Inspection scheldue

[labradorfarms]

Ok I Feed my2 new packages sat and removed the queen cages .....
When I inspect this sat roughly week 2 what should I bee looking for?

How often should you inspect the hives????? I don't want to disturb the Bee's anymore than is needed....

[Vance G]

I take it the queen cages were empty?  Ten days from when you think they got empty take a quick look and see how much brood you have.  Make sure they have some feed available especially if weather might keep them in the box.  I have seen caged queens not lay for two weeks after release.  If any of your queens have not started laying two weeks after release, it is time to get excited and get a new queen in there.

I don't want to advocate wearing out the lid but after the bees have several frames of brood, I would advise you to take a good long look some balmy low eighties day with no wind.  How else will you learn?  Until then and they are covering half the frames I would advise you to take quick looks every 7 to ten days.  Always pull an outside frame to give yourself room to pull frames out and up so you don't crimp your queen.  When you see the outward expansion of eggs and larvae, put it back together and close it up.  Take good notes.  Enjoy your bees.  Park a chair a little ahead and beside the boxes out of the flight path and sit and watch.  You can learn lots that way.  Have fun!

[labradorfarms]

Yes , the queens were released both cages empty..... Thanks for the tip on pulling a outside frame first......  I also run 9 frames just incase I get clumsy. Last thing I want is to roll the queen.

[HomeSteadDreamer]

Just remember with 9 frames you are encouraging them to build wider than normal and might get some cross comb.