On Sun, 4 May 1997 08:52:56 -0400 John Wolford <[log in to unmask]> writes: >Also, how long can you keep a hive unassembled without damaging the >colony during inspection. Does it hurt the colony to inspect more that once >monthly? John: You should only be keeping a hive open long enough to make a determination about whatever is the reason you are opening the hive. A lot depends on the weather. It is sort of a common sense thing. Not to be funny, but the answer is somewhat related to the answer to the following question: "How long would you walk around naked on any given day?" The length of time on a cold rainy day is going to be something different than on a beautiful 95 degree day in the heat of the summer. There is the quick check type of look and there is the more in-depth look. The reasons in each case are different. For instance: In late winter,early spring you are taking a quick look to see if they have enough stores to make it thru to nectar gathering. You are looking to see where they are in the top super. If there are large numbers at the top of the frames, then they are running out of food and you better feed them fast as they can quickly starve to death. The more in-depth look may be to check the brood rearing pattern or to pull out a frame with drone cells, for the purpose of pulling some drone larvae out to check for varroa mites. So... the amount of time is dependent upon the nature of your mission. When you open/disassemble a hive, you are disrupting the productive activity of the hive and in effect losing that day's production. Some say that the loss of normal production is for about 24 hours. So it is not really a matter of how many times a month/week, etc. If you are a beginner, it is felt that it is okay to open more often than you would otherwise to see what is going on, because you are engaged in a learning process. In time, you can really tell a lot about what is going on by simply standing to the side and observing the comings and goings and even the "contented hum sound". When something is not right, it is really quite obvious, as they will act and sound discontented. It's not much different than observing the coming and goings of the house across the street from you and the behavior patterns of the occupants. You can tell if the folks in that house are a happy and contented lot just by observation of their routines & behavior patterns, and yes, even their sounds! Al, Al Needham--Scituate,MA,[log in to unmask] Author Of "The HoneyBee"--An Educational Program Check Out " The Amazing BeeCam " At: http://www.xensei.com/users/alwine/