• Nigerian Dwarf Senior Does
  • Nigerian Dwarf Does
  • Nigerian Dwarf Bucks
  • Nigerian Dwarf Kids By Year
    • 2019 Goat Kids
    • 2018 Goat Kids
    • 2017 Goat Kids
    • 2016 Goat Kids

Better Hens & Gardens

of Bramblestone Farm

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Publication Credits
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart

Skills for Self-Reliance, Real Foods & Sustainable Living

  • Chickens
    • Basic Care
    • Breeds
    • All About Eggs
    • Feeding
    • Health Issues
    • Housing
  • Farm
    • Farm news
    • Help
    • Structures
    • Wild Things
  • Garden
    • Ornamentals
    • Seeds & Saving Them
    • How To Grow “X”
    • Starting Plants
    • Preparation & Tools
    • Pest Control
    • Varieties To Try
  • Goats
    • Basic Care
    • Conformation
    • Doe & Kidding Care
    • Feeding
    • Herd Basics & Behavior
    • Milk & Milking
    • Supplies & Equipment
  • Honey Bees
    • Feeding
    • Getting Started
    • Hive Management
    • Honey & Wax
  • Homemade
    • Beauty Products
    • Cleaning Supplies
    • Decorations
    • Miscellaneous
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Main Dish
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Vegetables
  • Pantry
    • Quality Choices
    • Canning
    • Condiments & Flavorings
    • Dairy
    • Drying
    • Freezing
    • Root Cellaring

Better Hens and Gardens may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking on links on this page. Learn More

3 Comments

Inspect A Honeybee Hive After Installing A Queen

Hive Inspection After ReQueening After installing a new queen, it’s important to do a honeybee hive inspection to ensure she’s been released into the hive and that the other honeybees have accepted her. Only then will you know if your hive is off to a good start and it will survive.

The Honeybee Hive Inspection

Step 1 – Get the Smoker Going & Put On Protective Gear

Before inspecting the hive(s), the first thing to do is get the hive smoker going. It’s really important to make sure the smoker is working well – you wouldn’t want the fire going out mid-inspection.

Then make sure to put on all the proper protective gear.

Make Sure Your Smoker Is Going Well

Make Sure Your Smoker Is Going Well

Step 2 – Remove The Top Feeder

Carefully remove the top cover and top feeder to start the hive inspection.

Removing the Top Feeder

Removing the Top Feeder

 Step 3 – Open Up the Hive

Open up the hive, making sure that the smoker is in action (in the bottom left corner of the photo).

Opening Up the Beehive

Opening Up the Beehive

Step 4 – Remove the Queen’s Container

Use the smoker to calm the bees before going in, and remove the queen’s box.

Smoking the Bees

Smoking the Bees

Here the queen’s box is being removed, to determine whether she’s been released into the hive yet.

Removing the Queen's Container

Removing the Queen’s Container

Step 5 – Inspect the Queen’s Container

Confirm the queen’s box is empty and that her workers successfully ate their way through the “candy” plug at the end of the box releasing her into the hive! At this step, it’s possible that the Queen hasn’t been released yet. In that case, put everything back together and wait a couple more days before inspecting again.

The Queen's Container Is Empty - She's Hopefully Doing Well!

The Queen’s Container Is Empty – She’s Hopefully Doing Well!

Step 6 – Inspect the Hive & Check for Eggs

Inspect the hive and check for eggs to see if the queen is laying. At this point, you can inspect each of the frames, both to see if you can find the queen and to see whether she’s started laying eggs yet. If you can find the queen or you find eggs, then you know the queen has been successfully released, accepted by the worker bees, and your new hive is off to a good start.

The inspection shown here was only a few days after installing the queen so there were no eggs yet. But, the bees have built some burr comb (the white-looking stuff beneath the bees) on one frame, which needed to be removed.

Burr Comb Found On The Frame

Burr Comb Found On The Frame

Preparing to remove the burr comb.

Preparing To Remove Burr Comb

Preparing To Remove Burr Comb

Here’s what the burr comb looks like after being removed from the frames.

Burr Comb

Burr Comb

Step 7 -Reassemble the Hive

After finishing the inspection of the frames and bees, the frames go back in.

Reinstalling Frames

Reinstalling Frames

Then the top feeder goes on.

Adding the Top Feeder

Adding the Top Feeder

And, the first inspection is successfully completed! Everything looking good, the bees are busy bringing back supplies, so there’s a good chance the queen has survived and we’ll see eggs at the next inspection.

Reassembled Hive After Inspection

Reassembled Hive After Inspection

Related posts:

Swarm Season - Hiving Honey Bee Swarms
Making Bee Candy
Paper-In Bees to Strengthen A Beehive
590 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Hive Management, Honey Bees

About Lesa

Lesa Wilke is a homesteader and freelance writer who loves to inspire others on their journey to more sustainable lifestyles. She accomplishes this by sharing the skills she’s learned (plus support, advice & tips) while farming goats, chickens, honeybees, and produce.

« Basic Goat Care After Kidding
Growing Lazy Bed Potatoes (A Complete Guide) »

Comments

  1. Carol L says

    May 27, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    Why remove the “Burr Comb”?

    Reply
  2. Doug Penning says

    May 8, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    It might be a good idea to mention that a beekeeper needs to wait at least four or five days before checking to see if the queen is released. Also, if the queen is not released, what to do and what to look for as far as the workers around the queen cage are concerned.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Oh, hi there! I’m Lesa,

and this blog is all about learning new skills around chickens, goats, gardens, honey bees, and DIY. Read more…

Read My Dairy Goat Books

  • Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201 - Getting Started Nigerian Dwarf Goats 201: Getting Started
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $6.99
  • Nigerian Dwarf Goats 101 Nigerian Dwarf Goats 101: Background & Basics
    Rated 4.95 out of 5
    $4.99

Visit Our Social Sites

Website Categories

The contents of this site are the property of Better Hens and Gardens. All content contained herein is copyrighted. We love it when you share, but if you do, please link back to the original post. Material included here is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, the giving of medical advice. This blogs content is for informational purposes only and Better Hens and Gardens or others associated with this site shall not be held liable for any damages incurred through the use of information provided in this blog. Better Hens and Gardens accepts products for review and other forms of paid advertising; however, although compensation received may influence the content or topics covered in this blog, it will never influence our opinion of any product. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely those of Better Hens and Gardens. Any product claim or other representation about a product or service should be verified by the manufacturer. Better Hens and Gardens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Erica Mueller Designs

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Pinterest
590 shares