I believe beekeepers that have been keeping bees for many years  develop 
techniques and skills that they do not realize to manage bees.  I  am interested 
in picking your brain as to these bee management skills.   What I am after is 
something that I can use for the Master Beekeeping program in  VA, NC (I have 
already discussed this with David Tarpy) and SC.  I am  interested in your 
additional comments about management technique.
 
David M. 
 
 
 
 
When  a hive is queen less it is noisy.  You can verify queenlessness if 
there  are not any brood/eggs in the hive.  Also, the bees are restless.  Dr.  
Fell published a paper on this. 
If  the bees get very excited and you are "sprayed" with alarm pheromone, you 
should  wait until tomorrow to work the bees or start at the other end of the 
apiary  working hives.  You have failed to contain and stop the bees from 
getting  excited with smoke (short puffs).  These could be over defensive bees 
but  even so, with the proper technique you should be able to stop defensive  
mechanisms.  Before working another  hive, you should smoke vigorously the area 
"sprayed" with alarm  pheromone. 
Good  beekeepers have the ability to produce volumes of smoke from their  
smokers.  This will assist in controlling the bees. 
smoke  the entrance liberaly if you are not looking for the queen.  If 
looking for  the queen smoke the entrace less before going into the hive.

use  slow methodical movements.  Use short puffs of smoke as much as  
possible.  Listen to the bees and watch their movements.   The  minute they start to 
increase their noise, smoke them a little.  If  a bee starts flying erratic, 
smoke them a little.

use  a hive tool to break open the "seal" between supers and hive body.  Go  
easy.

open  the hive, smoke short puffs over the frames.  You can use short puffs 
of  smoke to direct the bees.  Avoid using a bee brush as much as possible for  
hive manipulations.

take out an end frame, look for the queen then set  aside.  Generally you 
want to keep the queen in the hive on a  frame  as much as possible.

examine  the next frame and put back into the hive in the same positions.  
Place the  frame back do not let it drop that last 1/2" or so into the groove.   
Continue looking at each frame all the way thru the super or brood chamber.

observe  runniniest on the comb.  Observe how much capped brood and the  
pattern.  Observe holes in the brood.  Look to see eggs and larvae the  sign of a 
laying queen.  Observe if have honey and then a band of pollen in  the 
corners.  If not need to assess if need to feed.  Is the nest  layout correct?  Have 
they swarmed.

stay in hive as short as  possible.

The rougher you are with your bees the more you will get  stung.  Avoid 
banging equipment.  Place the supers back on the  hive body; do not let it drop.  
Avoid mashing the bees around the edge of the super.  Use short puffs of smoke 
to move the  bees off the edge. 




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