The first spring inspection of bees

All families that seemed unsuccessful in flying around are noted. Do not postpone for tomorrow, they need to be inspected immediately after the flight, otherwise brazen families may die.

The purpose of the first inspection is to find out the state of the bee colonies after the wintering, in order to immediately help them if necessary. Therefore, the first inspection is carried out hastily. It only becomes clear whether there is a uterus, what is the strength of the family, and whether there is honey in the nest.

If on the exhibition day bees will have free time after inspection of badly flown families and correction of the found faults, they pass to the inspection of normally flying bees. Otherwise, this work can be postponed until the next warm day.

On a large apiary, the first inspection is best done by a team, the threesome is a beekeeper and two assistants. In this case, one hundred and even more families can be freely examined in half a day. This is done so. One worker walks ahead and silently removes the roof and top insulation from the hive. Behind him follows the beekeeper, quickly determines the state of the family and makes a brief entry, and another worker puts in order the pillows and closes the hive.

Sometimes the presence of the uterus can be judged by the response and behavior of the bees. In case of doubt, the frame rises from the middle of the nest, and if there is brood on it, then, of course, there is a uterus.

If the brood is not present and the bees are noisy for a long time, then such a family, most of all, does not have a uterus. For bezmatamochnymi families before their correction it is necessary to watch closely that they were not looted. In bezmatamochnye beehives must be narrowed so that only one or two bees can pass.

Lifting the planks of the ceiling or covering canvas, you can immediately determine the strength of the family, that

is, the number of streets occupied by bees, and raising one or two marginal frames, one can judge the presence of honey. At the first inspection, the amount of honey is determined approximately. It will be defined more precisely later, when revising, and now it is sufficient to know that there is still honey in the hive, to know its approximate amount, that is, to establish how much bees are provided and do not need immediate feeding.

Even in the presence of honey in the families, for the first time in the spring, on the exhibition from the winter hog, one should feed them all without exception, since in some families honey in the nests may be of poor quality, unsuitable for bees, for example, crystallized or sour. Therefore, in the evening each family should be given at least 400 g of a thick sugar syrup (2 parts of sugar per 1 part of water).

After the first feeding of all bee colonies, the beekeeper must be convinced of how many families he needs in order to further fertilize.

Correction in the bee families of shortcomings, urgent.

If there are deficiencies in the examination of families that require immediate correction, then this should not be postponed; for example, starving bees need to be fed on the same day, etc.

For the quick correction of the discovered shortcomings, on the eve of the exhibition, all that can be required for work is prepared in sufficient quantity, for example:

1) clean light-brown honeycomb with bee cells;

2) stern frames with honey and perga, and in the absence of them – a thick sugar syrup:

3) spare hives, extensions, donja, coverslips, straw mats, warming material;

4) a portable table, or a working box-stool with the necessary accessories and a cart or stretcher for the delivery of beehives and hulls with honeycombs;

5) plywood box for carrying frames.

If the family is greatly weakened due to a large scree during wintering, you need to immediately remove the extra frames, cut the nest and possibly better insulate it.

Fig. The work-box is a stool.

Too weak family from hunger should not be left in the apiary – there it will not take food and die. It must be placed in a warm room and sprinkled with warm syrup; then give her food and, after having chopped the tray, leave the hive for the night in the room, so that the bees take the food

The family, badly affected by diarrhea, it is advisable to transplant into a clean hive on the same day.

Other works on the apiary on the day of the exhibition of bees from the winter hut.

At the end of the purification flight and a quick survey of the families, each hive is put in order. Nests are insulated, tapholes narrow, occasional crevices are sealed. It is very important that the nest of each exhibited family was well insulated on the same day.

Immediately after a cursory examination and an urgent correction of the deficiencies, they begin cleaning the dongs from the winter dolor. This work is better done together.

With detachable donja cleaning is quick. Having removed the hive from its bottom, put it on the reserve bottom. After that, all the rubbish and screes from the released bottom are swept off into the box, which must be at hand when working, and the apiary should be at hand. To clean the donkeys, you need to have a knife, scraper, brush and clean rags. The latter start up only when the bottom is too raw. Cleaning the bottom, put it in its place and transfer to it the same hive. Then proceed to the next hive.

In the hives with integral dongles the frame of the nest is on. The time for cleaning the donuts is rearranged from one side of the hive to the other.

If bees did not suffer in the winter from dampness, thirst, poor food, diarrhea or other causes, then there is very little spoilage, only a few dozen bees. On the contrary, in the affected hives, the scum is great.

Thus, according to the submarine and mote, it is possible to determine the state of the overwintered family. If there are a lot of white grains in the rubbish (honey crystals), then it can be assumed that the honey crystallized, and therefore the bees, having this honey, will starve. Such families need help.

The presence of young gray bees (in a small amount) is a reliable sign that the hive has a fetal uterus. Conversely, the presence of drones will testify that in the hive either the uterus is droned or there are beekeeping whales.

The same data can be obtained long before the exhibition of bees, if you put “control sheets” of paper under the nests of families.

Among the litter at the bottom of the hive, there are many waxen crumbs from the honey printed out in the winter. Therefore, all this waste must be sifted to separate the dead bees from the wax grains. Wax rub should be drowned on wax, and dead bees are burned or buried in the ground, but in no case should they be thrown on an apiary near the hives, otherwise the bees of the whole apiary may become infected from one diseased family.

In the spring, when replenishing feed stocks, bees should be fed with a thick sugar syrup (2 parts sugar per 1 part water) or non-crystallized honey in honeycombs. However, if in families there is a significant amount of brood, in connection with which they need more water, then it is better to use sugar syrup of medium density when feeding: for 1 part of sugar, take 1 part of water.

In order to reduce the death of bees flying away from the water and pollen, which, incidentally, the birds can not always find in the early spring, it is necessary to have a sufficient amount of honey and pollen in the nests of families and put drinkers on the apiary on a sunny spot before the day of the exhibition. During this period it is especially desirable to use beehive drinkers.

Sufficient supplies of food and closeness of warm water will keep bees from vain long-distance flights on cold windy days in search of nectar.

In exposed bee colonies, it is necessary to remove empty honeycombs uncovered by bees and carefully insulate, that is, the heat to cover the nests from the top and from the sides. It should be remembered that heat and fodder in spring are the main factors contributing to the growth and development of families, and each extra frame cools the nest.

Of course, if the apiary is large and one can not perform all of the above works in one day, then the cleaning of the donjas can be postponed until the next day, especially since this work can be done on cooler days. With a shortage of time, you can also postpone and fertilize all families, giving food only to those in need.

In the following days after the exhibition, the works started and not finished on the day of the exhibition are continued, such as: cleaning the donjes, warming the nests, replenishing the stocks of koschmas and so on. Do not stretch these works. It must be firmly remembered that the earlier and more carefully these works are executed, the better the families will develop.