Hive Checks

Hive Checks:

Every time a hive is opened, you should have a necessary objective in mind; unnecessary disturbance to the hive is a detriment to the growth of the colony, taking a day or two for them to recover. Some of the manipulations can be completed with minimal disturbance to the bees for example, checking to see if the queen has been released, filling up the syrup feeder, or replacing a pollen Patty. When completing a complete hive check, you should have a reason other than just looking or showing off your bees to a friend.

Objective - to check on the Queen being slow-released from her cage

Time of procedure - 3 to 4 days after hiving your bees

Materials needed - lit smoker, spray bottle with warm sugar syrup, be veil and hive tool

Procedure:

·       Light your smoker and make sure you have cool smoke by passing it on to your bare home if it is too hot for your poem it’s too hot for the bees!

·       One below a few puffs of smoke into the lower and upper entrances, cracked the inner cover with your hive tool blowing several puffs into the box over the top of the frames. Return the lead and wait a few minutes for the smoke to stimulate the bees to engorge themselves with honey.

·       Remove the inner cover and lean it against the hive so it doesn’t fall flat on the ground below several puffs of smoke across the top of the frames in the vicinity of the Queen cage.

·       Pry apart the two frames that are holding the queen cage with your hive tool.

·       Remove the Queen cage and observe the amount of fondant has been chewed out by the workers. If the fondant is completely removed the Queen has been released. The sugar water from your spray bottle into the theater, replace the pollen Patty if necessary, and close up the hive. If the feeder is empty mix up another gallon of 1 to 1 sugar syrup and bring it back to hive to fill up the feeder as soon as possible.

·       If the Queen has not been released use the direct method to release her, giving her a light spray with warm sugar syrup. Remove a couple frames and set them outside the hive. Hold the queen cage inside the hive body where the frames are missing. Open the queen cage and shake her out into the hive, watching her crawl into the cluster.

Problems?

Dead queen in the cage? Was she alive when you hived the bees? Call ASAP for replacement queen and use a slow introduction method again 630to replace the dead one.

Queen flies away – That’s why we mist the queen lightly with sugar syrup. You might be able to follow her flight with the naked eye or she may fly out, circle the area and return to the hive. Sometimes she will land on the top of the frames and crawl down into the hive. If you have concerns, give a queen supplier a call to give notice you may need a new queen.  Check for eggs in three days. If you do not find eggs, she probably never made it back home. There goes $40.00.

Replacement Queens:

Dale Lupton (Fairbanks, Alaska) 907-978-1455

Koehnen & Sons (Northern California): 530-891-5216EN

Source: Stephen Peterson, Toklat Apiaries