Charles Hatton  wrote:
>Is it O.K. to weekly, biweekly, or monthly to remove each frame from the
brood >chambers to examine them?  Is it O.K. to rearrange the order of the
frames on a >regular basis in the brood chambers?
 
I agree with David Green that it is a very good way to demoralize the bees.
 
However if queen excluders are part of your hive management, it is important
to check the brood box on a regular basis - monthly or every 2 months at
least.  The reason is that the bees will fill the cells around the brood
with honey and unless the quantity of fresh nectar coming in  forces the
house bees up through the queen excluder to find room for curing the hive
may become restricted to the bottom box.  The queen therefore has no room to
lay and the population of the hive takes a dive.  We check at least a month
and include foundation or freshly drawn brood frames in the bottom box
(outside of the brood)  to keep the queen laying and the population
expanding for the next honey flow.  Frames mostly honey can be moved above
the excluder where the bees will finish them off.
 
Moving the order of the frames around or turning them about in the hive is
definitely not recommended.
 
Betty McAdam
HOG BAY APIARY
Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island
j.h. & e. mcadam<[log in to unmask]
http://kigateway.eastend.com.au/hogbay/hogbay1.htm