Emerging Brood

[billdean]

Is there a way to tell if the brood is emerging from the cells without going into the hive and looking? Are the new bees a lot smaller? I don't want to open the hive yet but would really like to no if I have new baby bees. How do you tell?

[Psparr]

Well they don't leave for a couple weeks that won't help.

[little john]

Are the new bees a lot smaller?

New bees are slightly smaller - but their main characteristic is that they look kindof 'fuzzy' and rather cute.  But - as already said - you won't get to see newly emerged bees unless you open-up the hive to take a look.
LJ

[BeeMaster2]

What LJ said. They will mostly stay on the brood frames so it would bee hard to see them since they will not bee outside of the hive. You can lift the lid (with a little smoke) to see if they are on the top of the frames, with out much of a disturbance. I have Screen top boards on all of my hives. It allows me to see how they are doing with out disturbing them. This year I decided to leave the winter insulation board on the screens. It just means that I have to lift it up to see them.
Jim

[indypartridge]

I don't want to open the hive yet...

How often are you inspecting?
I always encourage new beekeepers to inspect about once a week during the first year for learning purposes. The best way to learn is to get inside and look.

[herbhome]

One indicator of emerging brood is the nurse bees will be orienting before becoming foragers. Now that there are younger bees to take over their duties they get a promotion.
It's also pretty cool to watch a new bee work her way through the cell capping.

[OldMech]

I don't want to open the hive yet...

How often are you inspecting?
I always encourage new beekeepers to inspect about once a week during the first year for learning purposes. The best way to learn is to get inside and look.

   I advocate weekly inspections as well. They dont have to be "deep" inspections, just checking a few frames to see where they, and the queen are at, how many bees in the hive, are they drawing comb, do they need another box etc..  it will also tell you if they need fed if they have no stores, or need the feed removed if they are backfilling the brood nest with nectar..   SO MUCH to learn from quick inspections, and it gives YOU an excuse to peek!

    And, what HerbHome said...    Orientation flights are a perfect example of knowing you have brood emerging without opening the hive.

[billdean]

I don't want to open the hive yet...

How often are you inspecting?
I always encourage new beekeepers to inspect about once a week during the first year for learning purposes. The best way to learn is to get inside and look.

I am inspecting once a week. I take a camera, pen and paper with me to photograph what I see and to right down what I see on each frame. Then I take the info in the house and put it in my log book.

[billdean]

I opened up the hive today as today was the day they should have emerged. I believe they are. In the middle of the foundation the cells are black and empty. All around the the brood is still capped. When I brought the photos in the house and zoomed in on them on the computer I could see bees chewing they way out of the cells. The capping on the cells was ripped exposing the bees inside. I believe they are coming out now. Is this what everyone else is seeing or am I wrong?[attachment=0][/attachment]

[yes2matt]

Looks good. Like the queen made a first pass on the frame, the patch that's hatched out, then came back some days later to fill it wall to wall. I see some li'l fuzzy young ones in the mix too.

Aren't they pretty? I could look at bees all day. :)

[PhilK]

I love those pale brood cappings - I miss when my hive was all nice new yellowish colours!
Looking good bill - try and take some time to look with your eyes instead of camera and computer as well! It's fascinating watching them emerge and interact

[Barhopper]

Looks good. Queens generally lay from the middle in a spiral pattern. That's what you see when the hatch. From the middle out.

[GSF]

ditto what herbhome said. I view orientation flights as graduation day.

Look at their thorax behind their head. The more black and shinny it is the older the bee.