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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- Paul Kelly, research and apiary manager, instructs viewers on how to control and prevent swarms.
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We would like to thank Québec beekeepers Marie-Hélène Majeau and Susan Kennerknecht for translating our videos into French. We are very grateful for their help with this project. (To view translation, click on settings then subtitles)
Nous aimerions remercier deux apicultrices du Québec, Marie-Hélène Majeau et Susan Kennerknecht pour la traduction de ces vidéos en français. Nous leur en sommes très reconnaissants. (Pour accéder à la traduction française, sélectionnez paramètres et ensuite sous-titres)
Thank you to everyone for watching and supporting our videos! If you have any questions about our videos, please check out our list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS on our website, which can be found at honeybee.uoguelph.ca/videos/frequently-asked-questions/
please translate subtitles on other language, or allow this options for us.
Hi Taras
I think we have i set up now where anyone can translate the videos. It would be great if someone took up that challenge! Thanks.
UoG Honey Bee Research Ce i wanted to see how this hive is doing today ,are those super honey's full
UoG Honey Bee Research Centre are you not doing videos anymore??
What is that you have on top of he hive under the lid is it cloth are what do you use?
I am from Bosnia and I am a beekeeper thank you for thise videos ,finally there is some one with pure knowledge who wants to shere we us ordinary beekeepers thank you so much !!!God bless You !!!!
This is the best RUclips channel for new beekeepers i have found. Very informative an easy explaining. Thank you!
Thanks you Johannes. Go bees!
These are so good. I'm a new beekeeper, and they really supplement other information sources. I'm so glad you folks put these together and made the available. Thanks!
You are most welcome. Thanks Charles for the encouraging feedback. Good luck with your bees this year.
Thank you for these videos. I'm a first year, one hive beekeeper, so I don't even know what I don't know! I learn something every time I get on RUclips.
These videos are great! Very helpful. Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into these videos.
You are quite welcome Jeffrey.
Good to hear you find the videos helpful.
Hi from Denmark
I enjoy your videos ... very instructive.
Anyway Im not sure about this kind of swarm control. According to my experience, it is impossible to control the swarming tendense IF the queen is slim and out off laying eggs. It is too late and they will swarm anyway. The clipped wing will result in the queens crash to the ground where she will die. The bees will fly back home, BUT if you have destroyed all cells, they will be queenless. Dont do that.
What do I do? I split the hive ..... take the queen plus 3-5 frames and a lot of bees into a nuc and bring it to another place. The rest of the family think the swarm has gone without them and will nurse a new queen. If you want, it is possible to reunite the two hives again.
Thank again
Finn
Thanks Finns
It is possible to control swarming and we did so with the hive in the video without further intervention. The key is to remove absolutely every queen cell OR don't remove cells if no eggs are present AND you can't locate the queen.This is mentioned in the video.. If a strong nectar flow starts after swarm control the bees abandon any inclination to swarm. The hive in the video produced 100 kg of honey and we re-queened it in midsummer as we aren't interested in keeping bees that may swarm. Our other videos on splitting hives addresses means of preventing swarming but this video was meant to be about controlling swarming.
I'm happy to hear you find the videos instructive. Good luck getting your bees through winter Finns.
Bees need to swarm in my opinion and I like making the splits same way. It's more natural for them and helps with the mites control
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Hi, I would say that any colony - as overcrowded as the one in the video would have a high tendancy to swarm. Nothing bad or abnormal about that.
For us Bee-ginner ‘Apiarists’ this is the BEST kind of video! We need to know the terms and the concepts and bee beehavior. Thanks for sharing your EXPREIENCE! There are lots of people on RUclips that have ‘knowledge’ but you really opened my eyes to the kinds of things to look for in my early period of beekeeping. The idea of having extra ‘supers’ on hand. I also decided to use the hive manufacturer’s measurements and design and make lots of extra bases, separators and tops for future expansion. The one thing that makes me crazy is that you sit there without any protection from the bees! I have a deadly allergy to wasp stings….a mild reaction to bee stings…so the beekeeping suit is the one thing I REALLY splurged on! I’m hoping to start with two hives of two supers each my first year and add one super and double the number of hives every year up to thirty. I’m a sheep herder who is getting older. So as I get older and less able to handle sheep I will sell that operation and expand my beekeeping operation. It’s work and I LOVE to work! And it’s something I can keep learning for the rest of my days.
This guy is a master beekeeper. Very informative and well experienced in the art of apiary.
Ah shucks.Thanks!
Thanks for a clear, straight to the point video.
I just learned a few good points that I didn’t know about.
Be blessed.
Hi Keen
We do try to keep our videos to the point but you know how hard it is to stop talking about bees! Nice to hear you picked up some points.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I do know how hard that is..
This is one on the best video's I've seen on the topic. Thank you very much for this information.
Thanks David!
Thanks Paul! I went back and pulled out this video to review as I'm getting ready for Swarm Season here in Western Kentucky. Thank you for all the excellent information and knowledge you've passed on!
Hi James and Denise
Nice to hear you find a review helpful. Wow, we've got two feet of snow and you are thinking about swarming! Thanks for your kind comments. You are very welcome. 21 more videos coming out soon.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre LOL Paul...:) It was 16c yesterday and again today but going to -4c tomorrow night w a high of 1c! I'm only "thinking" about Swarms, Swarm Traps and just trying to be prepared! End on March here Swarming will start occurring unless one is prepared! Thanks again for everything you and the @UoG Honey Bee Research Centre does for beekeeping!
You are very welcome. It's encouraging to hear our efforts are appreciated. Have a great bee year James and Denise! ( I'm impressed with your conversion to degrees C! ) Thanks!
Just stumbled across your videos and wanted to thank you for the informative and well-shot lessons. As a beginner beekeeper, I really appreciate all that you and your crew have done! Keep up the good work.
Hi Nathan
Thanks for the kind comments! Good luck with your bees this year.
6:18 - doing this in shorts gives me major anxiety. I have a hive that needs to be re-queened, because the bees are a bin ornery when I get close. The idea of doing any of this without a full suit is increadible to me...
Joe, then you need to requeen that hive!
So relaxing watching you!
For the new beekeepers out there, you could have done everything he did with the cells and cups but instead of adding several supers, you could have made serveral splits from those hives given the time of year it is and the circumstances.
Yes those boxes where packed with single brood boxes, I would of gave them a second brood box the add honey super if I didn’t want to split them, the brood boxes where over crowded so even giving them honey supers they would have still swarmed I feel. I like double brood boxes on my hives, there very very strong colonies and the honey they produce is awesome, also splitting you can get many splits out of them to. Just my 2 cents worth. 👍
@@fishmut - what's a double brood box got to do with awesome honey?
With the queen cells available, this could have been split into 3 or 4 (stretching it) new hives. These bees seem like a really good hive, that queen is a BOSS.
Another option would have been to take these queen cells out of the hive. Transfer to a queen cell maker, shaking out nurse bees. Take the queens and artificially insemination them after they hatch, clip the wings and put into new nucs
Great lesson and well presented. I will be trying to do myf irst split. all my bees came through the winter well.
I'm writing for my Bee Club in Hendersonville, NC.
Our season is much longer than yours in Canada. We also have multiple flows. We are experimenting with the single box approach - have removed queen cells and even removed frames of brood as we are afraid of overcrowding and swarming etc.. We have standard double box colonies in our apiary so we have been using the Q cells and brood frames to help out colonies that can use those supplies - BUT - our big question is in a single brood box system is there a time when that colony reaches an equilibrium of old Bees dying off and new brood hatching out ??? Meaning, we've done a lot of manipulating frames is that necessary ? Or using this method is it inevitable that the apiary will grow and / or do we start selling Bees ?
Thank you in advance for your reply. The Henderson County Bee Association loves your informative and unique approach to bee keeping, Thanks Again !
I rewatch a lot of your videos every year just to remind me the proper way to take care of my girls
That's encouraging to hear Patrick. There are many ways to keep bees. We try to show what we find works for us.
Thanks Patrick!
Awesome!
Many U-tube videos say look at the eggs or look at the larva, but you cannot see them. Your close-ups show fantastic views of eggs and larva. I have yet to see eggs in my own hives because of my poor eye sight. If i keep seeing covered brood I figure the queen is still laying.
Great information and videos
Thank-you
Thanks Stephen.
It is hard for some people to see eggs. I find that most people in our courses can though with a little help getting the frame held where the light is best. A sunny day is best. Those that use reading glasses need them to see eggs. It also helps to clear some of the bees away. I think we showed that in 'Colony Inspection'.
Thanks for letting us know you appreciate our videos.
Excellent information - very well presented. Thank you.
I love your video's, How do you keep from getting stung ?
We breed for gentle bees and use smoke when we work our bees.
We do get stung too but figure it's good for us!
Very clear explanation and liked the video.
Thanks a lot for teaching us sir Paul....
Our pleasure! Thanks for your kind comment DFFG :)
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre You're always welcome sir Paul :)
If the queen is old and may not be laying well, wouldn't you want to leave some of the queen cups so that the hive could raise a new queen? Thank you for the video. It was excellent.
I am new at beekeeping in South Texas. Thanks for all the great explanations!!
You are welcome Paula. Thanks for your comment and have fun with your bees!
Thanks for all videos. If we see the signs of swarming and we have an empty hive available, can we just split the frames and leave the ones with queen cell in the new hive? Will they hatch and continue building their new colony?
You could do that but it does mean you are selecting for swarming behavior.
learned a lot from you! I am a surgeon by profession, my hobby is bees.Thank you. I'm from Republic Tatarstan !
Hi Marat
Hello all the way over in Tatarstan!
That's encouraging to hear you've found our videos helpful. Beekeeping sounds like a good way to unwind from your demanding occupation.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre thank you. I'm waiting for new films !!!
10 days & check again . how long would it take for them to actually hatch a new queen?
Hi, thanks for the helpful video in swarm control! I have adopted your model but since I have two deeps instead of one, I'm running into some troubles with too many bees. Would appreciate any helpful advice. Here's my situation:
I made a split in each of my two overwintered colonies a couple of weeks ago. Subsequently I found queen cells on both the parent colonies at my weekly inspection. Upon spotting the queen last week, I removed the queen cells, reversed the two deeps, kept the brood nest open, checked to make sure there were adequate room in the supers and then happily closed them up.
However, things were much more overwhelming today as the colony seemed to have grown so much since last week. I saw queen cells again and I started repeating the same procedure in looking for the queen as last week but because there were so many more bees and foragers this time, I had a hard time locating the queen. Things got out of control readily when the foragers returned and more and more bees started flying around. I felt things were getting out of control fast and I still couldn't find the queen in the chaos. I got panicky and started removing the queen cells so I could close them back up. I felt horrible for not following the rule to locate the queen first but it was apple cart upset big time and I didn't want to torment them anymore. (There were, however, young larvae/eggs in the hive so hope the queen was still home!)
Should I have made another split in this situation? How would you advice moving forward with both these big colonies? I found today very daunting and discouraged. Please help!
Hi Niki
It can be tough when there are that many bees in a hive. Since there were still eggs you should be safe to remove the cells without finding the queen. I find I can only see all the cells if I shake the bees off each frame. I hope the nectar flow starts soon and your swarming preparations subside. Making up a split is certainly an option with very strong hives at this time of year. I'm not sure this information is helpful but I understand your dilemma.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre
Hi Paul, Thanks for your prompt response. I'v been doing a lot of reflecting lately concerning my two overwintered colonies, each has a 2018 Saskatraz Queen. They went into last winter with three deeps full of bees and came out of the winter with about the same amount of bees. While I celebrated the success, it presented other issues like lifting heavy boxes, having to make splits earlier than there were queen available so they won't swarm, dealing with the on-going masses of bees at each inspection and now the problem that I discussed earlier in the above message. I live in Minnesota and I was trained to keep bees in three deeps ( U of M ) that as a beginner, it's easier to start out this way making sure the bees have around 100 lbs of honey/pollen in the third deep going into our long, cold winter. I thought everyone does bees this way but when I saw your videos and saw how you mostly have one deep, I was fascinated and I want to know everything I can to keep bees that way. Do you have workshops or training on that? I would definitely be there to learn! Thanks!
Hi Niki
I'm familiar with the Minnesota method of using three deep boxes.I can see where there could be some advantages with food stores but think that it makes brood chamber work too difficult. In Ontario about 60% of our hives are kept in single brood chambers. It's far more efficient and productive. We did a video on singles vs doubles that explains some of the methods. There really isn't too much to it.
Congratulations on getting your hives through the winter. With two triples you could split to 6 singles!
My rule of thumb is to add a supper when there are 3 or fewer empty frames. I also find that having a frame of new foundation among those 3 empty frames helps eliminating swarming. This helps because wax-producing workers have a place to put their wax.My number one reason for avoiding swarming is it's not right to have several thousand of my bees move into the wall or soffit of a neighbor's home.
That's a responsible way of looking at it Blaine. Thanks for your thoughts.
Why not add a supper if there are 4,5,or 6 frames of is there a drawback for some reason?
@@Govstuff137 I find that adding too much room too quickly slows down the progress of the colony. I think that a lot of beekeepers put too much super space on the hive so that they can spread out the frequency of inspections. This practice leaves the beekeeper out-of-touch with what the colony needs.
Hi Paul I know you can't possibly answer all questions and have referred to your FAQ section. Thanks for the great resource! It's my first year and I started with new hives/foundation and nuc in June. I had not anticipated having to deal with swarming in year 1. One of my hives has twice tried to swarm and then return to the hive - I have 2 brood boxes and 2 supers. The first super (undrawn) was added 2 weeks before I witnessed the swarm and a potentially capped queen cell. it's now late August and I am reluctant to do a split to prevent swarming at this date ( I am in Northern Ontario). I am really not sure what to do at this point but my plan is to verify if the queen is still there. I didnt see her or eggs yesterday so I am thinking I better leave the queen cells.
Didnt realize you could prevent swarming by continuously removing swarm cells and adding more room.
I had virgin queens swarming this past season in all 6 of my hives. Hopefully, if i run into that issue again, i can add supers earlier in the season than i did last year. Thanks guys.
Our pleasure. Good luck this year!
Not planning to keep bee but find your videos fascinating. Thank you for sharing. 💖🐝
Thanks Nunya. I'm happy to hear that some non beekeepers enjoy the videos too!
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre 😊 I shared this video with my sister (she has bad migraines and "normal" jobs are a challenge for her). She's interested in doing this and lives in winery, strawberry, corn, soy farm land. Lots of clover growing wild.
To make 30 to 60k how many hours are involved? I'm sure it's varied on how fast the bees get food etc, but do you have an approximation by month? We are in the Piedmont of North Carolina. She has several acres, most in partial sun and one in actual woods with a spring.
The people that use to have bees here have passed on so maybe we can help the bee population.? 🌻🌼🌾🍀🐝
@@nunya___ Hi Nunya
If she's really interested the best way is to take courses and even get a job working for a beekeeper. Making a living with bees is not easy but it is interesting.
I love these videos, they are excellent. The only thing I would do different is add an empty frame or two so the queen has room to lay, but it's still an excellent video series. Thank you for taking the time to produce these!
You are very welcome Kevin. Great to hear you appreciate the video series! That's a good suggestion to add some empty frames. I was counting on the bees moving honey up into the honey supers to make more room for the queen to lay but your suggestion would give her space immediately. The hive didn't swarm and was very productive. We re queened it later as part of our ongoing efforts to minimize swarming behaviour.
You showed that the Queen was getting smaller but I wasn't sure why. After you removed the Queen cups and cells will she regain size? Nice to see how you shake the bees off for visibility and to avoid crushing them.
When a queen stops laying to prepare to leave with a swarm she gets smaller. She can't fly unless she drops the weight! After removing queen cups and cells she starts laying again and gets bigger. Thanks for your question and comment FP.
Thank you. Very helpful for next spring!
Glad you find the videos helpful Richard. Good luck with your bees in the spring!
I wish i had seen this video two months ago! My strongest colony was building quickly and I wasn't doing the right things quickly enough - it swarmed (possibly more than one swarm) and I had to re-queen as well. But I'll have a better plan for next year. Thanks!
This was the 'year of the swarm'. We did the swarm control shown in the video on most of our hives and it worked in most cases. Better luck next year Corrine!
Thank you for this video and several others which have been very informative and concise and on topic. While I appreciate all the sharing others do, I find the videos often tedious and vague. Please keep producing these for us new beeks. A few questions: how often do you examine for new queen cells and destroy them in an overpopulated hive? How often do you examine your hives, in general? Your hives look so healthy with no hive beetles or traps. How do you manage that? and last of all (for this posting) Do you have varoa and how do you prefer to treat the hive (chemical and method)? Thanks again for all the help!
Hi Candee
Thanks for your comments. I'm pleased to hear you find the videos helpful. We did 33 last summer so maybe you haven't seen them all yet! I'll try and answer your questions but they could really use a more thorough answer than I'll be able to give here. We are keeping notes so we can do more videos with topics based on the comments we receive.
1. We check for queen cells only in colonies that are stronger based on our ratings as described. We only do this at the time of year bees are prone to swarming ie just before the main summer nectar flow. In some colonies we check twice, a week apart, if we have the time and we've found cells in them previously. We stop looking once the nectar flow gets going and the time for swarm preparation has passed.
2. I like to check on all hives at least once every two weeks April to November ( in our climate).
3. We don't have hive beetles here yet but they aren't far away. We do have varroa mites and that is our most significant problem. We inspect for and monitor diseases and pests and control them using both cultural and chemical controls (naturally occurring chemicals and synthetic) where necessary. We only use methods and materials for pest and disease controls that have been scientifically proven to be effective and we use these responsibly. We should do a video on cultural control methods but have steered clear of making specific chemical controls recommendations since they vary from one place to the next. It's best to find out what's recommended in your own location.
I hope you and your bees do well this year Candee.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I look forward to seeing all of your videos. I have seen about 6 or 7 so far. I have one more question: Can we switch our president for yours?
You are welcome Candee. I think we'll keep ours but thanks for the offer :)
Great video really appreciate it thank you. May I ask as we are new bee keepers why did you cage the queen whilst you dealt with the cells?
Really enjoyed your videos very informative cheers from nz
Glad you like them. Cheers Haydon in NZ!
Soooo, we check the hive in 10 days and they haven't swarmed. There are no more queen cups meaning they have decided to stay. Will the queen stay small or will she get bigger, like before? I like this queen. She has good coverage on the brood frames and she makes lots of bees. 💜🌞🌵
She definitely gets bigger as she gets back to laying.
after how many days do u have to repeat the process??? thank you for uploading and taking time for the educative video!
Hi There
You are most welcome. We might have to do this twice but usually once is enough. When the main nectar flow starts the bees forget all about swarming.
How do you know when a good nectar flow will happen? Also why are the bees not easily angered when there is a good nectar flow?? Thanks a lot for all your content!!!
Paul, I have seen this comment more than once and you made reference to it in this video. You alluded to the fact that bees tend to not swarm during the main flow. To me, that seems counter-intuitive. It seems that the bees will have more congestion with more nectar. Could you please explain? By the way, I love your videos, they are really some of the best for quality and clarity.
Hi There
I appreciate your comments. Apparently bees evolved to swarm just prior to the major nectar flow as it gives both the swarm and the parent hive the best opportunity to build up to survive the coming winter. Once the nectar flow starts a colony that doesn't swarm also has to be stocking up for the coming winter and it would be too risky to swarm. Bees spread out through the supers and there isn't too much congestion during the flow. They spread out so they can ventilate the hive to ripen honey.
Very occasionally we see a small number of colonies prepare to swarm prior to the fall nectar flow in Ontario. Not a great plan!
Great video 🐝🐝 this is fully instructions swarm prevention Thank you 👍👌
So different from what I was taught. Nice to see different techniques on swarm control.
However, I think you need to let us know if that hive you attempted to prevent swarming actually swarmed or not. I was taught that even by doing what you did by taking out the swarm cells and put the queen back in would only curb the swarming to a later date.
Did this happen? Luckily for you there were still eggs for the hive to produce new queens if it decided to swarm.
Thoughts?
Hi Bob
The hive didn't swarm. A nectar flow started shortly after filming the video. We got180 lbs. of honey from this hive
Thank you very much. I may be trying some new techniques on a few hives this spring to see how they do.
Great videos. Your lack of protection amazes me. I'm a new beekeeper. 3 years. Been stung 4 times, each time it's 3 days before the swelling and itching subsides. I got stung on the chin and looked like the elephant man.
I'm concerned it could escalate to where I can't keep bees.
So, million dollar question... should I get stung more, to build a resistance? Do you build a resistance to stings, or develop an allergy?
Your opinion would be appreciated.
Thanks Newt Salad :)
We don't let anyone around here use gloves. That way they get used to stings quickly, get over the initial reactions and don't develop towards anaphylaxis. It's tough love at the beginning but it pays off. Maybe you could watch our video 'Bee Stings' to see more about this.
the video title is 'stinging'
Many thanks for your response, and noted. Thank you.
Excellent very instructive , well presented thanks for sharing skills and information.....an old Aussie amateur beek
Excellent video and explanations! One question. What is that mat that you put on top of the frames under the lid? Thanks so much and keep up the good work.
We use 18 oz canvas as an inner cover. See our FAQ link (posted under each video) for more info.
How can I tell when a good nectar flow is beginning and the want to swarm factor subsides?!? Thanks so much!
Great videos! What sort of cloth are you using for the inner cover?
Hi Doug. We use 18 oz canvas. You could learn more from our FAQ.
hbrc.ca/faq/
What would make a colony go from extremely docile to very aggressive?!? This is my first hive and i caught them in a swarm trap and the first several months they were wonderful to work but now you can’t even get close to the hive without them chasing you down and stinging you just by walking by it!! Thanks for all the tips!
Thank you! That was a *great* video. I'm dealing with this right now. Population explosion due to a super bloom.
You are welcome. Lots of bees is a good problem!
Question, with the canvas inner covers, how do you provide ventilation? They sure look like intriguing. Thank you for all these great videos!
Hi Drew
You are quite welcome. We have an upper entrance hole drilled into the brood chamber box. You can see it in the videos. Along with the bottom entrance that's all the ventilation they need here.
This is fascinating the difference in climates. Here in Charlotte, NC we have very hot dry summers. Most of us use screened bottom boards and inner covers to provide adequate cooling to prevent absconding. Thanks again for your very informative videos & please keep them coming!
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Will the upper hole remain open during winter ?
Again thank you for helping us
I have a question:
Can we use the queen cells instead of killing them?
You could but you'd be selecting for swarming behaviour and over time would have more swarming.
thanx Paul. I note this is an old video so maybe no reply?
I am wondering why not put a couple of brood frames above the excluder to give the queen more room when use a single brood box? The nurse bees will move up.?????. Guess need to do early check for QC
Hi Stephen. Lots of ways to minimize swarming. You mention one. Please see our video " Swarm Prevention". It is the complementary video to "Swarm Control". We do videos based on our experiences and practices. We haven't tried them all!
very simple and easy to follow,, great video especially at this time of the year,,cheers
Thanks Danny
Have a great year with your bees! We should have mentioned splitting as a swarm control measure too.
I have been enjoying your channel. I have been wondering about your inner covers what type of material is it made from and why you use it instead of a traditional wooden type?
Hi Angie
Great to hear you have enjoyed our videos.
We are working on a FAQ list and this will definitely be #1 on the list.
I like the canvas inner covers for a few reasons. Easy to take a quick peek, cheap and easy to make, light, lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, never need to scrape the inner cover. I could go on... We'll do a video about them since we are getting so many questions.
We use 18 oz (#8) canvas - otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by here but I see it's available from online distributors. www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half.
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Thanks and I should tell you I am using my wifes account My name is Mike.
great videos - thank you for creating and sharing. What are you using for a top cover? Seems flexible and effective.
Great to hear you find the videos helpful! Quite a few people have been interested in our inner covers so we'll likely do a video about them this year. In the meantime here's an answer to your question.
We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas -otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by in Ontario, but it is available from online distributors. In the US see www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html). or in Canada see www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavy weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half.
At 2:30....too late to add a super.....why is that...
Paul, here in the PacNW we only have one big nectar flow, in early June. It is critical that all those April bees, who become the June foragers, are conserved to the honey hives. What is the best way to do swarm control splits AND make sure the honey hives have a strong forager force in June?
My opinion is that when there is one single cup with larva in it shouldn't be removed. This doesn't mean that the hive is going to swarm. Sometimes the bees doesn't like their queen or something is wrong with the queen (in your case the wing was damaged) that's why the want to make a new one.
Hi Radostin
Yes sometimes the bees want to swarm and sometimes they want to supersede. In this case they were preparing to swarm. Not because of the clipped queen though. The colony had a genetic predisposition to swarm and I didn't give them enough space, soon enough. The colony was overcrowded and should have been given honey supers earlier.
It sounds like you have different goals with your hives than I do with mine.
Hi Paul: really enjoying your videos thanks. Question if your queen wasn't clipped would you follow same procedure removing queen cells. Just curious if there is the possibility that the queen would go on the fly even with removing queen cells? Thanks a bunch Johnny
Hi Johnny
Yes I would follow the same procedure if the wing was unclipped. Clipping helps a bit to prevent swarming but we do it more as a back up to the paint marking. Sometimes the paint comes off. I should have mentioned in this video that taking a split from a colony is another way to prevent swarming.
Good to hear you are enjoying the videos.
Thanks for reply. Planning to split but think should of ordered queens sooner. Will be acquiring 6 queens June 1st. Last year just let them swarm and first swarm was May 20th captured all but one, (I live in Ontario as well near Peterborough ). So will keep an eye for queen cells starting 1st week of May or so . I use Deeps was thinking as season progresses until I secure queens , will add two or more deeps to thwart potential swarming. Like the idea of clipping for identification. Thanks again Johnny
Hi Paul, Just a quick observation. That queen has clipped wing ....but no paint. I assume she was marked when the wing was clipped and the paint has worn off. It's interesting to see how a beekeeper may erroneously assume a hive has superceded because the queen isn't marked (if not for the clipped wing). Cheers! Dennis
Hi Dennis
Good observation about the extra value in clipping wings. We tried some Posco paint pens that we discovered didn't leave a very permanent mark. We now use Painters brand made by Elmer's.
man that bee during the intro really letting you know he was there LOL
Cyric Cyric
Yeah I couldn’t talk with that bee after my nose and eyes. I usually pinch those bees pretty quick
Hi Paul and team from Northern Ireland.
Just echoing what others have said by way of thanks for the fantastic online resource!
Great supplement to a beekeeping course and club membership - it's good to have local contacts and flower info too!
Jealous of your weather though.. I think I'll plant rice next year instead of spuds! (potatoes)
Hi in Northern Ireland Alistair
My daughter just got back a couple weeks ago from a semester at Ulster University. She had a great time and really enjoyed all the very friendly people she met there. I'll get there sometime to see where my ancestors came from in the mid 1800's.
Thanks for your kind comments about our videos. We intended them for local use and were surprised to see the international interest.
You wouldn't be jealous of our weather this summer. Last year it was hot and dry and our bees produced a record crop, This year it has been very wet and it's been hard to even get queens mated. The honey crop is ok and the flowers look great. We just need some sun and heat.
We could grow rice here this year too!
Good luck with your bees this summer Alistair.
In this case and the queen is shrinking in size and laying less eggs at what stage do you allow this colony to make a new queen or when do you add a queen
Fuck yeah this was what I was looking for a video explaining it and what procedures to take, very educational
Hi Mathew
Glad you found the video helpful! We'll have another video coming out that talks more about how to prevent ( vs. Control )swarming.
Very nice video and greetings from Chile,
have you ever tried a smaller supper above instead of a QE?
queen tend to no laying on this super, I think due to its short surface, and if she lay,
early she comeback toward down when the main flow has past.
Thanks..
Carlos
Thanks Carlos
Our nectar flows aren't consistent enough to get away without using a queen excluder. without one our queens are quite willing to lay in a smaller super. I find it much easier to always use an excluder.
Yes queens will lay in a shallow '5-11/16 super.
Merci beaucoup pour ces vidéos très bien expliquées et filmées.
Avec plaisir Yann !
Why add so many supers? Doesn’t this degrade the bee’s? Adding so much space? Just curious. I add 1 or 2 then Come back and add more space if needed. Just curious for your opinion? Love your content. I only have 47 hives. I’m not a commercial guy but consider myself a sideliner. I have learned a lot from you all but if you can explain your theory on adding so many supers at 1 time I would appreciate that. Thank you 🙏.
Hi Scott
I haven't watched this video in awhile. As I recall I added quite a few supers to the hive that was preparing to swarm. This, and removing the queen cells, stopped the hive from swarming. We got a big crop from the hive and requeened it later as we prefer low swarming genetics.
I'd recommend you watch our video on 'supering hives' to see our typical method which is very similar to what you do.
Great video Paul and team.
Thanks for the information on the canvas cover
You are welcome Michael!
What are u using for your inner cover ?? Canvas ?? Thanks
In the 2nd bee hive, did you have to find the queen and cage her before starting to destroy the queen cells and cups knowing that she was laying eggs?
Ideally you would find and cage the queen before shaking the bees off the comb.
If you are careful and know that there are still eggs present you can shake the bees off (as shown), without finding the queen. Good question Faisal.
What kind of material are you using for the top mat? Thx
18 oz canvas
One of the best how to. Thanks for sharing.
You are most welcome Maris! Thanks for your kind comment.
Love your channel!
Thanks!
Great Presentation 🐝👍
Thanks Jeff!
Hello from New Zealand. I have two strong Warre hive colonies (currently overwintering) which I want to move into two Langstroth hives, into full depth boxes. Any suggestions?
Hello in NZ!
I'd live there if it weren't so far away. I spent six months cycling and beekeeping there 30 years ago. I'm not too familiar with Warre hives but if you can set your Langstroth box on top of the Warre and hope that the queen moves up. Close any gaps due to fit issues. Then you can use excluders to keep her there and let the brood in the Warre emerge. You could then start eliminating the Warre equipment. A number of ways to do that. You'll figure it out from there.
Some people scrape the frame edges clean when they go looking through the hive.. what's your opinion?
I scrape the top bars once a year in late fall and all wooden surfaces on frames and boxes from colonies that die over the winter. With 10 frames in the brood chamber there isn't much excess comb. I don't scrape comb off the bottom bars during inspections as bees immediately replace their
necessary ladders and it disturbs the colony. We open our colonies and inspect the brood chambers frequently so the frames don't get welded together with wax and propolis.
that bee at 2 minutes would NOT leave you alone lol
nerves of steel man
Thank you very much for you and your team providing this extremely valuable videos. They are excellent! So much insight. Can you tell me where I can get those canvas hive covers you use?....and also why do you think they are advantageous over regular inner covers?Again...thank you.Randy, London Ontario
HI Randy
Great to hear you find the videos helpful! Quite a few people have been interested in our inner covers so we'll likely do a video about them this year. In the meantime here's an answer to your question.
We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas -otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by in Ontario, but it is available from online distributors. In the US see www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html). or in Canada see www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavy weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half
Thank you for your quick reply. Please keep up the great work that all of you do at UoG. I am fortunate enough last year to have a friend who's daughter was involved in the apiary program and provide me some great creamed honey. Very nice!
What is the material you are using for an inner cover? Does this cover cause any issues with overheating and venting moisture? Do you over winter them using these covers?
Hi Steve
Please see our FAQ# 1 below. We use the canvas inner covers year round without issues. We drill a 7/8" entrance/ ventilation hole in our brood chambers that you can see in the videos. See our 'feeding bees and overwintering' video for more information. We'll do a video on the topic this summer.
1. Why do we use canvas
for the hive inner cover? A: We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They
make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make.
They are light, the lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars,
and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas
-otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by in Ontario, but it is
available from online distributors (US: www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html,
Canada www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html).
Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavy weight is better. We flip it over
periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An
alternative is a feedbag folded in half.
2. Why do we use single
brood chambers? A: Our preference is to keep hives in single brood chambers. We
use queen excluders above the brood chamber and then add supers. We produce
bigger crops managing our hives in singles vs doubles and we find the hive management
much easier. It's become quite common here, especially over the last twenty
years. We will be making a video about single brood chambers soon!
3. Are our queens for sale? A: We sell some queens but don't
export. To contact us about our queens, please email us at infohbrc@uoguelph.ca. Our Buckfast collaborators also sell queens: Munro Honey www.munrohoney.com/ (for CAN sales) and Ferguson Apiaries fergusonapiaries.on.ca/ (for CAN and US sales).
.
4. What breed of
honeybee do we use? A: We work with Buckfast bees. Check out our website if you
would like to learn more about them: www.uoguelph.ca/honeybee/breeding.shtml
5. Will we be making any
more videos? A: Yes! We are looking forward to creating more videos for our
RUclips channel this year! Here are some of the topics we will be covering:
Working with single brood chambers, indoor overwintering.
6.How do you overwinter
double nucleus colonies? A: At the University of Guelph, we winter our double
nucleus colonies indoors. You can also winter them outdoors by wrapping two
double nucs together with insulation on the sides and top.
7. Are double nucleus
colonies prone to swarming? A: With a young queen and the supers above we don't
have any problem with these nucs swarming in the first year. We do have to
transfer them into a full size box early enough the following spring to prevent
swarming.
8. Do we add a frame of
pollen or honey into a new split? A: Ideally you add both pollen and honey. Of
the two, honey is the most important.
9. Where to purchase
some of the products that we use:
Coveralls: We really
like these Dickies all cotton coveralls. www.dickies.com/coveralls-overalls/deluxe-cotton-coverall/48700.html?dwvar_48700_color=GY#start=3.
We use two sided velcro to strap up the wrists and usually tuck the legs into
our socks.
Plastic Queen cages:
Mann Lake and their Canadian distributors sell these and they are made by the
French company Nicot. www.mannlakeltd.com/hair-roller-cages. I use
a wooden plug on the bottom and screw it in place with a #4 screw after pre
drilling.
Grafting microscope: www.amscope.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=gooseneck+binocular
Mini/mating nucleus
boxes: Mann Lake (US) and their Canadian distributors sell these. They are
originally from Europe so are widely available there. www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/hive-colony-maintenance/queen-rearing/nuc-boxes
Queen Pheromone: The
pheromone strips were developed here in Canada. They are called Tempqueen and
are made by Intko Supply Ltd.Suite 604, 3345 Kingsway VANCOUVER, BC, V5R 0A7
Canada +1 (604) 356-7393. pheromonesupply@gmail.com. Mann Lake in the US and several Canadian
bee supply companies carry them.
Bee belt and bulk bee
box: Our apiary manager Paul Kelly manufactures the Bee Belts and bulk bee box.
If you are interested in more information, please email him at pgkelly48@gmail.com.
10. Should you remove
any queen cells in a colony before introducing a new queen in a cage? A: Yes,
you should remove the queen cells. Look very carefully to make sure you don't
miss one. Shake the bees off each frame to make sure you can see them all.
Accepted queens are sometimes killed by virgins that emerge from queen cells.
11. Can you make a split
without adding a mated queen/can a split raise their own queen? A: A split can
raise their own queen (if they have eggs), but you'd be better off buying a
mated or queen cell from a local bee breeder. Queens raised by a split are
reared under the worst possible conditions, are physiologically inferior, and
you aren't taking the opportunity to improve your hive genetics. For a number
of reasons, colonies get more aggressive if we let splits raise their own
queens. We always use queen cells that we have reared from breeder colonies so
we can maintain and improve our genetics. Cells found in hives can be poorly
reared if conditions aren't good or if you use swarm cells you are
unintentionally breeding for swarming behavior.
12. How often do we
check for swarm cells? A: We check for queen cells only in colonies that are
stronger based on our ratings as described in our “Swarm Control” video. We
only do this at the time of year bees are prone to swarming (ie just before the
main summer nectar flow). In some colonies, we check twice, a week apart, if we
have the time and we've found cells in them previously. We stop looking once
the nectar flow gets going and the time for swarm preparation has passed.
13. How old is a queen
when we replace her? A: We re-queen if a queen isn't doing well or when she is
in her third year.
14. How often should you
be stung to lessen the chances of developing anaphylactic reactions? A: Please
speak with an allergist if you have any concerns regarding bee sting reactions.
You don’t need that many stings to build an immunity and reduce your chance of
developing an allergy. However, reactions can be very different from one
individual to the next. For about three years after starting beekeeping you
swell more in the spring when the bee season starts. After that most people
don't swell up much at all. Some beekeepers apply stings through the winter to
keep building immunity.
15. What do we use as
candy for the queen cages? A: You can make the candy using honey and icing
sugar but the candy you see in the tubes in our videos are purchased with the
cages from Mann Lake beekeeping supplies and their Canadian distributors. In
our province, it's not legal to use honey in queen candy if you are distributing
queens. Honey can contain American Foulbrood spores. A specialized, non-drying,
sugar syrup (Nulomoline invert sugar) can be used instead of the honey. In any
case the candy must be made dry enough that it's crumbly.
16. How do we make pollen patties? A: The patty is
made from pollen we collect using a pollen trap. We mix the pollen pellets with
sugar syrup to a dough like consistency, form the patties between layers of wax
paper and then keep them frozen until they are needed. They will keep for several
months frozen.
17. How do we make our
grafting bars? A: We cut the wood pieces and attach them to the graft bar with
liquid beeswax. We then attach the cups with liquid wax. In both cases the
liquid wax is applied with a syringe. Previously, we made the wax cups but now
buy them from www.kelleybees.com/.
18. Do we move full
honey supers to the top of the stack so the bees can fill the lower ones? A:
Some beekeepers do shuffle the supers around and do what's called bottom
supering. We place supers back on in the original order and only add new supers
on top (top supering). That way it's easier to see when the bees need more
space. The bees also ripen the honey before moving up. We sometimes harvest
full lower supers and put the top ones that aren't full back on in the original
order.
19. Do we ever add brood
frames to the cell builder colonies to keep their populations high? A: We do
add other frames of sealed brood and sometimes we shake in more young bees from
brood frames to boost the hives. About once every three weeks we'll boost the
hives in one way or another.
20. How do you level
hive stands? A: We level the hive stands periodically with pressure treated
wood shims. If the hives are already on the stands, we use a hardwood pry bar
and a brick fulcrum to lift each end for shimming.
hello sir, can we split these over crowded hives to prevent swarming instead of adding supers? also, which one is better, adding super or spliting?
Yes.
Hello Paul, I assume if the hive does raise a virgin queen, will the new queen leave with the swarm since the old queen's wing is clipped and the old queen remains? Also, I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and making the videos, which are very thorough and easy to understand, thanks.
Is there a way raise that new queen cell for a split?
Hello, I would follow you from Turkey. I want to ask you a question. why have you added two layers of hives at the same time. What is the reason for doing this application.
Hi In Turkey!
We add more than one box at a time because we want to relive congestion in the hive to prevent swarming. THe second reason is that a stronger hive will fill the supers with honey quickly and if you add only one you may miss some honey production. You could also watch our video 'Supering Hives ' for more of an explanation.
What is that you're using as an inner cover? I don't think I've ever seen or noticed that before.
I love watching your videos, very informative. I currently have this exact situation in a double deep brood chamber. They have also started backfilling the broodnest. Not sure what to do since I have two honey supers on top, unfortunately with just foundation which is not being drawn out at all. I found uncapped queen cells as well as eggs so I removed the cells in the hope to curb the swarm, but I am not sure how to get them to move into the honey supers. I have also considered switching to single deep brood chambers and I am curious as to the status of the video you talked about in previous comments.
HI BIanaca. Nice to hear you appreciate the videos. Your situation is a diffiicult one that often affects new beekeepers who are starting with only foundation. Once you have some drawn honey comb you can mix it in with foundation in later years. Bees will swarm if they don't have a good enough nectar flow to draw out the comb they need to expand. I usually recommend feeding when you add new frames for brood rearing. It's a bit more of a problem when you are trying to draw out honey comb. You could try feeding just enough to get some comb built and then stop before they fill the 'honey' comb with syrup. It sounds like you haven't been having good nectar flows. Next year may be better. Good luck.
It likely won't be until September or so before we post the single brood chamber video.
Great videos!! have one ? How often do you inspect your brood chamber for queen cells?
Thanks Joe
We only inspect stronger than average colonies for swarm cells as mentioned in the video. We only inspect once or twice for cells around the normal time for swarm preparation. Here that is mid May to end of May. Our bees are bred for a low tendency for swarming so you may need to inspect all the colonies with other stock. Same timing though.
Where do you get these low tendency for swarming bees ?
Will you please tell me what strains of bees are less prone to swarming? I'm going to be beekeeping in my backyard in the middle of the city and it's important to me to take every measure possible to prevent swarms.
Hi Wendy
Please find a local queen producer and talk to them about their stock. Some may be working towards a low tendency to swarm.
After you took away all the cells and returned the queen that stopped laying and put on the supers will the queen restart laying again?
Yes the queen starts laying very soon after this procedure. This was the only swarm control we did and the hive produced a huge crop.
Love you video's! When you super your hives, do the majority of the frames have drawn comb or new foundation?
HI Shreve
Thanks for your encouragement! We only introduce new frames when we are increasing the number of supers we operate. I like to add new frames by alternating them with drawn comb in the supers.
Are you posting anymore bee videos you were so help full and if so when’s the next one
Hi There
Glad you found the videos helpful. We will film some more this summer. I have a list of twenty I'd like to get done but they won't be posted until at least midsummer.
I notice your brood boxes have holes above the handles but not the supers. Reasoning? are they screened?
Hi Kevin
We have an upper entrance hole drilled into every brood chamber so the colonies can vent excess moisture in the winter. Holes aren't necessary or desirable in the honey supers.
Would you do the same thing if there is already capped cells?
Yes, If there are no eggs the answer is no.
Is that mat on the top of the frames just a top cover? I'm curious of it purpous.
Hi Shad
Our FAQ seems to be out of order. This is our #1 question. We use 18 oz canvas for inner covers.
?? Wondering why you didn't give the queen more room to lay eggs by putting the queen excluder over the bottom super she restricted now. Won't that slow the growth of the hive?
Hi Karen
Good questions. We'll have 21 new videos out shortly. One is about managing bees in a single brood chamber. You'll see some answers to your questions there. In the meantime please see FAQ #2 below.
1. Why do we use canvas for the hive inner cover?
A: We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, there is less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas - otherwise known as cotton duck.
It is available in the USA online at: www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html, In Canada at www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html) or in Hamilton Ontario at europeantextiles.ca/product/canvas-21oz-natural/.
Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavier weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half.
2. Why do we use single brood chambers?
A: Our preference is to keep hives in single brood chambers. We use queen excluders above the brood chamber and then add honey supers. We produce more honey managing our hives in singles vs doubles and we find the hive management much easier. It's become quite common in Ontario, especially over the last twenty years.
3. Are our queens for sale?
A: We sell a limited number of queens but do not ship outside of Canada. To contact us about queens, please email infohbrc@uoguelph.ca. There are two other Buckfast breeders in Ontario: Munro Honey www.munrohoney.com/and Ferguson Apiaries fergusonapiaries.on.ca/.
4. What breed of honeybee do we use?
A: We work with Buckfast bees. Check out our website if you would like to learn more about them: www.uoguelph.ca/honeybee/breeding.shtml
5. How do you overwinter double nucleus colonies?
A: At the University of Guelph, we winter our double nucleus colonies indoors. You can also winter them outdoors by wrapping two double nucs together with insulation on the sides and top.
6. Are double nucleus colonies prone to swarming?
A: With a young queen in the nucs and honey supers above we don't have any problem with these nucs swarming in the first year. We do have to transfer them into a full size box early enough the following spring to prevent swarming.
7. Do we add a frame of pollen or honey into a new split?
A: Ideally you add both pollen and honey to a new split. Of the two, honey is the most important.
8. Where to purchase some of the products that we use:
Coveralls: We really like Dickies 100% cotton coveralls. www.dickies.com/coveralls-overalls/deluxe-cotton-coverall/48700.html?dwvar_48700_color=GY#start=3.
We use velcro to straps at the wrist and usually tuck pants into our socks.
Plastic Queen Cages: Mann Lake (USA) and their Canadian distributors sell these. They are made by the French company Nicot. www.mannlakeltd.com/hair-roller-cages. I use a wooden plug on the bottom and screw it in place with a #4 screw after pre-drilling.
Queen Grafting Microscope: www.amscope.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=gooseneck+binocular
Mini/mating nucleus boxes: Mann Lake (USA) and their Canadian distributors sell these. They are originally from Europe but are widely available. www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/hive-colony-maintenance/queen-rearing/nuc-boxes
Queen Pheromone: The pheromone strips were developed in Canada. They are called Tempqueen and are made by Intko Supply Ltd. Suite 604, 3345 Kingsway VANCOUVER, BC, V5R 0A7 Canada (604) 356-7393. pheromonesupply@gmail.com. Mann Lake in the US and several Canadian bee supply companies carry them.
Bee belt and bulk bee box: Our apiary manager Paul Kelly manufactures the Bee Belts and bulk bee box. If you are interested in more information, please email him at: pgkelly48@gmail.com.
10..Should you remove any queen cells in a colony before introducing a new queen in a cage?
A: Yes, you should remove the queen cells. Look very carefully to make sure you don't miss one. Shake the bees off each frame to make sure you can see the entire frame. Accepted queens are sometimes killed by virgins that later emerge from queen cells.
11. Can you make a split without adding a mated queen/can a split raise their own queen?
A: A split can raise their own queen (if they have eggs), but it is better to purchase a mated queen or queen cell from a local bee breeder. Queens raised by a split are reared under the worst possible conditions, are physiologically inferior, and you aren't taking the opportunity to improve your hive genetics. For a number of reasons, colonies get more aggressive if splits raise their own queens. We always use queen cells that we have reared from breeder colonies so we can maintain and improve our genetics. Cells found in hives can be poorly reared if conditions aren't good or if you use swarm cells you, are unintentionally breeding for swarming behavior.
12. How often do we check for swarm cells?
A: We check for queen cells only in colonies that are stronger based on our ratings as described in our “Swarm Control” video. We only do this at the time of year bees are prone to swarming (ie just before the main summer nectar flow). In some colonies, we check twice, a week apart, if we have the time and we've found cells in them previously. We stop looking once the nectar flow gets going and the time for swarm preparation has passed.
13. How old is a queen when we replace her?
A: We re-queen if a queen isn't doing well or when she is in her third year.
14. How often should you be stung to lessen the chances of developing anaphylactic reactions?
A: Please speak with an allergist if you have any concerns regarding bee sting reactions. You don’t need that many stings to build immunity and reduce your chance of developing an allergy. However, reactions can be very different from one individual to the next. For about three years after starting beekeeping you swell more in the spring when the bee season starts. After that most people don't swell up much at all. Some beekeepers apply stings through the winter to keep building immunity.
15. What do we use as candy for the queen cages?
A: You can make the candy using honey and icing sugar but the candy you see in the tubes in our videos are purchased with the cages from Mann Lake beekeeping supplies and their Canadian distributors. In Ontario, it's not legal to use honey in queen candy if you are distributing queens. Honey can contain American Foulbrood spores. A specialized, non-drying, sugar syrup (Nulomoline invert sugar) can be used instead of honey. In any case the candy must be made dry enough that it's crumbly.
16. How do we make pollen patties?
A: The patty is made from pollen we collect using pollen traps. We mix the pollen pellets with sugar syrup to a dough-like consistency, form the patties between layers of wax paper and then keep them frozen until needed. They will keep for several months in the freezer.
17. How do we make our grafting bars?
A: We cut the wood pieces and attach them to the graft bar with liquid beeswax. We then attach the cups with liquid wax. In both cases the liquid wax is applied with a large syringe. In the past, we made the wax cups but now buy them from www.kelleybees.com/.
18. Do we move full honey supers to the top of the stack so the bees can fill the lower ones?
A: Some beekeepers shuffle the supers around and do what's called bottom-supering. We place supers back on in the original order and only add new supers on top (top-supering). That way it's easier to see when the bees need more space. The bees also ripen the honey before moving up to the next box. We sometimes harvest full lower supers and put the top ones that aren't full back on in the original order.
19. Do we ever add brood frames to the cell builder colonies to keep their populations high?
A: We do add other frames of sealed brood and sometimes we shake in more young bees from brood frames to boost the hives. About once every three weeks we'll boost the hives in one way or another.
20. How do you level hive stands?
A: We level the hive stands periodically with pressure treated wood shims. If the hives are already on the stands, we use a hardwood pry bar and a brick fulcrum to lift each end for shimming.
Hi. Nice video. I would like to ask, can i use queen excluder as a way to prevent swarming? Especially when the colonie has 7-8 frames of brood, then i take 2 of them whith cloced brood, and i put them to the top box, over the excluder. I do this every week, for about 1 month. Does it help to prevent swarming?Thanks
Hi Konstantina
That would be one way to help prevent swarming. Some beekeepers use that method.
Thanks.