How often should you inspect your beehive?

For beginning beekeepers, an inspection every seven to 10 days during spring and summer is a good target. Inspecting more than weekly will make your bees unhappy by disrupting hive activity and setting them back a day. Inspection is best conducted on a moderately warm, dry day—above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

What is the best time of day to inspect a beehive?

Inspect your hives anytime it is warm enough and the sun is shining. The bees are not too active outside the hive at temps below 57 degrees The warm sunshine is going to get them out and about. Inspect your hives between the hours of 11:00 to 2:00.

Do bee hives require maintenance?

Beehives require management and good stewardship, which take both time and knowledge. General maintenance requires periodic inspections during the warm months to make sure your queen is laying eggs, your workers are building up honey stores, and your colony has enough space to expand.

How much maintenance do bee hives require?

One source claims the total amount you need to spend with a hive comes in at around 15-30 hours a year. Another says that half an hour a week should be just fine for a beginner. There's really no perfect answer – this depends on a number of factors, including your willingness to get out there and do the right thing!

When should you not do a hive inspection?

Some beekeepers will follow 2 simple rules: If the grass is still wet with dew from the night before, its too early to inspect your colonies. If the sun has just fallen below the horizon, its too late to inspect your hives.

How Often Should I Check My Bees?

How do I know if my beehive is healthy?

How often do you extract honey from a hive?

Harvesting Honey

In a healthy, productive hive, it is normal to be able to harvest honey two to three times each season. Most beekeepers will harvest honey between June and September, but how often you harvest and how much honey you get will depend on a number of factors.

How often do I need to tend to my bees?

For beginning beekeepers, an inspection every seven to 10 days during spring and summer is a good target. Inspecting more than weekly will make your bees unhappy by disrupting hive activity and setting them back a day.

Is beekeeping an expensive hobby?

Getting started with beekeeping can be an expensive hobby often costing around $300 for the hive and around another $100 for bees during the first year (depending if you purchase a nuc or a package). Most folks recommend starting out with two hives for a variety of important reasons.

How long can you leave a beehive unattended?

Leaving a beehive unattended for a week or two at a time is typically okay. What happens if a hive is left unattended too long is the possibility of a swarm. This means there is an overproduction of bees. The bees will divide and leave the hive.

How do you keep a healthy colony of bees?

How is hive hygiene maintained?

Bee-hive Hygiene: Clean the bottom board and bee feeder regularly. Keep the hive free from dead bees, debris, barr, secretions or such substance, excessive humidity or moisture. Remove empty combs.

How much does a queen bee cost?

Costs vary to some degree: prices range from $15 to $25 for small numbers of queen bees.

Can you open a beehive at night?

Yes, you can open your beehive at night and even rob honey from your bees. Bees can see you at night, but your vision is reduced. The lack of light makes brushing your bees off the frames much harder, and if you are not covered correctly, they will sting you.

Can you check beehive at night?

It is difficult to really see whats going on at night, but it can be done. You need to use a red lens flashlight as they will come after a white light pretty hard.

How do you tell if a hive is going to swarm?

Is bee keeping difficult?

Beekeeping is not easy but the experience is both rewarding and fun. Beekeeping can be time consuming, expensive, physically demanding, and requires patience. There are many hazards your bees will face, such as pest infestation, parasites, predators and disease.

How many acres do you need for bees?

Generally speaking, most backyard beekeepers have 1 to 2 acres of land with 2 or 3 bee hives. I have personally had 10 hives on a 1 acre lot in a subdivision. One important thing to do is talk with your neighbors first.

Are bees high maintenance?

There's a reason we say “busy as a bee.” Bees are constant workers. They do not require constant monitoring. A colony of healthy well-managed bees will produce honey and wax that you can use or later sell. On average, expect to spend an hour per week during the warm season on colony management.

What should I look for in a beehive inspection?

There are 3 primary things that you should look for when inspecting a beehive; queen productivity, quality of the colony, and problems inside the hive.

How often should I feed my bees?

Most often, a new package of bees will not produce enough honey to harvest the first year—so you can feed them as much as you like in year one. Many types of feeders can be used. However, if robbing is a problem in your apiary, do not add essential oils.

What happens to honey if not harvested?

The honey that is not harvested goes to feed the colony during the cold winter months. They leave what they do not use and build upon it the next season. Secondly, other bees and insects steal honey that is in the hives. Bees from other colonies will bring back honey from another hive to their own.

Is it OK to harvest uncapped honey?

If a large portion of your honey is uncapped, you can extract the uncapped frames separately from the rest, store it in the refrigerator, and use it for cooking.