, I'm dropping hints for a birthday present... :-D

Michael Judd · July 29, 2009, 09:17:08 AM

It is an interesting question.

I felt guilty as I was not inspecting so often ( I am new this may with 2 hives) and more or less inspect as this topics contributors are suggesting.

I just did an inspection of the top supers and find that there is no change at all from 15 July.

They are not filling out on top, but there is a lot of coming and going and otherwise apparently normal activity.

Is it possible that in mid summer ( southern France) that there is less pollen and so they slow down building out the comb? Or should i be worried and do a big inspection?

Joelel · July 29, 2009, 11:55:23 AM

Hi All,My son and I both own our bees together.We plan on getting into the honey business.We hope to have 10 strong hives next year to start with. We have two now and hope to do two splits this year and then four or six next year and maybe buy one more package.Were getting one out of a tree this coming week end. We plan on rearing our own queens and maybe start selling queens and packages also.

We do an outer inspection every two or three days. We see if any robbers or beetles or ants or anything is trying to get in the entrance or any where else.We have bottom screens and look in there to see how the bottom inside is doing,see if everything looks normal,see if we have queen cells hanging off the bottom of the frames and if any beetles in there and for mitts.We count our bees going in and out and see what they are gathering.
We do an inside inspection every two or three weeks.Pull the top and three or four frames to see if we have many beetles or any moth.We check for foulbrood,nosema and mitts. We look for our queens and for newly laid eggs and look to see what and how much of what got built since the last inspecting.We keep records of everything.We add suppers as needed or move some frames if needed and put in beetle eaters if needed.We are trying to keep all natural hives if possable with no treating for anything.
If we ever get foulbrood we will destroy the hive and if we ever get mean bees we will out breed them.
We have buckfast and Cordovan Italian now.