# How often to open hive and check on bees?



## Petewa (Apr 18, 2011)

I'm a new beekeeper and am confused on how often do I "open" the hive to check the activity? The package was installed on 4/8, into a single deep, with a inside frame type feeder and 9 frames. I removed the queen cage after 3 days, and about once a week I would take the top off and lift out the frames, one at a time, to inspect activity. Anyway, I added another deep on the top, moving a brood and honey frame up into it about 16 days ago. About 1 week ago, it appeared as if the queen was superseded. To make a long story short, some experienced beekeepers have told me I don't need to open it that often, and the supercedure could of been because the workers were ticked off. Also, I haven't been smoking the bees, as they seem very gentle and non-aggressive. I just work very slowly, not trying to upset them.


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## MJuric (Jul 12, 2010)

I'm new to this this year as well. 

For me it was important to inspect once a week if for no other reason than to see the progression and get an idea of what was "Normal" and what was not. 

I started four hives and got a pretty good idea of what I should be seeing by comparing the four. 

Since I installed I've gone thru an entire cycle, egg to hatched brood. Since I've seen one whole cycle as well as the development of comb etc I don't feel the need to check every week now. 

Like you I added another box to all my hives with in the last 14 days or so and have one hive that the queen is a bit wonky and will have to re-queen or just migrate them all to the other hives. 

Once I see that they are progressing in the second brood box nicely I will change to inspections every other week, maybe less with only cursory checks to see if another box needs to be added etc.

I still have a lot to learn as far as keeping an eye out for various diseases and pests, but hopefully I will catch those if and when they show up...and hopefully not very often 

I'd say until you get comfortable with the inspection process and feel you have at least a handle on what "Normal" should look like I'd inspect every week.

~Matt


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## Petewa (Apr 18, 2011)

Thanks. It seems if you talk to 10 different beekeepers, you get 10 different answers! Seems like without looking 'frequently', you don't know whats going on. I like Michael Bush's website, and his message, "they know what they're doing - let the bees decide"

Maybe your best course of action on the wonky queen hive is to let'em be? I'm fairly certain that my original queen that I received with the package is gone. I have no way of knowing... I wish I would of ordered a marked queen, although I know I can do it myself. It was about 10 days ago when the hive went nuts! OMG! thousands of bees in the air, and probably several hundred on the hive. They never appeared to swarm, and after 1/2 hour or so, the hive quieted down. I opened it up that evening, took a head count (lol) and appeared that they're still there. It's a fascinating hobby!

Pete


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

It is not uncommon or harmful to inspect every week in the beginning. Every three weeks is good once you are familiar with the girls.


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

MJuric said:


> For me it was important to inspect once a week if for no other reason than to see the progression and get an idea of what was "Normal" and what was not.


I always recommend that new beekeepers inspect every week-to-10-days for exactly that reason. Consider your first hive your learning colony. Yes, it may be a bit instrusive to be doing frequent frame-by-frame inspections, but it's the best way to learn. As time goes on, you'll learn to see things at a glance that are difficult to see at all right now. You'll be able to hear subtle differences from one colony to the next.

Inspect often. Enjoy every minute of it.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

As often as you like and until you are comfortable leaving them alone. You can do damage, each time you go into a hive, but you are trying to learn something. Maybe just trying to get comfortable around them. So, do what you wish until you get a sense you should back off or stay away for a while.


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## NasalSponge (Jul 22, 2008)

A word of caution....when hives are small and "weak" (meaning low in numbers) most are quite docile and easy to work without smoke, but eventually they will build to the point that they have the resources to..."stop you from pushing them around", if you will, and you will need your smoker then.


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## mothergoosemagic (Feb 26, 2010)

The HARDEST thing for a new beekeeper to learn is PATIENCE. 

For me, inspection timing depend on where the colony is in its life cycle. My biggest hive gets checked once a week right now because we're just finishing up Swarm Season. I don't inspect every frame--just the brood nest--and leave the outer honey & pollen ones alone. I'm only looking for swarm or supercedure cells. Since Bee Math says it's 8 days from egg to capped Queen, once a week is okay to catch them & make a split if necessary.

In another colony, I have a tiny queenless swarm I captured a few weeks ago. They have made their own queen from a donated frame of eggs & brood. Once I found the capped cell, I removed the adjacent frame so all I had to do was peek inside to see if she had emerged. I checked every other day so I could monitor her progress. 

She emerged May 25. Between then and today, her exoskeleton has hardened, and we've had gloriously sunny, hot weather for her to fly to the DCA and make several drones the happiest of bees. By now she should be well mated & beginning to settle down to her queenly duties. I will not check her again until June 8, when she's had a full week or more to start laying eggs.

Enjoy your bees!


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## Petewa (Apr 18, 2011)

Thank you all for your insightful replies. I will continue to check once a week, at least until it warms up and quits raining so much. It's been constant rain here on the Western side of Oregon since,...last fall... Only having one hive I have little exposure to bees and every time I open it up I get a little more confident with handling them. Plus,I learn so much I've found that wearing earplugs really helps calm ME! Thank you all,

Pete W.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

The best advice here is from sqkcrk. I think Mark's point is that each inspection for a new beekeeper should have a purpose based in knowledge and understanding. If I had to pick a number I'd say 10 days but your number may be different. If you come out of an inspection with no more knowledge than when you went in, it was a waste. If you inspected and were totally surprised at how different your colony looked and had no idea how you got there, you've been away too long. After a while, you get pretty good at figuring out how things are going just by watching the entrance. If you're new to this (and Thank You for picking up the hive tool), slightly more often is better than slightly not enough time in the box.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

I've been keeping bees since 1966. I still inspect many of my hives several times per week. I primarily keep bees because I like to see most everything they are doing, as they are doing it. Observation hives are nice, but there's nothing like looking at what's happening in many full-size hives and nucs.

Maybe it is bothersome for the bees, my pestering them frequently -- oh well. I know the bees have their world and many very important tasks to occupy their time. My purpose in keeping bees is to selfishly entertain myself at their expense. In all the years I've spent with bees I've never noticed any obvious sign that my attentions were any serious problem for them -- the only exception to that was when I had hives with traits of extreme "nervousness", they would practically run off the frames at any disturbance, forming clusters around the outside edges of the supers and clusters at the bottom edges of combs and they would drop off and to the ground like they were some liquid dripping.


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## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Im a new beek as well, hived my one and only package on May 13 of this year. I have made weekly inspections since then and sometimes a couple times in one week, and I have not found it to be disturbing to my hive at all. The education I have recieved watching the progress of comb building, where they put the pollen I see them drag in, where they are storing the sugar syrup and capping it, watching the queen inspect each cell and then drop her abdomen in and lay an egg, watching the behavior of bee's around the queen, watching the behavior of the workers and learning/listening for when they are getting ticked at me and are telling me "enough, leave us alone!", and seeing larvae in the cells at different stages is amazing as well. The first couple of inspections I couldnt find the eggs, the larvae was there, but for the life of me I couldnt see the eggs, the last inspection I did on Monday I was able to find the eggs and see them for the first time, after that I could find them on every frame that was drawn out, one single egg near the center of the cell pointing straight up!! The first couple of inspections I could not find but maybe a couple drones, Mondays inspection I seen drone comb on the bottom of the foundation and visually seen the difference in size compared to a worker comb. My kids are also involved, they stay back at the corral fence and I carry the frames over to them to see, I even let them try to spot the queen, which is easy enough as she is marked. I love my queen, she is very mellow and methodical, she doesnt rush across the cells, she doesnt freak out at me and she is doing a heck of a job of laying eggs!! Very few open cells in the brood area!! Hopefully the workers find her to be a keeper!!

The next generation should be hatching this weekend or early next week, that will be an exciting time for me!!! Goodluck with your bees!!..........Jason


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## woodedareas (Sep 10, 2010)

MJuric said:


> I'm new to this this year as well.
> 
> For me it was important to inspect once a week if for no other reason than to see the progression and get an idea of what was "Normal" and what was not.
> 
> ...


I also am new and in the same general geographic area. How many frames did you have drawn before adding the second box? I used nucs so I started generally with 4 frames but it is taking a while for the others to fill. I have 5 nucs. Just wondering if I am way behind.


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