How do you inspect a hive with multiple boxes?

Beekeeping - Basics
21

http://www.horizontalhive.com/how-to-build/long-langstroth-plans.shtml
THIS is GREAT!!! That’s nearly exactly what I meant. It should be no big deal to install flow frames in that. I’d make the lid with hinges and a front latch to secure it. You could even make it lockable. To adjust the size to the current situation, you can use a divider. I’d make the bottom a screen bottom with extra space to put a slider in if wanted.
If you have several entrances, you can even locate more than one hive in that, if neccessary. Great for housing swarms, if you caught more of them than you thought…

22

Yes…that’s the one I was thinking of…it’s a great hive.

25

And you have some of that Nordic DNA running through your veins. Viking strength.

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27

I am happy to lift heavy frames…so a long hive for me…and should it ever happen and we get a strong flow of nectar…I will put supers above too…ha ha.

29

We have had this discussion before…Ho Ho…my bees will fill a jumbo hive…which takes 10 frames…12x14. They can do the same in half of my long hive. If they need extra space…I can add a few extra frames but if it is getting that big then I can do a sideways demarree…no lifting boxes. The colony continues to grow but acts as if it has swarmed, the foragers continue to collect nectar, a new queen can be made…and put in a nuc and the colony combines…so lots of choices about swarming controls without reducing chances of honey…supers can be put above the brood nest and honey can be taken from the large frames too…if desired…mind you, here in the UK honey is a treat.

30

I prefer inspecting from the bottom up!

It’s the same process, but move all the supers off into a stack first,
then inspect what is the most important box in the hive first - the brood box.

Then if the bees get annoyed, the rain starts, the wind picks up or the wife phones and says the house is on fire, cutting short your inspection means that you’ve done the brood box.
Once the brood box is done, you can take as long or as short as you like checking the supers as you put them back, and when you get used to doing it that way it’s really no different to the default top down way, there’s exactly the same amount of lifting and checking, except as you’re doing the important bit first it’s less of an issue if you have to cut the inspection short.

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