# When is it OK to Peek?



## Needo (Sep 10, 2013)

You're going to get a lot of different answers to that question. I'm thinking wait a week before digging through their top bars. You could peek in on them real quickly three days after installation, when you check their feeder. This is my first year also, so I want to look at the bees more often than I should.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Me too Needo. But I know nothing about TBHs.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

You could take a few bars from the back of the hive and peak in, but I doubt you will see much. But you should be able to see them cluster. Comb will take a while to peak through.


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

In langstroths I look the day of and always cage the queen. The next day I release the queen if I found her and If I didn't try to find her. Usually after 24 hrs they calmed down, 48 hrs is better. 3 days they are down to bossiness and not so spooky.

Everyone is soo afraid to look at there hives. The only way you will learn is to observe. Look everyday if you want, just don't kill the queen and stay in for too long.


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## Leather Jim (Jun 30, 2013)

Remember that swarms are comb building fools, I would look now to make sure they are building properly and not cross combed. Much easier to fix early rather than late.


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## onesojourner (Jan 9, 2014)

Leather Jim said:


> Remember that swarms are comb building fools, I would look now to make sure they are building properly and not cross combed. Much easier to fix early rather than late.


Exactly. Check daily or at least every other day to make sure they are building straight comb. There are tons of posts on here from people who did not check enough. 

And this is just my 2 cents but get rid of the sugar water. It is junk food. A swarm should be fine without it.


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## Snookie (Dec 13, 2013)

onesojourner said:


> Exactly. Check daily or at least every other day to make sure they are building straight comb. There are tons of posts on here from people who did not check enough.
> 
> And this is just my 2 cents but get rid of the sugar water. It is junk food. A swarm should be fine without it.


Well, glad I went in and checked today:}

They had surrounded the feeder and started making comb on it :{

I removed the feeder and plugged the hole in the follower board to keep them in the front of the hive.

Did find one bar that they had some straight comb on, hope not feeding them won't get them to leave they had consumed 1/2 gal of syrup since Friday morning lol


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

Feeders can cause problems in a TBH. But once they have comb they are not as likely to build comb on it. If you need to emergency feed to build up in August for winter you should be good to put a feeder back in the hive. I agree with onesojourner that sugar isn't the best, but if it means getting a hive through winter or not, I'll feed.


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## mrobinson (Jan 20, 2012)

I generally suggest that you should _observe_ the comings and goings of the hive every day, or several times a day. _(For one thing, it's quite relaxing.)_ "You learn a lot by watching." You'll come to sense what sort of behavior is "normal." And, therefore, what is not.

I "peek" for the first time after a month to six weeks or so. But, that's just me. I observe every day. The main purpose of my inspection at that point is to move the follower-boards to the end, or to remove them altogether. There will be an explosion of population when the brood starts to "come on-line."

I strongly suggest that you do not "feed sugar water." Sugar water isn't natural bee-food. Yeah, they might "put it up," but if in a few months you say, "Say! This honey tastes like sugar water!" Well, maybe it is. And if they're chomping through "a half-gallon of it," that seems extremely-wrong to me. There are _flowers_ out there, are there not? If so, I'm of the opinion that this is what they should be eating. Nectar is a complex mixture which is their natural food. Sucrose is not. I think that the hive should grow naturally based on the food-availability that the bees find for themselves.


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## shannonswyatt (May 7, 2012)

I have to disagree a little with the no feed argument a little. While I feed very little, I do feed with a new package and I feed late season if I have to. In either case I'm not going to be eating any of the pseudo honey since the bees will be either using it to make comb/bees or packing it away for winter. If there is a good flow they will mostly ignore the sugar. If there isn't and you have a new package or split you need something for them to draw comb so they have a place to live. And if they are light mid August you need something to get them built up. Late season flows are not always great, and if you find out in October you are too late to do much and you have a better than average shot of loosing the hive.

HFCS would probably be better than sugar, since it is very close to honey chemically, but I don't have a cheap, easy source for HFCS where I can get it in small amounts.


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## NY_BLUES (May 14, 2009)

mrobinson said:


> There are _flowers_ out there, are there not? If so, I'm of the opinion that this is what they should be eating. Nectar is a complex mixture which is their natural food. Sucrose is not. I think that the hive should grow naturally based on the food-availability that the bees find for themselves.


Just because there are flowers bloomed, doesnt automatically mean that there is nectar available. Putting some syrup on to help the bees build combs doesnt mean they are going to store away tons of syrup and cap it off. A half gallon in a few days to me means that they are hungry and need the help. If there is enough natural forage for them to build up on, they will quit taking the syrup.


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## AugustC (Aug 7, 2013)

I wouldn't usually feed a swarm in June because:
1) They are full of honey.
2) Any comb they make they end up filling with syrup giving the queen no where to lay (if she is laying).
3) Tanking them back up with syrup might let them abscond. Once they have invested the honey they took with them in comb they are less likely to abscond. 
4) They build comb on the feeder 
I would only feed if there was a prolonged bad weather spell after the swarm moved in, or if the swarm turned up in August. Even then only when they have settled. 

I would leave bees alone until you see pollen going in. This means there is brood rearing happening. Once brood is present the bees will stay put.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

AugustC said:


> I wouldn't usually feed a swarm in June because:
> 
> I would leave bees alone until you see pollen going in. This means there is brood rearing happening. Once brood is present the bees will stay put.


this is a myth. I have seen swarms with bees carrying pollen, and I have also done cone trapouts and waited a week prior to putting in any eggs/larva and had frames filled with pollen before any eggs and larva were present, granted some of them probably left the parent hive to go get pollen and couldn't get back in so the deposited it where they could, but I saw several bees flying right into the entrance with full pollen sacks like they had already re-oriented to the new hive.


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## AugustC (Aug 7, 2013)

Not a myth at all merely a "mostly likely". Just because sometimes when you hear hoof beats it IS a zebra doesn't make it the most likely explanation everytime.


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## Harley Craig (Sep 18, 2012)

Oh I completely agree, and never argued the fact that it MOST LIKELY means that there is brood being reared, but you stated it as a fact which it clearly is not therefore my claim that your statement was a myth stands true. I should have added in my original reply that it's sage advice to wait till then, but for a new beek to not count it as gospel and then later think all is good based on that information and then wonder why their hive is in severe decline with no eggs or larva and no queen.


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## onesojourner (Jan 9, 2014)

shannonswyatt said:


> I have to disagree a little with the no feed argument a little. While I feed very little, I do feed with a new package


I was only discussing a swarm, witch is what the OP said he/she had. A swarm has "packed their bags" and they are ready to make a go out of it. A package had there house stolen. They probably need a boost to get established.


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## Snookie (Dec 13, 2013)

onesojourner said:


> I was only discussing a swarm, witch is what the OP said he/she had. A swarm has "packed their bags" and they are ready to make a go out of it. A package had there house stolen. They probably need a boost to get established.


Well, OK I PEEKED seems they are doing good...but what do I know lol

It's all good in the neighborhood, so far:}


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