How to Inspect a Beehive for Beginning Beekeepers
Beekeeping is a great hobby that can be enjoyed by anyone. It’s not difficult to get started, but there are some things that new beekeepers should learn to do on a regular basis. A beehive inspection is an important part of beekeeping, and it’s important to do it regularly to ensure your hive is healthy and in good shape.
It definitely can feel nerve-racking or even scary your first time doing an inspection. But you can do this! You aren’t going to know everything the first time, and you’ll probably forget to look for a thing or two, but don’t worry. Here are some tips on how to do a beehive inspection. And, pay attention to and observe your hive. You will get better at recognizing things and at maneuvering the hive. Pretty soon, you will feel like a pro.
A week after installing your package bees, it’s time to perform your first hive inspection-you will check to see if the queen has been accepted.
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Before You Start the Beehive Inspection
Wear protective clothing, especially if it’s your first hive inspection.
When you go to inspect a hive, it is important to wear protective clothing. This will help protect you from painful stings which, besides being painful, can cause you to stress out which will in turn give the bees extra cause to stress out.
If you are new to inspecting hives, wearing protective clothing can help you feel more confident and safe. Here are some tips for what to wear when inspecting a hive:
-Wear a full-body suit that covers your skin, including your head, neck, and hands.
-Make sure the suit is lightweight and comfortable so that you can move easily.
-Choose a suit that is made of a durable material so that it will last for multiple inspections.
-Wear shoes that cover your entire foot and have a good grip on the ground.
Have Your Tools Ready:
Before you begin, keep a hive tool, smoker, and a bucket with extra smoker fuel nearby.
We’re Looking for Goldilocks With the Smoke:
Not too much smoke, not too little–a light amount of cool smoke.
Blow a small amount across the frames under the top cover, but not directly into the hive. Let the smoke work through the hive for a few moments.
Puff a couple of soft puffs near the entrance of the beehive.
But before you open the hive…
Observe the Hive Entrance
Standing next to the hive, watch for a few minutes to see if bees are regularly entering and leaving. You’ll want to notice if the foragers have pollen on their back legs.
Did you know there are guard bees keeping watch at the entrance to the hive? They will inspect the forager bees returning to the hive. They shouldn’t start fighting the returning foragers.
If you see fighting bees at the entrance, you might have an issue with robbing bees. If you see a small number of dead bees in front of the hive, there is no need to worry yet, as bees die every day. But large numbers of dead bees at the foot of the hive is cause for concern.
Open The Hive
-Remove the cover, place it on the ground next to the hive
-Look for a small cluster of bees near the middle of the hive
-Use the hive tool to make space around the first outer frame so it can be removed
-Be careful not to bump the queen off the frame
Check The Frames
-Make sure the bees are drawing out (expanding, making more of) the honeycomb
-Look for the queen
-Look for signs that the queen is laying eggs
-Check for signs the queen has been accepted (the worker bees will have started to build the foundation with new wax (also called drawing comb)
Once you find the queen, carefully replace that frame in the hive. Use the hive tool to make equal space around the frames. Extra care is required when removing and replacing frames. You don’t want to squish the queen when doing hive inspections.
If you can’t find the queen, look for eggs or larva.
You might not be able to locate the queen, especially if you are a beginner beekeeper. But if you see eggs or larva, you know that the queen has been at work in the hive and that she is there.
If this isn’t your first inspection, you will also want to look for other things during your hive inspection.
- good brood pattern-worker bees and drones not all drones
- stored pollen
- healthy brood comb-drone cells are bigger and their cells are capped with a cone or bullet shaped covering. Worker cells are capped with flat, even caps.
How to Tell the Difference Between Brood Comb and Honeycomb
Brood comb looks very carefully rendered. Clean edges and tidy, even, flat, surfaces. While honeycomb is capped more loosely, with not as much meticulous covering. The surface is more loose, almost lumpy. It’s not quite sloppy, but it’s just not as tidy looking. Also, if you tap the honeycomb cap, honey will come out.
Other Things to Look For During a Beehive Inspection
If you are using a feeder, check and replenish sugar syrup or the pollen patty.
Look for brood comb in a good pattern (not too many empty cells), stored pollen, bee bread, honey, normal bee behavior (not aggression) and signs of disease or pests.
How Often Should You Do Hive Inspections?
–Check every 2 weeks for new hives during the warm season and monthly for established hives. Each colony will be different so adjust the schedule according to your own colony’s needs.
-The frequency of inspections will be influenced by the season and the weather.
-Inspect hives a minimum of 5 inspections per season
Practice Makes Perfect, you’ve heard that old saying before. You will open your beehive many times as a new beekeeper. This is normal. While your are inspecting your hive try to learn and observe, noticing small changes to the hive.
Keep in mind that hive inspections cause the bees to stress. The bees could behave aggressively, the queen might fly away (especially if you leave the hive open too long). The whole colony might follow the queen somewhere else (absconding), or they might kill the queen. So try not to inspect the hive too often.
Swarm Season
During the early months of the warm season (Spring) the likelihood of swarming increases. While monthly inspections during the rest of the season are sufficient, during spring, an over-wintered colony should be inspected every 2 weeks.
A crowded, strong colony might be ready to swarm and you should look for signs of this during your inspections. Keep watch for swarm cells or queen cells. Decide if you are going to split your hive.
What Time of Day Should I Do Beehive Inspections?
The great thing about beekeeping is that you have a little flexibility for keeping your hives, but the best time of day to open a hive is late morning or early afternoon.
During these times, forager bees will be out, well, foraging. 🙂
This will mean less of the grumpy old bees in the hive to shake their fists and yell “get off my lawn.” Okay, joking aside, the hive will be less crowded, with fewer adult bees, and thus, less bees there to get stressed out by you being there.
During other, less ideal times like evenings, make sure you are using cool white smoke from your smoker and that you move slowly. Remember what we said earlier about staying calm and not stressed out (especially because you got stung because you didn’t wear protective gear or because you rushed or didn’t pay attention).
What Should the Temperature Outside be in Order to Inspect Beehives?
Bees have an amazing ability to keep the hive at a constant temperature range all year long. If you open the hive during winter or other cold times, you’ve got to make it quick. If the hive cools, the bees will have to expend precious energy getting the hive back up to ideal temperature and this could exhaust the bees. Hopefully you’ve prepared your hives for winter. If you are doing supplemental feeding for the hive using something like bee fondant, you do want to do a quick lift of the top cover, check to see if the food is still there or if it’s all gone. Then, back on the cover goes. A quick glance is all that is necessary.
Otherwise, you shouldn’t open the hive unless the temperature is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature drops to 50°F (10°C) or below, bees cannot fly. Also, honey bees won’t want to leave the hive when it’s above 100°F (38°C).
Keep Good Records
Make sure to keep records of your inspections. Download a beehive inspection checklist, or try a beekeeping journal. Make note of date, time temperature and what you see in your hive.
That’s How to Do a Beehive Inspection
A beehive inspection should be done every month in general when the weather is warm and there is no rain in the forecast. During Spring the inspections should happen about twice a month. It is important to have the right equipment, including a beekeeper suit, veil, smoker, and hive tool. Look for signs of pests or diseases, as well as the health of the bees. If anything is found that requires treatment, take action right away.
Most importantly, get to know your bees, the environment around your hive and all of the things that bring you joy and happiness when you are keeping bees! Learn and have fun.