Inspecting hive when rains in sight

[saltybluegrass]

I need to inspect but the popcorn showers / rainstorms are playing with me.
Is it better to inspect before a rain or after?
I was thinking if they all hibernate before an event it may make for heavy frames and hard to see. Am I crazy ?

[CoolBees]

Good question Salty. Are inspections best performed before or after a rain? ... I'd like to know the answer to that also.

[Donovan J]

I think you should play it safe and inspect after because the rain could move in quickly and catch you in the middle of an inspection. Father the rain ends you don't have the threat of rain coming and having to quickly do a inspection. If it is very light rain you could probably inspect I've done this before with no harm to the bees.

[iddee]

I've posted many times.  Look at the sky. If you would allow roofers to take the roof off your house to do work, then it is safe to work in your bees. If you wouldn't allow them to, the bees aren't going to allow you to take their roof off either.  The worse attack I have ever had from a hive was when you could see the clouds on the horizon and smell the rain coming in, but it had not gotten there.

[van from Arkansas]

Salty, I don?t even like to open a hive if the weather is cloudy.  A good sunny day is best.
Blessings

[saltybluegrass]

Well I need some clear skies- these girls are showing growth and orientation - funny that all 3 hives have their own time of day for the orientation

[Oldbeavo]

Bees seem to sense changes in atmospheric conditions and will return to the hive if bad weather is approaching, so yes more bees to deals with.
If you have a rain and the rain washes the nectar from the flowers the even though the weather may be fine the bees are hungry for nectar and seem to be easily upset. We usually don't work hives the day after rain if possible.
Warm bees with who have honey collecting in their minds are the easiest to work with.

[BeeMaster2]

As mentioned, do not go in your hives with rain threatening. My bee Inspecter came to do an inspection on a dreary day. I asked him if he really wanted to open the hives in this weather and he insisted. I don?t normally put my jacket on but I did that day. One of my calm hives tore him up so bad that he had to go and get his cloves. He then took a sample to test for Africanized Bees. It wasn?t the genetics, it was the weather. All of the hives were aggressive that day.
Blue skies are best for inspections.
Jim Altmiller

[van from Arkansas]

Wise words, Jim and Beavo.  One would do well to remember.
Cheers

[incognito]

I wish this thread was posted in April of this year.

[rast]

Pity the queen breeder, I've watched Dave Miksa's crew working under a big umbrella.

[BeeMaster2]

Michael has also commented about having to work his hives for queens in bad weather.
Jim Altmiller

[Michael Bush]

>Michael has also commented about having to work his hives for queens in bad weather.

Emerging queens wait for no man...