The pin test is a simple, repeatable method. It measures how quickly bees remove artificially killed brood – revealing their natural resistance to disease.
A needle stamp with 50 needles (spacing 4.9 / 5.1 / 5.4 mm to match your cell size). One press kills 50 cells at once – evenly and fast.
If you don't have PinTest, a transparent template marking 50–100 cells works – you then pierce them by hand with a needle.
Mark the test spot with a pen and record the number of cleaned cells at each check (on a sheet or in our calculator).
You can complete the whole test in one visit and three short checks. All you need is the PinTest tool and a little time. Follow the steps below.
Pick an area that is completely capped with no empty cells. Younger pupae (about 3–6 days after capping) are ideal – they pierce easily. Gently brush the bees off the comb.
Place PinTest on the chosen spot and press so the needles pierce the caps down to the base of the cells. PinTest has 50 needles – test on 50 or 100 cells (for 100, press twice side by side). Without PinTest, use a template and pierce the cells by hand.
Following the PinTest imprint, mark the test spot with a pen so you can find it easily at the checks. Then return the frame to its original place in the hive. (Record any initially empty cells as N0.)
At each check, count how many cells are already fully cleaned (completely empty and clean). Count cumulatively: N1, N2, N3. At the last check also record the number of still-sealed cells (NL).
Our online calculator puts the values into the official formula and returns the result HT (in hours) and a verbal rating of the colony.
Choose the interval between checks to suit your schedule. Both protocols lead to the same rating.
Faster protocol – checks at roughly 12, 24 and 36 hours. Suitable if you can visit the hive outside regular daytime hours.
More convenient protocol – checks over the next three days (at 24, 48 and 72 h). One visit a day is enough.
The result is the value HT – the average number of hours the colony took to clean one killed cell. The lower the number, the faster and more hygienic the colony. The calculation follows a proven pin test methodology.
HT = [ (N1−N0)·T1/2 + (N2−N1)·(T1+T2)/2 + (N3−N2)·(T2+T3)/2 + (P−N3−NL)·(T3+D/2) ] / (P−N0−NL) + (NL·T3)/(N3−N0)
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| P | number of cells in the test area (usually 100) |
| N0 | empty cells at the start (no brood) |
| N1, N2, N3 | cumulatively cleaned cells at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd check |
| NL | still-sealed cells at the last check |
| D | check interval (12 or 24 hours) |
| T1, T2, T3 | actual times of the checks from the start of the test (h) |
Colonies with the lowest values are ideal for breeding. Colonies with a value of 40 h and above should be removed from breeding (requeen).