Preparing for my 3rd Year of Beekeeping - Building hives, cleaning equipment and getting more bees
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- Опубликовано: 18 мар 2024
- This is my 3rd season of beekeeping and I'm excited to see how much honey we can harvest! In this video I spent some time cleaning my equipment, doing some wood work and also I managed to get hold of a new beehive!
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I'm a woodworker....please please please don't wear a scarf when using power tools! If that scarf gets caught in that circular saw blade your head will find its way very quickly towards that blade which would not be good. Stay safe! Hope that helps.
Natural selection
@@mycomaniac316stop.
My immediate thought as a fellow woodworker
very good advice
Never wear gloves either. Especially with lathe
i really love these videos, they are so calming, no bullshitting and no exaggerating, no show off, just showing the learning process and the reached achievements. Alex please keep up your videos, this ist what i love the most and this is what makes you my fav youtuber
This! Exactly this! They're a point of tranquility in a sea of madness.
It's the type of content I hope all creators will start producing.
Me too.
Well said
me too
Since I last saw you. Things have really taken off. I’m now a fully registered charity. Love the journey you’ve been on and thanks for the promo last year. 🙏
🎉
Nice vlog Alex, I'm a beekeeper of 60 years, and its good to see someone like yourself really looking after bees, giving good sound information and advice.
My three year old is fascinated about bees and beekeeping thanks to you and your videos!!! He goes around the house and pretends different things are ‘his beehives’ or ‘his smoker’ or pretending to find ‘his queen bee’. It’s amazing what he picks up from listening to you. Thanks for inspiring him so much!!!
Maybe this kid should see a doctor
Maybe he will be a surgeon and also bee a honey Doctor!
This is why I started beekeeping, I attribute you to the reason why I started last year, I tell people all the time :D
Same here, I was inspired by the videos and have begun gathering parts and supplies to start next spring.
me to
No better video to watch whilst drinking a morning coffee!
My grandpa is a beekeeper for almost 60 years. He scrapes and collects the propolis from the frames and majority of it he sells for usage in different medicines. Keeps a bit for himself and puts it in his rakija bottles (fruit spirit). He believes this is the secret to his longevity (beekeeping, honey + rakija with propolis) - 87 years old. Thank you for the video, brings back memories of childhood, harvesting honey and selling it later with my grandpa on the market.
*Really Important!!* Please don't wear clothing items like hoodie draw cords or scarves when using power tools..... especially circular saws! If the long dangly thing, that is wrapped around your neck, gets caught in a spinning tool it can get wrapped around the tool really quickly. This means that the bit that's around your neck gets really tight, really quickly...... I hope you can see where this is going? "My circular saw strangled me" looks really back on a headstone 😅
Or wearing gloves. Especially with a lathe
Don’t wear gloves either. Especially with a lathe
Using power tools with the scarf on made me tense up a little! However, the ingenuity and problem solving skills you have are nothing if not admirable. Can't wait for another video when it gets to harvesting season!
Yes. Alex as a Mom I have to say...... Please be safe and tuck in that scarf when using power tools.
Anytime I talk to anyone about my preference for long format videos, I alway go to your channel as my gold standard.
No bs. Just a wealth of highly entertaining information. A deep dive, if you will, instead of just skiing across the surface of knowledge.
Bristol resident here. Can't wait to buy your honey! Hopefully i get to know when it goes on sale. I'd be miffed if i miss out because it's sold out.
Another outstanding video. It never ceases to amaze me how my teen went from zero interest in beekeeping two years ago, to helping me enthusiastically thanks to your videos. Our family loves watching your stuff and we are excited to see what this summer brings!
Yessssss! A video from Alex
29 minutes of joy!
Yes!
I hope you make a video dedicated to making mead using your own mead and messing with flavours. I really like how you put your videos together.
Alex keep this in mind : every beekeeper is a carpenter ( more or less). I do that for days and weeks in winter Some days i am all day long in workshop ....when you have 500-600 gives you work whole winter
I came across your channel about a year ago. now I've recently started my own vegetable garden. I don't really know what I'm doing and just playing along as it goes. Thank you for inspiring me Alex
Gardening books, there are loads at the library. And local knowledge from gardening folks in the neighborhood. There is a book that I had that talked about veggies you can plant together to utilize the space in your plot(s).
Keep us posted!
Yeah : You got yourself a "Warre Hive." I just love them. Have several here in my Garden. Made loads of my own Equipment too. Have Nationals, Langstroths, Warre and a huge Horizontal Hive. All doing well here in Scotland.
Tip:
I would do a Warre to National transfer (why would you ? Keep the Warre Hive too.)
By cutting only a Third of the Comb out of the Warre Frame : Leaving about x2 Inches of Comb in the Top of the Warre Frame (Bees will draw down more Wax in these. Back to normal.)
Keep the Comb the right way up ! And use Elastic Bands around your National Frames, to keep this Comb in place, until the Bees build them with secure holding Brace Comb.
If any Beek has a Langstroth Hive : Warre and National Super Frames fit within them. Just Inset that 2nd Frame and Zip Tie one Top Rail to another. Simples.
Hope this helps. 😎
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
Happy Beekeeping 2024.
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
I have made Langstroth, Nats and Warre Nuc Hives. All using Pallet Wood. Use the ones that are light Pine Wood with only "Heated Treated" Logo or Image on them. Really easy to break down into lovely Planks, Glue these together to make Walls, Floors, even cut up into Frames.
All doable in DIY terms. Add a little bit of Essential Lemon Grass Oil onto a bit of Cotton Wool, or melt that 'Dark Bees Wax' to make a "Bait Hive" by catching a Swarm. A Free Bee Hive and Free Bees. Had x3 Swarms find me last Year. 👍 Yes they were local Black Bees and no, not any of my Bees swarming, but 'Bees from the local environment finding me.'
What's not to like. . .🙃
Wow! Thank you SO much for that wealth of knowledge ❤️🇺🇸
Alex, go grab a pop-up gazebo. They're super cheap and will serve as a shelter for selling at markets and help you keep your woodworking up in the garden/by the hive in the rain. Much love.
this will be my 3rd year of watching your bee keeping. super excited for this years videos.
Lmao nooo not the spilled screws! I've done that! I felt that in my soul! 😢😂
Ooooo pretty color! I love blue 💙!
Using the circular saw with your lovely scarf dangling nearby made me so anxious :'))
Great to see you back Alex! Watching your mushroom growing video got me interested in it, and I'm currently building an environment control panel for a Martha tent. So thanks for that! Love your style and presentation. You really are a breath of fresh air on youtube!
I won't watch his mushroom video. Otherwise I'll start a mushroom business ... Alex is so inspiring :D
It's funny because I started watching you when I became a beekeeper myself
I always enjoy it when you release a new video
These are my comfort videos, thankyou Alex ❤
New beekeeping update !! been waiting for this one.
Very impressed, your woodworking skills are coming along well, and it's going to save you loads of money on hives, keep up the good work!
Yay i have been rediscovering your videos recently. Im so glad theres another video!
I absolutely love these videos, I find myself rewatching every video weekly!
Alex created such an awesome community
Glad to see another year of beekeeping
Thank you for showing how to clean the bee equipment with the boiler and soda crystals.
Personally, I am a pensioner, and I have no experience of handling bees.
I am considering different hive designs that don't require heavy lifting.
So far, I have looked at horizontal hives and Slovenian hives.
I am considering making my own version of a bee hive based on the A-Z hive crossed with deep and a half frame. Also, designing a building to house the hive(s) and for other uses, such as mushrooms, electronic monitoring, and solar.
Keep on following your dreams. you're doing a great job showing us the parts of bee keeping that I have not seen from others
Agreed Alex you will find making the hives easier with each one you make and less of a hassle. Having someplace to make them other than the cramped space of your back garden will also make it easier. Perhaps the people who allow you to keep your bees on their property have somewhere you may use for making your hives in future. It should not be very difficult for them to allow you to use a space for a short time each winter to do this. Keep getting the parts ready made so it only takes some cutting/assembly and having your own tools and other stuff so you wont need anything else of theirs. So ask them if you may use a little corner of a small shed for a few days a year to build your hives and who knows you may get lucky. Some thank you honey every year always helps sweeten the deal. (sorry had to do that lol) As your operation grows your profits each year will be best spent to fund the next season and save some of that profit for future things like getting a small plot of land and build a shed as your first base to grow your business from. From humble beginnings big things grow. You are a humble man so that's half the puzzle solved. 😁👍
Those boxes look so nice!
I have been watching your content for hours. Love the honesty, I am inspired to start my own project.
Hi Alex good to see you and your bee's again. May you have a fun and productive year. You're an inspiration! Cheers
It always surprises me that videos like this with so much info & knowledge get so little views in comparison to some gossip reaction to stupid "pranks" get millions of views !
Nice one Alex it's always nice when you do a film 🎥 on your bee's 🐝 it's always very interesting it will be nice when the weather starts getting better 🐝🐝🐝😁👍
Alex you're back ..at last ..seems like a millennium ago ..hope Bristol is treating you well..I'm so indulgent when you talk about the machinations of anything /everything ..all the comments (any/all) are the signature of your style ..I've learnt so much about bees ..thanks Mr Myagi of Bees
I love how you also show the struggles with what you're doing. Whenever I make stuff and I break or drop things I always feel like an idiot, but I guess it happens to all of us. Good luck with the bees this year!
Just an advice. When you want to screw the thinner pieces of wood, drill them out first and then screw to prevent splitting. I do woodworking as a hobby and also had learning curve.
If you want to "close" the screw holes you can mix fine saw dust and white wood glue. Apply it to mask the screws and once it solidifies, just pass few times with the sand paper. Best regards from Croatia :)
I was so excited to see two new Videos Alex you should be so proud of your self making your own boxes and everything I'm very proud of you no matter what you are amazing 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝
Truly appreciate your work, Alex. Thanks.
*Hi Alex, I've been watching your bee journey since the beginning :) I must say, it's awesome and you've come a long way. Making your own equipment is much cheaper. I wish you a great beekeeping season this year. Keep us updated.*
So much easier to paint before assembling the boxes. Save the dark comb to capture a swarm. Along with lemongrass oil, the black comb will attract the swarm
Alex, unless the hives you cleaned those frames from HAD diseases, there was no need to remove the wax unless there was mold or it was older wax 2+yrs. same with the process for cleaning them. best practice is to actually FREEZE them for 24hrs, thaw them for another 24 in an enclosed location, then give them to the bees!
Now you know what an ordeal it is to build the hives yourself :) always a learning experience, glad to be tagging along
I hate to be a pain pal, but im gonna need more videos.
The honest and calming nature of you, and your videos, has become one of my favourite things on RUclips.
Your range of interests and approach to learning new things is fascinating. You are doing an excellent job pal. But please, more videos
Beekeeping is on my bucket list, thanks to you! You're a big inspiration to many people.
Hey Alex I love your videos they always relax me keep it up!
Here’s a tip Alex, when you’re done harvesting your honey sit your hives with the frames out in your bee yard for about a week and your bees will finish the process of harvesting your honey
I really love all your videos!! You inspire me to have these things I want like bees, my own garden to have my own food. And feel accomplish!! God Bless!!❤️🙏🏻✝️🙌🏻
thank you for the video Alex it's so inspiring and so good to see all 🥰
15:57 oh my god they went from cool to ADORABLE
Seeing that scarf getting SO close to the saw at 13:20 made very nervous lol
Great video! I recently became obsessed with bee keeping even though I don’t even own a single thing yet. Your journey has been amazing and I’m definitely looking forward to getting into the hobby, great job with everything you do Alex! Keep at it with the tools as well, the more experience you give yourself the better you will become! Cheers!
There's something so endearing about your voice 😊 I love listening to you talk!
I really enjoy watching you with your beekeeping. I have always been afraid of bees, but learning about them from you have made them feel more familiar and not so scary. I now see them as little critters instead of scary insects, if that makes sense! Thank you for teaching us!
That paint was so scrumptious
love following your bee keeping journey, its on my bucket list when i retire....
I have been following you and your vids of planting, bees and beer for a good while, and i am absolutly loving it.
I used to get panic attacks around bees, and last year i didnt cause i now know to much more about them becasue of you!
So thank you for putting out such great and informative content!
Keep up the good work! Looking forward to more vids! :D
Fantastic to see what you are doing now. Warre hives are used a lot in France, they are top bar hives, a bit of research will show you how to move the bees into a National Hive.
Just watched you 2 years of beekeeping video last night glad to see another video
I love the bees 🐝😍
to stop the wood split at 9:19 pre drill your hole with a slightly smaller diameter drillbit. takes a few extra mins but saves the quality of your work.
Your honey harvest video last year made me want bees
What a nice young man Alex is well done keep up the good work
Time flies. Feels like yesterday that you’ve uploaded the first bee video
Well done! I really enjoyed watching you build the items - excellent job mate! 🐝
hurray! Alex is back! Love your garden videos and the beekeeping! Just bought my own Flow Hive and waiting for my bees to arrive! Think I wnt my own RUclips channel with bees and gardenstuff. Thanks for the inspiration!
Your videos are amazing and inspiring. Can you please do some more gardening please.
Hi Alex! If you use screws, it is worth drilling holes in the wood first. Then it won't crack.
Greetings from Poland!
Very helpful and so many hidden little gems - a building jib!! What a brilliant idea wish you would have linked the information… AND Soda Crystals for cleaning; love it. Thank you
I really like your videos and I have learned a lot from watching your videos and I love the adventures you go on and I love ur bees I can't wait to be able to get honey .and be able to enjoy them .
Alex, I love your beekeeping videos, you have inspired me to finally take up beekeeping, I've wanted to do it for a little while but just didn't have time or the motivation for it. But hopefully within the next 3 months I'll have my colony. Please keep making the videos and working hard. Much love from South Africa
great video as always Alex, just a bit of advice and a warning about wearing long scarves when using the circular saw, be very careful that the scarf doesn't get caught up in the blade of the circular saw or it could be a very bad day 😅🤣
Very nice work on the crown and nuc boxs my man. Love your content, very soothing.
Alex I put a leg of cooked turkey out for foxes and wasps ate a lot of it was that normal love following your blogs and loved your mum and dads house and garden well done with the veggies last year.
Hey Alex. Love the content as usual. However, please don’t wear a scarf when you’re using a circle saw. It’s unbelievably dangerous because if it catches in the blade, the instinct is to try and grab it, which is a great way of cutting a finger off. Keep up the good work mate🙏
I like your handy jig for holding the nuc hive parts during assembly.
Impressive, l’m so pleased to have found your channel 🤗👍🐝
Really good Alex, you've got some decent tools there too now. Keep up the good work 👍👍
Im so invested in this video.. ive been watching ur others. But tbh i never knew beekeeping is so relaxing to watch 😂
I really like your videos!! Thank you very much!!!❤
Alex where have you been?!?!?! Just kidding, love your videos! Keep it up 😇😇
I am hoping to start keeping bees in the coming months/year and I love watching your videos to learn more about the process and also, you have a very pleasant and relaxing mannerism. Keep up the good work! Pro tip for work working: when using a motorized rotary tool (like a saw) try not to wear loose clothing especially around your neck (like a scarf). Be safe and I can't wait to see the next video.
Everything is looking good, Alex!
Hopefully your smaller colony thrives once it starts to warm up and they’ve got some decent weather to forage 🫶🏻
Also, nice to see some bulbs. Ours have been out all winter 🫤🤷🏻 I don’t think they realise we had a winter 😆
I cant believe ive been watching you for over 2 years, heres to a hardy harvest this season, i look forward to the videos
Glad to see you back. My neighbors have moved and he sold all five of his hives. I miss watching them getting water and sugar water I left out for them. Of course my Sheltie didn't like them and would snap and chase them. Sadly she is very allergic to being stung with an anaphalatic response within a few minutes so when we were outside in the summer I always had to have a package of antihistamine right at hand to keep her breathing. Who would expect that. But I still wish the bees were back next door. Good luck this summer.
i love this cute comfy house that you live in, and you've made such a lovely beehives, i like the color! Waiting for more videos of yours! :)
Finally a new bee video! I have waited waaay to long. Keep it up mate ;)
It's a good day when Alex uploads a new video! keep it up Alex love the content.
Good to see you back Alex.
I also love watching these videos! And the English accent along with your jargon is really fascinating to listen too. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your harvesting and videos!
Fantastic video Alex! I hope this is the best year yet for a honey harvest. Looking forward to the future videos. Cheers
So far so good.
It's fun to watch your beekeeping journey, and I am excited to see how well you do this year on your honey harvest! Good luck!
I love how we turn into grumpy old men and women when winter drags on, lol. ☺ Building your own, even if it is just once for now, has so much value to it. Good on you for giving it a go. I also will be inheriting some lovely bee ladies from an acquaintance. Very exciting when free bees come to us. Looking forward to your upcoming season.
Your homemade nucs looks great. Good luck this year.
Thank you Tom!!!