Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Problems findging queens and eggs  (Read 3392 times)

Offline VermontHoneyBee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 81
  • Gender: Male
Problems findging queens and eggs
« on: May 31, 2018, 01:01:28 pm »
I am new to beekeeping and sometimes I think I have trouble seeing eggs because of the vail.  Is there a recommendation for vails that allow the best field of view?

Thanks

Van, Arkansas, USA

  • Guest
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2018, 01:07:19 pm »
JR: eggs are tiny and difficult for a lot of us to see.  If there is sunlight then I can see the eggs, on an overcast day or hives in the shade of a tree then it?s very difficult for me as well to see eggs.

You can try a simple magnifying glass, a hand held one.
Blessings

Offline iddee

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 10853
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2018, 01:14:16 pm »
What Van said. I will add, tilt the frame until the sun hits down in the cells. Also, seeing cells with white royal jelly and the larva is too small to see means the eggs just hatched within 24 hours or so. That's as good an indicator as eggs.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline VermontHoneyBee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 81
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2018, 02:29:33 pm »
Thanks.  I do see the eggs but my issue is the interference that the vail makes for me.  I thought perhaps I have a cheap suit.

Offline moebees

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 193
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2018, 02:53:20 pm »
I carry a small but powerful flashlight in the pocket of my jacket.  Works great and I don't have to line the frame up with the sun.
Bee-keeping is like raising Martians  - Isabella Rosselini

Offline VermontHoneyBee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 81
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2018, 03:10:51 pm »
what kind of flashlight?

Offline Bush_84

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 813
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2018, 04:39:29 pm »
I?ve only ever had the same two suits so I can?t speak to quality of veil effecting sight, but my gut tells me that it doesn?t have anything to do with it. I?ve never seen a topic on that. My guess is that this is a combination of being new and not having great technique or vision. The veil shouldn?t effect your ability to find a queen either.

As others have said the right lighting, angle, color of foundation, and age of comb all effect the ability to see eggs. I generally stand with my back to the sun and hold up the comb at the right angle so the sun hits the bottom of the cell.

As far as finding the queen I guess I just systematically go through each and every comb. I would start by really studying the differences between a worker and queen. Then train your eye to look for these differences. Then just scan each comb up/down or side to side systematically. While doing this I typically am scanning for the queens abdomen. I also keep in mind the combs she is more likely to be on and spend more time on those. She is most likely to be in the middle portion of the box. The outer combs are generally honey/pollen. She won?t hang out there. So I just give them a quick glance. If you have a frame of all capped brood, she likely won?t be there either. She is trying to lay eggs. No space there. I?ll give them a decent look. When you come across frames with young brood, especially eggs, that?s where the money is. Really scan those. That?s not to say you won?t find her in the box or on a queen excluder, but we are trying to play the odds. This year I started marking my queens. That generall helps too.
Keeping bees since 2011.

Also please excuse the typos.  My iPad autocorrect can be brutal.

Offline moebees

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 193
  • Gender: Male
Bee-keeping is like raising Martians  - Isabella Rosselini

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13494
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2018, 05:44:09 pm »
Just yesterday my wife said that we should design a vail that would make it easier to see eggs and young brood. It is a problem for everyone. Even if the front was made of clear plastic it would probably distort your view.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline VermontHoneyBee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 81
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2018, 05:46:14 pm »
I will be the first one buying that suit  :smile:

Offline cao

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1678
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2018, 06:04:21 pm »
Just yesterday my wife said that we should design a vail that would make it easier to see eggs and young brood. It is a problem for everyone. Even if the front was made of clear plastic it would probably distort your view.
Jim

One with a flip down magnifying lens would be nice. :grin:

Offline moebees

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 193
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2018, 07:07:03 pm »
I've seen some with yellow mesh that may be better but they don't come with any of the suits or jackets that I know of.
Bee-keeping is like raising Martians  - Isabella Rosselini

Offline MikeyN.C.

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 525
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #12 on: June 03, 2018, 10:43:52 am »
1st two years i used veil with black fabric (plastic)  mesh,
bought a wire mesh veil and could see alot better.

Offline little john

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1537
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #13 on: June 03, 2018, 11:19:24 am »
Some years ago I made a veil attached to a hard-hat - the veil itself being a cheap'n'nasty angler's keep-net (complete with hoops and a drawstring) Ex China - which I still use as my principle veil.  The mesh they've used is far too lightweight for serious fishing - I guess their intended market was children ?

Anyway, sometimes for an hour or two after cutting grass, I frequently get this urge to spit - more like just clearing the back of the throat really (due to airborne dust, I guess) - and quite often if afterwards I'm wearing that veil, I completely forget I'm wearing it and spit into the veil itself, rather than into the long grass.  Whoops ...

So - maybe a much lighter mesh is the answer ?
LJ
A Heretics Guide to Beekeeping - http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com

Offline VermontHoneyBee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 81
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #14 on: June 03, 2018, 04:59:55 pm »
So today I inspected all my six hives and I found all my six queens.  I think it is all about learning to see what is not normal.  Once you notice that, finding her is easy.

I also saw eggs.  My issue with eggs, and still is, is that when the comb is old and very shinny at the bottom from all the propolis, it is hard for me to see the eggs.  With the sun on my back, the bottom is very shinny.

So I decided to not worry about eggs per say.  But to look for the almighty queen and brood pattern

Thanks

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13494
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #15 on: June 04, 2018, 09:12:30 am »
Some years ago I made a veil attached to a hard-hat - the veil itself being a cheap'n'nasty angler's keep-net (complete with hoops and a drawstring) Ex China - which I still use as my principle veil.  The mesh they've used is far too lightweight for serious fishing - I guess their intended market was children ?

Anyway, sometimes for an hour or two after cutting grass, I frequently get this urge to spit - more like just clearing the back of the throat really (due to airborne dust, I guess) - and quite often if afterwards I'm wearing that veil, I completely forget I'm wearing it and spit into the veil itself, rather than into the long grass.  Whoops ...

So - maybe a much lighter mesh is the answer ?
LJ
Good thing you work alone, I would be dieing laughing if I sawdstmakr@bellsouth.net you do it. :cheesy:
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline BeeMaster2

  • Administrator
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 13494
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2018, 09:18:23 am »
So today I inspected all my six hives and I found all my six queens.  I think it is all about learning to see what is not normal.  Once you notice that, finding her is easy.

I also saw eggs.  My issue with eggs, and still is, is that when the comb is old and very shinny at the bottom from all the propolis, it is hard for me to see the eggs.  With the sun on my back, the bottom is very shinny.

So I decided to not worry about eggs per say.  But to look for the almighty queen and brood pattern

Thanks
Vermont,
In reality, you should look for signs of the queen more than looking for her. When you inspect a hive, you should have a reason for it and stop when completed. I.e. need to verify the queen is in there, see eggs or young larvae, you done, close it up.  Since you have 6 hives, stager your inspections. 
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Online Acebird

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 8110
  • Gender: Male
  • Just do it
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #17 on: June 04, 2018, 09:27:41 am »
One with a flip down magnifying lens would be nice. :grin:
I have been thinking about this for a while.  I don't have a smart phone but I can't see why a bracket can't be made like a selfy stick to hold the camera hands free positioned below your normal line of sight and operate the camera by voice commands.  I am told there exist a app to control the camera by voice command.  Then simply command the camera to zoom in increments.  I am sure you could take a pic but the real benefit would be a magnifier.
Brian Cardinal
Just do it

Offline VermontHoneyBee

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 81
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #18 on: June 04, 2018, 10:24:50 am »
Thank you everyone.  My confidence increases just a tad every day

Offline GSF

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 4084
  • Gender: Male
Re: Problems findging queens and eggs
« Reply #19 on: June 04, 2018, 04:11:39 pm »
Try using a jeweler's visor. It helps a lot but is cumbersome under the veil.
When the law no longer protects you from the corrupt, but protects the corrupt from you - then you know your nation is doomed.