# Week 3 - Check and questions....



## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

visit someone else and help inspect a langsworth hive. 3 weeks ago is late to start. I wish you the best.


----------



## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

Yes, I know it was a late start......I didn't do it the bees did. I hope this don't sound rude, but I'm wondering if you have an answer to any of my questions? Langsworth hives don't need to have comb remodeling like top bars so I'm not sure that will answer the questions I have right now. Not that I won't learn a lot from someone else but that is not my question.


----------



## Fawn (Aug 11, 2014)

From everything I've read, you should leave them alone as much as possible. Checking on them weekly would be how you would manage a Langstroth hive.......the bees manage themselves, for the most part. That "bee"ing said, I am yet hiveless and have only been reading and researching on the subject  From the sounds of it, you can construct feeders and feed them this fall and through the winter to help them out, assuming they don't have enough of a honey store......good luck to you.


----------



## loghousebees (Jun 13, 2014)

I have Warre hives also. I want things to be as natural as it can be, but, if you are going to do any hive entry at all I suggest at least partial frames(at least end bars). I am going to full frames. It is better for the bees. I am however still foundationless and I don't think that will ever change. You mashed a few brood..not a big deal. Your gloves are sticky..work without gloves and lick your fingers afterward,that will be your reward. It is always messy working with comb. If you have full frames there is more stability in the comb being attached on four sides and you will thank yourself later for doing it. My bees follow the topbars just fine and with a full frame they do very well. Don't get discouraged you are doing fine.


----------



## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

Thanks for the replies, I was going to go total hands off but I found this forum after I already had a swarm move in. After reading many of the post I was persuaded that it was better to keep an eye on them for the bees benefit. What I'm planning on doing frames once I figure out how to make them for boxes that I"m going to add to the hive.

I'll have to work up to working without gloves....my bees have been docile so far but I'm still nervous about working without gloves.


----------



## Lostfrog (Jun 21, 2014)

Warre hives aren't necessarily inspected like you would with Langs, most of your true Warre believers are mostly hands off but this is your hive, you can run it however you want. If you harvest by the box, perfectly straight comb isn't that big of deal. First, did you make sure that your hive is perfectly level, that will help a lot with building straighter comb. If you wanted to try and keep it as inspectable as possible, you can try half frames. Do your boxes have viewing windows? That would let you have an idea on what is going on in there without having to open them up. 
Don't worry, I still prefer to wear my gloves as well when my hands are going to be up close and personal with the bees.


----------



## Houstonbees (Jul 7, 2014)

Rubbing alcohol dissolves and takes off the honey. Just don't spray it around the hive or on the bees, it's lethal for them.


----------



## maynard (Jul 7, 2014)

I don't worry about combing. To inspect, you tip a box and look up from the bottom. If all you are trying to determine is how far the box has been filled, this is plenty. Usually you can tell if there's capped brood or honey too by the shape of the cappings. 

Be sure to not tilt the box so that the comb gets horizontal though. Particularly before the combs are attached to the sides.

Frames are only really necessary if you want to be able to remove comb easily. This is probably not a bad idea for inspecting for disease, and it also makes extracting easier.


----------



## thehackleguy (Jul 29, 2014)

Thanks for the constructive replies! I just put hives out and was not expecting a swarm until spring. I have contacted the local bee club to find a mentor but nothing has come of that yet. This site has been a big help


----------

