Inspection of bee colonies
It is better to begin an examination with weak families, since they are more calm. Before proceeding to the inspection, prepare the necessary inventory: -2 … 3 frames with a drying or artificial wax are put in a portable box, kindle a smoke.
Then I 2 smoke smoke clubs are allowed into the duct. After waiting for a while, remove the lid of the hive, remove the pillow and, lifting the canvas or ceiling, start up 2 … 3 smoke streams along the frames. Feeling the smell of smoke, the bees gather honey into the zobics and sting less. However, smoke should not be misused, since a large amount of smoke irritates the bees. Especially it is unacceptable to smoke on a honeycomb taken out of the hive, since while the bees fly apart, the uterus can also fly, if it is on this frame.
To remove the frame from the hive, it is taken by the shoulders at the same time with both hands and gently lifted upwards. It is better to have a free space in the hive near the frame with a width of 5 … 10 cm. Then, taking out the frame, keep it slightly obliquely, which makes it possible not to press the bees sitting on the outer sides of the side frames of the frames. To create free space, remove the side insulation and push the pluggable board. If the family occupies the entire hive, then from the nest, first carefully remove the first two frames from the edge of the nest. They are temporarily placed in a portable box, and after the examination the families are returned back to the hive.
The frame taken out of the hive is kept only in an upright position. When the frame is tilted horizontally, liquid nectar flows out of the cells and the lumps of pollen fall out. A light, newly built honeycomb can bend under the weight of honey, especially in hot weather, when the wax becomes very soft. For inspection of the opposite side of the frame, the right hand is lowered so that the upper bar of the frame
When inspecting the family should not open all the frames at once, so as not to cool the nests and avoid falling into the family of bee-thieves. At first, only one or two frames are opened. The covered frames are covered from above with ceiling boards or a second canvas.
During the familiarized family pay attention to the order of placement of fodder stocks and brood in the nest. Frames with honey and perga are located at the edges of the nest, and in the center, closer to the tap, there are frames with brood. In the latter, the brood is usually placed in the middle of the honeycomb in the form of a circle or ellipse. Above and along the sides of brood bees also add honey and pergue. On the frame, in cells of which there are laid eggs, you can often find the uterus.
Fig. 31. Technique of viewing the opposite side of the frame.
For people who first visit the apiary, there is often a misconception about the excessive malice of bees. Therefore, in the apiary it is important to teach not to be afraid of bees. To see well the larvae, and especially the eggs that are at the bottom of the cells, stand with their backs to the sun and then the sun’s rays will illuminate the bottom of the cells. In this case, pay attention to one more important circumstance: if the frame is at least slightly attributed to the hive, the uterus may fall, fall to the ground and die, and young bees that do not yet know how to fly will also fall. To prevent this, the frames are always kept on the hive only when viewed.
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