Some good options I have found in preparing for a hive inspection or if I feel I need to get out to the apiary but the weather isn't cooperating - too hot especially - It is remarkable how much data can be collected from outside the hive:
Use your phone to video the coming and going of each hive for at least one full minute.
- Take a photo of that hive if you have many hives
- If you use BroodMinder - highly recommended - take a temperature reading of the brood box
- Go through each video reminding yourself of the hive history, dates of importance - like swarm date, swarm capture date, install date, last inspection date. Record time of day, weather - is pollen coming in? Is there fanning for ventilation - bee butts down - or fanning for incoming foragers - bee butts up? Drones present? Count approximately how many bees enter the hive in that one minute and how many bees are on the landing board along with any interesting behaviors.
Do the math on swarm event colonies:
- Presume a virgin queen exist on the swarm date in the parent hive and count how long it will be until you see capped brood before going in. I wait until she's had time to mate, lay, and have capped brood before an inspection. that's about 16 - 18 days. 5 to get her legs under her, 2-3 days to mate, 9 to the first capped brood. Doing the math can relieve you of any guilt that you've gone in too soon to see evidence she successfully returned from mating. You should still have time to buy and install a queen.
- If you caught the swarm, presume the mother Queen is on the job from that date, laying new brood. The population of that colony will not increase until the first hatch or in 21 plus days. Give them time to settle in. Pollen coming in tells the tale.
- One last thing I can do is slip in a sticky board below the screened bottom board to see if cappings wax appears and where as an indicator that new brood is hatching.
Depending on how many colonies you have this data can form a respectable view of your colonies and fill several pages in your notebook. I find it empowering to have a good plan in place before I go in on a good weather day and rock their world.