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That would be a separate video that I just never got around to doing. I will try to get around to it. It has just been crazy around here with late season swarms coming in left and right.

@@southflbeekeepingwithrich We have a moth event this coming Friday. The recipe we are using is fermenting. Fingers crossed! You are doing a great job besides.

Because that is how Poppleton did it. He would harvest honey from one side at a time. Then, when they were working that side again, he would harvest from the other side. It probably has to do with the erratic honey flows that can stop overnight. Always hedge your bets.

Do you mean in the bottles? Not that I have ever noticed. Between vinegar and alcohol I think it is too toxic for them. If the bottle fills with rain water, it gets poured out.

Thanks

You are very welcome. Just remember that whether you are using locally caught feral bees or working with cultured bees also makes a big difference on how you manage them. It is not the same.

You are very welcome.

Any word on what exactly? I don't understand the question. The bait and bottle traps work pretty well. Not perfect but it does reduce numbers in the area.

Particularly as we go into the summer dearth. They will appreciate them.

Well, they are just a few months out from being a swarm, and young colonies are generally calmer than larger, mature colonies. But yes, I think that having less stress from the S.FL heat doesn't hurt. Time will tell.

Thanks😊

So the first question would be whether there was a supercedure cell in the brood they laid? Next comment would be that I usually put a queen excluder above the bottom board. Now I usually take it off between 3 and 7 days so It would not have helped in your case, but I always wait until I see pollen coming in before I remove the QE. We are just coming to the end of our spring bounty of pollen and nectar, so my first thought is that they were not getting enough pollen and absconded to look for better forage. We just had a talk by a PHD candidate from UF who is studying scuttellata in the wild in South Africa, and she attributes this to the high rate of absconding that she witnessed there. As for being too late for another swarm install, no, as long as you feed them. 1-1 for two weeks, to get some comb built, then either 2-1, or damp sugar through August and September. And based on what I just mentioned, pollen patties for several weeks. Timing is based on whether your swarm has a mated or virgin queen. For beetle elimination (well control anyway) I have great faith in Scotts grubex, and swiffer sheets. See my videos on these.

Mostly from his writings in the bee magazines from the 1880's through 1915, Gleaning in bee culture, ABJ, and others. There is also a book from the 1970's called the Success of the Longbox beehive in America by John Adams. Find a used copy, it is otherwise not available.

Next question, I have lots of experience with long hives that have the entrance at one end, and have no problem with that idea. It has been around for 3,000 years after all. This center entrance is different to me. I understand the logic of harvesting from one side then the other, but am not yet convinced that it is better than harvesting half from the back, and sliding an empty frame next to the brood nest. For one thing, it seems to allow the queen to expand in two directions at once. this brood nest is expanding like crazy.

Well, scissors, tape, disposable covid era faceplate, then needle and thread to stich the tape to the screen since it never holds that well on its own. I would be concerned with the faceplate clouding up, and more importantly, we hold a bottle of water up to the mesh and drink through it in summer. Yea, there is some dribble, but the t-shirt is generally saturated already. That would be my highest priority. and yes, I have a suit with a zippleable veil, but rarely need it.

ROFL. 11 swarms last year in 4 buckets, 11 swarms this year in 5 buckets. Avocado trap caught 3 last year and 4 this year. Yep, I catch bees in them. Look back through the catalog of videos for bucket cutouts. 😃

This is the first time anyone has said Scott's Grubex doesn't work. I have several bottles of good whiskey from commercial beekeepers in the club who are grateful for how well it has worked for them. This is a commercial product with decades of performance at killing a wide range of grubs. It turns out that small hive beetle grubs are just one that is not listed on the label. If my instructions in the video have failed you, then that is on me. Just follow the instructions on the bag and you should be successful.

​@@southflbeekeepingwithrich it does not do anything. I have covered the entire ground around my hives with it really thick right next to the hives. Its nice for clicks, but it does not work

@@user-mb4dv7dc6l REALLY THICK??? More is not better. Use it according to label directions. Many insecticides do not work when used in too high a concentration. Insects tend to avoid high concentrations of a chemical. This is not click bait. This is a product with a long record of success. This is just an off label use of it, but that use is still at the recommended dosage.

The liquid smoke is creosote gathered by scraping out the top of the smoker and putting it in a bottle of cheap white cleaning vinegar. Creosote from burning wood does not have the carcinogenic effect that creosote from burning coal has. The important thing is the cheap white vinegar. For some reason it seems to make the bees not realize there is bare flesh there. The smoke is just to mask the alarm pheromones if you do happen to get stung.

Good luck, and drive carefully.

Simple and effective. I have just purchased a small high quality cider press on sale to use after letting the combs drain for two days. I will report on it after I use it.

Our hybrid African bees, (scutellata) tend to make very strong colonies.

@@southflbeekeepingwithrich vâng ạ bên bác nguồn hoa có nhiều không ạ, cháu cũng thấy giống ong bên đó khỏe hơn so với giống ong cháu nuôi cháu chúc bác thành công với giống ong này ạ

Depends on rain. Once in six months from November through May, but every two to three months if we are having heavy rains. Like 5 inches in 2 hours, or 9 inches in two days. Both of which we have had in the last two weeks.

Thank You

You are very welcome.😃

You are right, I deserved that. I knew it the moment I said it that it was wrong. Ceracell is a New Zealand company, owned and operated by Hobbitses. (running away with arms covering head while cackling maniacally as I said it.)

That video was made a year ago. A year later, I can tell you that I really love this bee escape. I put them on w/o using the fume board over night, then remove them from the hive, put the fume board and bubbler on and clear them in minutes. Otherwise, I agree with both of your observations as a thought problem, but have not had enough of an issue with it in use to bother putting aluminum tape over the mesh screen to close it.

Yea, Yea, and Poppleton was not only retired, but was dead before the 1922 hurricane could prove him wrong. But I expect one strap and two fence posts will keep this one in place unless I end up in Oz when the next one blows through.

😀

You are exactly right. They are narrower than a layens and they are 1 foot deep. When asked after 25 years of using these hives, what would he do differently he replied that he would make them an inch wider but keep the depth the same. If you cut a layens frame down to 12 inches that is almost exactly what you have. That video is coming in a couple of weeks.

The square frame uses less materials in the hive construction, too, due to the more efficient shape for the same comb surface area.

So far, I believe the bees are finding this to be a more efficient shape as well. I like the pattern they are using to deposit brood and resources on the comb.

I have done two inspections now, at 2 weeks and 4 weeks, and I am very impressed with how the bees has responded to them so far.

More history and observations in use to come. Stay tuned!

Thanks, check out Fred Dunn's video on trying it out as well.

Several are already done and scheduled. Stay tuned!

I assume you mean putting the water around the hives? Not great, the clay medium is saturated with the chemical so that as the clay breaks down slowly the chemical is time released. If you just use the water, the next ten inch rain (like last weeks) will just wash it through leaving nothing behind.

You seem to be indicating that the base is about six inches under the frames. Is there much burr comb to clean off, or do you rely on it to help with varroa control since the comb would most likely harbor drone comb?

South Florida Bees often think outside the box and build their hives the same way. Out in the open air on a branch, breaking every rule we make for them.

​​​​​​@@southflbeekeepingwithrich It was a case of ...Oops (error) Re internal measurements in 'creating' this Horizontal Hive out of a Dead Freezer ! So far the Bees haven't done any 'Random Burr Comb' in this x6 Inch Area, as : Probably in using Jumbo Deep Frames, means the Bees have enough Comb without them building 'more' in odd empty places. I do also add 'Insulation' Dummy Boards (Block of thick Insulation Board screwed under a Standard Hive Top Bar. This is done either side of the Colony "Nest" in late Autumn (Fall) through the Winter and into early Spring, so the Bees are 'well Insulated' on each side : during Colony Clustering in the lower Temp moments. The Bees have the opportunity to move up these Bigger (Double Deep) Frames as the outside Temps drop. By Clustering 'higher' up on the Frames, they utilise the cosier upper part of the Hive (as Heat Rises in Colder times.) Maybe in time, this Horizontal Hive can be made into a Double Colony : where we add a Divider Board in the centre of the Horizontal Hive. And then add another Entrance at the further side on the South Facing (Front) Wall. A little bit earlier today, I was able to source another smaller 'Dead Chest Freezer.' Locally someone had dragged out 'their Ex Unworking Freezer' onto the Communal Area. (I guess for later Municipal Collection.) On leaving a Message on this Unit, I asked if it was possible to 'Upcycle' it instead. . . They accepted ! 👍 (A case of removing & getting the Motor & Coolant Disposed of Correctly.) After that, this will allow me to have a Smaller Horizontal Hive, using all standard Langstroth Brood Frames. Almost like maybe x2 Nucs Side by Side : with different Entrances. This hopefully might enable some Queen Breeding to be done 'in more controlled' Insulated Hive Setup. Yippee ! Just a Case of Collecting up some Pallets. Making more Internal Boards, with Port Holes (using coverings) of Glass Coasters so the Bees can be seen within the Colony, without opening up the Hive itself. . . Yes ! Anyway : We can just 'Copy' the bigger (Original Horizontal Hive) and see if any 'tweaks' are needed to make the little one a bit better ! Think the Space below won't be there. So Storage of Gear can continue in the bigger one. 🤭 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2024 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Very cool, or should I say warm? Looks like you have the perfect hive for northern Scotland. Good luck with the new smaller hive.

Actually , narrower and much shallower. Though a Layens with 1ft deep frames may be in my future if this works.

It just fell into my lap. The man who commissioned it did not want it anymore. I think the dimensions did not suit his new setup.

You guys keep wanting to get ahead of me. Think Layens frame cut down to size. You really don't want to make a one off hive like this that doesn't match up with anything.

I intend on maintaining about 8 frames of brood, and the problem is that we don't have strong flows at any time of year. Only moderate to light flows. So there will probably only be about 12 frames of honey by the time they max out. I have run both 36 frame deep long hives, and 36 frame medium long hives, Mediums were much better suited to our conditions, but still too big. I have had much better luck with 17 frame mediums that can be supered one level up. See my Hurricane Hive videos. That is why finding someone who has come to the same conclusions is of interest to me.

@@southflbeekeepingwithrich yes, that's good insight for sure, and beekeeping is of course, local, so making a system to fit your location is a great way to go. Keep us updated on this hive. I am very interested to see how it turns out. Poppleton was very skilled, for sure!

You will all go with me every step of the way.

One to one might be a good tip. Thanks Haven't had a swarm in a few weeks. Might be winding down.

That hive had 2 frames of old comb, it was two nucs stacked with frames in the top box, it did have lemon grass oil rubbed on the back wall. It was on a platform so plenty of room for the incoming swarm to hang out as they waited to go in. It was just all brand new equipment and smelled like turpentine. Three days after treating with propolis tincture and slum gum a swarm moved right on in. Here in south Florida, it seems that swarms fit themselves to the size of the trap. Little ones don't move into big traps, nor vice versa.

Keeping bees SHOULD be fun.

You are welcome. Stay tuned.

I would not recommend it. What I would recommend is going to the Horizontal Hives website and downloading their free plans for making a Layens hive and getting the book "Keeping Bees With a Smile" by Fedor Lazutin. Why will become clear in time. If you choose to modify it to 12 inches deep instead of 16 inches, I think you would be on the right track.

Definitely intend to.

That's the general idea.😉 Stay tuned.