Meeting Minutes May 9, 2026

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• Our mission, values, accessibility

• We have agreements with 4H North Port and Port Charlotte, Hives to Hero

• North Port High School is already making products with wax from hives and selling at the farmer's market

• Hive Inspections

  • A Beginner-Friendly Guide from Mr. B’s Broody Bees

    Installing a new colony is exciting — but what happens after installation is just as important.

    The first few inspections after installing package bees or a nucleus colony (nuc) can determine whether your hive becomes a booming, productive colony… or struggles to establish itself.

    At Mr. B’s Broody Bees, we teach beginner-friendly beekeeping focused on calm inspections, healthy colonies, and learning what your bees are trying to tell you.

    This guide covers:

    • When to inspect new colonies

    • What to look for

    • Common beginner mistakes

    • Signs of healthy colony growth

    • Problems to catch early

    • Inspection tips for package bees and nucs

• Discussed brood patterns

• When to Perform the First Inspection ⏰

  For Package Bees

  The first inspection should usually happen:

  About 5–7 Days After Installation

  This allows time for:

  • The queen to be released

  • Bees to settle into the hive

  • Initial comb building to begin

  During this inspection, your biggest goal is confirming:

  👑 The queen has been accepted and released safely

• Step 1 — Observe the Hive Entrance First 🚪

  Before opening the hive, simply watch the entrance for a few minutes.

  Healthy activity often includes:

  • Bees flying steadily

  • Pollen being carried inside

  • Calm guard bees

  • Orientation flights from young bees

  These are all good signs that the colony is adjusting well.

  ⚠️ Little or no activity may indicate:

  • queen problems,

  • starvation,

  • drifting,

  • or colony stress.

• Step 2 — Use Smoke Lightly 🔥

  Too much smoke can make inspections harder.

  Use:

  • 1–2 gentle puffs at the entrance

  • A small amount under the lid

  Then wait about 30 seconds, but you don't have to wait.

  The goal is calm bees — not overwhelming the colony.

  💡 Cool white smoke works best.

• Step 3 — Check for the Queen or Fresh Eggs 👑

  You do not always need to physically see the queen.

  Instead, look for:

  • Fresh eggs

  • Tiny larvae

  • Healthy brood patterns

  Fresh eggs standing upright in cells mean:

  ✅ The queen was present within the last 3 days.

  That alone is often enough confirmation.

• Healthy Brood Patterns Look Like:

  • Tight and consistent

  • Minimal empty cells

  • Multiple stages of brood

  Spotty or irregular brood patterns can signal:

  ⚠️ Queen issues

  ⚠️ Poor mating

  ⚠️ Disease

  ⚠️ Nutritional stress

• Step 4 — Check Comb Building 🪵

  New colonies should steadily build comb.

  Good Signs:

  • Bright white wax

  • Straight comb construction

  • Expanding brood area

  • Nectar storage beginning

  Watch for Cross Comb

  Cross comb occurs when bees build comb unevenly between frames.

  This is easier to correct early.

  💡 Keeping frames tight together helps encourage straight comb building.

• Step 5 — Monitor Food Stores 🍯

  New colonies burn enormous amounts of energy.

  Check for:

  • Stored nectar

  • Pollen reserves

  • Syrup consumption

  • Honey production beginning

  Many new colonies benefit from supplemental feeding during establishment.

  Common Spring Feeding Ratio

  1:1 sugar syrup1:1 sugar syrup

  This supports:

  • Wax production

  • Brood rearing

  • Colony buildup

• Step 6 — Watch for Pests & Problems 🦠

  Even new colonies can develop issues quickly.

  During inspections, look for:

  • Varroa mites

  • Small hive beetles

  • Wax moth damage

  • Deformed wings

  • Spotty brood patterns

  Routine mite monitoring is one of the most important habits new beekeepers can learn early.

  The Honey Bee Health Coalition strongly recommends regular varroa testing throughout the season.

• Have hives in full sun and off the ground- can help with keeping pests out of the hive.

• Don't treat for the heck of treating. Have a reason.

• Common Beginner Inspection Mistakes ⚠️

  Inspecting Too Frequently

  Opening the hive too often:

  • Disrupts brood temperature

  • Stresses the colony

  • Slows progress

  Purposeful inspections are best.

  Crushing Bees During Inspections

  Move slowly and carefully.

  Avoid:

  • Sliding boxes roughly

  • Slamming frames together

  • Rolling bees between frames

• Varroa Testing and Treatments

• Gather Your Supplies 🐝

  • Mason jar or mite wash cup with mesh lid

  • Rubbing alcohol, Powdered Suagr or CO2

  • 1/2 cup measuring scoop (about 300 bees)

  • White tray or bucket for counting mites

  • Protective gear + smoker

  • Notebook or phone to record results

• How often should you be testing? Once a month

• Collect the Bees

  • Choose a brood frame with nurse bees

  • Avoid collecting the queen 👑

  • Scoop approximately 1/2 cup of bees into your container

  • Place bees into the wash jar immediately

  💡 Nurse bees are most likely to carry varroa mites, making your count more accurate.

• Add the Wash Solution

  • Pour enough alcohol or Powdered sugar into the jar to fully cover or coat the bees

  • Secure the mesh lid tightly

  • Let the jar sit for about 30 seconds

  This helps loosen the mites from the bees.

• Shake the Jar

  • Shake vigorously for 60 seconds

  • Swirl and shake again for another 60 seconds

  The goal is to knock mites off the bees and into the liquid or container for counting

• Count the Mites

  • Pour the liquid through the mesh into a white tray or bucket

  • Count the reddish-brown mites visible in the liquid

  • Record your mite count

  🔍 A higher mite count means treatment may be needed.

• Calculate Your Infestation Rate

  A 1/2 cup sample contains about 300 bees.

  Use this formula:

  Mites Counted / 3 = % infestation

  Example:

  • 9 mites found = 3% infestation rate

  Many beekeepers consider:

  • Under 2% = low

  • 2–3% = monitor closely

  • Over 3% = treatment often recommended

• Why It Matters

  Varroa mites are one of the leading causes of colony loss. Regular mite washes help:

  • Monitor colony health

  • Prevent crashes before they happen

  • Improve overwintering success

  • Support stronger, healthier bees 🐝

• Preventing Swarms

• Why do they warm? Nectar flow, need more space, additional resources, might not like to draw the comb they have in the current hive, not doing regular inspections.

• GIVE THE COLONY MORE SPACE 📦

  One of the most effective ways to reduce swarming is preventing overcrowding inside the hive.

  Methods:

  • Add honey supers before the hive becomes crowded

  • Add brood boxes as populations expand

  • Rotate drawn comb into the brood nest

  • Improve airflow and ventilation during hot weather

  💡 Congested colonies are much more likely to swarm.

  According to Cornell CALS Pollinator Network, timely supering and providing room for expansion are key swarm prevention techniques.

• Split Strong Colonies 🐝➡️🐝

  Hive splitting mimics natural swarming in a controlled way.

  A split usually involves:

  • Removing frames of brood and bees

  • Creating a second colony

  • Introducing a queen or allowing the bees to raise one

  Benefits:

  • Reduces congestion

  • Lowers swarm impulse

  • Creates additional colonies

  • Helps interrupt varroa reproduction cycles

  University extension programs and the Honey Bee Health Coalition commonly recommend spring splits as one of the best swarm management practices.

• REQUEEN WITH YOUNG QUEENS 👑

  Colonies with older queens are more likely to swarm.

  Many beekeepers:

  • Replace queens every 1–2 years

  • Use queens bred for calmer, lower-swarming genetics

  • Requeen aggressive or swarm-prone colonies

  Young queens produce stronger pheromones that help stabilize colony behavior.

  Cornell CALS specifically lists frequent requeening as an important swarm prevention strategy.

• Manage the Brood Nest 🪺

  A crowded brood nest can trigger swarm preparations.

  Common methods include:

  • Alternating empty drawn comb between brood frames

  • Opening the brood nest gradually

  • Removing excess honey bound frames

  ⚠️ This should be done carefully to avoid chilling brood.

  Cornell’s Pollinator Network recommends expanding the brood nest with drawn comb to reduce congestion pressure.

• MONITOR FOR QUEEN CUPS & SWARM CELLS 🔎

  Regular inspections help catch swarm preparations early.

  Watch for:

  • Queen cups along the bottoms of frames

  • Charged swarm cells containing larvae or royal jelly

  • Backfilling of the brood nest with nectar

  • Heavy bearding and congestion

  📅 Spring is peak swarm season in many regions.

  Cornell’s seasonal beekeeping calendar notes that swarm cells commonly appear as colonies become crowded during spring buildup.

• MAINTAIN HEALTHY COLONIES & CONTROL VARROA 🦠

  Stress from pests and disease can contribute to unstable colonies.

  Good management includes:

  • Routine mite testing

  • Timely varroa treatment when thresholds are exceeded

  • Adequate nutrition and forage

  • Replacing old comb

  • Maintaining strong queens

  The Honey Bee Health Coalition emphasizes that healthy colonies require regular varroa monitoring and integrated pest management.

• UNDERSTAND THAT SWARMING IS NATURAL 🌼

  Even well-managed colonies may still swarm.

  Swarming is how honey bee colonies naturally reproduce and expand.

  The goal of swarm prevention is not always to stop swarming completely — it is to:

  • Reduce the chances

  • Keep colonies productive

  • Prevent losing large populations of bees

  • Maintain healthier hive management

  Several extension and research programs note that completely preventing swarming is difficult because it is a natural reproductive behavior of honey bees.

• Honey Tasting is scheduled for June 13 meeting!

  • If you have honey you'd like to share with a tasting, please bring it. We will have honey from Nassau, Cozumel and other places to share.