Operating principles:
- Disturb the bees as little as possible by our manipulations to avoid causing them undue stress.
- Because bees react to vibrations, avoid sharp or jarring movements when working on a hive, and be gentle.
- Keep inspections as short as possible, while doing what is necessary.
- Ideally, choose a warm, sunny, calm day, say between 10 and 4, when the foragers are out and about – or the next best thing. Do not normally inspect if the temperature is below 15/16 degrees Celsius.
- Avoid squashing bees, at all costs.
- Stay calm and observant. Avoid fast or sudden movements near the hive. Even if the bees are giving you a hard time, be gentle. Close up and withdraw temporarily if need be.
Points to consider:
- Having relatively gentle bees makes inspections easier and less intrusive.
- The temper of colonies varies according to season and circumstances.
- Study the handling techniques of experienced beekeepers.
- Sometimes inspections need to be made in more adverse conditions. Are you ready for this?
- The smoker is a very helpful aid, but best used sparingly on most occasions if possible – and it is most useful when closing up a hive to avoid squashing the bees.
- A fine water spray can be an alternative to smoke on occasion.
- Shaking the bees off the combs is necessary for disease inspection and perhaps spotting queen cells. It need not disturb the bees unduly if done correctly.
Doing an inspection:
- Before you start, put on your full beekeeping kit, making sure that you are securely bee-tight. Have all your equipment ready and your smoker going well with cool smoke.
- Avoid standing in the entrance of the hive.
- Apply the smoker to the entrance of the hive, if need be, giving a couple of gentle puffs.
- Take care to break the propolis seal cleanly but gently with your hive tool, especially between the queen excluder and hive parts, and when freeing frames that are to be lifted, avoiding sharp movement.
Adverse conditions:
- Cold, windy, rain in the air, distant thunder? Sometimes it is still necessary to inspect. Use (much) more smoke if necessary. Keep the inspection very short, perhaps lifting just three or four frames in the centre of the brood box.
- If swarm cells are found, an artificial swarm can be done without finding the queen. See the NBU Swarm Control When You Can’t Find the Queen.
Dealing with an aggressive (i.e. extra-defensive) colony: future guideline to be supplied.
See also the fuller Good Practice document on “Performing a Hive Inspection”.
You can download a copy of this document here.
Last update: January 2025