The books / Introduction to Beekeeping / chapter 4 of 8
The inspection
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You do not need to see the queen herself, you need to see her work. Fresh eggs standing upright in the cell like tiny grains of rice mean she was laying within the last three days, and that is good enough.
What to look for
- Is the colony queenright?
- Has it room?
- Has it food?
An inspection costs the colony a day repairing the disruption, so it should not ask more than it teaches: once every seven to ten days in season is plenty, and the entrance tells you most of the rest.
Skip the ones that would fall in rain or cold. Wet bees chill fast, brood chills faster, and a colony forced to defend itself in weather it cannot fly in gets nothing from the visit but stress. Wait for a calm, warm, dry afternoon instead.
Try this in the game: Inspect a hive.