Always Use a Smoker
- Calms the bees
- Masks the alarm pheromone
Wear Protection
- Always use a veil for face protection
Looking Inside the Hive
- Eggs
- Very important to be able to identify because it signifies a queen-right colonies without having to find the queen
- Queen
- Marking queens makes her easier to find and easy to document supersedure or swarms
- Amount and status of adult bees
- Make sure bees have appropriate space and they are looking healthy
- Frames
- Notice what is being stored and the overall status of the frames
- Replace frames in proper order
Tips for Management
- Number Your Colonies
- Allows for better record keeping
Take Notes
- Keeping records and gathering information helps for better understanding of colonies
- Informative from year to year differences
- Document successes and failures
Maintain Clean and Working Equipment
Monitor for Pests and Manage with Appropriate Methods