Finding eggs in your hive means that your queen has been active at least three days ago – and that she’s laying, which is her one, all-important function. So what should you really keep an eye out for? Eggs. If your colony is queenless for too long, they hit a point of no return. It might seem counterintuitive, but you will typically see an increase in honey and pollen because, without any larvae to care for, the bees focus entirely on foraging. The first sign will be a lack of eggs, then a lack of young larvae, and eventually your colony will have no brood at all. Gradually, your hive’s population will decline. But if you observe more carefully, you’ll understand what really happens when your colony loses its queen. You might observe plentiful bee traffic at the entrance and upon inspection, find lots of honey and bees inside. To a new newbie, this might sound like a catch-22, but I firmly believe new beekeepers should inspect their hives regularly for learning purposes, and because it’s likely that their colonies are also new and less stable.Ī beehive can’t survive without its queen, but it’s a common misconception that colonies that have lost theirs will alter its behavior so dramatically that it’ll be obvious something’s wrong. The process of opening up your hive is stressful for bees and disturbs the carefully controlled atmospheric conditions within the hive, which is why many experienced beekeepers perform less frequent inspections on their older, more established colonies. For that reason, I recommend that new beekeepers inspect their hives once every two to four weeks, but no more often than that. Hive inspections, when done properly, will catch problems early and give you a chance to fix them before too much damage is done – and they’ll also give you a great opportunity to learn. Often if a problem is noticeable from the outside of the hive, it’s progressed too far to be remedied. That way you can recognize any changes if and when they happen.ĭespite these merits, observation from the outside is no substitute for actually opening up your hive and examining the combs within. It’s also a good idea to make yourself familiar with what’s “normal” for your bees – in terms of traffic (the number of bees flying in and out of the hive), and also in terms of how many dead bees are near your hive. I encourage beekeepers to observe their hives from the outside on a weekly or even daily basis so you can see if your bees are bringing pollen or even catch a pesky ant invasion. Assessing colony health based solely on the level of “bee traffic.” There is so much that life has to offer and one of my biggest passions is helping others achieve success in their lives- no matter what that may mean to them.1. I do touch on the controversial topics like religion and politics as well. The B Hive encompasses everything I’m passionate about from fashion, home, to family. We hope to offer housing for survivors of human trafficking very soon and are raising funds via my new Boho style fashion boutique called, The Gilded Hive! Check it out if you get a chance! I’m a wife, a mother, founder of The B Hive blog, and the executive director to our nonprofit called, Stewards of Restoration. I blame my love of fashion and design on my mother who is an interior decorator and must be genetic! I'm Britny Robinson a Rio Grande Valley native born and raised in McAllen, Texas.
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