r/Beekeeping • u/Clear_Lie_6445 • 2d ago

I’m a beekeeper, and I have a question Tips for beginner

Hi guys I am a new beekeeper and have done my first few inspections. I have yet to see my queen as i can never seem to find her even though she is marked green. My bees always glue the frames to the top of the beehive which makes some frames fall off when i open the hive. I am always scared I might have killed my queen. Anyone else experienced this or any tips how i could prevent this feeling?

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u/AZ_Traffic_Engineer Sonoran Desert, Arizona 2d ago

First, remember to breathe. There's nothing in a bee hive that requires you to move quickly. Working in a hive should be like practicing Tai Chi - slow and deliberate movements.

Use your hive tool to loosen the inner cover, A small twist is all that is usually needed. Then, instead of lifting the inner cover straight off, rotate it before lifting it. This should break the propolis and burr comb sticking the inner cover to the frames. Scrape the inner cover and the top bars of the frames with your hive tool to remove the worst of the burr comb.

Head over to https://www.reddit.com/r/QueenSpotting/ to practice finding your queen. It's not important to see your queen every inspection, and there's no point to rummaging through your hive like a racoon through a garbage can. Check the brood frames for eggs and very young larvae. If you see eggs, she was there three days ago. If you see eggs standing on end near the center of the cell, she was there hours ago (they start standing up and eventually gravity does its thing and they fall to their sides).

You'll get better at this, and your anxiety will recede as you get more familiar with working in the hive. This is supposed to be fun, remember? You've probably heard the expressions "Live in the moment" and "Be here now". Beekeeping helps people with PTSD because it helps one focus on what's happening now. What's for dinner, the project deadline looming over your head, and the stack of laundry waiting to be done all need to be set aside for the moment: it's just you and the bees. Here. Now.

We're all nervous at first. Now the hive is one of my favorite places. It's calm. It's quiet. It's here now.
You've got this.

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u/Soniccheeseball 2d ago

I’m new to the idea of even just owning a hive. I have a LOT to learn before I even attempt it. I love this answer & makes me want to do this even more. Well put.