Revisiting the New Hive
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A week after package installation, you will need to open up your new beehive to see how the colony is doing and to perform some basic management.  This will be the first time you have the opportunity to inspect the frames for comb development and eggs.  You will also need to remove the empty queen cage and any burr or brace comb the bees may have built during their first week of furnishing their new home, stocking their pantries and decorating their nursery.

See also: Preparing to Visit the Apiary

	Installation task
	Step 1 - Smoke the hive Before opening the hive, blow a few puffs of smoke into the entrance.  Remove the top cover and blow some more smoke under the hive-top feeder.  Remove the hive-top feeder. Blowing smoke into the hive will calm the bees as they will engorge themselves on honey from their comb.   See also: Apply Smoke in the Entrance, Lighting the Smoker
	Step 2 - Remove the Queen Cage Remove the queen cage you previously inserted between the brood frames (see the tutorial "Installing the Bee Packages", in the step "Install the queen cage in the brood box"). Inspect the queen cage to ensure that it's empty.  If the queen is still in the cage, remove the cage screen and allow her to crawl directly onto the center brood frames with the other bees.
	Step 3 - Remove Brace or Burr Comb When you installed the queen cage in the brood box, you left a gap where the bees could build burr or brace comb.  Bees will build the free-hanging honeycomb because there is more than a 3/8" gap (a "bee space") within the hive.  This comb is valuable, since it contains up to 1000 new honeybee eggs.  Wasting this comb could significantly weaken the population growth of your new hive.
	Brush all bees from the surface of the comb in preparation for removing the comb from the hive surfaces.
	Using your hive tool, carefully remove the comb from the hive surfaces.
	Step 4 (Optional) - Reclaim Free Brood Comb If you have a comb-capture frame, similar to the one shown below, you can reclaim the free-hanging burr or brace comb the bees have built during the first week, which contains eggs.  This is a step that will significantly strengthen your new hive, as this free brood comb may contain a thousand or more new eggs.   Remove an empty outer frame from the brood box to make a space for the comb-capture frame.
	Mount the brood comb within the comb-capture frame so it can be reinserted into the hive.
	Clamp the top of the comb firmly in the comb-capture frame to ensure it doesn't fall into the hive when the frame is inserted.
	Reinstall the comb-capture frame into the hive in the space left by the brood comb.
	Step 5 - Remove and inspect frames Remove one or more frames and inspect them for eggs, starting from middle frames and working outward.  If you see eggs laid in the brood cells, you know the queen is alive and well.  If you cannot see eggs in any of the cells, you must replace the queen immediately.
	Replace all brood frames when you have finished inspecting them.
	Step 6 - Next Page

BeeCARE Learning Center
Opening and Inspecting the Hive

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