A beekeeper with a colonized hive must remember that the success in keeping bees depends on the exercise of his knowledge of colony organization. This entry focuses on practices to examine and control the colony. The first part gives detailed advice on how to inspect a hive and its colony by opening the hive and controlling the individual combs. The second part discusses the phenomenon of swarming and discusses measures to avoid the unwanted separation of a colony.
This technology is part of a series on hive management derived from the FAO publication Beekeeping in Africa.