I have been hunting for a knowledgeable beekeeper who talks common sense for years now. In you I have found him. I really appreciate the effort you put in and the knowledge you impart. I live in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney Australia. I'm about to start on breeding queens. I have just under 100 hives and I need to develop the skill to make my own queens. Your videos help me do that. Thank you.
One comment. I have had good luck with moving the original hive 6-8 inches over on my stand. Placing 1-4 nucs, up to double stack, on the side where a space was left and have forgagers come back and reorient to whichever entrance they now find appealing. Leave it like that for a week, then move the nucs to a new home during the night, and force a reorientation flight with branches or whatever method you find works to reorient. Love the videos, really glad you are putting together the whole queen rearing series.
Hey Jason. Thumbs up again. Other than the fact that you have queen cells "cooking" in the finish hive that need to be used. Why would you not use swarm cells to populate your Nucs? Especially if the swarm cells are finished and ripe.
Hey Jason Another helpful video. I notice you are doing these splits because you expect to have new queens to introduce tomorrow. This seems to be far better then the old walk away splits which some videos from other channels speak of. Thanks for your help!!! Rick in Pa.
I split a VERY strong hive last Wednesday (it was 2 double deeps). That queen wasn’t marked (until I finally found her today), I could tell which colony was queen less 24 hrs later. I tried introducing a new queen and they wouldn’t accept her so I let them do their thing. When I went in them today I found at least 3 capped queen cells on 3 different frames (9 total) so I split that deep 3 ways. Now I’m trying to figure out how much time I have before they start hatching because I would like to go in on Wednesday and cut out 1-2 of the cells to take to another location that has a queen less swarm that I caught two weeks ago. The virgin queen didn’t make it back.
You can cut out the extra queen cells and put them in an incubator. I use a low cost 6 egg chicken incubator covered with a coffee can and i put the cells in cages so when they hatch they're contained. It's a shame to let queens be killed, if you can't put them to use you could mate them and sell them.
As always Great Videos; you truly are a Credit to The Beekeeping Profession. Can you tell me where you purchased your Vest Type Bee Veil Combo Sleeveless Chest and Back Top? That is Cool My partner and I are going to follow your Queen Rearing Series this week. I have already successfully had Purchased Emerging Virgin Queens emerge in the Hair Rollers and then introduced into Queen-less Hives. Be Well Thanks, Mike P
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Question: You've put in some specially chosen frames and some new frames to make a queenless nuke. Where does the new queen come from and how long can the colony tolerate being queenless? Thank you
The bees will raise a new queen from the eggs given to them. It's never a good to let a colony go queenless for more than about 10 days. If you do you may get what is called a laying worker and they only lay male bees (drones).
Another thing I noticed by accident was putting med frame of drawn comb in a super box was the bees made the wax off the bottom,it was pretty new wax,,Drop that in a hive with a queen and she will lay it full in about a day. Well I cut that new wax off and into two inch squares .Used them just like a queen cell to start nukes.Well it worked .
Queen rearing is very complex and can takes years to understand completely without looking at references. The key is to learn slowly so you don't overwhelm yourself and practice like crazy.
I built my double mating nucs with 3 frames each i used the 2 framers last year and they can get over populated / starve / over heat or get honey bound real quick
you're a bee person and considered a professional and knew how to handle it. one problem I see is some people watch these videos and live in a different part of the Country than where the video was shot and don't realize that what works in south Florida does not work in Northern Maine.
Love this series! I rarely have just frames of capped brood so when making my queenless splits into my queen castle some may have larvae. when shall I make my splits before the introduction of my queen cells? As I will have to knockdown cells or if I introduce the cell 24hrs after making splits they will smell the pheromone of the newly introduced cell and not make there own cells? Thanks Jason!
For splits I usually go by the strength of the colony, when they looks strong (all frames covered with bees) I then split. Usually we are well into spring when I make splits. For grafting I usually go to the Accuweather website and look at the extended forecast and go from there. It's normally pretty accurate. Of course you want to make sure you have drones first.
@@JCsBees Thanks for the tips and the really good videos. I wanted to graft last year, got a bunch of equipment for it then I chickened out as well as got nervous about the weather.
Don't chicken out, the way this queen rearing series is designed is so you only have to go a step at time. Sure it's good to watch the whole series first just so you know what to expect but don't think of the whole process when it come time to putting it into action, go a step at a time. Queen rearing is a very valuable resource to have, rather for your own bee yard or to make a return selling queens. You got this, Jason!!
When you closed up the queenless mating nucs, is the only ventilation the screen part of the entrance disk? Is that enough? Also what happened to the splits you made with the swarm cells? Did they make and hatch or did you put a queen cell in there after 24 hours and did she hatch and kill the swarm cells?
I will be going out of town for a week the day after I transfer my queen cells into queenless nucs. If I feed them with mason jars on top can I leave an entrance reducer in place for the week that I'm gone or should the hive be closed up other than a vent? Thanks
Towards the end of the video you replaced the three frames of brood you had taken from the top brood box for the queenless nuc with three frames of empty drawn comb, right? And how did you decide where in the top box you would place those three replacement frames of comb? Did you push the remaining brood frames together into the middle of the brood box and then flank that remaining brood with the open comb? Did you insert the open comb into the middle of the remaining brood nest, thus splitting it and opening it up?
Yes I replaced the 3 frames with drawn comb. I did push the brood frames together and added the drawn comb off the the side of it. I am not sure that separating the brood would have made much difference though.
Great vid! Regarding the food frame, I have extra deep frames of capped honey that are from a deadout. They are totally capped last year's honey. Not newly capped. No open nectar from this season. Just fully capped. Are these good frames to use in making up nucs? Or should I always be using food frames that have open cells of nectar?
Thanks. I do a lot of open feeding in the opposite direction of my smaller colonies. This keeps the stronger colony happy and there is little to no robbing.
I got package bees April 31 I got NuC box of frames with some frames of comb and empty frames my have did not except queen and they are drawing out comb I bought new queen I live in MD
Good video, very well explained. Question, you put on a veil that I have never seen before, is it something you made or modified from a jacket or did you buy it that way? If you bought it where did you get it?
I see your honey bee is very good. our difficulty is to make a substitute pollen. We have tried various ways but failed. do you have a solution? thank you
I sent an email to you, but will also ask here, where did you find the the vest/veil that you wear in the queen rearing series? I would like to buy one with the wide view range that yours has. I have only seen them on sites from other countries
@@JCsBees Ah Ha!! I suspected it was from another country. Don't know why American companies cannot get on board with this veil style. I actually have this company on my favorites bar. I have been undecided, but after seeing you wearing it I now know that I will be ordering one. Thanks!!
I suggest you have more nuke boxes than you plan on,because lots of time like I planned on 2 splits but then found 4 or 5 queen cells ready for cut out.
Ceracell beekeeping supplies in New Zealand sent it to me a few years ago. I have looked here in the USA and the closest I can find is this amzn.to/3aJe7Fk I will add it to my store, thanks!
Can't figure out how to send a picture in a comment,but I've improved your roller cage holder easier and simply. The bar holding the rollers drill 7/8 holes, I fitted 10 holes per bar. Than a simple 1/4 wide rubber band, put band over jz stub around the cage door push into 7/8 hole. Holds great. Ps great utube station.
Wow Jason, thanks to my tutelage you're really coming along nicely with the bees. I'm so glad I could help, I knew you could do it, you just needed some confidence. LOL Where the hell is the queen incubator?!?! Am I going to have to riot? I suppose you're going to try to use your calves as an excuse amiright. :/ Lol, hope everything is going good over your way ;)
Thanks Brent, for teaching me your mad skills in queen rearing, they have helped a ton. lol The incubator video is coming you just have to be patient. Your a farmer so your patience should be top notch, right? lol To be honest, this video series along with managing the farm and my bee yards has been way more than I have had time for. I try to do what pays best first so and my videos fall last unfortunately. I am just a one man show so just hang in there and you will see the incubator video very soon. All is well for me but not my hens! Take care my friend!
If the queen cell has been capped and the workers can’t do any more for it except keep it warm why is it important to keep the queen rearing frame between 2 capped brood frames?
Jason i have thought about a queen castle but the problem i see is that its going to be a very short time before the bees will out grow the 2 frame queen castle and you will then have to move them to a nuc box anyway. by the time you add a frame of cap brood and a frame of honey then there is now were else for them to grow or am i misunderstanding the reason for a queen castle???
The queen castle is very handy. It works well for early season splits. Having 4 colonies in the queen castle it's fairly easy for them to keep warm. When they are warm they are able to raise more brood. Yes, the queen castle can be a short lived housing for them, It usually takes 3-4 weeks before they need moved to a nuc. You have to consider it takes up to 2 weeks for the queen to go on mating flights. You can also just move the 2 center compartments of bees to a nucs, then just remove 2 dividers making the queen castle 2 nucs or 5 frame compartments.
Here in Ohio the cold winter kills most moths so they are not a problem spring and early summer. They are more a problem late summer/fall but the trick is to just make sure there is plenty of bees. If there is enough bees to cover all the comb, there is no problem.
Can you see eggs? If so, she is usually close by. Look harder on frames with fresh eggs. Also sometime she is getting fed and will be circled with workers, this makes her stand out. That's all I got my friend, best of luck.
I always check for eggs or if bees are newly hatching out. Gerally the queen will be either on or next to a frame with eggs or newly hatching bees. Just takes practice you’ll get it.
I have been extremely busy. I manage beef cattle and our calving season just started. Plus I have been managing my nuc yard as the customers are ready to come pick up their bees. Sorry for the delay...
Did you notice the food on the outside edge of the frames? I used that as my food source. As far as the 2 brood frames, more bees means I can transfer from the 2 frame nuc to a 5 framer sooner. I have noticed that the more bees you have, the more that will forage then you don't have to feed quite as much. I don't mind baby sitting the nucs food stores but if I can keep from it why not, right?
Hello Jason got a ? You interested in doing a queen swap I will send you a queen or 2 and you send me 1 or 2 of yours. I’m always trying to mix up my genetics I believe I have pretty good bees, I’m in Northern California. Take care.
Always like learning from old videos. Good info
It's thats time of year in Darlington S.C. March 15 2024
Glad to hear it!
Awesome! Can't wait until the season starts here. Best of luck!!
I have been hunting for a knowledgeable beekeeper who talks common sense for years now. In you I have found him. I really appreciate the effort you put in and the knowledge you impart. I live in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney Australia. I'm about to start on breeding queens. I have just under 100 hives and I need to develop the skill to make my own queens. Your videos help me do that. Thank you.
I am glad you enjoy my content. I try hard to make my video easy to understand and follow. I wish you the best of luck with you bee operation.
I love these splits using the queen castle!
I have a couple queen castles and they are very handy when it comes time for splits.
Thank you
One comment. I have had good luck with moving the original hive 6-8 inches over on my stand. Placing 1-4 nucs, up to double stack, on the side where a space was left and have forgagers come back and reorient to whichever entrance they now find appealing. Leave it like that for a week, then move the nucs to a new home during the night, and force a reorientation flight with branches or whatever method you find works to reorient. Love the videos, really glad you are putting together the whole queen rearing series.
Thanks!
No problem!
I just did some queenless splits so I really enjoyed the video. Thanks Jason.
Hey Jason. Thumbs up again. Other than the fact that you have queen cells "cooking" in the finish hive that need to be used. Why would you not use swarm cells to populate your Nucs? Especially if the swarm cells are finished and ripe.
Time for making queens Corona style 2020!
thanks for your sharing, very detail and helpful!
Hey Jason Another helpful video. I notice you are doing these splits because you expect to have new queens to introduce tomorrow. This seems to be far better then the old walk away splits which some videos from other channels speak of. Thanks for your help!!! Rick in Pa.
Thanks Sir
I split a VERY strong hive last Wednesday (it was 2 double deeps). That queen wasn’t marked (until I finally found her today), I could tell which colony was queen less 24 hrs later. I tried introducing a new queen and they wouldn’t accept her so I let them do their thing. When I went in them today I found at least 3 capped queen cells on 3 different frames (9 total) so I split that deep 3 ways. Now I’m trying to figure out how much time I have before they start hatching because I would like to go in on Wednesday and cut out 1-2 of the cells to take to another location that has a queen less swarm that I caught two weeks ago. The virgin queen didn’t make it back.
You can cut out the extra queen cells and put them in an incubator. I use a low cost 6 egg chicken incubator covered with a coffee can and i put the cells in cages so when they hatch they're contained. It's a shame to let queens be killed, if you can't put them to use you could mate them and sell them.
As always Great Videos; you truly are a Credit to The Beekeeping Profession. Can you tell me where you purchased your Vest Type Bee Veil Combo Sleeveless Chest and Back Top? That is Cool
My partner and I are going to follow your Queen Rearing Series this week. I have already successfully had Purchased Emerging Virgin Queens emerge in the Hair Rollers and then introduced into Queen-less Hives.
Be Well
Thanks, Mike P
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Question: You've put in some specially chosen frames and some new frames to make a queenless nuke. Where does the new queen come from and how long can the colony tolerate being queenless? Thank you
The bees will raise a new queen from the eggs given to them. It's never a good to let a colony go queenless for more than about 10 days. If you do you may get what is called a laying worker and they only lay male bees (drones).
@@JCsBees Very interesting! So-- does that mean that you've actually laid eyeballs on freshly laid eggs in the frames you moved from the parent hive?
Another thing I noticed by accident was putting med frame of drawn comb in a super box was the bees made the wax off the bottom,it was pretty new wax,,Drop that in a hive with a queen and she will lay it full in about a day. Well I cut that new wax off and into two inch squares .Used them just like a queen cell to start nukes.Well it worked .
So much to learn! Great video! It seems like a lot to take in all at once, but I did just get started. Time, practice, patients!
Queen rearing is very complex and can takes years to understand completely without looking at references. The key is to learn slowly so you don't overwhelm yourself and practice like crazy.
I built my double mating nucs with 3 frames each i used the 2 framers last year and they can get over populated / starve / over heat or get honey bound real quick
you're a bee person and considered a professional and knew how to handle it. one problem I see is some people watch these videos and live in a different part of the Country than where the video was shot and don't realize that what works in south Florida does not work in Northern Maine.
@@olddave4833 so very true but most things transfer over just have to get the timing right
Much appreciated. Wish me luck.
Best of luck!
Love this series! I rarely have just frames of capped brood so when making my queenless splits into my queen castle some may have larvae. when shall I make my splits before the introduction of my queen cells? As I will have to knockdown cells or if I introduce the cell 24hrs after making splits they will smell the pheromone of the newly introduced cell and not make there own cells? Thanks Jason!
Thumbs and sub'd. Love watching your videos, one after the other. ... now on to your next vid!
Great video. Very logical, simple and to the point. I always learn something new from your videos.
Great video Jason! Thank you and thank you for answering my question via email!
Thank you, for watching!
Jason, how do you determine when to make your splits or what your grafting day is? Do you go by the last frost date? Just the weather?
For splits I usually go by the strength of the colony, when they looks strong (all frames covered with bees) I then split. Usually we are well into spring when I make splits.
For grafting I usually go to the Accuweather website and look at the extended forecast and go from there. It's normally pretty accurate. Of course you want to make sure you have drones first.
@@JCsBees Thanks for the tips and the really good videos. I wanted to graft last year, got a bunch of equipment for it then I chickened out as well as got nervous about the weather.
Don't chicken out, the way this queen rearing series is designed is so you only have to go a step at time. Sure it's good to watch the whole series first just so you know what to expect but don't think of the whole process when it come time to putting it into action, go a step at a time. Queen rearing is a very valuable resource to have, rather for your own bee yard or to make a return selling queens.
You got this, Jason!!
Thanks for the instruction
👍
Hi Jason, Really enjoying your videos! Subbed and bell clicked. Great job and informative.
Awesome, I sure appreciate that!
When you closed up the queenless mating nucs, is the only ventilation the screen part of the entrance disk? Is that enough? Also what happened to the splits you made with the swarm cells? Did they make and hatch or did you put a queen cell in there after 24 hours and did she hatch and kill the swarm cells?
Good 👍👍👍👍
I will be going out of town for a week the day after I transfer my queen cells into queenless nucs. If I feed them with mason jars on top can I leave an entrance reducer in place for the week that I'm gone or should the hive be closed up other than a vent? Thanks
That should be fine with entrance reducer just make sure they are able to get out and fly.
Towards the end of the video you replaced the three frames of brood you had taken from the top brood box for the queenless nuc with three frames of empty drawn comb, right? And how did you decide where in the top box you would place those three replacement frames of comb? Did you push the remaining brood frames together into the middle of the brood box and then flank that remaining brood with the open comb? Did you insert the open comb into the middle of the remaining brood nest, thus splitting it and opening it up?
Yes I replaced the 3 frames with drawn comb. I did push the brood frames together and added the drawn comb off the the side of it. I am not sure that separating the brood would have made much difference though.
Great vid! Regarding the food frame, I have extra deep frames of capped honey that are from a deadout. They are totally capped last year's honey. Not newly capped. No open nectar from this season. Just fully capped. Are these good frames to use in making up nucs? Or should I always be using food frames that have open cells of nectar?
I would use the capped frames you have. I had a few I used from a dead out and it helped me make more splits. Best of luck!
Dave Maloney ?.?????..w?ww
Your bees are so ridiculously calm.. What kinds of Queens do you have?
excellent series. How do you handle robbing in your yard. My stronger hives kept robbing my new queenless splits.
Thanks. I do a lot of open feeding in the opposite direction of my smaller colonies. This keeps the stronger colony happy and there is little to no robbing.
Thank you. Makes sense!
I got package bees April 31 I got NuC box of frames with some frames of comb and empty frames my have did not except queen and they are drawing out comb I bought new queen I live in MD
Where do you get all of your supplies? Mainly frames?
Good video, very well explained. Question, you put on a veil that I have never seen before, is it something you made or modified from a jacket or did you buy it that way? If you bought it where did you get it?
I see your honey bee is very good. our difficulty is to make a substitute pollen. We have tried various ways but failed. do you have a solution? thank you
I sent an email to you, but will also ask here, where did you find the the vest/veil that you wear in the queen rearing series? I would like to buy one with the wide view range that yours has. I have only seen them on sites from other countries
Just read your email but I will answer here as may it will help others. It's from New Zealand beeaccessories.co.nz/#products
@@JCsBees Ah Ha!! I suspected it was from another country. Don't know why American companies cannot get on board with this veil style. I actually have this company on my favorites bar. I have been undecided, but after seeing you wearing it I now know that I will be ordering one. Thanks!!
I suggest you have more nuke boxes than you plan on,because lots of time like I planned on 2 splits but then found 4 or 5 queen cells ready for cut out.
M'y life bee love hony
Where did you get that sleeveless pull-over veil? I would really like to have one of those and didn't see it in your Amazon store..
Ceracell beekeeping supplies in New Zealand sent it to me a few years ago. I have looked here in the USA and the closest I can find is this amzn.to/3aJe7Fk
I will add it to my store, thanks!
Great video Jason.. ive been waiting for this. Thanks!
Can't figure out how to send a picture in a comment,but I've improved your roller cage holder easier and simply. The bar holding the rollers drill 7/8 holes, I fitted 10 holes per bar. Than a simple 1/4 wide rubber band, put band over jz stub around the cage door push into 7/8 hole. Holds great. Ps great utube station.
Wow Jason, thanks to my tutelage you're really coming along nicely with the bees. I'm so glad I could help, I knew you could do it, you just needed some confidence. LOL
Where the hell is the queen incubator?!?! Am I going to have to riot? I suppose you're going to try to use your calves as an excuse amiright. :/
Lol, hope everything is going good over your way ;)
Thanks Brent, for teaching me your mad skills in queen rearing, they have helped a ton. lol
The incubator video is coming you just have to be patient. Your a farmer so your patience should be top notch, right? lol To be honest, this video series along with managing the farm and my bee yards has been way more than I have had time for. I try to do what pays best first so and my videos fall last unfortunately. I am just a one man show so just hang in there and you will see the incubator video very soon.
All is well for me but not my hens! Take care my friend!
love your videos ~~~~ Where did you get that neat hive tool?
You can purchase the hive tool from my Amazon store www.amazon.com/shop/jcshoneybees. Look under hive tools! Glad your enjoying the videos. Thanks!
If the queen cell has been capped and the workers can’t do any more for it except keep it warm why is it important to keep the queen rearing frame between 2 capped brood frames?
@Kevin Archer Because capped queens cells need to stay warm too.
That’s where the heat would be got ya!
Jason i have thought about a queen castle but the problem i see is that its going to be a very short time before the bees will out grow the 2 frame queen castle and you will then have to move them to a nuc box anyway. by the time you add a frame of cap brood and a frame of honey then there is now were else for them to grow or am i misunderstanding the reason for a queen castle???
The queen castle is very handy. It works well for early season splits. Having 4 colonies in the queen castle it's fairly easy for them to keep warm. When they are warm they are able to raise more brood. Yes, the queen castle can be a short lived housing for them, It usually takes 3-4 weeks before they need moved to a nuc. You have to consider it takes up to 2 weeks for the queen to go on mating flights.
You can also just move the 2 center compartments of bees to a nucs, then just remove 2 dividers making the queen castle 2 nucs or 5 frame compartments.
So it really needs to be considered more of a mating nuc than anything else??
Jason, Eplaines in plain language and detail that you can understand. Thanks, Jason.
My goal for my content is always to be clear and to makes things easy to understand. Glad it working and you found my channel. :)
How dow you combat Wax moth in the small hives?
Here in Ohio the cold winter kills most moths so they are not a problem spring and early summer. They are more a problem late summer/fall but the trick is to just make sure there is plenty of bees. If there is enough bees to cover all the comb, there is no problem.
Thank you for Answering
Is it best to use 2 deep brood boxes?
Using 2 deeps give you more options for frames to use.
What do you use to edit?
I use Adobe Premiere.
Monsieur.merci
Est ce que je met des cellules royales dans les divisions de printemps.et est ce que je les déplace ou je les laisse sur place.
I cannot find a queen to save my butt. any tips or tricks to finding her?
Can you see eggs? If so, she is usually close by. Look harder on frames with fresh eggs. Also sometime she is getting fed and will be circled with workers, this makes her stand out. That's all I got my friend, best of luck.
I always check for eggs or if bees are newly hatching out. Gerally the queen will be either on or next to a frame with eggs or newly hatching bees. Just takes practice you’ll get it.
Was waiting for your latest Video...you must be busy!
I have been extremely busy. I manage beef cattle and our calving season just started. Plus I have been managing my nuc yard as the customers are ready to come pick up their bees. Sorry for the delay...
Quick question, since you made the split and since there are already queen shells why dont you just let them make their own queen ?
The new entrance has it showed slowing the bugs down
Two frames of capped brood for those two frame minis? Seems a little overkill. Thought you were aiming for brood and food in each chamber?
Did you notice the food on the outside edge of the frames? I used that as my food source. As far as the 2 brood frames, more bees means I can transfer from the 2 frame nuc to a 5 framer sooner. I have noticed that the more bees you have, the more that will forage then you don't have to feed quite as much. I don't mind baby sitting the nucs food stores but if I can keep from it why not, right?
Hello Jason got a ? You interested in doing a queen swap I will send you a queen or 2 and you send me 1 or 2 of yours. I’m always trying to mix up my genetics I believe I have pretty good bees, I’m in Northern California. Take care.
@Scott Pierson Sure, I'd be interested in a swap. Shoot me an email honeycomb_hill@yahoo.com and we can discuss this further.
@@JCsBees will do Jason sounds great.
P
I lost you at this stage I am afraid
I lost you at this stage I m afraid