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  • Temperature for spring inspections

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #2603  by mikemcd
 03 Apr 2019, 17:02
Have seen conflicting advice on minimum temperatures for spring inspections. The BBKA Guide to Beekeeping advises over 14C for first quick inspection and over 17C for first full inspection. The NBU online advice however gives figures of over 10C and over 14C respectively. I've been pragmatic and split the difference, but I'd be grateful for advice from those more experienced (this is my second year). Many thanks
 #2604  by Patrick
 03 Apr 2019, 18:00
I couldn’t say I work to set known temperatures. If it feels cold I wouldn’t go in unless there was a known issue I had to resolve, in which case I would open, do the one thing and close up. If it feels warm and not too windy, then I would maybe open up for a bit longer. If it’s warm and still, obviously no issue.

Even if the air temp is ok but there is a stiff breeze and the hives are in an exposed location I would not choose to open up unless I had to.

Sorry if a slightly infuriatingly imprecise answer, but just being honest!

If it felt chilly
 #2605  by NigelP
 03 Apr 2019, 18:15
My guideline is not so much temperature but whether the bees are actively flying.
Temp never got above 10C today but in a 2 hour sunny patch the hives where alive and flying so I quickly got to inspect mark and clip a few queens. Found one hive that must have been a very late supercedure as dozens of open queen cells....but no mated queen.....and no virgins that I could spot....
Sun went in and the bees turned tetchy as it cooled down, so left the rest for another day.
 #2905  by thewoodgatherer
 04 May 2019, 08:39
I have three hives that I need to go back in this weekend and select one good queen cell. Any advice on what to do in the current very low temperatures. I guess looking at the timing I could leave until Tuesday but allthough above 10 it's forcast for heavy rain so a no go.
 #2906  by AdamD
 04 May 2019, 10:03
I guess my advice is to select the best time of the day you can and to be quick (efficient) but don't rush the job as you'll need to check that there are no emergence queencells on the frames, quite possibly.

This week I inspected some colonies with a jumper under my bee suit as it was cold (and my feet were cold too). The bees were generally OK despite all being indoors. At this time of year with plenty of bees in the hives any brood that's been removed for a couple of minutes can be warmed up quite easily once it goes back in so I would have no worries about chilled brood. However if it is too cold, bees that might finish up on the floor outside the hive can get chilled and not get back and if you put a queen in a cage by herself, for example, she will get cold and lethargic quite quickly if you place her in an exposed location.
 #2907  by Patrick
 04 May 2019, 10:28
Advice around temperatures and other conditions when you “shouldn’t” open hives never give any qualification.

There are circumstances where the consequences of not opening up a hive, albeit briefly, will have a a far more significant consequence. And some things need to be done by a certain time no ifs no buts. Actually a cold wind is probably more a factor than absolute temperature - preventing swarming or casting is one of them. A quick run through to knock down extra cells will not do any lasting harm whatsoever.

To speed things up I would take out a middle frame first where the better cells might be, select one and unless you want to harvest them for use elsewhere, rapidly shake the other frames and check for cells and clear them. May sound over the top but no point in doing it at all if you miss a second cell working at speed and they cast anyway. They will be fine!
 #2908  by Caroline
 04 May 2019, 10:39
I find the Met office website fairly accurate. If you look at the beginning of the day for your exact location it can help you plan when the conditions are likely to be suitable for a quick inspection, so you can plan your day. The really useful element is the 'feels like temperature', which can be several degrees below what the TV weather map says it's going to be.

Inspection times are often tricky at the beginning of the season, not so bad if you're retired and can drop everything and get to the hives when there's a break in the weather; but difficult when you work and only have the weekends - the number of times it's 'beekeeping' weather all week and then wet at the weekend ............!
 #2910  by thewoodgatherer
 04 May 2019, 16:11
Thanks all for the excellent advice as usual. I took the plunge and went in after lunch today as the sun was out and I didn't want to trust that tomorrow would be better. Did what I needed to in both hives- shaking bees off frames and knocking down cells to leave one nice one in each and then quickly but carefully going through again to make sure I hadn't missed one and sure enough I had ( usual one hiding in the corner). Bees in one hive about as angry as I have encountered the other being more as expected having been shaken off twice. Pleased to say though they have settled down as usual leaving only the odd one or two dead on the ground so I'm pleased to have got it done and out of the way. Fingers x next inspection temperatures will be back up again ;)
 #2911  by Patrick
 04 May 2019, 17:19
Nice one!

I am with Caroline working with bees on the weather front - I read about leisurely midday inspections of hives at the bottom of the garden on the optimal sunny days with a bemused envy. The times I do manage a midday sunny inspection I am always reminded how nice it can be! 😁