Click Here if you listened. We’d love to know what you think. There is even a spot for feedback! Read along below!
By: Theresa J. Martin
Photo Credit: Theresa Martin
In this multi-part series, we are exploring methods that make solo beekeeping more safe, efficient, and enjoyable. Last month, we reviewed the pros and cons of being a solo beekeeper and the first two tips: safety and tools. This month, we discuss documentation, inspection planning, and weight management.
Tip #3: Documentation
Doing inspections well requires concentrated physical and mental energy to manipulate equipment and tools, determine if brood is healthy or there are signs of disease, locate eggs and young larvae to verify the colony has a laying queen, assess brood pattern, quantify stores, calculate colony population, identify pests, and plan next steps. This is best accomplished using good technique that avoids agitating the bees. It takes practice to build the confidence and mastery necessary to execute inspections calmly, quickly, and efficiently. Veterans and first responders have been shown to benefit from beekeeping because working a hive forces calm, pushes out intrusive thoughts, encourages mindfulness, and requires emotional regulation (Figure 1).
One thing beekeepers are not thinking about during an inspection is documentation. Yet, it is one of the most important aspects of being a great beekeeper because documentation is a tool that allows the beekeeper to recount what was observed, actions taken, and eventually, the result achieved. This ability to determine cause and effect later is critical for improvement.
Most beekeepers benefit from a documentation system, but it is especially valuable for the solo beekeeper who does not have a partner to help them remember things. There is no one best way to keep beekeeping records, except to say that the best method is the one you will actually use. My personal method is to audio record myself using an app on my phone. I talk to myself throughout the inspection, saying what I see, what I did, and what needs to be done later. When I get home, I play the recording back at fast speed and make free form notes in my bee journal. There are now AI readers that can automatically transcribe notes.
I use a labeling system to make notetaking faster. Each of my colonies are named and labeled. Boxes are numbered B1, B2, B3…from the bottom up. Frames are numbered F1, F2, F3…from the back left to right. I make notes of signs of a laying queen, larval nutrition, diseases, pests, stores, population, brood pattern, drone presence, how heavy each box feels when lifted off, old comb that needs to be replaced, small hive beetle traps that need to be replaced, boxes that need to be repaired, treatments I applied, equipment I need to bring next time, requeening events, swarms I catch, and of course, whenever I see the queen and where I found her. I circle follow-up tasks and add them to a consolidated list of actions.
As a solo beekeeper, notes help me perform more efficient inspections, avoid wasting time because I forgot to bring an item, and most importantly, help me learn from my mistakes (Figure 2).
Tip #4: Inspection Planning
Performing inspections solo takes longer with only two hands and one set of eyes. I consult documentation from the prior inspection to verify actions and assemble required gear. Before rushing to take off the covers, I try to remember to mentally choreograph my inspection, decide the most efficient order in which to perform tasks, and prepare necessary items before opening the hive. (Figure 3).
When doing an inspection, the solo beekeeper benefits from learning to “read the bees.” Use smoke to match the conditions, and heed guard bee warning signs such as bumping the veil. Being aware of seasonal changes, such as dearth periods, informs the beekeeper when to keep inspections brief to avoid setting up robbing, while still practicing Zen-like movements so the bees do not become defensive.
Finally, solo beekeepers should rightfully grant ourselves grace, credit for self-sufficiency, tolerance for mistakes, and space for improvement. After eight years of trying, I have yet to execute one inspection perfectly, with no errant movement, no popping propolis, or forgetting some small item. For me, beekeeping is striving for perfection as a goal that is joyously never achieved. I can always do better.
Tip #5: Lifting and Weight Management
On to more concrete matters, there are many hive styles a beekeeper can choose from, such as 10-frame Langstroth, 8-frame Langstroth, all mediums, polystyrene, long Langstroth, top bar, Warre, AZ, etc. The most-used style in the U.S. is the 10-frame Langstroth hive. A 10-frame deep filled with honey weighs upwards of 80 lbs. and a medium of honey weighs 50 lbs.
As a solo female beekeeper weighing 110 lbs., I eventually devised strategies that enable me to manage my 20-25 colonies without assistance. I started beekeeping with a hodge-podge of 10-frame and 8-frame equipment that was gifted to me. Like many beekeepers, I followed the conventional advice to configure my hives as double deeps, with mediums or shallows above the two deeps. Former Kentucky state apiarist Dr. Tammy Horn Potter told me, “If there are going to be problems, they usually start in the bottom deep, so to do a proper inspection, get down into the bottom box” (personal correspondence, 2018). I found I could not reliably lift off the top deep, because when loaded with honey, it weighs almost as much as I do. As a result, I was not inspecting the bottom deep as often as needed.
In my fourth year, I remedied the situation by doing splits to turn my double deeps into singles. Then, in my fifth year, I moved to all 8-frame equipment. I purchased and sanitized used 8-frame equipment and also converted my 10-frame equipment to 8-frame (Figure 4). Now, I run all 8-frame deeps on the bottom with 8-frame mediums above the deep. I can easily lift off even the heaviest 8-frame medium filled with honey.
Even using all 8-frame equipment, I needed a way to avoid lifting boxes off the ground. I use cinder blocks as my hive stand. Next to each hive stand is a second set of six cinder blocks which act as a seat to study bee behavior. This second set of cinder blocks also serves as a table on which to stack boxes during an inspection, so I do not have to lift heavy boxes off the ground (Figure 5).
Proper lifting techniques are critical for the solo beekeeper. As shown in this video, using the long-end handles positions the center of gravity closer to your body (Figure 6 QR code). Lift with your legs and squat slightly straddled to gently lower the box to the cinder block table. If lifting is not an option, there are other hive styles that require minimal lifting, such as top bar or long Langstroth. There are also hive lifters, which appear to work well (Figure 7).
Beekeeping requires organization, and preparation is even more essential for those who keep bees alone. Next month, we tackle catching swarms, performing cutouts, processing honey, doing combines, locating the queen, and finally, every solo beekeeper’s nightmare, moving hives alone.
Theresa J. Martin is the author of Dead Bees Don’t Make Honey: 10 Tips for Healthy Productive Bees, which includes a Foreword by Dr. Thomas Seeley. Theresa has achieved 99% colony survival and honey production that is twice the local average in her eight years as a beekeeper, with 20–25 colonies in Kentucky. She can be reached at theresa@littlewolf.farm
REFERENCES
1Carter, V., Ingrao, A., Bennett, J. L., & Gould, C. (2024). Healing Hives: Exploring the Effects of Beekeeping on Veteran Mental Health and Quality of Life. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 58(4), 413–422. https://www.agrability.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Healing-Hives-Article-2024-2-1.pdf-Adam-1.pdf
2Julia Mahood, Master Crafts Beekeeper and Georgia Beekeepers Association President, gave an excellent presentation for the Alabama Extension At Home Beekeeping Series on November 18,2025. She interviewed approximately 15 beekeepers and shared their record-keeping methods. https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/bees-pollinators/at-home-beekeeping-series/ Julia can be reached at julia@mapmydca.com
3Conrad, R. (2014). Deeps, mediums, shallows, or?…decisions, decisions, decisions. Bee Culture Magazine, (Nov 1, 2014).
4Kevin Inglin, host of the Beekeeper’s Corner Podcast, provides a reviewed of the Flow Super Lifter. Ratings are generally positive for the product. Inglin, K. (Host). (2025, March 29). Episode 265 – Miticide hour. The Beekeeper’s Corner Podcast. https://www.bkcorner.org/episode-265-miticide-hour/