Hello friends. I installed my nuc 5 days ago and have been watching the weather forecast in order to plan my first inspection. The girls had to travel 7.5 hours to their new home and were installed on a rainy 70 deg F afternoon (quickly under a pop-up tent because the temp was going to fall that evening). They seem to be doing well as I’ve seen more and more action at the entrance every day. I know I need to do my first inspection but the temps for the next week are 41-70F (low-high). I have an entrance reducer on and the back vent closed to help them temp/robber-wise but wondered if I should wait until the low evening temps are above 45 before cracking the hive open to inspect it.
Thoughts on prioritizing the inspection vs letting them stabilize their new environment?
It can be difficult as a beginner to do nothing. The urge to open the hive to see how your girls are going, is strong. Most new beekeepers I’ve known, including me at the time opened the hives way too often.
Your new colony has a lot of work to do to build new comb, keep the extra space warm and protected from pests, rear new brood.
Each time we open the hive, their carefully maintained environment is thrown into chaos. It can take days to recover. It’s even harder in cold or hot conditions. There’s the added risk that inexperienced hands might accidentally roll the queen when removing or replacing a frame.
I recommend patience and wait for warmer weather. Choose a warm, still day so you can be more relaxed.
If you haven’t already, join a local bee club. They usually have beginning in bees classes, local knowledge and experience. It’s good to have support in your early days. We can help from afar, but local help is often better.
Thanks for the advice!! My gut instinct was to wait but then I wondered if it would be “neglectful” not to check and make sure everything is going well, so it’s good to hear that patience is not a bad thing
Unfortunately I live in a pretty rural area and the closest bee clubs I’ve found are 1+ hrs away. I’m not an active Facebook person but have had a little luck posting questions on the community page asking about local nectar flow/dearth periods. This forum has been a wonderful resource so far, though, and I appreciate everyone’s willingness to share their knowledge and experiences!
