hive inspection

[binglis]

I am new to beekeeping, and have only one hive. I have two deeps and two supers, the supers being almost full with honey. I would inspect every week before I added the supers, and look for the queen. Now that the supers are in place (and partially full), what is the best method for finding the queen?
Do I remove both supers, and the top deep, and leave them lying on the ground while I search for the queen (and inspect the bottom deep in general...)?
Would this not be dispruptive, if done every week (or every other...) in the honeyflow season?
Thanking you all in advance...
binglis

[Brian D. Bray]

Searching for the queen is very disruptive for the hive at anytime.  It sometimes requires a total dismantaling of the hive during the search.
I would wait until the honey supers are harvested prior to commencing such a search.  Locating and evaluating the queen only needs to be done 2 and maybe 3 times a year.  In the spring to evaluate brood pattern and produlction, after a swarm, and post honey harvest as part of a accessment of wintering capability.

If you are determined to find her do the following:
1. Open the hive as usual, smoking the bees as necessary.
2. remove the top and place it inside up on the ground on one side or the other of the hive--opposite of the side you prefer to stand on.
3.  Remove the supers intact and place catty-slonch-wise on the top so as not to squish and kill bees.
4.  Smoke the hive again and remove the 3rd frame in from either side of the box.  examine it for the queen.  Remember that she maybe on the run so look for a ripple of bees where the queen and her attendants scurry under the other bees on the frame.
5.  If not there do the same on the opposite side. (I find the queen on eithr of those 2 frames in the top box of a 2 deep setup 3 out of 5 times.)
6.  If not on those frames remove the 2nd frame in from each side and then proceed towards the center of the box alternating sides and leaving a vacant frame space on each side so that the queen doesn't have an opportunity to backtrack on you or you could be searching all day.
7. In unsuccessfu go to the lower box using the same technic.
8. In a 2 deep setup the queen may sometimes be found in the bottom super so if you've gone to the bottom board in your search without luck reassemble the hive frame by frame, box by box--continuing to search even the supers for the queen.

Hope that helps.