Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
bees will feel congested and will swarm. If this happens, you will lose up to about half
your workforce, which may well become someone else's workforce.
Methods of preventing, or at least controlling, this phenomenon are given later in this
chapter but, I repeat, in a new, young colony indications of swarming are rare indeed.
Looking for signs of disease
You should also look for signs of disease, and this is difficult for a new beekeeper. Again,
it is a good idea to start off with a young colony because then you will quickly learn
what a healthy colony looks like: what the sealed brood looks like and what healthy eggs
and larvae look like (see Photograph 2 in the colour photograph section of this topic).
Then, anything that looks or smells differently will suggest a problem.
Chapter 10 explains diseases and their symptoms and methods of treatment, and so
reading this chapter before each inspection will help to determine if you have any
problems. It may also be useful to obtain a copy of
The Beekeepers Field Guide
to take
to the apiary with you (see the bibliography at the end of this topic). This guide goes
through all the signs and symptoms of diseases in one small volume that can be taken
into the field. No inspection, however, should be undertaken without looking for signs
of something being wrong.
Eradicating pests
You may see wax moths (see Chap 10) in a colony. If you've never seen one before, just
about any small, grey moth skittering around on a frame will be a wax moth. There are
small and large ones but, either way, kill them whenever you see them.
It is usual to see a few wax moths in a colony and the bees can normally control them,
but any indications of wax-moth damage should be investigated because it is often the
first sign to a new beekeeper (and many experienced beekeepers) that something is
wrong. As noted, however, a healthy colony can control these pests.
Inspecting the floor
Now look at the state of the floor. Gently lift the brood box and, equally gently, place
it on the upturned lid - you don't want to dislodge the queen and lose her. The floor
