Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: LindaL on August 12, 2013, 08:13:00 am

Title: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: LindaL on August 12, 2013, 08:13:00 am
I got my hives a week ago Sunday and haven't checked them since i moved them to there new hives.   The weather wasn't very good this weekend very windy and rainy.   Its supposed windy with scattered showers all week.    If i want to check them on a week day i have to wait until i get home from work which normally isn't until after 5. 

Should i check them anyway or wait and hope for better weather this weekend?   There are loads of bees coming and going with pollen and i have seen orientation flights around both hives. 

Linda.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: KD4MOJ on August 12, 2013, 09:05:31 am
Howdy Linda:

I do what you did... watch. You noticed they are bringing in pollen and the orientation flights. If you see lots of hanging around the front porch as well, it looks like a healthy hive to me! I try not to disturb them as little as possible but if things don't look right from the activity, then I go in.

...DOUG
KD4MOJ
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: LindaL on August 12, 2013, 09:24:22 am
Its my first week as a bee keeper i want to make sure i do everything right  :-D

They are such well mannered girls.  I even picked one up that crash landed on the grass after her orientation flight yesterday, put her back on the landing pad.  Someone should tell the little bees that orientation flights on windy days are a bad idea.   :roll:

I guess its OK to leave them alone until next weekend.   I don't want to disturb them anymore then i have to.   
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: iddee on August 12, 2013, 10:24:02 am
I only go in a hive when I have a specific reason. It may be just because I haven't looked for a month or two, or the hive weight has gained or lost significantly, or any other reason, but I do have a specific reason when I go in.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: LindaL on August 12, 2013, 11:00:37 am
I thought i was supposed to check them every week.   When i moved them i saw uncapped brood in both hives.  I'm not really that good at spotting eggs yet so i only saw them in the one hive.  I didn't see the queen in either, but they aren't marked.   I need to mark the queens at some point before winter as well.   I know they both have at least 2 frames that they haven't dawn out yet.   

So i guess i should just leave them alone and let them be bees.

Linda.

Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: iddee on August 12, 2013, 11:35:34 am
Every week is too often. It is said that each inspection sets them back 2 to 3 days. Checking them every week would set them back nearly 50 % of the summer.

I have hives I haven't check more than 4 times this year. Others I have checked many more times. It just depends on what I think I need to know about them and when.

I would NOT recommend marking queens by a new beekeeper. There was a post on one of the forums just this week where a keep killed his queen while marking her. I would either get an experienced beek to do it, or wait until you have practiced by marking drones until you are comfortable with it.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: 10framer on August 12, 2013, 11:50:18 am
4 or 5 thorough inspections a year is enough for a healthy hive.  i don't know if i really think inspections set a hive back by days but a lot of people do.  i think frequent inspections might do it, though.   
it's hard to stay out of them when it's all new to you.  i'd try to keep it down to every couple of weeks or less as long as there are no issues that need to be addressed.
i know it's hard to stay out of them.  i still go through mine more often than i probably should.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: hjon71 on August 12, 2013, 10:03:59 pm
Mine receive very little attention. They were left completely alone for several years and have managed to survive pretty much unmolested. I swapped in some new equipment and removed some really old brood comb when I moved them.
I will check in the spring, pull honey, and look again in the late fall for winter stores but that's all I'm planning on now.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: GSF on August 12, 2013, 10:36:19 pm
hjon71;

I'll trade you a goat, three chickens, and a dozen eggs for a queen. :th_thumbsupup:
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: RHBee on August 13, 2013, 12:38:19 am
First year I was in them once a week. Second year I'm in them 3 or 4 times this year so far.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: hjon71 on August 13, 2013, 12:40:34 am
GSF
Bring the equipment and show me how to raise queens and you can have one.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 13, 2013, 12:58:30 am
.
I have no slightest idea. It depends what are you looking for. There is no "how many".

YOu should learn the natural yeard course of bees. Then you have basic knowledge to nurse them.
To beginner peeping into hives every week teaches what is going there and not going.
To rush on forum to ask everything is really bad habit: "I saw honey in a brood box! What I do now!"
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: LindaL on August 13, 2013, 04:05:18 am
Does it disturb them to fill up the sugar feeder?    The bigger hive has 3 full frames of honey 2 are mostly caped.  But the little hive has 2 that it has just started to cap.  I want to feed up the little hive so it can ketch up to its big sister.  (i really need to name my hives) 

On a side note  Any idea what this is?  Two of them have been tossed out of the bigger hive in the last two days.  They are to big for the bees to carry they more drag it out.

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vMa-kuj-Njc/UgnZaTwhW_I/AAAAAAAAC_0/-6gXOAO0OJ0/w1256-h942-no/20130811_130704.jpg)
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HWI7z-6gjiM/UgnZadPjBMI/AAAAAAAAC_0/EhinYUpa7NY/w1256-h942-no/20130811_130730.jpg)

Linda
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 13, 2013, 10:58:30 am
.
.
That is a mummified larva made by chalkbrood disease.

It is better to change the queen and hope that the new one it is chalkbrood resistant..
.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 13, 2013, 11:06:51 am
4 or 5 thorough inspections a year is enough for a healthy hive. 

Bees do not need inpecting, but she is very new in beekeeping and it is very hrealty to see, what happens in the hive.

4 inpections in a year? Oh no! What is the value of that?
 You should ectract 4 times a years and that is why to "inspect" how much you have honey.

in swarming time you MUST incpect the hives every week.

.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: GSF on August 13, 2013, 12:16:46 pm
Might have helped if you had placed a penny by it so we could get an idea of size. At first I thought it was chicken or turkey poop. I would have to agree with Finski it looks like chalkbrood.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Steel Tiger on August 13, 2013, 12:27:26 pm
I started with foundationless frames so I go in a little more often than I want to check and straighten comb. Right now it's every other week. The brood box is fully drawn, so I don't have a reason to go in there.
 Last inspection I did check the brood and found one of the frames with a lot of capped drone brood. The frames on either side was worker brood. I thought it was late in the season for drones, but if they feel they need them, so be it.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 13, 2013, 03:15:19 pm
I want to check and straighten comb. Right now it's every other week. The brood box is fully drawn, so I don't have a reason to go in there.

You have learned to straighten combs?


When you look into hive, you need not do anything. You just look. Mostly everything is allright. But it depends on the time of year cycle, what is happening there. You do not need to see queen.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: 10framer on August 13, 2013, 06:18:24 pm
4 or 5 thorough inspections a year is enough for a healthy hive. 

Bees do not need inpecting, but she is very new in beekeeping and it is very hrealty to see, what happens in the hive.

4 inpections in a year? Oh no! What is the value of that?
 You should ectract 4 times a years and that is why to "inspect" how much you have honey.

in swarming time you MUST incpect the hives every week.

.

if they don't need inspecting why are you worried about swarms?  a couple of runs through the brood chamber in the spring and a couple preparing for winter should be enough if you aren't seeing problems with the hive.  maybe those superior bees you have are a little more swarmy than our italian mixes over here.javascript:void(0);
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 13, 2013, 06:31:39 pm


if they don't need inspecting why are you worried about swarms?  a couple of runs through the brood chamber in the spring and a couple preparing for winter should be enough if you aren't seeing problems with the hive.  maybe those superior bees you have are a little more swarmy than our italian mixes over here.javascript:void(0);

hahahahahaha rubbish

Yes, I have all the time problems with hives. I love problems.

I have had Italian bees 40 years and my are swarmy. I have my bees and you have your bees.
But 4 inspections in a year is a BIG stupidity

How many times in a year you extract honey?  (stupid question)

If hives swarm, you must check them. So simple.

Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 13, 2013, 06:53:21 pm
,
What I inspect during a years

1. I dig a hive from snow for cleansing flight

2. I chek tthat there is enough foor for April and May
3. Queen is laying
4. Proper size of room for build up
5. patty feeding 2 months
6. Adding electrict heating on floors
7. Change the floor
8. When to give more boxes.
9. Swarming
10 false swarms to cut swarming fever
11. More room when hive grows
12. Honey off to extract
13. foundations to be drawn
14  take care that hive has enough room to nectar
15 Changing queens
16 Ectracting
17 Taking off summer boxes
18 take care that hive has space to winter brood and situate pollen into lowest box
19 Cheking colony size, to one or two wintering box
20 feeding
21 feeding systems off and set up for winter

22 Preparing to move hive s to outer pastures. Vain to move a hive which is in swarming fever
23 Moving hives off from woods

24 Snow and wind and bird protection

and so on

Forf example inspect hives after storm that roofs are on the hive

Are hives alive on winter? Too late to inspect if hive is dead


I inspect too that if some pasture gives nectar,. It it does not, I move the hive.,
.
.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: L Daxon on August 13, 2013, 07:11:42 pm
There are different types of inspections.  A full hive inspection where I get into every box in the hive may only occur 4 or 5 times a year--a couple of times in the spring to check on spring build up and over crowding, maybe once in early-mid summer, and once again when closing the hive down for winter.

I don't think you need to do a full inspection every week in the spring checking for queen cells.  By the time you see the queen cells it is probably too late to stop a swarm.  You can usually tell if a hive is going to swarm because of over crowding just by watching the activity at the entrance, coupled with how heavy the population/activity is in your top box or two.    

The rest of the time I am usually only in the top two or 3 boxes (I run all 8 frame mediums with a 4 box brood chamber and in summer usually at least 2 honey supers on top).  During the honey flow I am usually in the top 2-3 boxes every 7-10 days or so just to check and make sure the girls have enough room for honey storage and to make sure the queen isn't honey bound in the top of the brood chamber.  If in an inspection I don't see any brood in the top brood box, or just drones, then I will go deeper into the hive checking for queen trouble.

Linda D in OKC
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: 10framer on August 13, 2013, 08:41:28 pm
,
What I inspect during a years

1. I dig a hive from snow for cleansing flight

2. I chek tthat there is enough foor for April and May
3. Queen is laying
4. Proper size of room for build up
5. patty feeding 2 months
6. Adding electrict heating on floors
7. Change the floor
8. When to give more boxes.
9. Swarming
10 false swarms to cut swarming fever
11. More room when hive grows
12. Honey off to extract
13. foundations to be drawn
14  take care that hive has enough room to nectar
15 Changing queens
16 Ectracting
17 Taking off summer boxes
18 take care that hive has space to winter brood and situate pollen into lowest box
19 Cheking colony size, to one or two wintering box
20 feeding
21 feeding systems off and set up for winter

22 Preparing to move hive s to outer pastures. Vain to move a hive which is in swarming fever
23 Moving hives off from woods

24 Snow and wind and bird protection

and so on

Forf example inspect hives after storm that roofs are on the hive

Are hives alive on winter? Too late to inspect if hive is dead


I inspect too that if some pasture gives nectar,. It it does not, I move the hive.,
.
.


and out of those things how many require you to pull the brood chamber apart?  Hide behind the language barrier again as your excuse for saying that anyone that doesn't do things your way is stupid.  a lot of that doesn't apply too a lot of people on this forum.  No snow here it would be stupid for me to heat my hives.  You don't seem to want to accept that bees are kept in very different geographic areas than yours.  this is the third or fourth time you've called me stupid since I've been on here and I've seen you do it countless other times to other people.  Believe it or not there are people in this world that have kept bees other than you. 
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 14, 2013, 04:11:07 am

 You don't seem to want to accept that bees are kept in very different geographic areas than yours. 

 Believe it or not there are people in this world that have kept bees other than you. 

Oh dear. Of course not. Because I do not undestand about about geography either. I have studied it at university only 5 years.

Secret is that in USA, from Alaska to Florida you there in USA keep hives at same way.
Like University of Fairbanks says: most economican way to over winter bees is kill them in autumn and buy new in spring".

I have tried to say that good heavens, try to keep hives different ways

But it have seen that I attack on "we in USA"  barrier

Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: LindaL on August 14, 2013, 04:38:59 am
When i saw the second one of those "things" i went in anyway on Monday after work.   The hive seamed fine to me loads of bees and full frame of eggs and brood uncapped.  Three full frames of honey capped and uncapped.   Once i saw eggs i stopped looking i didn't want to annoy them anymore.

This is a new hive I only got them about 2 weeks ago.  The guy said it was from a swarm in June.    You can't get packaged bees in Denmark like you can in the USA.    He also said they had been treated for varroa so i should be ok until next spring. 

If it is  Chalkbrood  what do i do?  What should i look for?  How can you tell for sure?  Note i sent an email to the teacher at the local bee keeper class i have been taking i'm hoping he feels like coming over and checking them for me.   Only two weeks as a bee keeper and already i'm having problems.   :'(

Linda.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: 10framer on August 14, 2013, 10:16:51 am

 You don't seem to want to accept that bees are kept in very different geographic areas than yours. 

 Believe it or not there are people in this world that have kept bees other than you. 

Oh dear. Of course not. Because I do not undestand about about geography either. I have studied it at university only 5 years.

Secret is that in USA, from Alaska to Florida you there in USA keep hives at same way.
Like University of Fairbanks says: most economican way to over winter bees is kill them in autumn and buy new in spring".

I have tried to say that good heavens, try to keep hives different ways

But it have seen that I attack on "we in USA"  barrier


i knew we'd come to your experience.  let me finish for you.  you've been keeping bees for 51 years.

well, when i was in high school and college i worked for the apiaries studies department at a large university in the SEC. the difference is i don't feel the need to run my mouth about it and look down on everyone. i started keeping bees in 1980, i took a break a couple of times but all in all i've managed to keep a few hives alive.
again, alaska and florida are nothing alike and i don't keep bees in either state.  how much experience do you have keeping bees in the U S?   
what this all comes down to is you are simply a rude and disrespectful individual that hides behind a language barrier. 
a few posts up you tell the new beekeepers not come to the forum with a question every time something happens in the hive.  who made you a moderator?  that's part of what this forum is for. 
i don't see anyone else on this forum from any country that treats people the way you do.  you wouldn't last long where i'm from with your attitude.
   
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 14, 2013, 11:00:03 am
[ how much experience do you have keeping bees in the U S?   

Idiot! Why I shouild learn beekeeping in USA. That idea is in that? So I could keep my bees inpecting 4 times.

Quote
a language barrier. 

Beemaster have invented that langugae barrier. I use it that yoiu need not repeat it all the time. I know English enough and I undestand when you have tried to tease me with your stupid posts. There is a whole gang who try to keep fun with me.  You seldom succeed-


Quote
i don't see anyone else on this forum from any country that treats people the way you do.  you wouldn't last long where i'm from with your attitude.
   

My favorit is to tease idiots.


You guys on this forum are often so full of yourself with style "Me America". I often laugh on these guys. They act like they own the who continent.

I remember you 4 inspect system. One as wise guy in France says that he need not open hives hive for many years because he practices "low maintenance beekeeping".

I do not really know, who is serious on these forums or is somebody trying to bleep me again.  Lack of good jokes, you know.  Forums are full of professional idiots.

Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: iddee on August 14, 2013, 11:11:01 am
Good question....

In response, why are we idiots if we don't want to learn beekeeping in Finland, if you aren't an idiot for not wanting to learn beekeeping in the USA? It works two ways.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 14, 2013, 11:27:32 am
Good question....

In response, why are we idiots if we don't want to learn beekeeping in Finland, if you aren't an idiot for not wanting to learn beekeeping in the USA? It works two ways.

I did not invented the question. Take off that "international" and put there "Red neck" instead.

In have learned most my tricks from US beekeeping books and booklets. I have never teached beekeeping in Finland. Why I should do that?

I have teached for example 7 years how ho kill mites. It is European reseacher group's work.
But you never learned it, because how to do it.  Matthew teached beekeeping 6:26 " Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds?
"
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: 10framer on August 14, 2013, 11:50:08 am
stupid, idiot, redneck.  let's look at this thread.  who has been acting like a redneck?  i haven't called you any names or bashed your country.
i don't know of any time i've picked on you or baited you with any of my posts.  it seems to me you simply have an inferiority complex or suffer from paranoid delusions. 
you on the other hand have called me and several other members names, you've basically run off new members for asking questions.  but at least you'll admit you know full well what you're saying when you call people names on here.  that may be the only thing i've seen you post that i can at least respect a little.
if you have no need of understanding american beekeeping why do you keep coming on here and telling people in the south eastern united states how to winter bees?  any person in the united states that has owned a hive one day has 100 percent more experience in keeping bees in the united states than you.
go ahead and call me another name.  you've used stupid, idiot and redneck.  i won't be bullied by soe troll that ides behind a keyboard and a screen.  what else have you got?  keep showing us what a big man you are.

iddee, don't let him bait you.  he's been kicked off of several forums.  he's really just a troll.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: iddee on August 14, 2013, 12:17:38 pm
NO, 10framer, he's just a senile old man who thinks only his way is right. Actually, he is younger than I am, and probably has experience with fewer hives. I started over 35 years ago working for a man with 7000 hives. One of the first tings I learned is, There's many ways to do the same job. No one way is always the only correct way. He hasn't learned that yet. He has some good info to share, but turns people off with his "my way or no way attitude"". Just try to pick out the good and discard the bad, like is required for many posts from many people.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 14, 2013, 12:25:00 pm
.
iddee and 10framer, you are right.
You are great guys directly from top of the world!

How they have landed to  a miserable forum, let it be a secret.

.

.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: 10framer on August 14, 2013, 12:29:06 pm
.
iddee and 10framer, you are right.
You are great guys directly from top of the world!

How they have ended to  a miserable forum, let it be a secret.

i only see one problem with this forum.

.

.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: Finski on August 14, 2013, 12:31:42 pm

i only see one problem with this forum.


You can use your fingers in counting

.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: 10framer on August 14, 2013, 12:45:40 pm
Linda
i want to apologize for most likely getting this thread shut down.  you asked a reasonable question and you got several reasonable answers.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: iddee on August 14, 2013, 12:55:04 pm
Let's hope not. Try to be a bit more diplomatic when saying the same things you are saying and maybe we can keep it open. I think it is bringing out some things that have been needed to be said for quite some time. Just be careful and friendly with your responses.
Title: Re: How often do you check your hives?
Post by: buzzbee on August 18, 2013, 03:56:29 pm
Threads like this do not go on without consequences. One member has been banned for a while and let this serve as notice to the others participating in the continuation and baiting back and forth. No one is immune and it may come again without warning. There was much blame to go around for the tone and name calling that went on in this thread. Do not repeat these tactics,the hammer will fall.