• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • Chickens and Farm Animals
  • Gardening
  • Recipes
  • Podcast
    • Guest Application

Beyond The Chicken Coop logo

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Chickens and Farm Animals
  • Gardening
  • About
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • Podcast
    • Guest Application
×

Home » Bees » Honey Bees - Checking the Hive

Published: Jul 30, 2016 · Modified: Mar 4, 2021 by Kathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Honey Bees - Checking the Hive

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Honey Bee Maintenance: Checking the Hive

Examining a bee hive while dressed in a bee suit.

 I am a novice beekeeper. Currently I have two bee hives and they are both thriving. Two years ago I had one hive and they survived through the first winter but then I lost all of the bees by the end of spring. I think the hive lost its queen and just wasn't able to recover. They were eventually overtaken by every other flying insect; yellow jackets, hornets, and other honey bees. They came in and stole all their honey. My bees were either killed, left to find a better home, or joined another hive.

This spring I started again. This time with two hives. And this time, I've learned a thing or two.

A frame filled with honey bees, comb and honey.

Things I've learned when raising bees:

  • Bees need you. They can be totally self sufficient, but since you've provided them a hive you need to make certain it's an adequate size or they will find another place to live.
  • Check the hive at least every two weeks. You are looking to see how full the frames are. If ¾ of the frames have comb you want to add another box with empty frames.  You are also checking for brood. Is there new larva? Is there capped larva? Is there honey? Are there any queen cells?
  • When checking the hive and pulling out the frames, wear a bee suit. Yeah....I thought I didn't need to wear one one time...
  • Never wear black fleece when checking your bee hive and pulling out frames....see above. Black fleece resembles, perhaps ....a bear. They really don't like big black fuzzy things getting into their hive.
  • Check for the queen. I don't see the queen very often, but there are signs of a queen. If the queen is present and active, you will see lots of larva at different stages.  The picture below shows worker bees tending to the larva. The open cells contain larva at different stages and the ones with the caps are in the pupa stage. The total development time is 21 days for worker bees. Notice the bee towards the top center with yellow on either side? That is pollen stuck to its legs. Pollen is fed to the larva or turned into honey.

Honey Bees and Larva on a frame.

The queen bee can be seen in the picture below. She is the HUGE bee in the center. I don't know how she can be so elusive most of the time. Once you find her, you know it right away. The cells she is walking on with the white coating contain honey.

The queen bee on a bee hive frame.

I love watching my bees. They are truly fascinating. If you've ever wondered where the term, "Busy as Bees" came from, all you need to do is watch a bee hive. I don't suit up when I am near my bee hives. Only if I am going to open up the boxes and pull out all the frames. That is when they think I am a predator. At other times, they don't pay me any notice at all.

A bee covered with orange pollen.

The orange on the bee above is pollen. This bee just landed and is working his way into the box.  The picture below shows how busy the opening is. The bees are constantly moving and flying in and out of the boxes.

Honey bees on the outside of a bee hive.

I still have a lot to learn about bee keeping. I'm hoping for healthy hives and lots of honey!

Check out Harvesting Honey!

You might also enjoy reading these posts:

 Honey Bees Starting a New Hive

Adding new honey bees to a hive.

and Honey Bees

Bee hive in the winter.

 

More recipes you may enjoy

  • A teaspoon overfilled with a spice blend.
    Homemade Poultry Seasoning
  • English muffins topped with strawberry jam.
    Episode 39 Strawberry Jam
  • Stuffed peppers topped with cheese.
    Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
  • A white bowl filled with teriyaki chicken.
    Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda says

    August 02, 2016 at 7:49 am

    I think these posts are fascinating! I never knew the thing about wearing black. Very cool.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      August 03, 2016 at 5:52 am

      There are probably some bee keepers that don't worry about the colors they wear...for me...no black fleece!

      Reply
  2. Kushi says

    August 01, 2016 at 6:14 pm

    Informative post.Loved reading it. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Rahul @samosastreet.com says

    August 01, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    Great explanations here. Thanks Kathy. Enjoying your blog.

    Reply
  4. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    August 01, 2016 at 10:17 am

    Oh geez, you are MUCH braver than I am, Kathy! While I would love to have bee hives, I'd be too scared of them!! Glad your hives are thriving this year! Thanks for sharing all your tips.. you never know, one day I may muster the nerve! Cheers, friend!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      August 03, 2016 at 6:09 am

      I just hope my bees keep on keeping on. 🙂

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

The author holding a chicken.

I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

More about me →

Popular Recipes

  • A single muffin topped with a crumbly topping on a plate.
    Oatmeal Banana Muffins
  • Stacks of crispy golden fish on a white plate with a blue rim.
    Beer Battered Fish
  • Crispy fish fillets topped with lemon wedges.
    Pan Fried Walleye
  • A plate with baked pasta with cheese and tomatoes.
    Chicken Pasta Bake

Chicken Dinners

  • Strips of chicken, peppers and onions in a baked casserole.
    Chicken Fajita Casserole
  • Crispy chicken thighs on a white plate.
    Cast Iron Chicken Thighs
  • A chicken thigh with a sauce on a plate with rice and peas.
    Apricot Chicken
  • A plate filled with chicken legs covered in barbecue sauce.
    Baked BBQ Chicken Legs
  • Grilled chicken thighs on a white plate.
    Italian Dressing Chicken
  • A golden chicken thigh on a white plate with roasted potatoes and green beans.
    Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Featured In...

Beyond the Chicken Coop recipes have been featured in many different sites.

Most Popular Recipes

Beer Battered Fish

Beer Battered Fish

A serving of chicken pot pie with a crust on a white plate.

Chicken Pot Pie

Oatmeal Banana Muffin on a small white plate with crumb topping crumbled on plate.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Search Beyond the Chicken Coop

Featured In

Beyond the Chicken Coop recipes have been featured in many different sites.

The author holding a chicken.

I'm Kathy, a busy working mom who loves to cook from scratch, grow a garden, and raise farm animals. Take a look around and find all my recipes, gardening tips, and country living antics.

More about me →

Popular Recipes

  • A single muffin topped with a crumbly topping on a plate.
    Oatmeal Banana Muffins
  • Stacks of crispy golden fish on a white plate with a blue rim.
    Beer Battered Fish
  • Crispy fish fillets topped with lemon wedges.
    Pan Fried Walleye
  • A plate with baked pasta with cheese and tomatoes.
    Chicken Pasta Bake

Chicken Dinners

  • Strips of chicken, peppers and onions in a baked casserole.
    Chicken Fajita Casserole
  • Crispy chicken thighs on a white plate.
    Cast Iron Chicken Thighs
  • A chicken thigh with a sauce on a plate with rice and peas.
    Apricot Chicken
  • A plate filled with chicken legs covered in barbecue sauce.
    Baked BBQ Chicken Legs
  • Grilled chicken thighs on a white plate.
    Italian Dressing Chicken
  • A golden chicken thigh on a white plate with roasted potatoes and green beans.
    Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Featured In...

Beyond the Chicken Coop recipes have been featured in many different sites.

Footer

↑ back to top

Beyond the Chicken Coop recipes have been featured in many different sites.

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Beyond the Chicken Coop®