Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
placing them in a good position with plenty of forage available within a mile or so from
the hive, and now all you need to do is to ensure they stay disease and problem free
and have enough room to expand. In other words, you have to know what is going on
in the hive and react to their needs. You will have to do this at least once every month
- preferably more often - until the winter. So how do you do this?
First, you should look into the hives to see what is going on. What you are looking for
is as follows:
Is there a queen and is she laying eggs?
Is there brood of all ages present?
Are there any signs of diseases/pests? This includes a look at the general cleanliness
in the hive, especially the floor.
Has the colony sufficient food stores (honey and pollen)?
Has the colony built up in numbers and number of frames covered since you
installed them (or since your last visit)?
If so, have they enough room?
Fairly soon you will also be looking for indications that the colony may swarm and for
queen cells in the hive, but we'll deal with those later in this chapter.
This all sounds complicated but it is, in fact, quite logical, and you will become very
much quicker at recognizing the telltale signs as you gain experience. Take your time,
therefore, and follow these instructions. Let's first look at the bees without opening the
hives.
Inspecting the closed hive
As you approach the hives and before you open them, look at the entrances. Much can
be learnt about the internal state of a hive by observing the entrance, and Table 1 should
give you an idea of what you are looking for.
