Kevin Elfrink pops the lid off of a beehive at his home near Jackson, Missouri, where he and his wife, Lisa Elfrink, founded Elf Creek Bee Yards. He already has used the smoker filled with pine ...

While it is important to do regular inspections of your bee hives, you can also learn a lot about the state of the colony just by sitting and closely observing the front of the hive and entrance.