Timing of first Spring inspection

[greenbtree]

So I read in a book today that doing a full inspection too early in the Spring can cause a hive to reject it's queen.  True? False? Opinions? If true, how do you judge when it's o.k.?

JC

[Finski]

.
False.

Full inspection - what is that?

It is true that if you lift a brood frame in chilly weather off and keep the hive open, brood catch cold and get chalk brood.

[Hemlock]

Would very much like to know the source of that info.  What book?  Don't know the answer to that but have never had that problem either.

If it's above 50°F or preferably above 60°F an inspection should be safe.  Gage the intensity of the inspection to the ambient temp.

Have done full inspections every month of the year here when conditions are right.  Our Winters are usually moderate though.  Never have lost a queen in Spring...yet.

[Finski]

.
What I inspect......

Normally hives are under snow and in the first week of March I shovel then out from snow.

We cannot touch hives before they have done cleansing flights. Otherwise bees cover the inspector with poo.

First job is find out that every hives has enough food to survive a month more  March

when snow is almost melted in April, we may change the bottom board and clean it.
Often I can see a piece of brood on rubbish. It tells that queen is alive. A piece of drone brood is a bad sign.

When I start to feed  pollen patty, a tight cluster tells that they have brood and they try to heat them keenly.  
If bees are dispersed in April and are nervours, it is a sign that maybe they have not brood. They may have a queen, but it do not lay because nosema has spoiled it or something else has happened.  So I open the hive what ever the weather is.   Mostly I meet brood and I close the hive quickly.

So called full inspection I can make in May when out temps are 17C.
Then I can inspect, does the hive has diseases like Afb. I may too valuate the skills of queen's laying.
If the hive has chalk brood, I kill the queen. If hive attacks on me what it did not make last autum, the queen will be terminated. Poor layes get a licence to go too.

I keep enough spare hives to terminate unwanted queens.

[applebwoi]

I agree that anytime is OK as long as the temps are mid 50's or higher.  Today was in mid 60's here in the TX Panhandle and I opened them up to check on honey stores.  A few were low so I added some dry sugar and put in a big dipper of crystalized honey I had in a 5 gal bucket.  Good to see that they are doing well but these warm days encourage flying and additional use of stores that wouldn't occur if weather stayed cold as up north.

[AllenF]

Cite the book if you don't mind.

[Finski]

I agree that anytime is OK as long as the temps are mid 50's or higher.  Today was in mid 60's here in the TX Panhandle and I opened them up to check on honey stores.  A few were low so I added some dry sugar and put in a big dipper of crystalized honey I had in a 5 gal bucket.  Good to see that they are doing well but these warm days encourage flying and additional use of stores that wouldn't occur if weather stayed cold as up north.

we have in My those degrees what you mention, 10-16C.

I would use 60% syrup in those weathes. I do not understand that dry sugar use.