Did you know that simply looking at the hive entrance and landing board (once read correctly) can help determine what is going on in the hive? OK, it’s not as accurate as what you learn by opening a hive but no less a great way of keeping an eye on the girls when the weather isn’t on our side.
During late Autumn, Winter and early Spring, it is a good habit to not only observe if your hives are still in situ., that the fences are animal proof, that the hive entrances are still in place, that all ratchet straps are secure etc., but also to observe the hive entrance. Observe the hive entrance and landing board on a clear, fine day. It’s amazing what you’ll see.
- Is there a gentle flow of bees entering and leaving the hive?
If not, is it too cold for them to be out? Could the entrance be blocked with debris or even some dead bees?
- Are they bringing in pollen?
If they are, they are using this vital source of protein and nutrients to feed their young and the colony. If there is none going in queenie might not be laying as there is little or no pollen to forage.
- Are there dead bees and debris at the entrance?
This can be quite normal but excessive amounts could very well indicate a serious problem e.g. Starvation, pesticide exposure, very cold snap in the weather.
- Are there signs of dysentery?
Fecal droppings, yellowy to brown. Bees do not poo in the hive and fly out of the hive weather permitting. These flights are known as cleansing flights. Dysentery and cleansing flights will be covered in the next article.
Listen to the sound coming from the hive by placing your ear next to the side of the brood box. Gently tap the box and you should hear a gentle hum indicating that all’s well and that the bees are contentedly clustered.
Heft the hive. You really need to be practicing this a lot. No book will guide you as to whether your hive is light or heavy. Lift the hive up a few inches on one side and then repeat on the other side. You do not lift the hive off the stand and please mind your back. If light, feed them fondant during the Winter and early Spring months. Feeding fondant means that they have less moisture to deal with than syrup. If you do have to feed, very gently but swiftly slide the crown board to one side and place the opened fondant over the cluster. But now the crown board does not fit snugly over the brood box, what am I supposed to do now? I always use an eke. These are wooden frames or boxes to provide temporary space on top of a brood box. It is a versatile piece of equipment and is so very handy for feeding or applying treatments, eg Apiguard.
The bottom board insert is also an invaluable tool. You can remove this for a short time to examine what has dropped on it.
- Maybe you see varroa. To the best of your ability count how many are there and record. Wonderful altogether if you see none. Numbers recorded will determine varroa spring treatment management.
- You might see two colours of wax cappings. The lighter cappings could indicate that the bees are using honey stores. The darker cappings could indicate that brood have emerged
- You might see slugs. These are not necessarily harmful but can create unsanitary conditions in the hive. Remove them and watch the birds salivate!!!
- There could be other bits of debris, bits of pollen, propolis, dead bees or even bee parts.
- You could also see dark cylindrical droppings which could indicate the presence of wax moth
- There could also be chalkbrood mummies presented as hard chalky, whitey/grey mummified larvae. Definitely more to come on chalkbrood in future articles.
- There might even be mouse droppings.
Regular checking and cleaning of these boards is good practice. I bring a bucket of water diluted with some household bleach and soda crystals and using fresh kitchen paper for each hive wipe down the boards.
Next article will be on dysentery and cleansing flights.
Beginners should always wear their full suits when doing any inspections.