Chris Slade wrote:
>  
> If it's as cold as all that, beware of leaving part of your ear stuck to  the 
> hive!  Try a stethoscope.  

I heartily recommend the stethoscope method.  You can get one at pretty 
much any drugstore, sometimes for less than $10 (and the really 
top-of-the-line ones still only cost about $20), and it is way easier to 
use than trying to press your ear against the side of the hive.  Even if 
you aren't dealing with cold, snow, and large amounts of outdoor 
clothing, the stethoscope gives you so much more flexibility to listen 
to almost any part of the hive that the difference is like night and 
day.  Sounds are much more distinct, too.  Some specialized tools are 
easily worth what you pay for them, and this is one of them.
-- 
Tim Eisele
[log in to unmask]

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