Bee Inspection

Last spring our area got news that we would finally have a Bee Inspector. It had been years since our area had one, so it was great finding out the news.
 Barry, our inspector, had attended several of our bee meetings and our Bee Day in May. He had asked if anyone in the club would like their bees inspected. I never turn down the opportunity to learn new things and work along side someone who had been keeping bees for years. So i said Yes, i do.
With the very wet summer, our inspector had to keep delaying his road trip out this way until after he was able to get his hay off the fields. So on the 22nd of August he arrived. Barry is a great guy, very easy going and willing to share his years of knowledge and never makes you feel bad for doing rookie mistakes or asking dumb questions.

Barry and I checking out the hives

My hives had suffered a bit early in the season with Chalk Brood, a fungal desease and this summers damp weather really didnt help the situation. However they rebounded and had really taken off. The populations had grown and judging by the inspection. ...were doing well. Barry and I tore apart each hive, looking at the frames, checking for brood, desease and looking at their overall health. 

There was only very minor indications of chalk brood, which i was so happy about and everything looked good. 

The one thing he noted was .....our equipment. He suggested perhaps it was time to replace our brood boxes and supers. James and I had already planned a trip to Bee Maid before winter to purchase a bunch,since all of ours are.....almost classed as antiques. We thought that perhaps some of the boxes were homemade since the frames didnt fit in some of them very well and kept slipping down inside. Also with the size difference there was all kinds of very ornate burr comb under the frames. We left all that mess in place and when we get the new boxes...i can clean them up then.

Next came the testing for Varroa Mites. We took a sample of approx 300 bees (around a 1/2 cup) and put them into a 2 cup Mason jar. It was fitted with a screen and then 2 Tbs of icing sugar was pushed thru the screened top and onto the bees.  The jar was then rolled around and given a shake then let sit for a minute or so. The process was repeated. Then into a white container, the contents were shaken out thru the screened top leaving the bees inside the jar covered with white icing sugar. They were returned to their hive where their sisters would clean them off.  In the white container we poured a small amount of water to dissolve the sugar and  looked for mites. You are hoping for 2% or less mites. (well actually you are hoping for 0 mites) If your numbers are higher than you need to treat the bees. We were really happy as we counted 0 mites. However i will test again near the end of Sept and see then. There will be less capped brood then, so you may find you have more mites (the mites like to rear their young inside capped brood).

Setting up the mite testing station

Bees coated in icing sugar

Returning the sugar coated girls back to their hive

Anyways, it was a good day. I was so thankful to find out my bees were doing good and was very grateful to had learnt new things

Until next time.....Bee Happy