Hive inspection and box reversal

[Happy Chooks]

It is a nice, warm day today so I took the opportunity to inspect the hive and see what is going on. First big inspection of the year.



I looked in my main hive first. There was a good pattern of capped worker brood, a few capped drone brood, stored pollen and honey and lots of eggs. The queen was kind enough to lay an egg while I was watching her on the frame. They still have a lot of space, so no need to worry about swarming yet. They are not taking much syrup, but there is a good nectar flow right now.



My small hive made it through winter fine. (surprisingly) Great capped worker brood pattern, a good number of eggs, good amount of nectar and pollen stored around the brood. I saw the queen here too. Still a lot of room for them too, but they are sucking the syrup down. I have to make another batch and get it in the hive for them.



A good inspection day, and it looks to be a promising spring!

 

[Maggiesdad]

Got into my 6 top bars this past Sunday... one of the six is low on stores, all of them are looking good, 7 and 8 combs full of bees, nothing capped to speak of. All have dry sugar and a pollen patty, so here's that they can manage the spring dwindling until the first things start to bloom around here.
It was good to be back in the hives!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I hear ya on getting back into the hives.

I hope your hives make it!

 

[Maggiesdad]

Things are looking up around here!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Awesome! I can't get into mine right now, too much rain! I popped the top a few days ago to add some more pollen patties since they are raising brood and cannot get out of the hive all week! It's supposed to rain for another 10 days.

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry the bees are hive bound but you NEED the rain when you can get it.

 

[misfitmorgan]

Congrats Maggiesdad looks nice.

i have read thru this entire thread and i have a question. well a lot but one in particular. When your feeding sugar syrup you say the bees put the sugar syrup in cells. How do you keep those separate from the honey you want to harvest, or does it not matter...or you feed before the super goes on?

 

[Maggiesdad]

Congrats Maggiesdad looks nice.

i have read thru this entire thread and i have a question. well a lot but one in particular. When your feeding sugar syrup you say the bees put the sugar syrup in cells. How do you keep those separate from the honey you want to harvest, or does it not matter...or you feed before the super goes on?

It definitely matters! When the nectar flow for your area comes on, is when you'd add your supers for honey production. Some folks use excluders to keep the queen from laying up in the honey.

 

[Maggiesdad]

And pardon me for posting up topbar ftames in a Lang thread... management of the two is apples and oranges, although it does fall under inspections!

 

[misfitmorgan]

Thanks for the info. Maybe i can get pics when we go inspect the boxes. Do empty hives fall under the hive inspection thread?