Beginner Beekeeping Frequently Asked Questions #23, Books about Honey Bees and more
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2024
- In this beginner beekeeping discussion, Fred introduces 3 excellent newly available books about honey bees. Also the following questions are answered/discussed:
1) Will bees eat their eggs in certain situations?
2) Can you do a tutorial on how to become a registered beekeeper? Each State has their own requirements, this is the information for Pennsylvania: www.pastatebeekeepers.org/pdf/...
3) Should I rough up the interior surface of my beehives so the bees will put propolis on it?
4) Would it be practical to have empty hives set up to encourage closer swarm relocation or will the bees just do what they please?
5) Why is honey in the comb popular? Chunk Honey?
6) Do honey bees recognize people? Would bees be calm or more aggressive around strangers vs you?
7) What do people mean when they say "draw it out"?
8) Why are veil screens black?
9) Do bees re-use wax? Or do they discard it?
Below are shopping links to items mentioned in this video:
Ventilated Bee Suits with zip-open veils (tell them Frederick Dunn sent you) guardianbeeapparel.com/shop/v...
The Lives of Bees by Thomas D. Seeley: amzn.to/2RI8MmC
Following the Wild Bees: amzn.to/2Lr8FLs
Queen Spotting by Hilary Kearney: (Great for Kids or Adults) amzn.to/2XcZ4yU
Puff Bees off the boxes with canned air: amzn.to/2JcWY8a
Please join us on Facebook! / freds-fine-fowl-167853...
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
1) Will bees eat their eggs in certain situations?
1:38
2) Can you do a tutorial on how to become a registered beekeeper? 3:53
3) Should I rough up the interior surface of my beehives so the bees will put propolis on it? 6:41
4) Would it be practical to have empty hives set up to encourage closer swarm relocation? 15:55
5) Why is honey in the comb popular? Chunk Honey? 19:01
6) Do honey bees recognize people? Would bees be calm or more aggressive around strangers vs you? 23:11
7) What do people mean when they say "draw it out"? 29:50
8) Why are veil screens black? 26:19
9) Do bees re-use wax? Or do they discard it? 31:57
As a first year beekeeper, I can't express the importance of your videos so far. I've paid for and attended free bee classes in my area and none have compared to what I have learned from these videos. At these classes, I have learned things that pertain to my area, but have asked so many questions from watching your videos. The answers to the questions asked from watching your videos were more, "I'll get back to you"...... You're way ahead of your peers, and thank you for that. Keep up the good work.
Oh, thank you so much for this wonderful comment! I hope your instructors weren't frustrated by those questions :) The good news is that we can learn from many sources these days and it's all good stuff! Thank you for watching and also for sharing.
My friend Tom has nothing over you I think you are both experts and I would watch both one day love to see you two together answering questions ?????
Every video I learn a bit more and it seems I have a fantastic area for my bees with plenty of cottonwoods and populars as well as maxi-million sunflowers everywhere which is great news.
That is awesome!
Fred the question and answer format is a wonderful idea. Just picked up my double nuc last night and starting my new career at 74. No not really, but I am excited to get bees this fall, and you answer so many questions, it sure give me confidence. Egg in normal cell, turned into queen cell was my answer today. Survivors gen. in so. Oregon, very mellow. Thanks again.
You're welcome and thanks for watching Edwin! Welcome to your new "career" ; )
Excellent Q&A. Who knew I'd still be learning super interesting stuff 23 episodes in.
Thank you soooo much for continuing to watch and I'm so glad you still find it helpful :)
Your humor is great! 😄
Awesome video! I enjoyed the part about propolis.I had a ball of propolis I set of the on the ledge of a swarm trap and I noticed a few bees chewing it up and storing the propolis on their legs, to take back their hive
Next time, just chew it like gum! I hear it's quite the experience!
Another very good video. Your knowledge is valuable and we appreciate you doing these.
ROFL.. "You just hiked to your neighbor's apiary" Another excellent video! Thanks Fred! Very interesting on the wax... I have frames out near my apiary with old wax on them. I never see them go to it, so assumed they didn't re-use it at all also.. I have to make an observation hive soon.. I really enjoy watching the bees in my apiary and know the OH would be a SUPER learning opportunity.
I'd really like to make a HUGE observation hive! BUT, I have no time these days. As for the neighboring beekeepers, I'm enough of a "creeper" with my drones without actually showing up tracking their bees! Someone else asked me to show the box and demonstrate the process - I think Thomas Seeley has a video on that already. Always great to see your comments!
Yeah that would be cool... Like an entire shed with the hive around the outside.. So you could be "IN" the hive.. lol. Ha! I bet the drones make you a "creeper"... lol. Thomas Seeley is supposed to be coming to a friend of mine's farm this fall for a talk. I have to get to that, I understand he is "the man". I always enjoy our youtube interactions as well Fred!
@@TheFarmacySeedsNetwork Thom is about to make a "HUGE mistake" and allow me into his lab at Cornell next year :) I'm looking forward to that and he has a great approach to life sciences for sure. I hope you can get to your friend's farm and meet him!
Lol... I'm sure he will be anything but disappointed Fred! Yeah I think the event is in October.. Trying to keep it in my head so I don't miss it. I think it is an EXCELLENT opportunity!
So...chewing on propolis is food for thought...pun intended?? (lol!)
Thanks for all the work you put into these videos. I feel like I'm in a beekeeping class every time I watch these...many thanks!!
Always great Tunes
Hello Fred, great information! It's funny that you mentioned it, last week, someone was bee lining my RUclips buddy's bees, a lot of them had white marks on them.
THAT is funny... I've actually ordered in a set of Testor's model paints and tiny brushes so I'll be making distinctive markings... I wonder if "white-out" works? Hmmmm..... thanks Dan!
Interesting discussion regarding the color of the mesh for veils. I coulda SWORN that I heard on one of the earlier videos regarding protective gear that the reason for black mesh was to DECREASE the contrast so that the bees were less likely to notice, eyes, mouth, etc. It would seem that the discussion at your bee-breakfast indicated testing showing that white mesh was better at reducing apparent contrast (bee-apparent, that is...)
It does reduce contrast no matter if it's black or white, but bees in some of the "testy" hives react negatively to dark colors in general while all bees consider white to be harmless so the theory is that they won't waste their time head-butting your veil. I think black is going to remain the veil color for the most part, none of the bee suit manufacturers or designers were the least bit interested in a white screened veil and zero interest in a bi-color veil (white exterior, black interior)... so, there it is.
Fred, thanks for this weeks installment, much appreciate your hard work and dedication to the beginners like myself out here! My question this week stems from the advancement of the seasons this past week and the days are now beginning to get shorter. What can we expect here in North America, and what should we be doing to help our colonies with health & pests, nutrition & feed, and harvesting.
Hi Glen, always great to see your comments! I'm adding this to FAQ24 as there is quite a lot to discuss/show along with this valuable list of concerns. Well done! I have a lot to say and this is timely as I want this series to be seasonally appropriate for North American keepers. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for another informative video. I wanted to let you know I have put feeder shims, following your design, on four of my hives. I purchased the round feeders for them from a large online retailer known for their rapid and free shipping to members. I noticed when these arrived that they were imported from the country we seem to be importing everything from these days.
Anyway, a lot of bees were drowning in these feeders. I decided to try roughing up both the plastic cone in the middle of the feeder and also the clear plastic cover that keeps the bees in the hive. I used a pointed knife blade to score the material. So far, it seems to be helping, a lot. You might have some new bee keepers with similar issues so I thought about passing this along.
I've done the same setup for the past week only 2 drowned bees so far that's with no modifications of the feeders, I have two in use.
Hi guys! Another thing I've noticed with the rapid round feeders is that the bees put propolis on that central column and this gives them added traction. If you wash them with nothing but hot water, the propolis/wax remains to their advantage. So I think it gets better as they get used more. I'll add this to FAQ 24 and show what I'm talking about here. Yes, there are variables from the patent pirates as with all products these days. The originator of the rapid round feeders contacted me and we're working on improvements. Good people! It's a great design and so adaptable to many hive configurations.... we'll talk more. Thanks so much!
Fred, to add to the answer regarding question "Do honey bees recognize people?" I learned from a Washington State University Professor (name withheld because I they have an ongoing study regarding this). It is not so much that bees become accustomed to humans, but rather bees smell the difference between hair and fur. Hair does no trigger an alarm within the colony (unless it is big, black, and bushy... A visual predator thing) whereas animals with fur will as they get closer to the beehives. Therefore it is not recommended to kennel dogs or other pets like rabbits near a bee hive.
OOOHhhh interesting! and also don't put fainting goats near beehives... they get stung, fall over, and can't run away... word to the wise :) Always keep penned livestock well away from the apiary! Looking forward to reading the results of that study when they publish! Would you post a link when they have reached their conclusions Glen? I'd really appreciate it.
I can add that the lime green nitrile gloves also do not attract stings.
Thanks! I think that black gloves are the ones to avoid... hmmm... I might like green! Feel free to post a link!
@@FrederickDunn : here's a link to the lime green nitrile gloves that I use - www.amazon.com/AMMEX-GWGN48100-BX-Gloveworks-Disposable-Industrial/dp/B01LSJRCO8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3EY0UISPLQ6XG&keywords=lime+green+nitrile+gloves&qid=1561815420&s=gateway&sprefix=lime+green+nit%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-3
1) Regarding Acorn Frames. I notice that the Acorn Frames have a lot of gaps where beetles might hide. I’ve also had bees get entombed because bees enter crevices and are sealed in when two frames are placed together. Do the bees seal all the gaps in the Acorn Frames?
2) Regarding fixing cross comb; I’ve heard that rubber bands can be used to affix brood or honey comb to a frame. The bees eventually fix the comb and chew out the rubber bands. When the rubber band snap, won’t it kill bees … potentially the queen?
3) Regarding observational hives. I recall that you mentioned in a previous video that plexiglass can get dirty, making it hard to observe the bees. I use clear tempered glass on the top of my frames to observe my bees. Tempered glass is great because you can clean it up and then wash it in a dishwasher and it looks fantastic. I mention this because I’ve heard plexiglass is more fragile and scratches easily as it is acrylic. I then put material on the tempered glass (below the cover) to act as insulation. 4) Another topic suggest ... how many brood boxes to have? Specifically, is an 8 frame deep adequate for a brood box during the summer months? Honey suppers would of course go above brood box and a queen excluder separating the brood/honey suppers. I’m in Los Angeles where the bees almost find food year round. The consideration for northern climates would be?
Hi George, I've never had the situation you're describing with the bees becoming "entombed" in Acorn frames? Small Hive Beetles do seek out crevices to hide but I haven't found that in any of the Acorn/plastic frame gaps which are generally filled and controlled with propolis and wax. The Plexi-Glass I'm using did clear up again, so I'm back in business with them in the Observation hive.BUT, if I ever put another one together, I'm going to have tempered glass cut by an expert and will be putting that in for sure. We'll see how long the lucite lasts.
(no scratches yet)... I've had bees come through winter in a single deep brood box 8 or 10 frame. Since you are in a warmer climate with access to pollen and nectar all year round, you must be in good shape to expand without a huge decline in winter as we have here. My setup is one deep and one medium super for wintering. More can work better, but that's the minimum where it gets cold. I have lots of friends in L.A. I hope you're getting some good weather this summer.
Thank you... and thanks for the series of videos; I find them very helpful! 😃🐝
Happy Monday Fred. I’m not sure if you’ll be talking more about how your experiment with drawn out frames is going. But I purchased the Mann Lake frames to expand my bee yard and I’m having the worst time getting the bees to draw them out. Maybe it’s because they’re small cell, maybe it’s the cell depth, but the bees are not going for it.
I think I wasted my money on the Mann Lake frames... I won't be using those in the future. Acorn is outperforming Pierco and Mann-Lake by far. I think Mann Lake put profits over quality and they ended up with very brittle plastic frames and as for dimensional issues you mention, I think their wax coating may also have something to do with it. I may try re-coating them just to salvage what I have.
Awesome brother
Wonderful Fred... guess you have your share of critics but do enjoy the humor. Like the questions and your search for answers. I have a similar issue when talking polymers. The “rabbit hole “ does indeed take turns and run deep. Looking forward to seeing the observation hive and new bees progress.
You are one of the most educational beekeepers on RUclips for us noobs. I'm an avid gardener, but have my eye on beekeeping soon. I plan to buy my bees, but only after I educate myself as much as possible. Beekeeping in my small town area of Alabama is very taboo. I don't know a single beekeeper and am told there are only a couple. It's kinda like hunting for Bigfoot...there just aren't any. Even if you score some raw honey in the area, it's limited and the floral source is either clover (no matter how dark) or unknown. MY QUESTION: I would really love to know how you identify the floral source of your honey. I see the color range difference the Flow super offers you, but HOW do you know that particular color of honey came from this/that particular floral source? It would be nice if you would dig deeper on this subject for those who plan to sell their honey and want to provide their customers the info on the label, and also for those who plan to plant solely with the intent to provide their bees with seasonal resources for most of the year.
Thank you so much! :)
With regards to why bee keepers net/mask black and this is only a hypothesis by someone who has just started to become interested in bees and possibly starting to start keeping bees if my mobility improves, could be do to the fact the face mask of some traditional masks were woven horsehair. I learned this piece of trivia watching a very interesting compilation of videos titled “Skep beekeeping in the heartland” I found the entire technique of keeping bees this way quite interesting and 2 hours of videos worth watching for any number of reasons. O well that is my two cents for why vail screens are black. I can also say that years ago I purchased mosquito face net and the netting was an off white color and while I did not notice a glare it was brighter to look through which was nice in the evening fishing but not so much on a mid day when sunny but dark polarized sunglasses fixed that for me.
I have been waiting for 6 hours tell you posted it the most important thing on RUclips is your Friday video
I'm glad it's so easy to make you happy Mohammad! :)
@@FrederickDunn OOOOOh of course not nobody dare to say that your work is easy it is very good because it is very hard and very accurate my friend ;)
Hi Mr. Dunn, thank you for addressing the Propolis Envelope subject! I have a hive of Caucasians from Old Sol Apiary lines with VSH bred into their line...I'm in the process of roughing up the sides of a deep brood box via various methods to see what they apply the most propolis to throughout the rest of the season. I'm doing two interior walls with shallow divits/lines roughed into the wood which I applied with a power drill and a little hand saw, one wall will have propolis traps cut to size & stapled to it, and the 4th will have aluminum screen material stapled to it. I am very curious to see what my results will be! I'm also going to be testing this on my Bee Weaver Survivor colony and one of my Saskatraz hives (Bee Math means I set out with a goal of 2 hives in my organic vegetable garden, and now have 4! Hahaha, it's as bad as the chicken math that brought us from 4 backyard hens to 12!) I'm going to leave the 2nd Saskatraz colony in a smooth interior surface hive to just see if there is any difference between those two as far as long term survival.
Please keep us posted on the results and make videos :)
Can you please update us about the propolis and whether the bees covered the inside of the boxes and what method worked best for you?
This was my favorite episode by now.
As for the commenter that doesnt like his hives to get inspected ,i think he has that mentality somme americans have , ,,your not welcome here,, or is affraid of becomming ,,comunist,, :) .But ive looked on his channel , he grows flowers and i think he has huge experience with flowers .To me, his contribution in the comments was the most valuable and made me look for the flowering plant he mentioned .And also ,i dont expect too much conversational skills from a genius.
who is he?????
He's always been very friendly, it's just the one issue.
@@mohammadsalah3319 artwork orchids and beekeeping
@@FrederickDunn I noticed.I used to search a lot ( years) to find a nectar plant that comes at least close to phacelia high nectar yeald and i didnt find any ,until this guy posts a comment asking you about a flowering plant that upon furter research was = or even better than phacelias 1 ton per hecktare.
Great info Fred, thanks for your time.
An interesting fact for you. Here in Oz our native bees are stingless and very, very small. Sadly they do not like the standard Langstroth hives and prefer small spaces and won't use frames. Our First Nation people would track the foragers back to their hives and raid them. The resultant booty was (is) known as "Sugar Bag". How, how did they track them you might ask..... Well, firstly a bee had to be caught, then they would tie a small piece of spider wed to the bee and release it. The trailing spider wed would make it easier for them to see and follow the bee back to its hive and thus a feast of sugar bag, a favourite of the kids. Just a bit of info for you.
Cheers and thanks.
🇦🇺 🍺🍺
Pilot McBride when my father was a boy he and his brothers used to race bumble bees.
I kbow about the ,,sugar bags,, from The Bush Tucker Man episodes with Les Hiddins.
Angela Cross race bumble bees?? Holy smoke! That’d be interesting, lol. Saddling them would be a bit tough, lol. Don’t think my 18” stock saddle would fit ‘em, 😆😆😆
Off to search “Bumble Bee Racing” now.
Thanks for the reply 👋
Mihai Ilie wow, that was a while ago, good ol’ Les. A very nice bloke. Sadly after his series his ptsd kicked in (he’s a Vietnam Vet), not sure how he’s traveling these days, hopefully he’s ok.
Native honey is (imo) absolutely beautiful, very light in colour and not as heavy as commercial honey. Been a while since I’ve had some, and still feel a bit guilty about robbing their hive. We didn’t clear it out or destroy it, but it takes them a while to repair & replenish the stocks.
Thank you for your reply
@@PilotMcbride Les Hiddins is well.I know he is a Vietnam veteran and was among the first sent to that war.
I growed up with his shows here in eastern Europe and he had a strong influence on me because now i grow rare exotic fruit trees and i want to buy a hat and make it like his hat DIY.
Just bought the aluminum handles bee net off your link. 💪🙏
Oh and I’m going down your FAQ videos while I paint the winter hot box black. 🤟💪
Awesome thank you!
I would like to start by saying thank you for the enjoyable content you put out. I have not started keeping bees yet, but I have a couple of questions for you.
1. When do you pull your flow frames off and what do you do with the frames/box before storing them?
2. How do you get drawn comb to add to boxes? Are you pulling it from die outs?
3. Mosquito spraying, my town will notify us of mosquito spraying, but it doesn't usually give specific days but rather a time frame. Are there any precaution that should be taken? What are the risks to honey bees with mosquito fogging?
4. I am in North West NJ, I know that you leave a medium super for your bees, originally I was thinking of leaving a full super for them. So my question is do you believe that one medium super should be adequate for them to winter? The emphasis is on should be
Thanks again and enjoy your day
Thank you so much, I did a video exclusively about the flowhives and preparing for winter etc... here is a link to that one: ruclips.net/video/CZsGV1F8xbQ/видео.html I haven't had any problems with mosquito spraying as they generally do that during early evening or early morning :)
@@FrederickDunn drawn comb?
It seems to me that bees close up holes with propolis depending on rain and wind, as well as invaders. If the rain enters, they are prone to close it off. Also if the ventilation is not working through that hole, they can close it off too. I have never heard on youtube anybody mention weather effects as reasons to close off holes with propolis.
The bees will modify, to the extent of their ability, any source of air or entry, that doesn't match their own warmth, shelter, and fresh air needs. They demonstrate their preferences most clearly when selecting hive/swarm/lure boxes when in swarm mode, and this is how entrance size and locations have been arrived at. By offering a variety of configurations to the bees and observing which boxes the scouts and then the bees showed a preference for. When we do splits or installs, the bees aren't doing the selecting.
Watching the observation hive footage brought up a question. Why do some of the bees hold their wings out to the the sides of their bodies and others hold them folded straight back over their abdomen?
They spread their wings and fold them on a whim, although it should be paid attention to as sometimes "K" wing can indicate stress or illness. They also do it when being groomed by hive mates.
I like the idea of painting the outside of the black mesh white
Apparently it works! I've written to a suit manufacturer to see if it's possible to have a dual colored veil - white outside - black inside... haven't received a reply yet.
@@FrederickDunn right I will just as my tailor to add an external white mesh then
Some members of my association are spray painting their veil screen on the outside.
@@FrederickDunn I think that it is not a long term solution as the paint will eventually fall of the mesh I think it is better to add another one
Thanks for the answer in regards to the eggs but a few days ago i was cleaning burr comb and some brood were damaged and it seemed the bees were licking the fluid but it could have been royal jelly?
Yes, they will lick them clean...
@@FrederickDunn Ok so for next week do grown bees consume protein besides carbohydrates?
FAQ24 we shall delve deeper... thanks Thomas
Hi your channel is really full of knowledge. I have a question for you, have you ever tackled the subject of bee stings and what level of swelling is normal? How to know if one is allergic to bees? Does bee venom vary from one bee to another? I am a beekeeper myself and notice that recovery varies depending on the area I am stung.
I have addressed bee stings and treatment before - but I think it's worth revisiting the subject - I'll add this to FAQ 24 which will post this coming Friday. Thank you Mark, I think I have some of the sharpest viewers. Great Question!
A true allergy to anything will throw you into anaflactic shock within a few minutes, but for stings, I've used a thick paste of baking soda and water
@@caracrabtree715 Hi Cara, that's possible, but allergic reactions cover a broad range of severity, from minor to severe sensitivities requiring medical attention.
In college we were making chemical compositions and we made some closely related to some bee pheromones. What stood out to me was it smelled like bananas. It smelled delicious. The chemist said bees would get angry if exposed to the pheromone. I had some in a container with argon so it wouldn’t break down and placed some near my bees with no reaction but by that time the pheromones were years old. So there may be something to the banana thing. I also have noticed my Italian bees prefer acorn frames over the Mann lake so its not just your bees. Thank you so much for your channel. You are a wonderful ambassador to beekeeping. I have a question about how you feel about chloroplast and foam insulation on the outside of hives for the winter. I’m in Virginia and thinking about insulating my boxes for winter. Thank you for your time.
Hi Jason - I'm very interested in blocking wind infiltration into my hive bodies, but not so much concerned about actual insulation beyond the wooden boxes. In the past I've added insulation to some while not insulating others and the results were that my uninsulated bees did much better and came through winter stronger than the insulated bodies. Venting without drafts is critical - I may mention this in FAQ 24 as summer is a great time to begin winter preps. Thank you so much!
Hi, Fred. Remember my question about my aggressive bees? I talked to the local master beekeeper at our association meeting last night. Basically he said to use smoke (I hadn't brought my smoker since I was just going to peek in the hive and dress for it. No magic potion.
However, you mentioned sweat. Well, I can verify that when I was stung so many times last week I was hot - it was a bee jacket, jeans and rubber boots on a day in the high 80's-low 90's. I was definitely sweating. No perfumes, in fact, I hadn't showered because I knew I was going to get hot and sweaty working the bees. Would that make a difference?
Yes, perspiration can make a big difference, even Langstroth cautioned about that problem :)
I am looking forward to see your milkweed plantation my friend can you add a link to what this type would look like when they grow as there is a big variety of milk weed flowers out there
If you want to see the species already grown, just look up Swamp MIlkweed (North American)... it's pretty common!
@@FrederickDunn very beautiful pink flowers
Where in best place to locate a new hive? I always see hives out in the open and in the weather, but I’m thinking putting it under a lean to shelter .....u could better protect your equipment and give bees shelter from rain and hot weather.... what would be pros and cons of that?
I'm in a colder climate, so I select sunny spots over shady ones. Those in warmer zones could definitely benefit from seasonal shade. Trees that are leaf covered in summer could also be a good choice as you get summer shade and winter sun. Blocking wind in winter is BIG... so that's also something to plan for.
if you are feeding sugar syrup how many days can it be left on before you need to change it ?
I'll add this to FAQ 24 - I always swap out any leftover sugar syrup within 5 days. I don't just refill the container, I swap it out for a clean one so there is no risk of black mold beginning. You can also extend the life of your sugar syrup by adding a teaspoon of Honey-B-Healthy or Pro-Health to your syrup per quart. BUT, the bees prefer sugar syrup that has no essential oils in it at all. Keep it FRESH :)
Have you heard of OTS (on the spot) queen rearing? If so, what do you think?
Hmmmm.... I've not heard of OTS, I have lots of methods for replacing queens which work pretty well, but I guess there is always more to look into. Thanks for the tip, I may do some digging :)
Do you feed pollen patties to your bees? If yes, what is your recipe?
I put ultra bee patties from Mann Lake on this February and they were barely touched - the bees brought in their own pollen at the same time they were able to break cluster and "could have" fed on the pollen sub patties. So, I don't use them in general and won't be putting any on this coming winter.
Hi Fred, thanks for putting the effort into the videos. Here's a question. I just caught a swarm in a box I put off my deck just for that purpose. I'd like to move the hive about 100 feet from that location closer
to my other hives. What's the process for moving a hive that sort of distance. I've heard the 2 feet/2 miles saying, but nothing intermediate. Thanks much.
HI Keith... move the hive two feet every night until you have it where you want it :) If it's a swarm capture, you can move it anywhere you need it.
@@FrederickDunn, That was my first thought(I actually have 2 hives I want to move). But, the hive on the deck is about 12 feet up and there isn't an easy way to get it to
ground level in 2 foot increments. I may just end up waiting until we get cold weather and close them up for 3 days and make the move in one shot. Not unitl "winter" of course...california and all...
So, you want to take them from 12 feet up just down to a managable ground level? Let us know what you do and what the result ends up being. :)
It's alright Frederick, you can say 'Storm Trooper'. There's no shame. 17:54
Dang Star Wars tongue twisters... (';')( ';')
@@FrederickDunn I don't mind if you keep slipping in Star Wars references as little Easter eggs :)
Hi Mr. Dunn, I have a question for you. What do you when you realize your hive swarmed and left? Today, I went to a hive that I don’t get to often. They haves less bees and less honey they did a month ago and no queen, very few capped brood, but I did find the remains of a queen cell. So I just closed it up and hope the new queen gets mated, other than that I don’t know what I should do
Was there just one empty queen cell? Is there still open brood in the hive? Are they bringing in pollen resources? With just a few capped brood, you may be in trouble. Personallly, I'd buy in a new mated queen asap as insurance.
Frederick Dunn yes, It was one cell or what leftovers from one, it was mostly destroyed, my guess it hatched more than day ago. It was in the center of frame and near the middle of the brood chamber. Thinking in about week to see if there a queen. I have a couple of Nucs boxes each with a queen and two or three frames of bees, at a different yards. Instead of buying a queen, would it be better to combine them with a nuc?
@@craig6903 If you may combine them later anyway, it's fine to wait to see if you have a mated/laying queen. I'm glad you have another colony to combine them with in the case of no fertile queen.
Was thinking about starting backyard apiary but neighbor has German shepherd which barks morning and evenings. I talked to her and she is not excited about me doing this. Is this a setup for disaster? Additionally the German shepherd has a weak stomach and is bothered by changes in diet. What are your thoughts. I can drive to one of the Weaver bee sites within 2 hours. Best Regards...
When it comes to neighbors who may be against beekeeping - either win them over in some way, or don't keep bees - it can be a disaster and it's not fun having a neighbor hating you. Keep the peace is something I strive for.
I have a hive (double deep Langstroth w/super, and screened bottom board with sticky mat) that swarmed in May and was re-queened (w/hygienic stock) in mid-June, as they did not raise a queen on their own. Today I checked to be sure she was laying and checked the honey supers. I found eggs, open brood and many, many dead bees outside the hive. I also noticed the bees were kicking out the drones already. I'm wondering if this is happening early because so many foragers had to revert to being nurse bees (low population) or if they experienced a robbing event. I'm thinking I need to reduce their entrance and perhaps feed pollen sub until numbers increase. What do you think? The colony has plenty of honey stores, but not as much pollen as usual. This is this colony's second year, N. California, temps avg. mid 90's and humidity avg. 25% right now. Toyon and Starthistle blooming. Varroa count in April was less than 1%. I did not monitor in May due to the swarm and natural break in brood cycle. Trying to figure out the next step...
Hi Gina, what you're describing is a colony that isn't kicking out drones, particularly if some are still in development or newly hatched. Please do another mite count, I think they may be being challenged by varroa. Please keep us posted. When I've observed cast offs when they normally wouldn't be ejecting bees, particularly when there are also dead workers on the landing board, I'd be looking carefully for an increase in the varroa population.
@@FrederickDunn Hi, Fred. Well, I tested for mites today using the alcohol wash method and found 8 mites, approx 3%. I'll remove the super and treat asap. Interestingly, I also found a struggling queen on the ground in front of the hive. I also found an open swarm cell with larva and royal jelly. (I'm not sure if I can upload a picture in the comment section.) I captured the queen that was on the ground. I think you mentioned in one of your videos that it's possible to make a swarm lure with a queen?
Can you explain bee bread and its purpose?
Absolutely, I've added this to my FAQ 24 list and will elaborate next Friday. Bee Bread is just pollen which has been put in cells by field foraging bees and then hive workers infuse it with their own enzymes and nectar which causes it to ferment to a degree - then it is used to feed developing bee larvae as part of the royal jelly mixture. It's protein for developing bees in short.
the dark color remind them of predators ie bears
And about bee hunting...you're supposed to do it in the forest! Not in your backyard. Speaking of, if you want an idea for a episode, you can show us how to make the box and put in practice! It would be great to watch with your video/narrating skills!
I live at the edge of a forest :)
I may make one and demonstrate it just for fun - thanks dark blue
I heard Randy Oliver say that if long-haired folk wear a light-colored headscarf/bandana (worn milk-maid style), the bees won't bother their hair. I hope this is helpful.
That's absolutely true. :)
Could you stain and Polyurethane the outside of a longstroft hive In the landing board to make it look like a flow hive because I already have a flu have I want to try the other way
not sure.
I wonder if the bees chew on eggs that might be less than perfect if they can sense that some how. Sometimes other animals will deliberately kill their young if they sense something is wrong with it. Handicapped animals in the wild would be a hindrance to the herd or group, so they are dispatched usually by the leader of the group. It sounds brutal, but that's how nature is sometimes. The herd wont survive well if it's always kept back by a lame animal.
Bee veils are black so that you can see out of them easier. They don't reflect light. If you had a white veil on it would be difficult to see well out of it. Think of a football player how they wear the black grease paint under their eyes at the height if their cheeks. That's to help keep the glare of the sun/stadium lights out of their eyes so they can see the ball and other actions better.
Why play "Where's Waldo?" when you can play "Where's Queenie?" More educational!
What I have against bee inspector's in Ireland. For europen foulbrood they use to let you do a shook swarm but now they have only a destruction policy for European foul brood.we do not have commercial beekeepers in Ireland. Most beekeeping only have one or two hives and to buy bees is next to impossable as no one has surplis to sell. So this policy is no good for beekeepers in N Ireland an as a result people no longer tell where bees are kept!!!!
Hi Ken... we also have a beekeeper undergound culture in the U.S. particularly in rural areas like where I reside. Many people don't realize that it's the beekeeping association that requested this service from our Dept. of Ag. It's not a Gov't crackdown... we wanted a way to keep zones awary of bee issues and have a central statistical data base which shows mortality among other issues.