Inside the Hive: What to Check for During Your First Hive Inspection Home
Tips from Blake Shook
Bringing your bees home can feel overwhelming—almost like bringing home a newborn for the first time. In the video, Blake walks us through what your first hive inspection should look like and what to focus on as a new beekeeper.
Step 1: Timing Your First Inspection
In the video, Blake recommends waiting four or five days after bringing your bees home before doing your first inspection. This gives the bees time to settle in and, if necessary, start raising new queens.
Step 2: What to Look for During the Inspection
Signs of a Healthy Hive
- Full frames: If your top box is about 80% full of bees, it's time to add your next box.
- Brood presence: Look for all stages of brood—especially larvae and capped brood. These indicate that the queen is (or was recently) present and laying. See "Spotting Eggs and Larva"
- Pollen and nectar: Frames should show a mix of pollen, nectar, and honey. If unsure what's what, use your hive tool:
- Liquid = nectar/honey
- Doughy solid = pollen
- White larvae = brood
Queen Check
You don’t have to find the queen. The presence of eggs, larvae, and brood means she’s doing her job. Eggs are tiny and may look like grains of rice.
Warning Signs
- Queen cells: If you see lots of peanut-shaped queen cells and no brood, the hive might be queenless.
Step 3: Feeding Your Hive
New hives need food. Blake suggests feeding about one gallon of 1:1 sugar syrup per week. Feed consistently to help them grow and draw out comb.
Step 4: Post inspection Tips
- Push frames tightly together when done to prevent bees from building comb in the wrong places.
- Keep inspections short—5 to 10 minutes is plenty for your first visit.
- Come back for a follow-up inspection four or five days later to check on progress and spot any issues.
Step 5: Time to Add the Next Box?
If the hive is bustling—bees wall-to-wall on top bars and frames—you’re ready to add a second brood box, whether medium or deep.
In summary, don’t stress about finding the queen—look for brood and healthy activity, feed regularly, and check back in a few days. That’s it!