Honey Bee Hive Over Winter Inspection
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The over wintered colony is a colony that has successfully survived the winter. The colony remained strong over the winter and has already started producing extra comb and has ample supply of honey and nectar to start their spring foraging. The objective of the inspection is to verify that the colony has survived the winter and determine how strong it is. We will first inspect the condition of the bee hive structure for physical problems such moisture, we will also inspect for other intruders or disease. We will also determine if the bees need room to expand. If expansion is necessary a new super will need to be added. A strong colony will have a tremendous amount of activity. Some colonies will have barely made it through the winter and measures will need to be taken help the bees survive. We have seen how to promote a strong hive in earlier videos.
- Preparing Honey Bees for Spring foraging Part 1
This is a series of articles about the preparation of honey bees and their hives for spring foraging. The series demonstrates a method of rejuvenating and restocking of the honey bees and their hives. It is a...
- Preparing Honey Bees for Spring Foraging Part 2: Making Sugar Water
After rebuilding the hives and ordering new bees, we then begin refreshing the hives with food. We used white cane sugar and water that will make thick syrup. It is best to use white cane sugar or beet...
- Preparing Honey Bees for Spring Foraging Part 3: Setting up the hive.
This article demonstrates a bee keepers technique of starting a new honey bee hive and colony. The article demonstrates removing bees from their shipping box, placing the queen in the hive, and reconstructing the hive. As always, the first step to in
- Preparing Honey Bees for Spring Foraging Part 4: Releasing the Queen
In Part 4 we examine the release of the queen from its shipping capsule. The queen is shipped in a capsule that, except for a couple of workers, keeps it seperate from the other bees. The exit of the capsule...
- Honey Bee Hive Spring Inspection
Now that the hives have been prepared for spring foraging, the hives need to be inspected to be sure it is healthy and productive. Do an inspection a few days after preparation is complete and the bees have...
