>? If one uses a full complement of combs in the brood chamber it
> usually results in a tight fit.  It is important not to upset the
> bees at the start of an inspection.  I have seen beekeepers, fully
> armoured against stings, reduce a calm stock to fury in the struggle
> to free that first comb.  I find a frame grip enables it to be drawn
> out slowly to avoid rolling the bees whilst using the other hand for
> the smoker if needed.  Once the comb is out the grip is of no further
> use as a comb cannot be properly checked held in one hand.  I have
> neighbours and I always work bare handed (but always with a veil) so
> I  like to keep my bees happy.  Gentle removal of that first comb is
> important.
 
In that case, most professionals use other solutions than a frame
grip.  I'm not knocking frame grips, but if the frames are that hard
to remove, then there is likely another problem:
 
1.  the frames are simply too wide for the box or
 
2. The frames, and/or the box need scraping badly.
 
In the first case, replacing the outside frame on one side with a
follower board (which is thinner and allows some slack space) might
be a solution.  Examine the frames and see if the end bars are over
1-3/8 inches wide.  If so, some wider frames custom made for supers
may have found their way into a brood chamber.  The wider spacing is
not a serious problem in itself (many pros use the wider 9 frame
spacing), but it will explain why the frames are so crowded.  Or
perhaps they are just built up with wax and propolis.  See the next
point.
 
In the second case,  self spacing frames should have been  crowded
together at the end of each visit -- prying against the box wall with
your hive tool fairly strongly --  so that the bees will not fill the
gaps between the end bars with propolis and wax, making the frames
progressively harder and harder to remove.
 
If this has already happened, it is necessary to try crowding them
on a warm day (the buildup may still be soft and ooze out, allowing
the frames to move closer together), and if that doesn't work, it
may be time to scrape each frame and the inside of the box.
 
<snip>
 
Re the above.  May  I ask what is the purpose of such an "inspection"
and how thorough was the "look"?  As I see it, a routine inspection
should include a check of  the extent and state of the brood;-- eggs,
open larvae and capped brood ratio, a hunt for queen cells and a scan
of the brood for sick larvae, knowing that AFB and EFB can arrive at
any time.  Hardly possible one handed and in two minutes.
 
Small colonies in one box are routinely inspected in 2 minutes -- or
less -- by knowledgeable commercial operators.
 
Strong two storey plus colonies take (much) longer.
 
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>