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I had a huge colony of mason bees in my garden. I could go sit in the middle of them, they would come and land on me, rest, then fly off. Bees are amazing little creatures. I love them.
I let a guy bring 10 hives onto my property last summer because he wanted to harvest the blackberry and I think maple tree pollen, etc. from my area. I had him put them 200' from my motor home and on the opposite side of a shed. When I went outside to sit and enjoy the sun I would have two bombard me and buzz in my ear. I hated it and told them to leave me alone but eventually had to move inside. They were obnoxious but I guess there wasn't enough for them to do than bug me. I thought they were some aggressive strain because usually they don't bother people if you don't bother them. I'm not sure if I'm going to allow him to bring them back. I feel guilty to my neighbors for bringing them into the neighbor hood even though I own 5 acres. No neighbors complained but then I did not tell them I brought them in.
@@timsteinkamp2245 Big fail. Reason one: Honeybees fly around 300feet/100metres from their hive. No shit Sherlock that you encountered them at 200ft. Reason two: 10 hives on five acres is too many bees for the area. This forces the bees to fly further out. So: Please put only 2 hives on 5 acres and you are doing better for yourself and the bees. Pity that your beekeeper friend just dumped ten hives on you without consideration. You should tell him what a nincompoop he was.
@@donaldduck830 I was thinking they were African Honey Bees. Thanks for that. He would leave the property with his suit on in his truck. I haven't heard from him yet this year. I did tell him they were aggressive and I'm not sure he will contact me again.
@@scienceornot A lot of universities will have websites about how to promote native pollinators in your area. Not all bees live in big hives, so it may be easier than you think!
Production quality is lacking.. repeating the same information multiple times, felt like a waste of time to watch/enjoy, especially without experience to provide interest/reason to continue watching.
Sorry, but you actually need to be careful with that. At least in central Europe where I live, there are already too many beehives and the endangered species is not the domesticated bee, but wild bees and bumblebees which face hunger with too many honeybees competing with them. I have a garden and have several plants that only bumblebees pollinate and feed on, so domesticated honeybees only take away other foodstuffs from the bumblebees when the special plants are not blooming. And you should take into account that bumblebees don't form hives and don't have the massive storage with which to survive lean times. That is also why bumblebees fly in almost all kinds of weather, while honeybees are much less industrious. This is important due to the very unrealiable weather here. So: While I love honey almost as much as Pooh, we need to be careful about the number of honeybee hives on the available land and not to crowd too much. Besides, crowding only leads to further disease. Thank you for your consideration.
@@donaldduck830 they’re pretty good where I live. Beekeepers adhere to strict guidelines. It’s not unheard of to hear about this or that hive being destroyed if something isn’t right. I plant a vegetable garden every year for spring, summer & cold weather veggies along with various flowers for beauty as well as pollination. Albeit, I go thru many plants & pollinate them myself by shaking the flowers or using a small paint brush to move pollen from male to female flowers.
Some folks grumble about how bees are kept. Look at this though, those ladies, even given freedom to go anywhere else, find any wild place to settle in, were quite content to continue to use that old apiary. I'd say that means they like it there, eh? I'm so glad the ladies are healthy, as friendly as the colony is and how well they put up with you, I gotta hope this can be salvaged. *watching to the end* Oh good.
Another great video . We're in our 1st full year of bee keeping and it's been a roller coaster ride. Fortunately my wife is supporting me and it's becoming more enjoyable.
Listening with ear buds sounds like the bees are swarming around your head! Actually caught myself swatting them away before I realized what I was doing. ;-)
Free healthy bees with added breakfast....Nice. Kudos to the original owner for contacting you. Always find it amazing how different colonies react in different ways, especially when theyre defensive outside the hive but relatively calm when you open them up. Not as predictable as some people think.
Very interesting. I’m not a beekeeper,but those bees are excellent girls,good job the Queen is found. Blue is a colour royalty so the Queen probably won’t mind the blue blob. Thankyou for this video xx
Great video, I am a hobbyist bee keeper in NZ, thank you for caring for the bees and taking the time to collect the hive before moving it to another destination. Well done 😊
The title suggests that the bee’s had knocked through a few walls, extended out,added an en suite and a complete makeover. 😊 Love all wildlife, always keep wild flowers going in the garden. Some could be weeds but if it has a flower it stays.
Fascinating Big props to you and everyone that take care of bees. Intellectually, I deeply appreciate bees and all they do in our environment and of course their honey. I acquired a deep fear of bees when I was just shy of 2 years old and was caught in the midst of a migrating. I don’t remember it and even though, intellectually, I understand that I shouldn’t be afraid, I have not been able to conquer it. So, I especially appreciate people like you who take care of this essential part of our ecology. (and the honey I can get at the grocery store.)
Thank you for your precise waĺk thru accessing an abandoned hive. I learned a lot about the workings of an unmanaged hive. Had heard of "nuc" boxes but not able to identify what made it so nor how to properly use it. Very interesting how you havecrelocated them and what makes them a functioning part of an apiary. Have learned a TON from all of you who keep bees. Explains more why my veg garden was so functioning. I kept blooming perennials around my vegcarea from hellebores to asters all summer long. And my veg always had bees working them over. So thank you for reinforcing my belief of keeping flowers to keep veg going.
I was stung a lot as a kid, so I've got a bit of a phobia of bees... that said, I always like to see honeybees taken care of. They're great for farmers, and for the honey I use in my tea. Wasps, though... they can all die in a fire.
The wasps eat the bad bugs, and they do their bit in pollination, so I don't mind them too much (just give them a wide berth and prevent attracting them). I will be setting up yellow jacket traps this year, tho, now that I know how to really catch the little buggers.
I enjoyed this informative video as I have never seen combs like the ones on the very top. You were gentle with the bees also. I imagined the rest of the honey down below. It seemed like quite a bit to me. I am so glad you found the Queen even though you painted her wing! Haha
Very informative, very well put together and explained well!!! Thank you for the channel and you expertise and amazing teaching style!!!🐝🐝🐝🐝❤❤❤❤ I liked, subbed, and rang the bell! I'm looking forward to more videos!!!
Really enjoyed this and thanks so much for the advice re supers. I am having an interesting season so far. I had a very large swarm arrive in one of my bait hives at the end on 24 April, I dont know where it came from, but it built up very quickly but unfortunately swarmed on 26th June (exactly two months later), the swarm went into another of my bait hives, but absconded about an hour later just before I was going to put it into a brood box. Yesterday I had a good look in the brood box, no queen but several sealed queen cells, so have split this colony in two and shaken quite a few nurse bees into the new box. I guess they are a swarming type, but they are friendly and at least only got stung once, but not on the face which I know is your speciality! Regards. Peter
I'm not sure how this got into my YT feed but I'm glad as hell it did! This was fantastic!!! I've often wondered how apiaries work and you've given me a whole new appreciation for bee-keepers! I don't understand a lot of the terminology you use but still! Still, utterly fascinating!!! I can't imagine the time spent by humans over the centuries to learn to understand how all of this works!! You are a fantastic presenter and I'd love to learn more! I'll be checking in again! Thanks! P.S. Why do you call it 'abandoned' when all the necessary functionaries are present and actively using the hive?
@@verasmith4767 Yeah... It made me wonder what they do when they just buzz around like that! Are they on patrol/sentry duty? If so, one might expect them to attack like crazy! Clearly, they aren't off looking for pollen!
Again, an excellent video crammed with useful information. I enjoy the straight forward approach and how you keep things uncomplicated. Even having kept bees for over 30 years, I still get a thrill when dealing with swarms or finding a hive to rescue. Keep them coming Lawrence 👏🏻🌻
I have subscribed to your channel, and I am recently retired 69 yrs. old and hoping to venture into Bee Keeping, I would be interested in more information of starting a Healthy Beehive, tools and equipment needed to and the beginner pitfalls you know of...I've been attending RUclips University lol and want to hear from an expert. I live on the west coast of U.S.A. Thank you so much for sharing can't wait to see more of your content.
I had a hive just like this the other year but had not been touched for 5 years it was only found when farmer hit it with headgear cutter it was a fun one to sort driving back past a few pubs drunks and bees are a fun mix
Sad state of affairs. My younger brother had just gotten his bee keeping license in 2021. When he was taken by covid 19. He Loved his bee's an bee keeping with all his heart.
My heartfelt condolences. What a waste of a beautiful young man. [All young men (and women) are repositories of potential, talent, accomplishment, hope.]
@@psingerman4778 thank you, for your kindness. He was a very talented man. Besides Bee's, he was very creative in wood working. He was not a young, but 65 at his passing.
@@rclark147 65 is young to me! I'm 83! If it weren't for COVID, he might have had a lot of years left. I know you'll miss him a lot, but eventually that will probably morph into gratitude for his life. God bless.
Ok now you have done it 😋 butter scones orange marmalade a pot of real strong English tea and that lovely honey 🍯 you made me very hungry now it's your turn 🤤 God bless 👍 Jim from Connecticut USA.
Wonderful job, I did something similar before varroa and traceal mites when about all you had to be concerned about was AFB and ill tempered bees. In one hive the comb was resting on the soil, every thing below was rotted away. Fond memories, thanks.
@@BlackMountainHoney I’m hoping that these wild hives might provide the genetics needed to stop, or at least minimize, the damage done by mites. The queens we get here are all bred from domestic stock that cannot deal with mite pressure at all. We lose many hives every year to mite infestation. I fear if we don’t get some wild bee genetics added to the gene pool that the destruction of colonies by mites will only get worse. I also wonder, when I see videos about wild colonies removed from inside attics or walls of houses, how these colonies thrive with no treatment for any pest or disease. These wild hives have obviously been thriving for years at a time with no tending whatsoever. Have you heard anything about scientists studying wild colony genetics? Seems like it would be a good idea.
@Annie M My only concern with this approach is there is no certainty over the agreement of the colony. They may look old, but it could be a swarm that landed the previous year.
Isn't it amazing how nature thrives without human intervention? How did bees live without "medical" treatment for thousands or millions of years? Because our creator had the ultimate design! We could, rather SHOULD, take a few notes and stop polluting our bodies and our planet!
Are you in the UK with our wider variety of genetics wild hives do fine I have one hive on it fifth year, two on their fourth year and one on its third year none of these ever opened or treated all my other hives are more recent than that being swarms often captured from these other hives. I check my hives regularly so they aren't reoccupations and the age of the colonies is accurate.
What draws the stray bees into the nuc box, without the queen there? Just the fact that it's shelter near where they've come to expect the old hive? Or is there some kind of attractant or other "like home" factor involved?
I have no real interest in bee keeping but thank god you do. A brilliant vlog well made and educational. Also from what I can gather your on my most favourite part of the U.K. . An area I spent many years in back on the day.
Kind of a tangent question about you marking the queen blue: is it standard to mark a queen that year's color if you don't know how old she is? I feel like I'd want a sixth 'unknown' color.
I was wondering why there were so many bees in an abandoned hive, till I realised about 5 minutes in that you mean abandoned by humans, not by the bees!
I'm curious, about what went into the bucket. Let's say you were starving... What would happen if you ate the honey with the bee larvae in it? Would the larvae be toxic or too bitter or something?
I have to ask loved watching this video but how do you know I’d the colony has any disease what are the tell-tale signs thank you really enjoyed this video
I have a couple dozen books about beekeeping and every one of them have chapters on bee diseases. I suspect that if you do not wish to buy a book or visit a library you can likely Google the answer to any of your questions about honeybee diseases.
Some of the most serious diseases you should be able to smell, you can check the brood pattern and one of the best tell tale signs is a lethargic hive with little activity.
Haha! Definitely. Bigger bucket on standby. Yes - we do as the load is always high. You could argue the bees are adapting to the pressure from varroa naturally but as we treat our colonies, its safer to stick with a treatment regime.
I don't really know anything about bee hives or the process of them. When you said they where abandoned, do you mean whoever owned the hive abandoned them or the original bee colony left and the wild ones moved in? Just trying to understand since I might want a bee hive on my property in the future
Thought abandoned meant empty. Stationary camera? Would like to see wild cones. Anything else I haven’t seen abt bees. What is brood? Can a hive exist without a Queen?
Sir , thank you for your showing. I somehow came across your Video. Thank you. I will look more into this. I live in South side Virginia. In the country. This would be cool to do. Plenty of land. I will investigate this more. I already have suit Vail and gloves. Wish me luck.
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I had a huge colony of mason bees in my garden. I could go sit in the middle of them, they would come and land on me, rest, then fly off. Bees are amazing little creatures. I love them.
That means that you smelled nice to them and you are not making crazy dance moves around them, Kudos!
Wow I get that you are a kindred spirit
I let a guy bring 10 hives onto my property last summer because he wanted to harvest the blackberry and I think maple tree pollen, etc. from my area. I had him put them 200' from my motor home and on the opposite side of a shed. When I went outside to sit and enjoy the sun I would have two bombard me and buzz in my ear. I hated it and told them to leave me alone but eventually had to move inside. They were obnoxious but I guess there wasn't enough for them to do than bug me. I thought they were some aggressive strain because usually they don't bother people if you don't bother them. I'm not sure if I'm going to allow him to bring them back. I feel guilty to my neighbors for bringing them into the neighbor hood even though I own 5 acres. No neighbors complained but then I did not tell them I brought them in.
@@timsteinkamp2245 Big fail.
Reason one: Honeybees fly around 300feet/100metres from their hive. No shit Sherlock that you encountered them at 200ft.
Reason two: 10 hives on five acres is too many bees for the area. This forces the bees to fly further out.
So: Please put only 2 hives on 5 acres and you are doing better for yourself and the bees.
Pity that your beekeeper friend just dumped ten hives on you without consideration. You should tell him what a nincompoop he was.
@@donaldduck830 I was thinking they were African Honey Bees. Thanks for that. He would leave the property with his suit on in his truck. I haven't heard from him yet this year. I did tell him they were aggressive and I'm not sure he will contact me again.
I am a fairly new beekeeper (
Hey KL. What an amazing comment to wake up to on a Sunday morning. Thank you so much! 😀 Best of luck to you and your bees!
Well said.
Could I build hive starters to allow native bees to flourish in forested areas ?
@@scienceornot A lot of universities will have websites about how to promote native pollinators in your area. Not all bees live in big hives, so it may be easier than you think!
Production quality is lacking.. repeating the same information multiple times, felt like a waste of time to watch/enjoy, especially without experience to provide interest/reason to continue watching.
Never thought I'd sit for close to 30 mins watching a video about bee keeping but this was really interesting and I'm glad I did 🙂. Well done!
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it
Me too !! I'm really You Tube ADD lol... this vid was great 👍
Doing and thinking the same right now lol
Good for everybody to save as many honeybees as possible. Thank you !
Sorry, but you actually need to be careful with that. At least in central Europe where I live, there are already too many beehives and the endangered species is not the domesticated bee, but wild bees and bumblebees which face hunger with too many honeybees competing with them.
I have a garden and have several plants that only bumblebees pollinate and feed on, so domesticated honeybees only take away other foodstuffs from the bumblebees when the special plants are not blooming. And you should take into account that bumblebees don't form hives and don't have the massive storage with which to survive lean times. That is also why bumblebees fly in almost all kinds of weather, while honeybees are much less industrious. This is important due to the very unrealiable weather here.
So: While I love honey almost as much as Pooh, we need to be careful about the number of honeybee hives on the available land and not to crowd too much. Besides, crowding only leads to further disease.
Thank you for your consideration.
@@donaldduck830 they’re pretty good where I live. Beekeepers adhere to strict guidelines. It’s not unheard of to hear about this or that hive being destroyed if something isn’t right.
I plant a vegetable garden every year for spring, summer & cold weather veggies along with various flowers for beauty as well as pollination. Albeit, I go thru many plants & pollinate them myself by shaking the flowers or using a small paint brush to move pollen from male to female flowers.
Yes , and also don't forget nectar feeding birds . At least the ones I know of aren't exclusively nectar feeders .
The bees that are in trouble are not honeybees but the other species of bee.
@@dudmanjohn That is what I tried to say in too many words :)
It's good to see a bee video where the bloke really knows what he is doing, and presents everything in a logical . sensible manner.
This was the most relaxing thing i have watched is years. The sound of the buzzing is relaxing. Not a bee keeper but a very interesting video.
That was absolutely fascinating, there is much more to keeping honey bees than I ever thought. Great video.
the queen and her crew must be so happy to be in a more organized environment!
Some folks grumble about how bees are kept. Look at this though, those ladies, even given freedom to go anywhere else, find any wild place to settle in, were quite content to continue to use that old apiary. I'd say that means they like it there, eh?
I'm so glad the ladies are healthy, as friendly as the colony is and how well they put up with you, I gotta hope this can be salvaged.
*watching to the end* Oh good.
Thanks for watching until the end. They were very happy and prolific!
Thank you for your time and patience. I now live in New Zealand. I come from South Africa where I had 2 hives a friend gave me. I love bees. Erich.
Fascinating how the camera mic picks up the bees being more and more agitated. -Can't say I blame them, you are tearing down their home :)
Another great video . We're in our 1st full year of bee keeping and it's been a roller coaster ride. Fortunately my wife is supporting me and it's becoming more enjoyable.
*Wut Do Bees DO with their Honey, if WE Don't SteaL it!!!!????*
@@Justin.Martyr If you can't figure out the answer to your question there is little hope for you.
@@edmartin875*
@@Justin.Martyr That is a good question. I don't know if they move elsewhere or what they decide to do.
@@edmartin875 Okay smart guy. What do they do with their honey? Can you give a straight answer without using rude words that imply I am stupid?
Listening with ear buds sounds like the bees are swarming around your head! Actually caught myself swatting them away before I realized what I was doing. ;-)
Same here!
Yes,I got quite anxious and had to remind myself that the bees weren't actually flying round my head!!😄😄
Free healthy bees with added breakfast....Nice.
Kudos to the original owner for contacting you.
Always find it amazing how different colonies react in different ways, especially when theyre defensive outside the hive but relatively calm when you open them up.
Not as predictable as some people think.
Thank you for making this video! It was absolutely fascinating! And you are so respectful and considerate of the bees! I loved this!
As well as a wonderful actor, Brett Goldstein is also a wonderful beekeeper! Keep it up, Brett!
Haha!.Not the first time I've heard that one.
I prefer that to Gavin and Stacey!
Very interesting. I’m not a beekeeper,but those bees are excellent girls,good job the Queen is found. Blue is a colour royalty so the Queen probably won’t mind the blue blob. Thankyou for this video xx
Great video, I am a hobbyist bee keeper in NZ, thank you for caring for the bees and taking the time to collect the hive before moving it to another destination. Well done 😊
The title suggests that the bee’s had knocked through a few walls, extended out,added an en suite and a complete makeover. 😊 Love all wildlife, always keep wild flowers going in the garden. Some could be weeds but if it has a flower it stays.
Fascinating
Big props to you and everyone that take care of bees.
Intellectually, I deeply appreciate bees and all they do in our environment and of course their honey. I acquired a deep fear of bees when I was just shy of 2 years old and was caught in the midst of a migrating. I don’t remember it and even though, intellectually, I understand that I shouldn’t be afraid, I have not been able to conquer it. So, I especially appreciate people like you who take care of this essential part of our ecology. (and the honey I can get at the grocery store.)
Thank you for your precise waĺk thru accessing an abandoned hive. I learned a lot about the workings of an unmanaged hive. Had heard of "nuc" boxes but not able to identify what made it so nor how to properly use it.
Very interesting how you havecrelocated them and what makes them a functioning part of an apiary.
Have learned a TON from all of you who keep bees. Explains more why my veg garden was so functioning. I kept blooming perennials around my vegcarea from hellebores to asters all summer long. And my veg always had bees working them over. So thank you for reinforcing my belief of keeping flowers to keep veg going.
Fascinating. My Grandfather's school had hives, I remember spinning the honey out of the frames. Best honey ever ! Jersey !
I was stung a lot as a kid, so I've got a bit of a phobia of bees... that said, I always like to see honeybees taken care of. They're great for farmers, and for the honey I use in my tea.
Wasps, though... they can all die in a fire.
The wasps eat the bad bugs, and they do their bit in pollination, so I don't mind them too much (just give them a wide berth and prevent attracting them).
I will be setting up yellow jacket traps this year, tho, now that I know how to really catch the little buggers.
You are a brave man! I’m in awe, never watched a beekeeper before….very interesting video!
A trolley under the hive boxes would save your back. Hives full of honey are heavy .Great video !
I like the lady beekeeper. She's gentle and they don't get upset with her. She uses her bare hands to scoop up the bees.
I like her too. She should come and show me how to scoop up bees without a beesuit on 😀
There’s room for all the beekeepers we need more. Btw, everyone loves the lady beekeeper
The way she says Bees is rather intoxicating.
I enjoyed this informative video as I have never seen combs like the ones on the very top. You were gentle with the bees also. I imagined the rest of the honey down below. It seemed like quite a bit to me. I am so glad you found the Queen even though you painted her wing! Haha
Thanks for the segment. Good watch/enjoyed it. 👍
Love the stimulated bee soundtrack as you peel off each level!
Fascinating video. I've heard the process described but seeing it actually being done is so much better. Thank you.
Very informative, very well put together and explained well!!! Thank you for the channel and you expertise and amazing teaching style!!!🐝🐝🐝🐝❤❤❤❤ I liked, subbed, and rang the bell! I'm looking forward to more videos!!!
It been some years sense I was exposed to bee's. This was interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing.
Really enjoyed this and thanks so much for the advice re supers. I am having an interesting season so far. I had a very large swarm arrive in one of my bait hives at the end on 24 April, I dont know where it came from, but it built up very quickly but unfortunately swarmed on 26th June (exactly two months later), the swarm went into another of my bait hives, but absconded about an hour later just before I was going to put it into a brood box. Yesterday I had a good look in the brood box, no queen but several sealed queen cells, so have split this colony in two and shaken quite a few nurse bees into the new box. I guess they are a swarming type, but they are friendly and at least only got stung once, but not on the face which I know is your speciality! Regards. Peter
Great stuff! I keep waiting for someone to contact me about some abandoned hives that need rescued, but it hasn't happened yet!
It's one of the most exciting things ever!
Thanks!
Thanks for the super thanks William Woo! That's very kind of you 😊
I'm not sure how this got into my YT feed but I'm glad as hell it did!
This was fantastic!!!
I've often wondered how apiaries work and you've given me a whole new appreciation for bee-keepers!
I don't understand a lot of the terminology you use but still! Still, utterly fascinating!!!
I can't imagine the time spent by humans over the centuries to learn to understand how all of this works!!
You are a fantastic presenter and I'd love to learn more! I'll be checking in again!
Thanks!
P.S. Why do you call it 'abandoned' when all the necessary functionaries are present and actively using the hive?
Thanks for the kind comments, Chris 😀
It was abandoned by the who was managing it 😀
@@BlackMountainHoney I see... All very interesting stuff!
A whole new world to learn about!
Me either.
This just popped up
Very interesting and enjoyable.
Interesting when the bees fly into the camera lens.
@@verasmith4767 Yeah... It made me wonder what they do when they just buzz around like that!
Are they on patrol/sentry duty?
If so, one might expect them to attack like crazy!
Clearly, they aren't off looking for pollen!
@@BlackMountainHoney that's sad. Glad you were able to save the colony.
8:34
Bees: Trying to kill everything around their hive
Beekeper: As you can see, bees becoming a little bit more irate now...
Why is it when people inspect hives they don't have extra stands to work from and they put everything on the ground
Thank You For Saving The Bee Colony..We Need More People Doing Such. Love
Most excellent! Thank you for making this! All hail Apis!
thanks for showing us.Beautiful.
Again, an excellent video crammed with useful information. I enjoy the straight forward approach and how you keep things uncomplicated. Even having kept bees for over 30 years, I still get a thrill when dealing with swarms or finding a hive to rescue. Keep them coming Lawrence 👏🏻🌻
Amazing, enjoyed watching this video. Thank-you
Excellent ! Thank you so much. Ever so superb.
Bees are such an interesting group. I can’t believe I watched til the end. I hope they all moved safely.
Love a good abandoned hive video and this one didn't disappoint! Great video :)
Cheers Andy. It's one of my favourite types of video! 😀
I have subscribed to your channel, and I am recently retired 69 yrs. old and hoping to venture into Bee Keeping, I would be interested in more information of starting a Healthy Beehive, tools and equipment needed to and the beginner pitfalls you know of...I've been attending RUclips University lol and want to hear from an expert. I live on the west coast of U.S.A. Thank you so much for sharing can't wait to see more of your content.
I had a hive just like this the other year but had not been touched for 5 years it was only found when farmer hit it with headgear cutter it was a fun one to sort driving back past a few pubs drunks and bees are a fun mix
Exciting for someone who doesn't deal with bees. And terrifying to hear the bees buzzing angrily in the headphones. I almost started waving around. ;)
Really did enjoy this video! Thank you! 🥳👍🌷😁
GREAT VIDEO 😊 Must Confess Don't Mark Her Majesty's Back 🥴 at Night 😂 Excellent Confession of a Not Deadly Mistake 😂😊😅🤟👍
Great video, very interesting to see how you deal with an neglected hive. Plus you got free bees, worth a few hundred quid 💷 - ka-ching!
This was pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.
Sad state of affairs. My younger brother had just gotten his bee keeping license in 2021. When he was taken by covid 19. He Loved his bee's an bee keeping with all his heart.
Really sorry to hear this 😞 Best wishes
@@BlackMountainHoney thank you, he was a good man. Through him I learned the importance, of Bee's.
My heartfelt condolences. What a waste of a beautiful young man. [All young men (and women) are repositories of potential, talent, accomplishment, hope.]
@@psingerman4778 thank you, for your kindness. He was a very talented man. Besides Bee's, he was very creative in wood working. He was not a young, but 65 at his passing.
@@rclark147 65 is young to me! I'm 83! If it weren't for COVID, he might have had a lot of years left. I know you'll miss him a lot, but eventually that will probably morph into gratitude for his life. God bless.
That was fascinating! Thank you so much for posting.
Very Intriguing video! Loved the step by step explanations. All the Best!
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
I am looking at becoming a bee keeper next season. Really interesting to watch the videos. Thanks.
I've read about hives "fizzing" but never heard it until your video. Amazing work. 😮
I noticed that central swarm cup too. Thanks for sharing, wild comb can be mesmerizing.
Ok now you have done it 😋 butter scones orange marmalade a pot of real strong English tea and that lovely honey 🍯 you made me very hungry now it's your turn 🤤 God bless 👍 Jim from Connecticut USA.
Brilliant really enjoyed learning more about bees
Wonderful job, I did something similar before varroa and traceal mites when about all you had to be concerned about was AFB and ill tempered bees. In one hive the comb was resting on the soil, every thing below was rotted away. Fond memories, thanks.
Liked this a lot :) I look forward to future videos that you possibly have the camera closer to give nice views inside :)
The bees sound very realistic in the earphones.. One tends to move the head reflexively away from the buzz each time.
More close up shots of the bees would have been great to see.
Great video. Very thorough. Thank you!
Greetings from South Texas! Interesting/instructive video, thanks!
Thanks for watching, GeckoProductions
ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. I learned so much! THANK YOU!
Absolutely fascinating! Very well done indeed!
That colony must have cast so many swarms its crazy. They were jam packed in that old setup.
Yeah. The owner said he had seen a few leave over the year.
Well done. Thanks for posting.
You didn’t mention mite pressure on the hive. It would be interesting to know how they managed for 2 years with no mite treatments.
I'm always a bit too concerned with disease when doing abandoned hives but it's a good point. It's a good place to look for VSH genetics
@@BlackMountainHoney I’m hoping that these wild hives might provide the genetics needed to stop, or at least minimize, the damage done by mites. The queens we get here are all bred from domestic stock that cannot deal with mite pressure at all. We lose many hives every year to mite infestation. I fear if we don’t get some wild bee genetics added to the gene pool that the destruction of colonies by mites will only get worse. I also wonder, when I see videos about wild colonies removed from inside attics or walls of houses, how these colonies thrive with no treatment for any pest or disease. These wild hives have obviously been thriving for years at a time with no tending whatsoever. Have you heard anything about scientists studying wild colony genetics? Seems like it would be a good idea.
@Annie M My only concern with this approach is there is no certainty over the agreement of the colony. They may look old, but it could be a swarm that landed the previous year.
Isn't it amazing how nature thrives without human intervention? How did bees live without "medical" treatment for thousands or millions of years? Because our creator had the ultimate design!
We could, rather SHOULD, take a few notes and stop polluting our bodies and our planet!
Are you in the UK with our wider variety of genetics wild hives do fine I have one hive on it fifth year, two on their fourth year and one on its third year none of these ever opened or treated all my other hives are more recent than that being swarms often captured from these other hives. I check my hives regularly so they aren't reoccupations and the age of the colonies is accurate.
What draws the stray bees into the nuc box, without the queen there? Just the fact that it's shelter near where they've come to expect the old hive? Or is there some kind of attractant or other "like home" factor involved?
I have no real interest in bee keeping but thank god you do. A brilliant vlog well made and educational. Also from what I can gather your on my most favourite part of the U.K. . An area I spent many years in back on the day.
Very kind of you to say! Thanks 😀
Kind of a tangent question about you marking the queen blue: is it standard to mark a queen that year's color if you don't know how old she is? I feel like I'd want a sixth 'unknown' color.
We have no standard and generally replace the queen anyway so its just to make her easy to find. A short term solution
Really geat video though, excellent clear explanation of what you're doing!
Thank you, very interesting.
Superb and informative keep it coming!
Very nice show, I've subscribed to your channel because of the quality of this show, wish I was well enough to keep bees, where are you located ??
THANKS Karl. I'm North Wales in the UK
Really like your gloves. Are you still using them? If so, I’d love to know what kind they are.
This is the coolest documentary horror movie l've ever seen!
Great video Laurence.
Glad you enjoyed it
Haha! By "abandoned" you meant by the prior beekeeper!
Couldn't figure why bees would abandon a perfectly cozy hive set up (unless sick).
Great video. I mark queens that way in daylight.
LOL.
Wait a minute, I see bees flying in and out of that hive. So, that's considered "abandoned"? Hmmm ... interesting. You learn something new every day.
Abandoned by the beekeeper, not by the bees.
I was wondering why there were so many bees in an abandoned hive, till I realised about 5 minutes in that you mean abandoned by humans, not by the bees!
Look at you supporting that new bee suit
I'm curious, about what went into the bucket. Let's say you were starving... What would happen if you ate the honey with the bee larvae in it? Would the larvae be toxic or too bitter or something?
As I understand it, bee larvae are quite tasty and nutritious compared with most other insects.
Great video. Quick question - Where did you get your bee suit?
BB Wear 😀
"These bees are pretty gentle. Now let me pull apart the next box ..."
>Angry Bee Noises<
"Actually they're getting kinda riled up ..."
my OCD blew up waiting for you to put that glove on but kept stopping to provide more information 😆
PUT THE GLOVE ON ALREADY!😵💫
I have to ask loved watching this video but how do you know I’d the colony has any disease what are the tell-tale signs thank you really enjoyed this video
I have a couple dozen books about beekeeping and every one of them have chapters on bee diseases. I suspect that if you do not wish to buy a book or visit a library you can likely Google the answer to any of your questions about honeybee diseases.
Some of the most serious diseases you should be able to smell, you can check the brood pattern and one of the best tell tale signs is a lethargic hive with little activity.
Ya need a bigger bucket mate! As this hive had gone feral, do you immediately treat for varroa?
Haha! Definitely. Bigger bucket on standby. Yes - we do as the load is always high. You could argue the bees are adapting to the pressure from varroa naturally but as we treat our colonies, its safer to stick with a treatment regime.
@@BlackMountainHoney To get a quick idea about the varroa load, look at the broken drone cells.
A closeup photo of the inside of that top cover would look cool hanging on a wall!
I don't really know anything about bee hives or the process of them. When you said they where abandoned, do you mean whoever owned the hive abandoned them or the original bee colony left and the wild ones moved in? Just trying to understand since I might want a bee hive on my property in the future
An abandoned hive usually denotes one without an owner to care for it.
I really enjoyed this video.
Thought abandoned meant empty. Stationary camera? Would like to see wild cones. Anything else I haven’t seen abt bees.
What is brood? Can a hive exist without a Queen?
It was abandoned by the who was managing it 😀
Sir , thank you for your showing. I somehow came across your Video. Thank you. I will look more into this. I live in South side Virginia. In the country. This would be cool to do. Plenty of land. I will investigate this more. I already have suit Vail and gloves. Wish me luck.
Good luck 👍 💓
Awesome video mate
Great video - you deserve more subscribers!!
Cheers Farhan. Glad you enjoyed it!