Pin test for hygienic bees

01 · WHAT IT MEASURES

Hours per cell, not a loose percentage

The stamp covers the first of three steps. Before stamping you record the cells in the square that were already empty (N0); then you count the fully cleaned cells at three cumulative checks (N1, N2, N3) and, at the last one, those still sealed (NL). The maker's calculator turns those figures into HT: the average hours per cell cleared. Under 10 h is excellent; 10-20 very good; 20-35 good; 35-40 sufficient; 40 or more insufficient, a colony to keep out of breeding.

02 · CELL PITCH

The 5.4 mm is the gap between needles

It is not the thickness of the needle nor a dimension of the stamp: it is the distance between points, so each one lands in the centre of a cell. If the comb pitch does not match, the needles pierce cell walls and the count means nothing. Count ten cells in a row and measure: 5.4 cm is this version. The maker also builds 4.9 mm (small cell) and 5.1 mm (standard worker foundation), which we do not stock. Frame format is irrelevant, the stamp never touches it.

03 · AT THE APIARY

Solid patch, brush the bees off, press to the base

Pick an area that is fully capped with no empty cells, with pupae three to six days after capping: they pierce cleanly and the test reads better. Brush the bees off, rest the frame and press flat until the needles reach the base of the cells; the body is low and has no handle, so you push with your fingers on the rim. Outline the square with a marker pen and return the frame to its place. For 100 cells, stamp twice side by side.

04 · TIMING

Main season, and two or three repeats

Run it in the main season, with a strong colony and plenty of sealed brood. Checks fall at 12, 24 and 36 h, or at 24, 48 and 72 h if one visit a day suits you better: both protocols give the same rating. Repeat two or three times a season on promising colonies, because colony strength, weather, the forage phase and the age of the queen all move the result.

05 · BEFORE YOU BUY

Supplied as one unit with 5.4 mm spacing, without a template or a record sheet: HT is worked out in the maker's online calculator. It is not used on drone comb, and the maker declares no material for the body or the needles.