1) Is it safe to use Oxalic Acid Vapor on hives with honey supers and brood? 29:03 2) Can I use QMP instead of Swarm Commander to attract swarms to swarm traps? 33:57 3) Question regarding moving bee hives. I need to move them 30-40 feet while keeping them on my property. Is there a faster way? 39:07 4) My brother is starting with bees and plans to put them in the chicken run because it already has an electric fence. Just wondering if this is a good idea for the chickens? 46:03 5) Do you remove leftover honey from hives in spring? If so, what time, and how? 48:47 6) My Flow-Hive boxes don't match the standard Langstroth medium supers. You are going to produce a new video showing how to make a matching shim and medium super. Would you mind leaking your solution? 54:11 7) I have a question about winter bees. At what time during spring do we expect to see those die off? 59:22 8) What are your thoughts on putting a lean-to over the hive? I get told to put them in full sun and then afternoon shade. Thoughts? 1:02:14 9) Why are people so leery of bee packages? They are cheaper than nucs. 1:08:10
Thanks for this information. I am considering becoming a bee keeper and have been watching your channel for several months. This information on varroa mite control is a game changer for me. I was holding back because this issue. Zac Lamas’ talk and your suggestion of the drone separation cage is excellent. I share your enthusiasm. Finishing planning soon to begin bee keeping next spring!!
I bow down before the fabulous artistry of Mrs. Fred... As an unregistered beek, and a subscriber, I may not be worthy of beholding the radiant beauty of that chicken...🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
New Zealand, I make my fondant recipe 1 kg Icing sugar+ 1 destspoon Gelatin, +1.5 destspoon Glycerine + 1/2 cup gulose syrup,+ 1/4 cup of water + Dissolve Gelatin, 20 second in microwave + Add Glycerine + Add corn syrup + Once mix thoroughly together + Add Icing sugar + Mix to a dough texture +use a 60 mm spacer on top of brood frames in winter time,+ Put directly on top of the brood frames + Can cover top of fondant with plastic, or baking paper,stop from drying out ,used 2 kgs over winter time,8 July, then the 1st August ,feed 10 kgs sugar syrup,frame feeder close to brood nest as possible, keep the syrup warm,
We drove 2 hours to Better Bee this morning. They were curious why today there were 234 sales on their queen excluder frames! Staff, as always, was fab and we all had some laughs. Anxious to apply this method! Genius!!
@@FrederickDunn Yes, our cashier then was going to watch your video. The warehouse worker asked us if there was a sale today on them because everyone was ordering them. I think many of us will be experimenting along with you! Wishing everyone a great season!
Thanks for the SBGMI video recommendation. Thought-provoking to say the least. A really interesting experimental design, too. Thanks, too, to the person who let you know about this.
This was a fantastic idea! this is kind of providential to hear your hypothesis on the cage/frame method and answers a nagging question for those who are really focused on flooding DCA's with great drone genetics - how do we keep them alive but yet handle the Varroa! Please keep data and track the results to share with us later! It will be a great discussion to have at the end of our Northern Beekeeping season for sure!
Thanks for sharing your video! It was an aha moment for me when I realized that Dr. Lamas was observing. I'm definitely onboard with the genetics being the long term answer on varroa. For now, this is going to be an interesting chemical-free method for pulling drones with mites. It all made sense to me :) Also, thank you for chiming in and watching.
Wow. I have just recently watched that presentation and planned on doing my own comparison. I didn’t look forward to hand picking and realized mites kept hopping on young drones. I was going to use the cage but didn’t quite know what to do with the live drones. If they were healthy (mite free) they could return wherever they like. Just because we think we know everything drones do, I believe they belong in the hive. I have considered treating a frame with OA spray if heavily infested and heading towards a sudsy dip just to see how effective it may be. The cage is also helpful if you forget you have drone comb in…
Thanks Fred for a great Q and A. I love the way you explain your answers to questions. I’ve learned so much listening/watching the last few videos. I extracted honey from my winter from dead outs and after jarring it eventually turned and crystallized vs. summer extraction liquid.
I got mine last yr ! ,after seeing Dr.Peck talk about it and had a long wait for them to get more made-up..betterbee gonna need to ramp up production big time ! Thank you!!!, for putting this out ,it makes a ton of sense on how mites spread hive to hive.
Hi Phil, yes, I wanted one of those as soon as I saw one. I received mine back in January, and had it in mind when I watched Dr. Lamas's presentation. The drone management application seems stronger to me than making a brood break. BUT, we'll see how that goes.
I hope several people try it out, so we can all compare notes regarding how it worked out. I'm looking forward to that method over caging the queen and then doing a treatment. If I can get my drones to attract the mites, it's going to be a fascinating spring season.
What a fantastic strategy. I just picked up a bunch of those iso cages and drone frames from betterbee. I’m going to test this theory! What if you take one step further and put that iso cage in a quarantine box for 24hrs and treat with OA. Then open cage after you treat the drone frame so they all go back in your apiary hives. I also want to mark drones with different colors to test drift of drones.
I've also joined the fray. Ordered from BB, hope you left me some. I have trouble with the girls drawing the drone frames, even with an extra coat of wax. Sigh. They ignore them completely, going to spray new ones with propolis tincture.
I think you're going to see quite a bit of drift. Sounds like fun. I'm not sure how long drones manage without nurse bees feeding them. That's also a consideration when removing them from the parent colony.
Hey Bohemia Bees: I was thinking the same thing in re: drone quarantine and treatment, although my thought was to keep the drone frames in their individually labeled iso cages for treatment so they can be returned to the correct hive without drifting. Might a half-day post-treatment quarantine be enough? Worth a try... Hey Fred: I just ordered 3 queen iso cages from BetterBee. If all of us giving your idea a try report back afterwards, it would make for a marvelous study.
Fred, I watched the same video a few days back. Not aware of the cage you demonstrated in this video, I was playing around with ideas to trap the sealed drone. Your idea is far superior. I will be testing this method this year on a few colonies. Yes, I've ordered a few of the cages. I really like this idea and along with OAV treatments could put a huge dent in the mite load prior to winter.
Frederick, we are very much impressed with your work and engagement. You find time to answer all comments! We watched the presentation of Dr Z.Lamas to get the whole point. Indeed it is very exciting. Thank you for broaden our minds and finding one more way of using our isolation cage! we look forward to see how the method works this Spring. We are available for any technical comments on construction of the cage , in case we can improve anything in it. Thanks again :-)
Genius as usual. 😊 Not sure if you saw my Facebook post a few weeks ago about the highest mite count I’ve found in any feral colony alcohol wash to date. That sample had a much higher than normal amount of drones which turned up a much higher than normal amount of mites compared to what I typically sample which usually turns up between one to three mites per hundred worker bees. I like your new method you’re implementing.
Hi Randy! That's very interesting! I definitely think, now that I've seen Dr. Lamas' video, that we need to look harder at those drones! But, we have to get them while they are young, apparently they are not so appetizing once they are fully mature and aging. Thanks for commenting! :)
I am really looking forward to lots of feedback from other beekeepers on this, and I hope everyone documents their method and results. I don't think it will be a happy spring for the drones... and mites won't be happy either.
She thought it was the funniest thing ever! So, I did not get any angst :) BUT, she said that's the last drawing she will be doing for me (';')... which makes it all the more valuable!
I was just talking to my wife about Drone combs the other day and lol. i was saying almost what you were saying about Varroa and drones. I was more so talking about counting dead mites after freezing. and isolating drones and such. it sort of just popped in my head. you explained it a whole lot better.🙂
Sometimes I set a cardboard nuc with a drawn frame at the old location and collect any leftovers and the shake the in front of the new loc. After a couple of days of this they figure it out.
I was already going to use drone comb based on my mentor's guidance. Now I will try the queen/drone cage varroa mite control idea. At this time I have one hive but I love trying ideas. I know I need more hives for more control in observations but I start where I am.
Hi Fred, great info as usual. I like your idea. Here is mine. We have queen pheromones available for purchase. And we also have ready drawn manufactured comb. Presently brood or honey. Why not try to isolate the fresh drone brood scent and make a synthetic copy into a spray. Use your synthetic drawn drone comb and spay with the sent. After a day of the scent of fresh drones, mites should be drawn to the cell. The next day removal of the frame would potentially remove many mites. And could be easily frozen. I know the hard part would be isolation of the scent the mite is attracted to. Without taking away all that effort to fully raise those drone brood. Thanks for your time. Anthony in Nh
Hi Anthony, I know of three research centers that are already working on that, and have been working on producing a varroa lure. Finding out what they are attracted to, distilling that down, and working with that pheromone while making it stable enough to last a reasonable amount of time is at the center. It's not easy, but I hope they really do come up with a pheromone based varroa lure so we can trap those tiny nightmares.
#1 - my vision of treatment is now sponges for low level constant treatment and adding OAV treatments in the evening when the drones are home during season peaks.
I wish you would do a VERY simplistic, easy to understand step-by-step explanation on how to set the SLOW MOTION on your AX 700 video camera! I have had the same model camera now for two years and have YET to understand how to operate this function! I so enjoy your video work as well as all your bee BEEhavior observations. Thank you!
It's an interesting idea. I will check it out Fred. I wanted to let you know, I have been using the hive alive fondant for a couple years now and my bees can't get enough of it. What I do is cut three slits making a square but don't cut the fourth side, slip it inside the fondant package. It not only seems to hold it open, but also keeps all your garbage in one place. Don't know if that helps.
Solar Sails. Watching someone pour a bunch of powdered sugar on packaged bees is pretty interesting. When done suspended over a sheet of paper. The number of groomed off mites is interesting.
Happy Friday Fred! This was a great Q&A to sit on the couch and enjoy my rum/tea tonight. Cannot wait to hear the results of caging the drones to count and kill those mites. I hate mites. Chicken feather mites, varroa...grrrrrrr.
This opening is probably the the most interesting what if I’ve ever heard, if in fact it works it will be a huge breakthrough, it will help the bees , it will help the market have more items to manufacture and market , the “drone observatory trap” you just solved economical and entomology issues 🙂 i got a handful of green drone frames now I just need some of the betterbee queen containment cage / “Fred’s varroa control cages “ your gonna be rich !! 😂 really though, this is a fascinating concept that I am definitely intrigued and will give this a go , on a large scale just think about all of the millions of bees that wouldn’t have to bee euthanized for test purposes,this whole idea is huge , I can’t wait to try it !
I believe you're on to something, Fred!! I also believe that's what killed my hive. The fact my hive had and accepted drones last of December . Now that you mention this, these were old drones. I'm sure they was some drifters. WITH MITES!! 😮thanks Fred very intriguing
Fred I like your idea of caging the queen with a drone frame. My question is how you plan to get the queen out of the cage before you put the drones to sleep or are you going to put her to sleep too and then put her in the hive. Thanks .
After the drone comb is all in production, and the drones are starting to be capped, that's when I'd open the cage and remove the queen and let her get back to the worker brood. You have plenty of time to close them up before any drones begin to emerge. I would not put the Queen to sleep as I would with the drones. I hope that helps :)
Hey! My family and I did two years of work on this in Vermont and me in Maryland. It looks like colonies with multiple detections on drones in the spring is enough to warrant action, but people will have to establish thresholds based upon their geographic area. There's one group led by a beekeeper doing their master beekeeper project in Colorado, James Wilson and I are going it in Virginia this year.
I was just reading ABJ Dec 2023 and found an article, Tina Sebestyen, that gives an example of how she did the drone/mite test. Interesting result! I was wondering how your testing of the cage worked last year. Any chance for a follow-up fluff session?
Thank you for stopping in! I'm glad you found the information to be interesting, and I also hope that your RUclips channel is doing well! I wish you all the best with your bees. :)
What a wonderful video. I can’t wait to see your results about drone catching and what their mite load is, compared to mite loads on nurse bees. 😊. I’m going to use the very system, the frame cage, to cage my queen in a 5 frame nuc to limit population growth so she won’t swarm … that way I can “bank” a queen until I need her.
Wow and to think I was going to suggest you watch the bug farmer's newest video, where he gets a swarm on his head. Nevermind this is much more important. Thanks for bringing this new information to your viewers. Probably won't be able to get one of those cages now lol I definitely like this idea.
At the beginning of your discussion you mentioned virgin queens and strong drones being able to fly for mating. And then went on to your idea about trapping drones and testing them for mites. Are you concerned about having enough drones for mating queens? My wife Rhonda loves your channel! We both learn a lot from your videos. Thank you
Hi Peter, I'm only caging one frame of drones, I'm leaving the rest. If we get varroa numbers down, then there will be plenty of varroa free drones coming along as they would likely be in drone production for several weeks. If we reduce the drone pool, I don't think it's significant unless we were to remove ALL drones. Colonies that prove to have small varroa numbers won't have a continuation of drone trapping. At least that's my take on it.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question regrading the QMP, and your explanation made sense!! my wife heard you mentioning my channel and gave me a look about me wanting to catch swarms…. We tend to have spicy feral bees in our area 😊 thankfully packages are starting available and guess thats the route I will need to go…
It's definitely not a call to action, I'm sure those who try it out will be sharing the results. I think it's going to be interesting to say the least.
Hi and thank you. Starting my 4th spring beekeeping and have learned more useful and successful information from you than from ANY other source. The information and advice you provide is so appreciated! I think your idea of caging the drones might work brilliantly and I would like to try it. My question is, can you advise on the “ideal” timing of putting the cage in the hive based on general location? I am in the Pacific Northwest in zone 8b.
Thank you so much :) I'm so glad to have helped you with your beekeeping. Regarding timing, it's usually during your strongest nectar flow when colonies rear large numbers of drone brood. This is definitely regional as it ties in with strong bloom cycles.
1.use formic acid early in spring = less varroamothers to lay eggs kater 2. Cut out dronecells each week = less surviving varroa. 3. Use rhubarb that is sliced every week on the frames when you have them = thats natural oxcal acid that doesnt ruin the hlneu and you get less varroa. 4. Use powdersugar like rain on the bees = the bees will take that away on each other and with it the varroa if theres any 5. Use a bee gym in the entrance in the hive = to get rid of varroa. 6.Use formic acid after taking the honey in the fall. 7. Use the oxide acid when they go in to wintersleep. All those things together will help the bees against varroa best. The medical treatment might make the varroa finally be resistant and make big farma rich.
Fred, this drone bait is very exciting! It got me thinking about swarms, do swarms have drones also? Have you done mite counts on swarms? I know you and others suggest treating a swarm for varroa because there is no brood for a bit of time. Thanks for the excellent bee footage and all your hard work. Minorcas are 3 weeks old and all alive so I feel like a successful chicken minder at the moment. 1 case of wry neck and he is fine. 3 cases of pasty butt, cleaned up several times and they and fine too. Chicks are big enough that I need another feeder, they are too big for all of them to fit. Thanks for the suggestion for this breed, I am learning so much and that is really fun for me.
Pasty butt is due to stress ("> If you put an old fashioned feather duster in the brooder with them, they won't get that issue, and will think the duster is their mother to stand under. :)
wish you did this a week ago, i just pulled a green medium frame,loaded w capped drones,and frozen 2 days yesterday i used a serated uncapping knife to cut the cappings and used a garden hose to blast the pupae out for birds ,which worked well,and can be replaced in hive,i have 4 of those green frames, and the queen isolation cage,but will definitely give this a shot,i wonder how mite attract to drones,is it by scent,hiw do the mites know what a fat bee smells like...thank you for losing sleep for us
Hi Mark, I think your opportunities are still ahead, we have plenty of drone production I'm sure. I've always thought the removing of drone brood was OK... as the mites are often in there. But I REALLY like the idea that mites in their dispersal phase will be attracted to the young drones and will clamor onto their bodies. This is something that I really want to see for myself, and of course make macro video of the results. Dr. Lamas has really lit a varroa management fire in my mind :)
@@FrederickDunn yep im watching the video link if him ,great research,how they buffer the coming onslaught, late season,ill be getting those green frames redrawn,i didnt hear him talk about dawn ultra ,instead of alcohol
Make real sense to me, esp in spring build up time, the time aspect is a stumbler, I can’t see a lot of people sitting there picking mites of drones, may be knock them out as you say and then wait for them to wake in a container then sugar shake them. Another thing is due to many lazy people they may just kill the lot and then the drone population may be effected. So I guess you would set the cage up and put queen in just until she has laid the drone eggs then release her, which would I guess only be for a few days. I wanted this year to try a forced brood break during our June gap like Richard Noel does each year, but maybe I’ll try a drone trap, I already have co2 just need to set up some sort of container for the cage trap. I might even catch some drones by hand and have a look at how many they are carrying. Going to go watch the link. Thanks Fred always learning
HI Emma, I was onboard and planned to do brood breaks with these isolation cages, but now that I know I can simply hold drones in and use them to draw mites, I'm changing my approach. This leaves the queen laying and worker production uninterrupted. If we can get the varroa under control in spring, then I think we'll be well ahead of the management game.
Cool idea there Fred. Instead of testing at all though, why not just OAV the whole hive 2-3 days after your caged drone frames have hatched? I'm sure there will be some phoretic mites outside of that frame as well - knock them all down, I reckon. Keep us informed on your practice of this over the spring. I look forward to doing my own trials next spring (I live in NZ).
Mrs. Fred is an artistic genius! So much better than Hunter Biden; I'd buy that chicken. Thank you for answering my question about bee packages. I bought packages from Barnyard Bees in Georgia and was very happy with the results. They always ship through USPS, and that's the only way I'll go. On the subject of the fondant; I did make 1/2 packages which I sealed with the food savers. Worked perfectly. Three packages were completely gone or almost, and I had one dead-out. I will however use you straw scaffold idea next year. Simply makes sense. Thank you so much; Huntnlady in New Mexico.
I think MOST of the mites will come from the drone brood that just hatched AND nothing is keeping them in. I may hand catch and inspect some drones. Once I'm sure they are mite free put them in a cage just to see how many mites they attract.
You could do lots of experiments to see what the mites are attracted to. The good news is that Dr. Lamas has spent a long time establishing that attraction. But you're right, you could free any drones that are clear of mites.
I hear a great deal of conversation around hive alive fondant, i tried it for my first time this winter in my mild climate of South Carolina, and they seemed to enjoy it. My question is, how do you think it would be if used on splits, swarm catches, weak colonies or is it mainly intended for winter use?
If the weather is nice enough for syrup, then I'd use that over the findant. Particularly when you're working up a swarm, or small split. Sugar syrup would be a much better boost for them at that time of year in my opinion.
@FrederickDunn Thank you, i usually come up with more questions in my head than i do answers to keeping my bees in the best way possible, I really value your opinion and love the content you create.
Thank you Fred for making us think outside the box. Simple question: When my packages of new bees arrive, do I insert the green frame right away, or wait until they have drawn most of the other frames before inserting it? (Two dead outs, so I am starting with 4 new frames, 4 drawn frames and 1 and a 1/2 homey frame from last season). Thank you for your response.
I would hold off on that until you know they are at a drone rearing stage. Some colonies when just starting off actually don't produce a lot of drones. It's really a wait and see game in my opinion.
Ok Fred, I'll consider this new idea about looking more closely at drones, and I'll watch the video you referenced, BUT If young, freshly-emerged drones are so nutritious & appealing to mites, why do the mites not attach themselves to drones in the cells, pre-emergent, and just stay there for several days, post-emergence?
Hi David, to that I say, how do you know they are not still attached to the emerged drones? Since we don't look at the drones for mites, this is the point that Dr. Lamas is making, and has made. The drones emerge and move around the frames with varroa mites on their bodies. The next level is that free roaming mites are attracted to those young drones (2-3 days old) and also climb onto their bodies, demonstrating a preference for the drones over their attraction to nurse bees. This is what's so novel about Dr. Lamas's findings. My bees groom the newly emerging drones and workers as they emerge. That doesn't mean they are killing the mites. This frees the mites to roam the comb and re-attach themselves to nurse bees or young drones with surprising agility.
I think they are going to be very handy for a lot of applications. I'm glad I got my order in. I never really liked my old confinement cage that had to be against one end of the hive in order to work.
Hello Fred, Newby bk here. We're getting our first 2 nucs next week. We're going with Layens hives. I've purchased wax drone foundation, husband constructed the cage around the frame. My question is: what will encourage the bees to draw out the drone foundation vs. regular foundation first? Thanks in advance.
Fred, Now being public information, is there a price on that? I am interested in purchasing the Strictly Limited Edition, First Edition, "Black & Green Chicken In A Green Pasture". Though, it will never be complete without a lower corner "sign & date". I will be checking for an answer. Thank You.
It is suitable for framing, and in demand by collectors around the world. But, my wife wants it kept in a private collection under lock and key... I was also informed that I should not expect anymore original art on the microwave (';')... so... it's likely the end of a series...
Great idea on the drone isolation cage! Would like to hear how it goes. Northern Michigan here. Got my first nuc on May 23rd. What's your thoughts on doing a mite treatment this soon?
If you had a new package, then mites can be treated on the 7th day after install with excellent results. With a nucleus hive, you already have potential mites under pupa caps, so your treatment regimen is the same as an established colony. If you can assess the mite-load first, that would give you a bench mark for treatment if required. Always ask the seller about their pest control measures and what the history of your nucleus has been.
Seller said this nuc has not been treated. I feel like I should treat as a prophylaxis. Obviously there isn't a honey super on yet and will be putting on a second brood box (and their honey) today. I have Formic Pro, Apivar or OA. Would you recommend 1 bar of Formic Pro? Seller recommended to wait for a July treatment and let the brood get bigger. What say you?🐝
@@FrederickDunn that would be awesome 😋way more valuable than a high dollar gift 🎁, my wife gets mad if I spend money on gifts , MoonGun Farm and Forge is what I do to give money to her horse / livestock rescue/ sanctuary- Havensgate Farm sanctuary is where she wants me to put every spare dime , I have spent a fortune rescuing animals but I told her I am obsessed with saving the bees again and the good thing is one of my customers has a large eco nonprofit that is going to give us large grants when our nonprofit status goes through and then maybe MoonGun Farm can sustain and then I can buy some of your fancy merchandise and gift it to my wife because I will then be able to afford it lol 😝 I have huge plans on making natural habitat to sustain and house millions of honeybees at our farm , and I will of course provide them with quality log hives which I am working on now , so the hives will look like trees and not boxes everywhere, I will show you after I get one close to complete, I have about 16 acres to give to bees , I have to save the rest for my wife’s horses and our baby goats , the goats are 3 years old but they are still my babies lol
I’m only part way through another one of your excellent videos. And I was wondering in regards to caging the drone frame. How many do you think you need per hive one I’m thinking or more?
I would only do one per hive, partly because that cage takes up two frame spaces. In horizontal hives, not a problem, but with the Langstroth, I'd remove two drone frames (usually that's all there are), and cage one of them.
If it's a 3/8" diameter, they will definitely be able to walk right in :) But no, I haven't heard of those specific straws. Sounds good to me though :)
Question: Mr Dunn, you ever used or tried the Damaree slip, killing the queens etc to increase the honey production? What did you think about it. Thank you
@@FrederickDunn I think the way I asked my question was a little misleading. Sorry. You do the Demaree split Mr Dunn. At least I think that that was what you were doing on one your videos This is explained here (ruclips.net/video/Ax5eHE3mdj8/видео.html But some do it to I increase their honey production which I just found out on this man’s channel. .
Thanks for making this video really informative and eye opening. Love the different methodology and ideas presented thanks. The drones have to give off a specific chemical signature that the mites are drawn to.... I wouldn't assume it's by any other means. As they age the drones ""pheromone" reduces in strength (just like an aging queen) leading to the mites picking up an other and moving on. Any thoughts on this?
Fred, did test your plan of trapping the drone on drone comb? If so, will you be posting your results? I had planned to test the idea too, but my health stumbled. Now, it's to late to properly test the idea this year. Thank
1) Is it safe to use Oxalic Acid Vapor on hives with honey supers and brood? 29:03
2) Can I use QMP instead of Swarm Commander to attract swarms to swarm traps? 33:57
3) Question regarding moving bee hives. I need to move them 30-40 feet while keeping them on my property. Is there a faster way? 39:07
4) My brother is starting with bees and plans to put them in the chicken run because it already has an electric fence. Just wondering if this is a good idea for the chickens? 46:03
5) Do you remove leftover honey from hives in spring? If so, what time, and how? 48:47
6) My Flow-Hive boxes don't match the standard Langstroth medium supers. You are going to produce a new video showing how to make a matching shim and medium super. Would you mind leaking your solution? 54:11
7) I have a question about winter bees. At what time during spring do we expect to see those die off? 59:22
8) What are your thoughts on putting a lean-to over the hive? I get told to put them in full sun and then afternoon shade. Thoughts? 1:02:14
9) Why are people so leery of bee packages? They are cheaper than nucs. 1:08:10
Thanks, Adam, as always.
Ure like clock work bro
"because I 'take care of myself cause that's the golden rule or something..." Your humor cracks me up! Love it.
:)
Thanks for this information. I am considering becoming a bee keeper and have been watching your channel for several months. This information on varroa mite control is a game changer for me. I was holding back because this issue. Zac Lamas’ talk and your suggestion of the drone separation cage is excellent. I share your enthusiasm. Finishing planning soon to begin bee keeping next spring!!
I bow down before the fabulous artistry of Mrs. Fred... As an unregistered beek, and a subscriber, I may not be worthy of beholding the radiant beauty of that chicken...🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Now, you have reached a true understanding of what it's like to have that art staring me down... (">
Hats off to Mrs.Dunn👏
I'll pass that on, I'm sure she will appreciate it.
Dinner for you putting Annette under the bus! lol 👩🏼🎨 love You all.
Ohhhh, thank you, Martha! :) you are alway too generous! :)
Just ordered my queen cages (2) I’m going to give this a try on 2 of my 5 hives. I already used the green drone frames so this is a logical next step.
I did see the Dr. Lamas video and I am going to try your caging of drones idea! Thanks!
New Zealand, I make my fondant recipe 1 kg Icing sugar+ 1 destspoon Gelatin, +1.5 destspoon Glycerine + 1/2 cup gulose syrup,+
1/4 cup of water +
Dissolve Gelatin, 20 second in microwave +
Add Glycerine +
Add corn syrup +
Once mix thoroughly together +
Add Icing sugar +
Mix to a dough texture +use a 60 mm spacer on top of brood frames in winter time,+
Put directly on top of the brood frames +
Can cover top of fondant with plastic, or baking paper,stop from drying out ,used 2 kgs over winter time,8 July, then the 1st August ,feed 10 kgs sugar syrup,frame feeder close to brood nest as possible, keep the syrup warm,
Sounds like you really have that dialed in, and must be handy in the kitchen as well :) Thanks for sharing!
We drove 2 hours to Better Bee this morning. They were curious why today there were 234 sales on their queen excluder frames! Staff, as always, was fab and we all had some laughs. Anxious to apply this method! Genius!!
Hi Vee, is that true? That's really funny! :) and wow, I'm impressed! Thank you for sharing.
@@FrederickDunn Yes, our cashier then was going to watch your video. The warehouse worker asked us if there was a sale today on them because everyone was ordering them. I think many of us will be experimenting along with you! Wishing everyone a great season!
Thanks for the SBGMI video recommendation. Thought-provoking to say the least. A really interesting experimental design, too. Thanks, too, to the person who let you know about this.
Thanks, and yes, I'm also grateful when people send valuable references my way :) better together! :)
This was a fantastic idea! this is kind of providential to hear your hypothesis on the cage/frame method and answers a nagging question for those who are really focused on flooding DCA's with great drone genetics - how do we keep them alive but yet handle the Varroa!
Please keep data and track the results to share with us later! It will be a great discussion to have at the end of our Northern Beekeeping season for sure!
Thanks for sharing your video! It was an aha moment for me when I realized that Dr. Lamas was observing. I'm definitely onboard with the genetics being the long term answer on varroa. For now, this is going to be an interesting chemical-free method for pulling drones with mites. It all made sense to me :) Also, thank you for chiming in and watching.
That's really sounding good, to check mite loads, I diffently will try this system thank you
Great info. You could cage your drones, remove them, and then treat them with OA vaporizer. That would kill all the mites and then release the drones.
Lots of options and room for experimentation.
Good idea but there is always 99.9% accuracy and we don’t need any survivals I think physical removal is the best like with CO2
It's Fred-day! Yeah!!
:)
It’s always Fred Dunn Friday for me !😁
Sounds very logical indeed, that’s probably why very old beekeeper’s knocked of most drone brood
Wow. I have just recently watched that presentation and planned on doing my own comparison. I didn’t look forward to hand picking and realized mites kept hopping on young drones. I was going to use the cage but didn’t quite know what to do with the live drones. If they were healthy (mite free) they could return wherever they like. Just because we think we know everything drones do, I believe they belong in the hive. I have considered treating a frame with OA spray if heavily infested and heading towards a sudsy dip just to see how effective it may be. The cage is also helpful if you forget you have drone comb in…
Thanks Fred for a great Q and A. I love the way you explain your answers to questions. I’ve learned so much listening/watching the last few videos. I extracted honey from my winter from dead outs and after jarring it eventually turned and crystallized vs. summer extraction liquid.
I got mine last yr ! ,after seeing Dr.Peck talk about it and had a long wait for them to get more made-up..betterbee gonna need to ramp up production big time ! Thank you!!!, for putting this out ,it makes a ton of sense on how mites spread hive to hive.
Hi Phil, yes, I wanted one of those as soon as I saw one. I received mine back in January, and had it in mind when I watched Dr. Lamas's presentation. The drone management application seems stronger to me than making a brood break. BUT, we'll see how that goes.
Thank you Fred, as always, have a fantastic weekend!
Thanks, you too!
Wow. Interesting stuff Fred.
Thanks, Bruce! :) I have to agree :)
Great Idea, I just ordered a deep Queen Isolation Cage and going to try this method. Thanks for all the helpful video's.
I hope several people try it out, so we can all compare notes regarding how it worked out. I'm looking forward to that method over caging the queen and then doing a treatment. If I can get my drones to attract the mites, it's going to be a fascinating spring season.
Good job Fred. Glad you see the potential of the frame isolation. Those polish keepers have some great ideas and skills
Yes they do
Great watch as always , have a fab weekend everyone 👍🏻🇬🇧
Thanks!
Thank you very mucyh, Yvonne :) I appreciate that!
Omg the end where you share the art! I laughed so hard. You are hilarious. 😂thanks Fred.
I am so glad you shared your wife's artwork with all of us. You are a model husband. I have much to learn.
I always support the arts, and celebrate talent.
😂
What a fantastic strategy. I just picked up a bunch of those iso cages and drone frames from betterbee. I’m going to test this theory!
What if you take one step further and put that iso cage in a quarantine box for 24hrs and treat with OA.
Then open cage after you treat the drone frame so they all go back in your apiary hives.
I also want to mark drones with different colors to test drift of drones.
I've also joined the fray. Ordered from BB, hope you left me some.
I have trouble with the girls drawing the drone frames, even with an extra coat of wax. Sigh. They ignore them completely, going to spray new ones with propolis tincture.
I think you're going to see quite a bit of drift. Sounds like fun. I'm not sure how long drones manage without nurse bees feeding them. That's also a consideration when removing them from the parent colony.
Hey Bohemia Bees: I was thinking the same thing in re: drone quarantine and treatment, although my thought was to keep the drone frames in their individually labeled iso cages for treatment so they can be returned to the correct hive without drifting. Might a half-day post-treatment quarantine be enough? Worth a try...
Hey Fred: I just ordered 3 queen iso cages from BetterBee. If all of us giving your idea a try report back afterwards, it would make for a marvelous study.
Jason they very very good for queen breeding and mites treatment and drone breeding 🐝 they com from Poland I use myself them top cage's 👌💪💪🐝🐝
Fred, I watched the same video a few days back. Not aware of the cage you demonstrated in this video, I was playing around with ideas to trap the sealed drone. Your idea is far superior. I will be testing this method this year on a few colonies. Yes, I've ordered a few of the cages. I really like this idea and along with OAV treatments could put a huge dent in the mite load prior to winter.
Thanks Bill, I think this is going to be another valuable tool in our varroa management challenges.
Frederick, we are very much impressed with your work and engagement. You find time to answer all comments! We watched the presentation of Dr Z.Lamas to get the whole point. Indeed it is very exciting. Thank you for broaden our minds and finding one more way of using our isolation cage! we look forward to see how the method works this Spring. We are available for any technical comments on construction of the cage , in case we can improve anything in it. Thanks again :-)
Thank you so much! You have provided us with excellent tools.
@@FrederickDunn 💚
Genius as usual. 😊
Not sure if you saw my Facebook post a few weeks ago about the highest mite count I’ve found in any feral colony alcohol wash to date. That sample had a much higher than normal amount of drones which turned up a much higher than normal amount of mites compared to what I typically sample which usually turns up between one to three mites per hundred worker bees. I like your new method you’re implementing.
Hi Randy! That's very interesting! I definitely think, now that I've seen Dr. Lamas' video, that we need to look harder at those drones! But, we have to get them while they are young, apparently they are not so appetizing once they are fully mature and aging. Thanks for commenting! :)
Fredic Dunn are you saying that us old fat dudes aren’t as appetizing
Totally agree with you about how interesting the video on drones and varroa is, makes you think.
I just ordered s2 cages and 4 drone combs, gonna give it a try..
@@jcbethke1 Rock on!
I am really looking forward to lots of feedback from other beekeepers on this, and I hope everyone documents their method and results. I don't think it will be a happy spring for the drones... and mites won't be happy either.
This is great food for thought! Hope to see an update on this proces later and some video on this drone isolation.
I loved the drawing of the chicken at the end! 😂
Thanks, me too :)
Another video with great info re drones. Thx Fred.
Very welcome
Submitting drawings and/or photos to Fred Dunn is like cooking for Gordon Ramsey! Enjoy the couch Fred.
She thought it was the funniest thing ever! So, I did not get any angst :) BUT, she said that's the last drawing she will be doing for me (';')... which makes it all the more valuable!
I was just talking to my wife about Drone combs the other day and lol. i was saying almost what you were saying about Varroa and drones. I was more so talking about counting dead mites after freezing. and isolating drones and such. it sort of just popped in my head. you explained it a whole lot better.🙂
Sometimes I set a cardboard nuc with a drawn frame at the old location and collect any leftovers and the shake the in front of the new loc. After a couple of days of this they figure it out.
I was already going to use drone comb based on my mentor's guidance. Now I will try the queen/drone cage varroa mite control idea. At this time I have one hive but I love trying ideas. I know I need more hives for more control in observations but I start where I am.
Yes, the drone comb has been around for quite a while to aid in mite mitigation. I think we have a nice enhancement for that valuable tool.
Hi Fred, great info as usual.
I like your idea.
Here is mine.
We have queen pheromones available for purchase. And we also have ready drawn manufactured comb. Presently brood or honey.
Why not try to isolate the fresh drone brood scent and make a synthetic copy into a spray. Use your synthetic drawn drone comb and spay with the sent. After a day of the scent of fresh drones, mites should be drawn to the cell. The next day removal of the frame would potentially remove many mites. And could be easily frozen.
I know the hard part would be isolation of the scent the mite is attracted to. Without taking away all that effort to fully raise those drone brood.
Thanks for your time.
Anthony in Nh
Hi Anthony, I know of three research centers that are already working on that, and have been working on producing a varroa lure. Finding out what they are attracted to, distilling that down, and working with that pheromone while making it stable enough to last a reasonable amount of time is at the center. It's not easy, but I hope they really do come up with a pheromone based varroa lure so we can trap those tiny nightmares.
#1 - my vision of treatment is now sponges for low level constant treatment and adding OAV treatments in the evening when the drones are home during season peaks.
Great start to the show Fred -thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching :)
I wish you would do a VERY simplistic, easy to understand step-by-step explanation on how to set the SLOW MOTION on your AX 700 video camera! I have had the same model camera now for two years and have YET to understand how to operate this function! I so enjoy your video work as well as all your bee BEEhavior observations. Thank you!
I haven't done photo/video gear related videos for a while, but I will try to put that on my to-do list. Thank you for the compliment.
It's an interesting idea. I will check it out Fred. I wanted to let you know, I have been using the hive alive fondant for a couple years now and my bees can't get enough of it. What I do is cut three slits making a square but don't cut the fourth side, slip it inside the fondant package. It not only seems to hold it open, but also keeps all your garbage in one place. Don't know if that helps.
Great tips, thanks :)
Solar Sails.
Watching someone pour a bunch of powdered sugar on packaged bees is pretty interesting. When done suspended over a sheet of paper. The number of groomed off mites is interesting.
Great way to find out who not to get packages from :)
Happy Friday Fred! This was a great Q&A to sit on the couch and enjoy my rum/tea tonight. Cannot wait to hear the results of caging the drones to count and kill those mites. I hate mites. Chicken feather mites, varroa...grrrrrrr.
This opening is probably the the most interesting what if I’ve ever heard, if in fact it works it will be a huge breakthrough, it will help the bees , it will help the market have more items to manufacture and market , the “drone observatory trap” you just solved economical and entomology issues 🙂 i got a handful of green drone frames now I just need some of the betterbee queen containment cage / “Fred’s varroa control cages “ your gonna be rich !! 😂 really though, this is a fascinating concept that I am definitely intrigued and will give this a go , on a large scale just think about all of the millions of bees that wouldn’t have to bee euthanized for test purposes,this whole idea is huge , I can’t wait to try it !
from Ohio hear really Love your show very informative old hobby bee keeper
but still learning a lot of new stuff
love the reserch stuff
Thank you so much, I'm glad to help present some new information for you.
Hey Fred.Another interesting Q&A. Thanks! The bee informed partnership survey has launched. I completed it yesterday.
That's great, thank you for participating in that survey :)
#8 - I am going to try this this season, as I struggled with wet bottom boards this winter.
Trapping drones in the isolation cage makes a lot of sense to me. I had already ordered one and plan to try it.
I'm inspired... let's see how that goes.
Great information Fred! Thanks for sharing as usual!
Thanks, Bill!
I believe you're on to something, Fred!! I also believe that's what killed my hive. The fact my hive had and accepted drones last of December . Now that you mention this, these were old drones. I'm sure they was some drifters. WITH MITES!! 😮thanks Fred very intriguing
Great idea, that is the most wonderful chicken drawing ever !!! Bees are flying in Vt. today. Finally..🐝
I agree, a masterful zen illustration of the majestic chicken.
Fred I like your idea of caging the queen with a drone frame. My question is how you plan to get the queen out of the cage before you put the drones to sleep or are you going to put her to sleep too and then put her in the hive. Thanks .
After the drone comb is all in production, and the drones are starting to be capped, that's when I'd open the cage and remove the queen and let her get back to the worker brood. You have plenty of time to close them up before any drones begin to emerge. I would not put the Queen to sleep as I would with the drones. I hope that helps :)
Dr. Zac Lamas spoke at our monthly bee club meeting in February, and suggested testing 40 Drones for Varroa mites.
that's right - but unfortunately nothing hard and fast about threshold numbers in relation to the drone hosts...
Hey! My family and I did two years of work on this in Vermont and me in Maryland. It looks like colonies with multiple detections on drones in the spring is enough to warrant action, but people will have to establish thresholds based upon their geographic area. There's one group led by a beekeeper doing their master beekeeper project in Colorado, James Wilson and I are going it in Virginia this year.
@@zacharylamas8016 Yes, I'm at Rockwood Beekeepers in Chesterfield, Virginia.
Hi Zachary, so nice to see your comment here! I really appreciated the presentation, as you already know.
I was just reading ABJ Dec 2023 and found an article, Tina Sebestyen, that gives an example of how she did the drone/mite test. Interesting result! I was wondering how your testing of the cage worked last year. Any chance for a follow-up fluff session?
I just ordered two, because I'd like to try it in combination with other treatments.
That's going to be very VERY interesting!
Interesting information thanks for sharing Fred
Thank you for stopping in! I'm glad you found the information to be interesting, and I also hope that your RUclips channel is doing well! I wish you all the best with your bees. :)
What a wonderful video. I can’t wait to see your results about drone catching and what their mite load is, compared to mite loads on nurse bees. 😊. I’m going to use the very system, the frame cage, to cage my queen in a 5 frame nuc to limit population growth so she won’t swarm … that way I can “bank” a queen until I need her.
Wow and to think I was going to suggest you watch the bug farmer's newest video, where he gets a swarm on his head. Nevermind this is much more important. Thanks for bringing this new information to your viewers. Probably won't be able to get one of those cages now lol I definitely like this idea.
Swarm on his head? (';')( ';')... !
@@FrederickDunn he had a swarm and some of the bees wound up on top of his veil. pretty funny
As usual very informative video. PS I love the chicken. Lol
At the beginning of your discussion you mentioned virgin queens and strong drones being able to fly for mating. And then went on to your idea about trapping drones and testing them for mites. Are you concerned about having enough drones for mating queens? My wife Rhonda loves your channel! We both learn a lot from your videos.
Thank you
Hi Peter, I'm only caging one frame of drones, I'm leaving the rest. If we get varroa numbers down, then there will be plenty of varroa free drones coming along as they would likely be in drone production for several weeks. If we reduce the drone pool, I don't think it's significant unless we were to remove ALL drones. Colonies that prove to have small varroa numbers won't have a continuation of drone trapping. At least that's my take on it.
@@FrederickDunn thank you, that makes sense to me.
Great chicken picture !!!
I may have to turn it into a t-shirt design. ;)
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question regrading the QMP, and your explanation made sense!! my wife heard you mentioning my channel and gave me a look about me wanting to catch swarms…. We tend to have spicy feral bees in our area 😊 thankfully packages are starting available and guess thats the route I will need to go…
You're very welcome! I'm also glad your wife was listening in :)
It really makes sense to me, I think I want to think about it a little more for my operation but I like it. Instead to follow this for sure.
It's definitely not a call to action, I'm sure those who try it out will be sharing the results. I think it's going to be interesting to say the least.
I believe it is worth a try
Me Too...
Hi and thank you. Starting my 4th spring beekeeping and have learned more useful and successful information from you than from ANY other source. The information and advice you provide is so appreciated! I think your idea of caging the drones might work brilliantly and I would like to try it. My question is, can you advise on the “ideal” timing of putting the cage in the hive based on general location? I am in the Pacific Northwest in zone 8b.
Thank you so much :) I'm so glad to have helped you with your beekeeping. Regarding timing, it's usually during your strongest nectar flow when colonies rear large numbers of drone brood. This is definitely regional as it ties in with strong bloom cycles.
GREAT INFO ON MITES,,,,Thursday Lake Erie blizzard an 21 degrees,today 53 raining all day,,i cant check nothing till mid April,,MAYBE??
Here, all next week will be warming up and the bees will be flying. But you're right, opening hives is pushed down the timeline.
Hello Dear Frederick 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Great info Fred
Thanks, Peter!
1.use formic acid early in spring = less varroamothers to lay eggs kater
2. Cut out dronecells each week = less surviving varroa.
3. Use rhubarb that is sliced every week on the frames when you have them = thats natural oxcal acid that doesnt ruin the hlneu and you get less varroa.
4. Use powdersugar like rain on the bees = the bees will take that away on each other and with it the varroa if theres any
5. Use a bee gym in the entrance in the hive = to get rid of varroa.
6.Use formic acid after taking the honey in the fall.
7. Use the oxide acid when they go in to wintersleep.
All those things together will help the bees against varroa best.
The medical treatment might make the varroa finally be resistant and make big farma rich.
Thanks for sharing all that you're doing.
Fred, this drone bait is very exciting! It got me thinking about swarms, do swarms have drones also? Have you done mite counts on swarms? I know you and others suggest treating a swarm for varroa because there is no brood for a bit of time. Thanks for the excellent bee footage and all your hard work. Minorcas are 3 weeks old and all alive so I feel like a successful chicken minder at the moment. 1 case of wry neck and he is fine. 3 cases of pasty butt, cleaned up several times and they and fine too. Chicks are big enough that I need another feeder, they are too big for all of them to fit. Thanks for the suggestion for this breed, I am learning so much and that is really fun for me.
Pasty butt is due to stress ("> If you put an old fashioned feather duster in the brooder with them, they won't get that issue, and will think the duster is their mother to stand under. :)
Great idea with the drones 🐝👍
Thanks 👍
wish you did this a week ago, i just pulled a green medium frame,loaded w capped drones,and frozen 2 days yesterday i used a serated uncapping knife to cut the cappings and used a garden hose to blast the pupae out for birds ,which worked well,and can be replaced in hive,i have 4 of those green frames, and the queen isolation cage,but will definitely give this a shot,i wonder how mite attract to drones,is it by scent,hiw do the mites know what a fat bee smells like...thank you for losing sleep for us
Hi Mark, I think your opportunities are still ahead, we have plenty of drone production I'm sure. I've always thought the removing of drone brood was OK... as the mites are often in there. But I REALLY like the idea that mites in their dispersal phase will be attracted to the young drones and will clamor onto their bodies. This is something that I really want to see for myself, and of course make macro video of the results. Dr. Lamas has really lit a varroa management fire in my mind :)
@@FrederickDunn yep im watching the video link if him ,great research,how they buffer the coming onslaught, late season,ill be getting those green frames redrawn,i didnt hear him talk about dawn ultra ,instead of alcohol
@@sonofthunder. He didn't, that's my preference.. Dawn Ultra Free and Clear, works better than the alcohol. :)
Make real sense to me, esp in spring build up time, the time aspect is a stumbler, I can’t see a lot of people sitting there picking mites of drones, may be knock them out as you say and then wait for them to wake in a container then sugar shake them. Another thing is due to many lazy people they may just kill the lot and then the drone population may be effected. So I guess you would set the cage up and put queen in just until she has laid the drone eggs then release her, which would I guess only be for a few days. I wanted this year to try a forced brood break during our June gap like Richard Noel does each year, but maybe I’ll try a drone trap, I already have co2 just need to set up some sort of container for the cage trap. I might even catch some drones by hand and have a look at how many they are carrying. Going to go watch the link. Thanks Fred always learning
HI Emma, I was onboard and planned to do brood breaks with these isolation cages, but now that I know I can simply hold drones in and use them to draw mites, I'm changing my approach. This leaves the queen laying and worker production uninterrupted. If we can get the varroa under control in spring, then I think we'll be well ahead of the management game.
Cool idea there Fred. Instead of testing at all though, why not just OAV the whole hive 2-3 days after your caged drone frames have hatched? I'm sure there will be some phoretic mites outside of that frame as well - knock them all down, I reckon. Keep us informed on your practice of this over the spring. I look forward to doing my own trials next spring (I live in NZ).
That's an option. I'm sure everyone will come up with their own methods for control. I'll be fiddling with them this year. We'll see.
Mrs. Fred is an artistic genius! So much better than Hunter Biden; I'd buy that chicken.
Thank you for answering my question about bee packages. I bought packages from Barnyard Bees in Georgia and was very happy with the results. They always ship through USPS, and that's the only way I'll go.
On the subject of the fondant; I did make 1/2 packages which I sealed with the food savers. Worked perfectly. Three packages were completely gone or almost, and I had one dead-out. I will however use you straw scaffold idea next year. Simply makes sense. Thank you so much; Huntnlady in New Mexico.
That's great, I know that David wants to be able to quit his day job one of these days. He definitely sells lots of packages and queens.
I think MOST of the mites will come from the drone brood that just hatched AND nothing is keeping them in.
I may hand catch and inspect some drones. Once I'm sure they are mite free put them in a cage just to see how many mites they attract.
You could do lots of experiments to see what the mites are attracted to. The good news is that Dr. Lamas has spent a long time establishing that attraction. But you're right, you could free any drones that are clear of mites.
I hear a great deal of conversation around hive alive fondant, i tried it for my first time this winter in my mild climate of South Carolina, and they seemed to enjoy it. My question is, how do you think it would be if used on splits, swarm catches, weak colonies or is it mainly intended for winter use?
If the weather is nice enough for syrup, then I'd use that over the findant. Particularly when you're working up a swarm, or small split. Sugar syrup would be a much better boost for them at that time of year in my opinion.
@FrederickDunn Thank you, i usually come up with more questions in my head than i do answers to keeping my bees in the best way possible, I really value your opinion and love the content you create.
Thank you Fred for making us think outside the box. Simple question: When my packages of new bees arrive, do I insert the green frame right away, or wait until they have drawn most of the other frames before inserting it? (Two dead outs, so I am starting with 4 new frames, 4 drawn frames and 1 and a 1/2 homey frame from last season). Thank you for your response.
I would hold off on that until you know they are at a drone rearing stage. Some colonies when just starting off actually don't produce a lot of drones. It's really a wait and see game in my opinion.
Ok Fred, I'll consider this new idea about looking more closely at drones, and I'll watch the video you referenced,
BUT
If young, freshly-emerged drones are so nutritious & appealing to mites, why do the mites not attach themselves to drones in the cells, pre-emergent, and just stay there for several days, post-emergence?
Hi David, to that I say, how do you know they are not still attached to the emerged drones? Since we don't look at the drones for mites, this is the point that Dr. Lamas is making, and has made. The drones emerge and move around the frames with varroa mites on their bodies. The next level is that free roaming mites are attracted to those young drones (2-3 days old) and also climb onto their bodies, demonstrating a preference for the drones over their attraction to nurse bees. This is what's so novel about Dr. Lamas's findings. My bees groom the newly emerging drones and workers as they emerge. That doesn't mean they are killing the mites. This frees the mites to roam the comb and re-attach themselves to nurse bees or young drones with surprising agility.
If it's a big hive I will put a new box there with a frame of brood and they usually will build up again
Going to order a cage and try it. Already have the frame. Backyard beekeeper Cathy
I think they are going to be very handy for a lot of applications. I'm glad I got my order in. I never really liked my old confinement cage that had to be against one end of the hive in order to work.
Hello Fred, Newby bk here. We're getting our first 2 nucs next week. We're going with Layens hives. I've purchased wax drone foundation, husband constructed the cage around the frame. My question is: what will encourage the bees to draw out the drone foundation vs. regular foundation first? Thanks in advance.
Hi Natalia, I've added your question to the list for Friday's Q&A session. There is quite a lot to consider on this topic.
@@FrederickDunn Hello again, looks like you accidentally skipped my question, which was #11. You went from #10 to 12. Thanks again for your insight.
Fred, Now being public information, is there a price on that? I am interested in purchasing the Strictly Limited Edition, First Edition, "Black & Green Chicken In A Green Pasture". Though, it will never be complete without a lower corner "sign & date". I will be checking for an answer. Thank You.
It is suitable for framing, and in demand by collectors around the world. But, my wife wants it kept in a private collection under lock and key... I was also informed that I should not expect anymore original art on the microwave (';')... so... it's likely the end of a series...
@@FrederickDunn The Art Presentation was awesome. Sincerely, good humor for some great big smiles. Adorable good fun..
Chuckled Out Loud, ( C.O.L.)
Amazing idea! What position do you put the drone frame in the hive? I have 8-frame.
I would wait to see where they begin to build their own drone comb and then use that location, and better yet, that frame.
I like the Drone caging system and plan to use it next spring, Do you think this is a spring time only time frame to trap drones in the queen cage?
Here, I think it's most valuable during the early spring buildup. Later in the year, the drone production is more spotty.
Nice idea 👏🏽
Great idea on the drone isolation cage! Would like to hear how it goes. Northern Michigan here. Got my first nuc on May 23rd. What's your thoughts on doing a mite treatment this soon?
If you had a new package, then mites can be treated on the 7th day after install with excellent results. With a nucleus hive, you already have potential mites under pupa caps, so your treatment regimen is the same as an established colony. If you can assess the mite-load first, that would give you a bench mark for treatment if required. Always ask the seller about their pest control measures and what the history of your nucleus has been.
Seller said this nuc has not been treated. I feel like I should treat as a prophylaxis. Obviously there isn't a honey super on yet and will be putting on a second brood box (and their honey) today. I have Formic Pro, Apivar or OA. Would you recommend 1 bar of Formic Pro? Seller recommended to wait for a July treatment and let the brood get bigger. What say you?🐝
How do you store your flow frames for the winter? Do you take the super with the flow frames off for the winter?
All flow supers are pulled off for winter and cleaned up by bees. Then they are returned to the strongest colonies in spring as they build back up.
I wonder how this testing method change would affect the results of Randy Oliver's work and Kamon's big mite study, etc.
Randy is pretty locked in on OA-Extended release. This is not likely a great method for commercial scale keepers.
Your wife and her art is awesome/ genius but your sense of humor is superior 😝😝😝
I my turn it into a sweatshirt and give it to her for her birthday :)
@@FrederickDunn that would be awesome 😋way more valuable than a high dollar gift 🎁, my wife gets mad if I spend money on gifts , MoonGun Farm and Forge is what I do to give money to her horse / livestock rescue/ sanctuary- Havensgate Farm sanctuary is where she wants me to put every spare dime , I have spent a fortune rescuing animals but I told her I am obsessed with saving the bees again and the good thing is one of my customers has a large eco nonprofit that is going to give us large grants when our nonprofit status goes through and then maybe MoonGun Farm can sustain and then I can buy some of your fancy merchandise and gift it to my wife because I will then be able to afford it lol 😝 I have huge plans on making natural habitat to sustain and house millions of honeybees at our farm , and I will of course provide them with quality log hives which I am working on now , so the hives will look like trees and not boxes everywhere, I will show you after I get one close to complete, I have about 16 acres to give to bees , I have to save the rest for my wife’s horses and our baby goats , the goats are 3 years old but they are still my babies lol
I’m only part way through another one of your excellent videos. And I was wondering in regards to caging the drone frame. How many do you think you need per hive one I’m thinking or more?
I would only do one per hive, partly because that cage takes up two frame spaces. In horizontal hives, not a problem, but with the Langstroth, I'd remove two drone frames (usually that's all there are), and cage one of them.
@@FrederickDunn
I have never used the drone comb yet I just ordered 10 comb and 10 cages today. Any tips on getting started to try this?
Napolean Dynamite reference priceless!
Thank you! You are the first one to make that connection :) you just made my day.
I told my wife about what you said and we laughed pretty hard. I told her if you really liked the picture you would catch her a delicious bass😂
now i need a c02, tupperware set up,....i already use those cartridges for my bike tire kit
Super handy! I buy those canisters in packs of 10. Not very expensive.
Fondant straw: are you familiar with boba straws? I think the inner diameter is big enough that bees can actually walk through them.
If it's a 3/8" diameter, they will definitely be able to walk right in :) But no, I haven't heard of those specific straws. Sounds good to me though :)
Question: Mr Dunn, you ever used or tried the Damaree slip, killing the queens etc to increase the honey production? What did you think about it. Thank you
Thanks for sharing about that, I'm not personally going to try that. But I could see how that could work to slow a colony.
@@FrederickDunn I think the way I asked my question was a little misleading. Sorry.
You do the Demaree split Mr Dunn. At least I think that that was what you were doing on one your videos
This is explained here (ruclips.net/video/Ax5eHE3mdj8/видео.html
But some do it to I increase their honey production which I just found out on this man’s channel.
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@@FrederickDunn (ruclips.net/video/5nin87ch9Mc/видео.html)
I don’t think it’s 100% sure?
Thanks for making this video really informative and eye opening. Love the different methodology and ideas presented thanks. The drones have to give off a specific chemical signature that the mites are drawn to.... I wouldn't assume it's by any other means. As they age the drones ""pheromone" reduces in strength (just like an aging queen) leading to the mites picking up an other and moving on. Any thoughts on this?
Glad it was helpful!
Fred, did test your plan of trapping the drone on drone comb? If so, will you be posting your results? I had planned to test the idea too, but my health stumbled. Now, it's to late to properly test the idea this year. Thank
Around here, that has to be done in spring. I missed that opportunity and am now targeting spring of 2024.