Author Topic: Checking hive (Read 6956 times)

Sydney guy · « **on:** August 10, 2016, 01:43:23 pm »

Hi everyone I want to open up my hive to have a check. Is it still to cold days are around 20degrees at the moment. I'm about a hour south west of sydney? I was thinking doing a split this year what time is best to do this in Sydney area?

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Wombat2 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 10, 2016, 07:14:03 pm »

A week of daytime temperatures over 20*C and on a nice sunny day

Sydney guy · « **Reply #2 on:** August 11, 2016, 05:29:59 am »

Thanks wombat

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Honeycomb king · « **Reply #3 on:** August 11, 2016, 07:54:27 am »

What is it you want to check?
What have you observed already by watching the flight in and out.?
Do you have a removable bottom board? Do you have a spare bottom board and lid?

Michael Bush · « **Reply #4 on:** August 11, 2016, 09:42:43 am »

> Is it still to cold days are around 20degrees at the moment.

20 C is 68 F. That is NOT cold. That is a gorgeous day with bees flying. I would consider it perfect weather for an inspection.

Sydney guy · « **Reply #5 on:** August 11, 2016, 11:30:13 am »

Honeycomb,
We have had a pretty mild winter this year and bees are bringing in pollen but I have only had a chance to check them in the late afternoon when things are quiet. I notice quite a bit of what looks like moth webbing at the entry. I just want to check all is well. My bottom boards are nailed on why is that? I do have a couple of lids laying around.

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Sydney guy · « **Reply #6 on:** August 11, 2016, 11:33:16 am »

Hi Michael,
Supposed to be a few warm days next week so will have a quick look inside :)

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Wombat2 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 11, 2016, 06:57:09 pm »

Quote from: Michael Bush on August 11, 2016, 09:42:43 am

> Is it still to cold days are around 20degrees at the moment.

20 C is 68 F. That is NOT cold. That is a gorgeous day with bees flying. I would consider it perfect weather for an inspection.

at 20* C the chill is just off the air - may consider taking my jumper off

Wombat2 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 11, 2016, 06:58:55 pm »

Quote from: Honeycomb king on August 11, 2016, 07:54:27 am

What is it you want to check?
What have you observed already by watching the flight in and out.?
Do you have a removable bottom board? Do you have a spare bottom board and lid?

Should be checking for disease - AFB in particular but anything else.

Sydney guy · « **Reply #9 on:** August 11, 2016, 09:31:44 pm »

Quote from: Wombat2 on August 11, 2016, 06:58:55 pm

Quote from: Honeycomb king on August 11, 2016, 07:54:27 am
What is it you want to check?
What have you observed already by watching the flight in and out.?
Do you have a removable bottom board? Do you have a spare bottom board and lid?

Should be checking for disease - AFB in particular but anything else.

How do bees actually get AFB?

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Wombat2 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 11, 2016, 11:02:53 pm »

Contamination from other hives - wild hives your bees are robbing, using contaminated tools and equipment causing cross infection, bringing it in with secondhand equipment, dirty gloves, introducing a new hive without quarantine - ie isolate everything to do with the hive tools frames, honey until cleared. Never feed bought honey to bees. Never leave frames, honey or wax out in the open for bees to clean up - wild bees can bring in the bacteria.

I use a different hive tool for each hive, and no gloves if I can help it

Sydney guy · « **Reply #11 on:** August 12, 2016, 04:11:44 am »

Quote from: Wombat2 on August 11, 2016, 11:02:53 pm

Contamination from other hives - wild hives your bees are robbing, using contaminated tools and equipment causing cross infection, bringing it in with secondhand equipment, dirty gloves, introducing a new hive without quarantine - ie isolate everything to do with the hive tools frames, honey until cleared. Never feed bought honey to bees. Never leave frames, honey or wax out in the open for bees to clean up - wild bees can bring in the bacteria.

I use a different hive tool for each hive, and no gloves if I can help it

Thanks Wombat :) appreciate the detailed reply.

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yantabulla · « **Reply #12 on:** August 12, 2016, 06:06:35 am »

Sydney Guy,

Wombats advice is spot on.

You can get very good advice from the NSW DPI website. Solid, peer reviewed good information. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/content/agriculture/livestock/honey-bees/pests-diseases

Yanta

Honeycomb king · « **Reply #13 on:** August 12, 2016, 07:46:37 am »

First thing to do at the end of winter is swap the bottom boards. A simple task, just lift hive from existing base to the new clean base, then put it all back in place. Inspect what is on the bottom board you have just taken off. This is a good way to check without losing any heat out of the hive. Same with swapping over a lid, inspection of the old lid will show you any excess moisture, mould, burr comb etc.
I wouldn't go looking for brood disease at this stage as that is a longer inspection.
Check that they still have honey and maybe have honey coming in.

But before opening your hive observe what is happening, and I can't explain all the things that you can see happening it's you who must learn these things.
Eg is there pollen coming in, if so how many types (at least 1 is good, 3 is great).?
What is the source of the pollen?
Are the bees getting nectar from those pollen sources as well.
Are the bees all coming out of one side of the hive.?
In the arvo are there lots of bees flying out and just buzzing around a short distance from the hive?
Are these young bees or just bees on cleansing flights?
Are the bees cleaning out crumble from the bottom of the hive and throwing it out.
Etc etc etc... lots of things to know before opening a hive as these questions once answered give you reason and purpose for your inspection.
unless your just looking inside the hive just to make you feel better, then go for it full inspection.

Temperature. It's not what the top temperature is its how long in the day it's at those warmer Temps. Eg both melbourne and Mildura were say 18?c today. Mildura reached that temperature by about 11.00 am and was still about that hot at 5.00 pm .melbourne reached that temp at 2.30 pm and had started to cool down by 4.30. So a hive inspection in Melbourne at 2.00 pm would leave a cooled down brood nest and with a over night low of 6 ?c it would be hard for the bees to recover. Same hive inspection in Mildura at 12.00 would give the hive 4 hours of sunshine to reestablish a warm nest.
I know your not in those locations but I'm sure you know what I'm getting at. ( and I made those Temps up so don't anyone chip in with a comment on that ☺). Getting to know your local area you will learn to judge all these things. A hard way to learn is to see the bees removing dead brood out next week and then realizing it was you who chilled the brood. Beekeepers kill more bees than anything else.

Sydney guy · « **Reply #14 on:** August 12, 2016, 07:39:38 pm »

Hi Honeycomb,
Thank you such a detailed reply.
To check the types of pollen do you just go off the colour of it when entering the hive?
I nail my bottom boards on 😕 should i not do this?
I get your drift with the weather, ill wait till its a bit warmer.
Why would bees just fly in and out from 1 side, One of mine is doing this?
How do you tell if the bees have nectar?

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Sydney guy · « **Reply #15 on:** August 13, 2016, 06:19:31 am »

Today there was a few fair few bees at 1:30 just flying around the entry of the hive. Is there a reason they do this?

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Honeycomb king · « **Reply #16 on:** August 13, 2016, 07:04:00 am »

Great now your looking and noticing things that you hadn't done before. These things are better learnt than taught.
Colour and texture of pollen, so yeah have a close look at the flowers and try and match.
Don't worry about the bottom board thing.not a big deal.
If bees coming and going from just one side possibly indicates that the cluster of bees is on that side of the box and therefore only a small cluster. Give the box a heft, to check the weight. Are there bees coming in with pollen? If so hopefully they are on the improve.
Bees with nectar flying in is harder to describe, its again better learnt than ...... yeah yeah I know you get it.
Observe bees on flowers and watch them wiggle their butt as they extract the nectar, it's pretty cool and I still enjoy seeing it.
Keep observing ask on the forum any questions enjoy.

Sydney guy · « **Reply #17 on:** August 13, 2016, 09:22:11 am »

Hey Honeycomb,
There is definitely 2 different pollens being collected but i think maybe more, hard to tell. I will check the weight tomorrow.
What does it mean when you have bees flying around close to the hive in the afternoon? Noticed a lot on one hive flying around at about 1:30 today. Thank you again for a really informative message.

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Honeycomb king · « **Reply #18 on:** August 14, 2016, 06:46:18 am »

And I'm sure the active afternoon hive wasn't the one that they are only coming out of one side.
So in the arvo young bees will do a orientation flight. You will see them come out and do a say one meter circle and then land on the lid or side of the box. Then they will do a bigger loop around the hive sat 5m circle etc. This is also a time for the house bees to do the cleansing flight, (toilet break).
Why at this time of day you ask?.... good question. Going out at this time gives them enough time to get back in and get warm. So as the season progresses that time will become later in the day. October maybe 3.00 pm, late December ( our longest days) 5.00 pm. Etc. So big deal you say. Well the bees are tellin you what time is OK for you to inspect, that is as long as the weather is OK etc. Have your inspection done by this time so as they have enough time to settle back in and get warm.
A little bit later than that time (1.30 ) you will notice more bees returning than leaving. A short time after that you see quite a squadron return. At that point their day is almost done.
Sorry another long reply, i suffer from beekeepers disease (can't stop talking about bee's).

SlickMick · « **Reply #19 on:** August 14, 2016, 07:53:29 am »

HK, I really enjoy reading your informative posts.😄
Don't stop any time soon

Mick