Lesson 33: Opening the Hive and Handling Frames

A calm, careful routine for getting in, looking at frames, and not hurting the queen

This lesson walks through a basic inspection from lifting the lid to pulling your first frames. Lessons 34 to 37 cover what to look for on the frames; lesson 38 covers closing up.

Opening up

1. Smoke the entrance (lesson 32).
2. Remove the outer cover and set it upside down on the ground behind the hive. It makes a clean landing spot for boxes later.
3. Pry up the inner cover with your hive tool; propolis will be holding it down. Puff a little smoke under it as you lift, then take it off.
4. Look at the top bars. In a healthy colony in the active season you'll see lots of bees on the tops of the frames.
5. Puff a little smoke down between the frames if the bees are thick or restless.

If you need to get into a lower box, lift off the upper boxes one at a time and set them on the upturned lid, crossways so as few bees as possible are crushed. (Full boxes are heavy; lesson 23.)

Taking out the first frame

Always remove an outer frame first, the one closest to the wall. It's the least likely to have the queen on it, and taking it out gives you room to slide the other frames apart without rolling and crushing bees, or the queen, between them.

1. Work the hive tool between the wall and the first frame at each end, and gently pry to break the propolis.
2. Lift the frame straight up, slowly, by the ends of the top bar. Don't scrape it against its neighbor. That's how bees get rolled and crushed.
3. Lean it against the hive (on the shady side), or stand it in an empty box, so you have space to work.

Looking at frames

• Work toward the center. Slide the next frame into the gap, then lift it straight up. The center frames usually have the most bees and the brood; the outer frames hold most of the food (lesson 9).
• Hold each frame over the open hive, so if the queen falls off, she lands back in her colony, not on the ground.
• To see the other side, turn the frame carefully: keep it upright (vertical). Tip it by turning the top bar end over end, rather than laying it flat, so heavy, fresh nectar and fragile new comb don't fall out.
• Bees covering the cells? Blow gently on them and they'll move aside so you can see.
• Glance for the queen on every frame before you set it anywhere (lesson 36).
• Keep frames in the same order and facing the same way. You'll put them back exactly as they were.

How long to stay open

Keep it as short as you can while doing what you came to do. Every minute the hive is open lets heat out and upsets the colony. In a dearth, when robbing is a risk, work fast (lesson 50).

If the bees get very defensive, slow down, smoke a little, or close up and come back another day. There's no prize for pushing on.

Good habits from the start

• Move slowly and smoothly. No jolts, bumps or dropped frames (lesson 31).
• Don't crush bees. Crushed bees give off alarm scent, and a crushed queen is a disaster. Push boxes and frames together slowly so bees can move out of the way.
• Watch where you put your hands. Bees on the frame ends and under the top bars are easy to squeeze.
• Keep a notebook handy and jot down what you see before you forget (lesson 41).

How it looks: Holding a frame upright over the hive while inspecting (USDA).

Scanning a frame. Check every frame for the queen before setting it down.

What to remember

• Smoke, lid off (upside down behind the hive), inner cover off, look at the top bars.
• Always take out an outer frame first, then work toward the center.
• Lift frames straight up, slowly; hold them over the hive; keep them upright when turning.
• Frames go back in the same order and direction.
• Keep inspections short; stop if the bees get very defensive.

Quick check

1. Why take out an outer frame first?
2. Why hold frames over the open hive while you look at them?
3. How should you turn a frame to see the other side?

Adapted from: UF/IFAS Extension, Welcome to the Apiary! (4H446), "Colony Inspection"; Purdue Extension, Advanced Beekeeping (4-H-1059-W); UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: How to Light a Smoker; Mississippi State University Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594).

Photos: beekeepers inspecting a frame, Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service (public domain) · finding the queen, Conall, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons).

Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.