A Basic Hive Inspection

A Basic Hive Inspection,[object Object],Linda D. Tillman,[object Object],www.beekeeperlinda.com,[object Object]

How to Inspect a Bee Hive,[object Object],A step by step approach to inspecting your bee hive,[object Object]

Put on your protective clothing,[object Object]

Gather your equipment,[object Object],A Hive Tool & Smoker,[object Object],Various Helpful Items,[object Object],A hive tool, gloves, smoker, fuel, and a lighter are all the basics,[object Object],Frame rack, frame grip, bee brush, cork to put in smoker, knife, container for all of this!,[object Object]

Then head for the beehives,[object Object]

First light the smoker,[object Object], fuel = pine straw,[object Object],Easy lighter = propane,[object Object]

How to light the smoker,[object Object],We use pine straw for fuel,[object Object],We use a propane lighter (for the grill) to light the smoker – reliable flame and the long nose on it makes it easy to get a flame into the depths of the smoker,[object Object]

More helpful smoker tips,[object Object],Although not necessary, we use a paper towel impregnated with wax (from the solar wax melter) as a starter,[object Object],Start with a little fuel and add more as you need it,[object Object]

A puff of smoke at hive entry tells the bees that you are coming in,[object Object]

Take off the telescoping cover,[object Object]

Remove the inner cover,[object Object]

Lay the telescoping cover upside down on the ground,[object Object],Stacking boxes catty-corner on top of the upturned top allows you easy access to picking up the boxes and protects the queen from falling onto the ground ,[object Object]

A frame rack helps observation,[object Object],Hangs on side of hive,[object Object],Easy place to hang 1st frame out of the hive,[object Object]

Removing the frames,[object Object],The first frame you take out of the hive box should NOT be the one closest to the side of the box – take out #2 or #9 (if it’s a 10 frame box), #2 or # 7 if eight frame,[object Object],Why? Because when you put the hive back together, the last frame in will be the first frame out. You’ll be sliding the frame in between two frames (pushing bees against other bees) rather than squashing bees against the hard side of the box.,[object Object]

The #2 frame is being removed first,[object Object]

Taking out the next to the last frame,[object Object],This should be the,[object Object],choice no matter,[object Object],which side of the box,[object Object],you start with for the,[object Object],inspection.,[object Object]

The purpose of an inspection for the beginning beekeeper,[object Object],As beginners our biggest job is to understand what a hive looks like when it is functioning. The more we study what goes on inside the hive box, the better position we are in to know if we need to do something to help the hive. ,[object Object]

Are the bees are doing what they are supposed to?,[object Object],Building wax, raising young bees, bringing in nectar and pollen, capping honey,[object Object]

Are the bees building wax?,[object Object],Whether you use foundation, starter strips, or go foundationless, you want your bees to make wax at the beginning of the season.,[object Object],The wax serves the function of being home to brood that is raised, honey/nectar that is stored, and pollen that is packed away.,[object Object]

Wax buildingNew wax drawn – no foundation,[object Object]

Watch the bees build wax,[object Object],On left bees festooning,[object Object],They connect via wax from chest cells,[object Object]

Next we look at how the bees are using their wax comb,[object Object],Raising brood – workers, drones and queens,[object Object],Storing pollen of all colors,[object Object],Storing nectar and eventually capped honey,[object Object]

The queen lays brood constantly,[object Object],Holes in the brood box wax filled with larvae mean that new bees have hatched and the queen has laid new eggs to take their place,[object Object],See the different stages of larvae in the cells?,[object Object]

Is there a good brood pattern?,[object Object],Worker brood is flat, light brown, and should be in a football shaped pattern,[object Object],You don’t want to see too many holes in the pattern, although if the holes are filled with new larvae, that’s not a problem,[object Object]

Can you see any eggs or young larvae?,[object Object],Young larvae are tiny, c-shaped, worm-like,[object Object],Larvae lie in the bottom of the cells in a liquid food,[object Object],Eggs are in three center cells. The three cells below contain c-shaped larvae,[object Object]

Eggs look like tiny grains of rice,[object Object]

Look for worker and drone brood,[object Object],The queen lays eggs all day long. ,[object Object],She chooses at each empty cell to lay a fertilized or an unfertilized egg,[object Object],Fertilized egg = worker bee,[object Object],Unfertilized egg = a drone,[object Object],The drone’s only job is to be available to mate with queens from other hives,[object Object]

Drone cells are not flat. They are rounded & stand up on the wax ,[object Object]

Queen cells,[object Object],You may see queen cells – they look like peanuts in the shell ,[object Object],Bees often keep a few for insurance in case something happens to their queen or they want to swarm or supersede the current queen,[object Object],Queen cell in each of ,[object Object], these photos,[object Object]

You’ll see pollen in the cells,[object Object]

You’ll see uncapped honey,[object Object]

You’ll see beautiful fully capped honey,[object Object]

Also in the inspection you’ll look at the bees themselves,[object Object],Learn to distinguish workers, drones,[object Object],Learn to find the queen,[object Object]

You’ll see bees: What do workers/drones look like?,[object Object]

The drone has huge eyes (to help him see the queen in flight),[object Object],He is shaped like a cigar and does not have a stinger.,[object Object]

If you look hard, you may see the Queen,[object Object]

If you didn’t find her, she is circled below,[object Object]

Can you find her in this picture? (hint: she is marked),[object Object]

This queen is harder to find,[object Object]

Did you find her?,[object Object]

In addition to learning about your hive, the inspection is also about trying to determine if there are any problems with the hive,[object Object],Are there intruders: small hive beetles, roaches, wax moths?,[object Object],Is there disease or indication of weakness due to Varroa mites,[object Object],Do the bees need more space to grow or to store honey?,[object Object]

The small hive beetle,[object Object],You’ll have them in your hives,[object Object],Here’s one with,[object Object],the audacity to be,[object Object],beside the Queen!),[object Object]

When you see a small hive beetle…..,[object Object],Smash it, crush it, step on it!,[object Object],SMASH IT ,[object Object],WITH YOUR ,[object Object],HIVE TOOL ! ,[object Object]

Wax moths,[object Object],Wax moths in your hive mean the hive is weak. ,[object Object],They wreak havoc quite quickly,[object Object],One solution is to combine the weak hive with a strong one,[object Object],Note: These photos are from a dead hive,[object Object]

Varroa mites,[object Object],You can’t always see the Varroa mite but sometimes you do: ,[object Object],This one is on the larvae – see the orange “tick” on the larvae body,[object Object]

The bee in the center has a red Varroa mite on her back ,[object Object]

Deformed Wing Virus,[object Object],Vectored by the Varroa mite, makes the bees ‘ wings deformed and useless as in picture – observe the stubby malformed wings ,[object Object]

You will have the Varroa mite even if you never see it.,[object Object],Natural beekeepers use a powdered sugar shake as part of their inspection about once a month during bee season. The bees groom the powdered sugar off of their bodies, and groom the Varroa mite off of their bodies at the same time.,[object Object]

Powdered sugar shake,[object Object]

Ghostly powdered bees!,[object Object]

Do your bees need more space for brood or honey production?,[object Object],It often helps to have an empty hive box or super with you on an inspection.,[object Object]

When do you add a new hive box?,[object Object],If your bees have drawn out the wax on the foundation or frames in 8 out of 10 frames in a hive box, you’ll need to add another hive box filled with frames to allow the queen more room to lay eggs,[object Object],New box is added to this hive,[object Object]

During honey flow, add supers,[object Object],Bees can fill a honey super faster than you can imagine.,[object Object],When the bees have filled most of the frames in the top box with honey, have another frame-filled superready to add. ,[object Object]

How often should one go into the hives?,[object Object],Not daily!! ,[object Object],You are intruding into the bees home and it takes a little while for them to recover – so only about once every week or so during bee season,[object Object]

When is the inspection over?,[object Object],When you have accomplished what you opened the hive to do,[object Object],You don’t have to open and disturb every box,[object Object],Mainly you want to know how your bees are doing and if you need to make any changes to promote the well-being of the hive,[object Object]

Put the hive back together,[object Object],Put the frames back in hive box in the same order and orientation as you found them.,[object Object],Some beekeepers mark the frames to help keep them in order,[object Object]

Slowly slide each box onto the one beneath,[object Object],This allows the box to act as a bulldozer and gives the bees a chance to move rather than be squashed by the oncoming box.,[object Object]

Replace the inner cover and the telescoping cover,[object Object],Take any notes you may need for the next visit to that hive, gather up your equipment, put out the smoker, and you’re finished!,[object Object]

Congratulations!,[object Object],You’ve completed your hive inspection!,[object Object]

Photography credits,[object Object],Photographers: Julia Mahood,[object Object],Linda Tillman,[object Object],Sam Macey,[object Object],All photos from www.beekeeperlinda.com,[object Object]

A Basic Hive Inspection

A Basic Hive Inspection

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A Basic Hive Inspection