Additional Hive Inspections - Late Spring 2024

[@autumnhillbees]

Another great video! Thanks for sharing!!

[@dalewcrighton8083]

Video notes to be transcribed later? BTW...love the close-up explanations.

[@beesintheweeds]

Sorry, can you explain? Not sure what you’re asking for.

[@DougMassengale]

That is laying workers. No matter what people tell you. Never leave a hive a month without checking it. I check mine a week after they should be building a cell, If they aren't give them another frame of brood with eggs. If they have a cell wait another week then check to see if it hatched. Sometimes they are duds. I check mine once a week no matter what.Waiting a month is a waste of time and bees. The ones that wait a month just have more bees than they really need.

[@beesintheweeds]

There is some research and evidence that disrupting a hive too much during the requeening process can result in the queen getting balled. Lots of pheromone changes going on during this time. I’m not saying it happens a lot, but it can according to EAS master beekeepers. I should have mentioned I checked this hive Saturday after pulling supers and it is queenright.

[@Tinycreekbeecompany]

So this year is my first year and I am doing single brood management like you are. I was wondering how long does it take you to do an inspection? Also how long does it take you to do inspections in all your hives? I only have 2 right now and I’m trying to figure out how to reduce my inspection time as I increase my numbers.

[@beesintheweeds]

Excellent questions. The answer is it can vary widely depending on the task. If I’m just checking for queen-right status then I can do an inspection in under 3 minutes. If I am checking for swarming activity it can take longer. If I am checking disease or illness, it can take even longer. The point being, the time to do an inspection really depends on why you are getting into a hive. This is why there is such a steep learning curve for beekeeping because there are so many variables. Rarely is there an answer “if this then that”. Hope this makes sense. Keep asking questions and growing your bee knowledge! You will learn over time! Cheers!

[@joegregorc2581]

Have you ever thought about trying a Layens hive??? Alot less back work and lifting.

[@beesintheweeds]

Personally I have not. I have a local friend who uses them. I tend to stick to one type of hive as I find it is cheaper than buying equipment for multiple. Just my $0.02!

[@ShalomShalom-d5c]

I would hav shook the bees out of the (now) top box into the 2nd box (with new frames) & taken the heavy box off.

[@beesintheweeds]

Fair enough! Lots of ways to tackle it. Thanks for watching!