Learning To Read Your Frames During An Inspection
When I first started beekeeping, I had no idea what I was seeing. I thought I did, but understanding what I know now, I realize that I was very uniformed in my early years of beekeeping. That lack of knowledge about brood development and the life cycle of the adult honey bee cost me many mistakes and the loss of hives.
Until a beekeeper can read the contents of their frames and understand what they are seeing, they will not know what steps they should take next. Here are a minimum of 6 essential things you must be able to identify to successfully keep bees:
1. Ages of eggs.
2. Larvae in various stages.
3. Pupae (Difference between drone and worker pupae).
4. The difference between queen cups and queen cells.
5. Spotty brood versus a solid brood pattern.
6. Stored resources such as bee bread, pollen, nectar and honey.
These six only address healthy observations not to mention understanding how to observe unhealthy diseases etc.
If you know nothing about a car engine, when you open the hood, you have no idea why it will not start or why it died. Many beekeepers lack the very essential knowledge to properly inspect their hive leading to problems going unnoticed.
PLEASE DO NOT try beekeeping
without taking a beekeeping course!
Currently I'm offering my ONLINE Ultimate Beekeeping Course at 50% off to help support beekeepers who may not be able to attend local clubs or classes due to the pandemic. Take advantage now as this offer ends in 29 days (April 30th, 2021).
