Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 151, let's talk about honey bees!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Welcome to anther backyard beekeeping discussion.
This is a time of rapid expansion for the bees and I hope you're ready!
Today's Shout-Out is topic related and goes to:
Drebbieville Hives: • Drebbieville Hives Bee... where you can see some of the benefits associated with Slovenian AZ hives.
You can also listen via PodBean: The Way To Bee
frederickdunn....
More information is available at www.fredsfinef...
Find the latest Way To Bee coffee cups right here:
freds-fine-pro...
UPDATE: BeeKeepPal app for documenting your apiary inspections, equipment, and tracking everything with your phone and PC is up and running. I didn't lose anything in the end. The company said it was a temporary glitch and it's back. Did not lose any data :)
www.beekeeppal...
Today's topics are as follows:
1) Have you tested any Slovenian AZ hives? Or, can you provide any pro or con information?
2) I western Australia we are not allowed to put honey frames out for the bees to clean up. Do you have any ideas?
3) When the weather warms up, should I leave the Hive Alive Fondant on the hives, or should I switch to sugar syrup? Before putting on any supers.
4) I see several different colored bees in that swarm, is that odd?
5) Doesn't your video of the queen excluder show an improperly engineered excluder? Does this really support the notion of not using an excluder?
6) What beekeeping apps do you use, or do you recommend? www.beekeeppal...
7) Do you rotate bottom boxes in spring? I have a deep and medium box, should I put the medium on the bottom? Thoughts?
8) Will European Hornets re-occupy the previous year's nest? Will Honey Bees move into a tree cavity previously occupied by hornets?
LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES:
I use the VivoSun indoor plant room for dehydrating honey:
amzn.to/3ikBXui
learn more about Hive Alive Fondant here: www.fredsfinef...
Don't forget to share about your favorite beekeeping app for inspections, inventory, and keeping accurate records. I like www.beekeeppal... they are right back up, I didn't lose any of my data.
I invite you to join the discussion at The Way To Bee Facebook Group:
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Looking to share your talents or resources to help others? Please consider: www.hivesforhe...
1) Have you tested any Slovenian AZ hives? Or, can you provide any pro or con information? 2:26
2) I western Australia we are not allowed to put honey frames out for the bees to clean up. Do you have any ideas? 8:43
3) When the weather warms up, should I leave the Hive Alive Fondant on the hives, or should I switch to sugar syrup? 14:24
4) I see several different colored bees in that swarm, is that odd? 17:01
5) Doesn't your video of the queen excluder show an improperly engineered excluder? Does this support the notion of not using an excluder? 18:33
6) What beekeeping apps do you use, or do you recommend? 23:17
7) Do you rotate bottom boxes in spring? I have a deep and medium box, should I put the medium on the bottom? Thoughts? 30:07
8) Will European Hornets re-occupy the previous year's nest? Will Honey Bees move into a tree cavity previously occupied by hornets? 37:07
UPDATE ON BeeKeepPal App for hive management log. They were temporarily off-line and I didn't lose any data, all is good and I'm going to continue to use their app. Thank you for those who let me know they were concerned. www.beekeeppal.com/
Thanks Fred! I took the winter off so I'm watching your viedos backwards ❤🐝❤
Another great Q&A! Big fan of your young spokesperson!
Thank you, Dawn :) He was so funny when he came over and asked to bee in my video this week :) his little brother was in the very end of the closing credits :)
Fred, I wanted to try the hive gate concept but the cost with shipping is too much $ for a plastic bee tunnel so I made a dozen tunnels for free from scrap wood. I cut 3/8" plywood into 3"X9" strips and glued 3/8' X 3/8"side guide rails, 9"long. Side rails down makes a similar bee entrance tunnel with 3/8" clearance.
Ron @ Pittsburgh
Harris Joubert with Sleepy Creek Apiary
He is a beekeeper I have been watching here in the Pacific NW he uses an app he really likes. Not quite sure were the video was I'm not really interested in using apps, so I kind of skipped through that part (sorry) Ya might have to dig a little but he really likes it. Take a look I am sure he would be glad to answer any questions he can. He is a NW Oregon beekeeper, If I remember correctly he has been keeping bees 4 or 5 seasons and this is his 2nd season using the app.
Saw my first bumble bee this spring here in SW WA. :) Spring is coming :)
Ty, Fred for these Q&A sessions they have given me so much valuable information on question I have had and :) many I didn't even think of.
Ty :) Blessed Days...
Thanks as always Mr Dunn,,🇱🇨👍🏼♥️
You're announcer did a great job 👍 thanks good health and God bless 👍
I didn't have a choice there :) He's apparently supposed to be on youtube! :)
@@FrederickDunn LoL 👍 I understand.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE, HAPPY 2022 BEE SEASON!!!! THE FUN HAS STARTED
60 here in Minnesota today. 🐝
Love your vdo. Makes my day
Last week I did the same, dry pollen sub on patio table covered with bees. On Wednesday they disappeared. I took a walk and there is a huge silver maple in full bloom. Guess they prefer the real deal😄
That is awesome!
Fred your stealing my barn idea.. lol 😂 the top of a barn loft will make a nice place for the bees. Thanks for all the information.
What???? (';')( ';')... one of my class mates from two years ago never even considered her barn for bees. It turned out great and they have a completely gravity powered honey processing system as well since the barn and milk-parlor are on a slope. With the bay at the lowest section where the manure spreader used to be parked, now they can load a truck right there. Old barns are a gold mine!!!! I tried to visit an old barn that was built by my great grandfather in Vermont, the DR. who bought the farm wouldn't let me even look around... glad you have a nice spot for your system :)
@@FrederickDunn That is amazing how your class mate used the barn. There was some great innovation on her part. I have a big project for my barn this year that might get me into the Guinness book of world records. My wife thinks I’m crazy with all my ideas😂.
I have drawings of the swarm trap I would like to make, but my father’s words keep haunting me ( work smart and not hard) I want to give you something unbelievable, but a simple design may 🐝 the best.
Sorry, you didn’t get to see your grandfathers barn. There is a history there because each board was touched by him.
Thanks for the interesting information Fred.awesome. Weathers getting much better, I’ve gotten my new hive up and running. There’s still a lot of people in a bad way, but we’re pretty tuff here and will pull through as always. Thanks again 🇦🇺🐝👍🍯
I’m going to have to try catch up with all these videos I’m officially slacking behind , have a lovely week 🌼🇬🇧
Beautiful video introduction
Thanks
Thanks and welcome
A few of my hives ate 2 hive alive fondants. They are, all but one, coming out of winter strong. That was after a terrible fall flow and i was worried about my hives being too light. Also my apivar completely failed and i didnt know it until i started OA treatments in late november. Some hives had thousands of mites drop.... but they are doing great so far.
wow, I know a Rachel Stone but she lives in Pennsylvania, love Australians though. Hi Fred. ;-) The bees are bee-ing. Still no natural pollen in northern NM but plenty of pollen substitute. Snow AGAIN on Monday. Spring is quite slow this year. oh well.
Aaaaah, must be the weekend if I'm watching the ol Beekeeping Q&A. I switched to plastic foundations this year and I got some cotton wick to try rolling a few candles with some sheets of the wax foundation I still have
Candle making is fun, takes a lot of wax though :) I like dipping them!
@@FrederickDunn For sure! This will be my first attempt at any kind of candlemaking. My goal is to dip candles but I've got to keep saving up wax for that.
Thank you for answering my question. Really appreciate it! 👍👍
Harvey
Any time!
Checked out Drebbieville Hives. Thanks Fred!
Talking about queen excluders? Well, I got to the point I rarely used them, except for making double queen colonies during a tremendous nectar flow. As one could guess, doubled colonies can out produce two single colonies under the same conditions. And the secret with QEs, I found, is to put them on sideways. The drones can come and go and don't stay trapped, clogging up the spaces so workers can't pass either. The queen from under the excluder will almost never venture to the opening left for the drones. Plus, there will be a honey barrier, which the queen will not go into as there are no empty cells for her to lay in. Out of 12 hives I had at my maximum, I only had 2 QEs on hand in case I decided to make doubles, which I did more than once in various rainy seasons over maybe 5 years. Now we are experiencing drought years here in Montana, so no need for QEs at all. Thanks for talking about QEs. Bob in Montana
hungry bees,so happy to see the sun
Three hives ate all of the HiveAlive fondant. Had some trouble with the top of the pouch collapsing down when it was a little over half empty and blocking the inner cover hole and trapping bees in the pouch. Put a small piece of wood in the pouch to hold it open. Removed empty pouch and replaced with dry sugar in rapid round. Bees started bringing in pollen this week in NE Ohio. Love the Q&A's
That's very interesting, was there anything at all on top of the fondant envelope, or just air? Good to know and watch for.
@@FrederickDunn I started out with 1 1/2" foam over the fondant in a empty medium super. I propped up the foam after I saw what was happening, but still had trouble with sagging as the pouch emptied. Just my experience. It would be interesting to see if anyone else had issues with this. Thanks
Nice episode! A couple of questions for a future episode: 1) unless it is too early to tell, have you come to any decisions on the performance of the hive gate? 2) Does the (blue) hive cleaning tool for clearing dead bees from the hive work well with the hive gate entrance? Thanks Fred.
Hi Bill, I think the Hive Gate units did winter well, and I also used the blue plastic entrance cleaner to pull the hive gates out, and that worked nicely. I think the biggest advantage to having hive-gate units on was demonstrated best where wasp attacks were a problem. Glowing reviews from the Northwest. When I begin inspections maybe I'll see some differences, but I anticipate that they will have very similar interior conditions as those with standard small entrances. But we'll see how that goes :)
Re: Question 2: In Western Australia the winters are mild, as with most of the rest of Australia you don't need to take off the Flow Super for winter. Just leave 3-4 frames of honey unharvested for the bees to use just in case over May/June/July.
I knew that muddaubers collect almost exclusively spiders for their nest (its obvious when you open them), but I never knew how they catch them... that is so cool that you observed a trap for the hunter.
They are predatory masters to be sure :)
Hi Fred! Saw you at the meeting today, I wanted to stay and say hello but had to go, my son is a student there and I had to pick him up. I did get luck and scooped the hive clean-out tool though, all set for class at Asbury on the 6th :-)
Hi Bill, that's fantastic! Sorry we didn't get to talk. I'm giving a presentation to the Biology Honor Society there soon, any chance your sun is in that group? :)
Love the special announcer! Proud papa
He calls me Grandfather :) all of them do :)
look forward to you're video's every week. and now a new set ! 🤩.
Thanks, James!
Thank you for the video Fred, can you freeze the hive alive fondant and put it on the same colony next year as my fondant was not all eaten either.
You can just put it in a large ziplock bag to keep it from drying out and then put it in your basement or other cool spot. No need to freeze it. There should be an expiration date on the packet.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you.
Frederick Sorry I said will lay in the flow frame but I should, have said might........ How many flow frames to take a chance on no queen ex. comapred to ones with..... Just a percentage woulkd do so as not to reveal how many FF you have.
I believe the Drebbieville hives are still for sale, there was an unfortunate accident to one main partners. They did a demonstration at one of our bee meetings awhile ago. I think his granddaughter maybe still involved. They are nice hives and well built.
Oh, that's sad news, I had some concerns that someone may have had health issues and couldn't keep up with the website and youtube presentations. Thanks for that information.
Your welcome.
I have one it puts honey below and above. Last year I took the honey and put it on the top and put the middle box on the bottom and they moved it all and went back to the middle so I just left them be see if they do it again this year they done it the last 2 years the bees used to
NE Ohio, they are bringing in a light yellow colored pollen. Mine didn't finish all of the Fondant either. I like the idea to make a syrup with the leftover. I thought about using an App on my phone, but decided that would be more work.
I'm back online with the BeeKeepPal :) they wrote me that the had a glitche. :)
dandelions?
@@sonofthunder. None yet in my area.
Frederick... Thank you so much for the comprehensive reply. You may remember I have a deep and a 6 inch box above that I've not touched all winter but am getting ready real soon to inspect. If I see the smaller top box with honey and little brood I will follow your teaching and chance it without an excluder.
I find exact info re the gaps 'thin on the ground' re excluders but the beekeeper I bought the bees from says he uses Herzog which are mesh but many are not stainless mesh. I don't know the gap is that a Buckfast queen be can squeeze through but I would think that if the gap is lets say 1mm smaller than that gap it would enable the workers to get through without it being a chore for them. I am right with you re don't give the bees hassle by putting a barrier which may deter them from climbing upstairs- so to speak.
Incidentally, I just watched your previous 2016 vids re the flow hives that was fantastic yet again. Many accolades as well from many thankful folks.
If 'she' did lay in the flow frame and it was noticed would it be possible to dig out the cells and then put an excluder on?
Sorry to always be asking so many questions. Best Wishes
You can put the excluder back on when the queen is in the lower boxes and then just let the cells hatch out and the workers will go back through the excluder on their own, you don't need to dig them out as the queen is separated and won't lay more in the flow-frames.
@@FrederickDunn Incredible knowledge thanks so much....... When you give advice it sounds so enlightening....... So after the trauma provided the bees are in a good collecting phase hope is not lost for some honey.
I hasten to confirm that I was resigned from the start to not interfere with their food until the second season & even then
be modest.
The Council have signs all along the ring road promoting bees. The centre reservation 20 feet or so wide, was all wild flowers all spring and summer will be reseeded this year.
Some drivers complained they couldn't see but I think the complaint was exaggerated apart from about three tall weeds.
I'm looking forward to the 100 or so lime trees blossoming 500 yards away.
I feel it's an incredible feat the bees fly straight up and over our roof towards that area which is full of mature Lime, Chestnut, Oak and other trees. These bees certainly will have lots of nectar and pollen to harvest. Forecast next week = nice. I hope you have nice weather too in PA you well deserve it. May the sun shine on you....
I plan on building an az hive that uses Langstroth size frames. For some reason that stile hive has popped up in my feed. I figured I would just make one for fun mainly so I could see the inside of a hive during times of the year that I would otherwise not be opening a hive.
Sounds good to me :)
Frederick great interesting video yet again .... So sorry to hear about that second app.... You must already know you can get your $ back by your Bank even a debit card I found out. I payment returned same day as request next one pending from Amazon who are not always perfect! Best wishes and I hope you get your money back.
Hi Michael, they contacted me and had a momentary glitch, all of my inspections and data are just fine. Back on track with BeeKeepPal. Apparently I spoke too soon about the issue. I'm going to continue with them.
My bees only ate a small amount of the Hive Alive fondant also.
I think that's a great sign that they didn't need it, but bad in that I can't give useful feedback on the impact of the Hive Alive formula.
@@FrederickDunn I like your idea to melt it down for liquid feed, but I wonder if it can be frozen for the next season?
great episode, thanks for describing rotating boxes, and your reason for not doing it,...bought a apimay copy to try out 80 bucks the lid is heavier than beesmarts,comes with feeder inner cover,pollen trap,n tray for ipm, adjustable entrance ,disc vents,and locking toggle clamps, ill or probably add a visor,pastel colors,yellow purple,etc...wood boxes can fit,ill have to fab something for Oa vaporizor ,so wont melt,nit sure if a slatted rack will go ,but maybe,....thats strange about the amount of hive alive used on yours,rain n colder here nw ark,but ive seen pollins comin in a few colors,and seems theyve all come thru winter,...thanks fred
Amazing 🤩🤩🤩🤩
Hi Fred: thank you for the great information and insight. Regarding Hive Alive… only my super large hive started it (I put it on half the hives, and tried to evenly divide based on cluster size). I do also have candy boards on, and the largest hive is plowing through emergency stores. I had a old timer beekeeper tell me once to watch the large colonies this time of year, and now I am understanding why.
My hive tracking used to be apps, but they were cumbersome and hard to reference on the fly - my phone ended up covered in sticky gunk and I was trying to add data with an open hive and it made inspections very slow for me. I’ve found that I can use my phone microphone and pics to pull together notes in the apiary much faster, and I have a template that I created on 5x7 index cards with checkboxes for equipment, frames of bees, mite test results, etc. I keep the cards in a photo storage box with dividers. Before each inspection, I go back to the previous index card to see what notes and actions I have for that hive so I can prepare a plan (I take those cards with me to the apiary in my back pocket). I do like the keeping notes on the inner cover idea. Maybe even paint a section with chalkboard paint and or put a small whiteboard with key critical information - like pest issues/ # frames/ actions needed, etc. Thanks for the idea!
Bees in building.. I did it. FACE ENTRANCE OUTSIDE! Bees get confused if they fly in building. I left shed door open and hives faced interior. Big mistake. I had a queen hatch, mated somehow, and she couldn't figure out which hive was hers. The scents mingle. I had bees hatch that couldn't orientate properly, because the scents mingled, and they ended up under the hive. It's a scent thing. Building smelled great. Also ,they foraged less because they didn't get direct sun. Even though the door was open. The ones I faced the entrance directly outside were fine. Extremely short tube outside. Too long and they get confused/less efficient. The hives with less moisture available along the interior sides did worse. They do need some moisture to lick & fan on the larva. I'd rather they lick condensation in hive vs some questionable water supply or puddle with contaminants
Thanks again for the videos Fred! It was my understanding that when the queen feels pressure to move down, such as when she is laying in the top box, that increases the tendency for the hive to swarm. In your deep/medium configuration does that concern you if the queen has to move down into the deep to lay?
I haven't made that connection based on my observations here. I've had them move down to the lower frames with pretty predictable regularity. Is someone has a stubborn group of nurse bees that keep the queen high up I'd have to entertain some changes.
Hey Fred, My comments keep getting deleted, so I must be typing something that isn't ok, so I'll be brief and let you google to find it if you're interested. Laser frames that zap varroa mites off of bees. Have you heard of them? I'd love to hear you talk about them.
I haven't heard of that. If your comments didn't post, it may be because they get auto-held and it takes me a while to get to them and release the good ones :)
@@FrederickDunn Going to have to type in code here because I think it's when I type that name it gets deleted😀.....GO: Comb The name of the company is the word after "GO:" combined with the word right before "STOP" Plex STOP. One word combined together. Let's see if this one gets through. Or like you said, it may be queued up in your held messages. You can google that word and maybe laser frames. Check it out if interested.
I think that comment worked! Happy beekeeping sir.
Fred, thanks for answering my question about the European hornets on air. Originally, when I first looked at the old big maple tree, I thought I found a bee tree. The knot hole was about 30' up and it looked to be 2-3" in diameter. The tree is about 30" or more in diameter at the knot hole. I don't know the volume of the cavity. The big bees turned out to be hornets... What if I put some wax in the knot hole?
You "could" toss some wax and propolis bits at that knot hole as an enticement to scout honey bees :) Have a slingshot handy? Let us know if it gets occupied by bees :)
@@FrederickDunn indeed, as I measured and knot hole is within reach of a ladder, I will add some attractants.
@@FrederickDunn Hey Fred, I had a ladder that was tall enough to reach the knot hole. The knot hole is 2.5" in diameter aprox. 21' up. Cavity went up. Fortunately I could not get my hand in to check size because someone had moved in since the hornets left last fall. when I placed some crumpled old brood comb and some Lemongrass oil inside, there was movement. I have not seen any squirrels on the tree, but it could be any one of the 3 species; Grey, Red, and Flying squirrels. My guess is flying squirrels, time will tell.
Hi Fred thanks for another great video. For Christmas I received a layens hive from the kids to add to my collection of hive types. I was thinking of modifying the top bars of the frames to mimick a langstroth frame top bar (as I saw on another TH-cam channel) I would need to modify the hive with a spacer to accept an insulated inner cover but this would allow me to do patty feeding and put a rapid round.
Thanks in advance
Kevin
Why change the hive? It is just a different management technique. I got a swarm last August and feed them with frame feeder/ wooden floats, not many dead bees. Bees put up 6 or 7 frames of capped. 1st inspection yesterday and they had lots of untouched stores, maybe 40#s of capped, lots of bees. No spring feeding necessary, although I did hang a HiveAlive fondant patty just to see if it would work. I took a hole punch and put 2 holes in the end of package without breaking inner seal. I used short pieces of a bamboo skewer to push though the punched holes and used them to support the patty by resting them across the tops of 2 adjacent frames with the patty hanging below inside the hive. We will see if the bees find the hole I put in the center of the patty.
Sounds like it may be worth trying. I suggested that those who needed emergency feed, just spread two frames apart 3/8" and put a fondant patty over that opening with insulation over that. Then in spring as things begin to warm, push the frames back together before they get into was building again.
A heck of a big wildfire is currently gaining acreage in an area west of Fort Worth, Texas. Believe in Eastland County.
that's terrible news.
Fred,
I have a Slovenian building with 4 hives. Had it for 5 years and I have been a beekeeper here in Northern NY for 23 years. I think that a first-time beekeeper would be better off with a couple standard Langstroth hives or a Layens or Long langstroth hive to start. They will get a better understanding of bee behavior. It is harder to see into the AZ hive when working it. Also it is important which type of bees you have. Best to have Carnolian or Russian. I started with Italians and they were not a good fit.
I don't believe that the Drebbieville hives using the Lang. frames is a good idea at all. I have the standard AZ frames. I can provide more information if you would like.
I do like the convenience of being inside a building.
Sandy
Thank you for sharing! I'm sure people will enjoy looking into those buildings and hives you mention. Much appreciated. Feel free to post a link to a TH-camr that has the more faithful design/frames.
Fred can you use Cedar around the bottom board and entrance reducer to help stop small hive beetles because cedar is the insect repellent type of wood
Great question! You can, but it doesn't work that way. It's great for repelling moths, but not small hive beetles
You showed the wood bound excluder. I've had an issue with shb getting in the gap from the wood so went back to all metal.
You can fill those gaps with silicone before use if you want to. I dont' have issues with SHB here. There is a metal excluder without the wooden frame.
just curious, when was the earliest spring swarm you have seen in your area?
Excellent Question! April 28th has been the earliest swarm for me here. I had to look at my records!
Hey Fred, I have been reading up on queen rearing. My plan is to graft using The Cloake Board method. I just read an article about the benefits of raising your own from your survivor stock compared to shipping a queen. It talked about how queens being shipped are exposed to all sorts of temperature fluctuations, which supposedly affects their fertility. I can’t recall seeing any of your videos doing your own queen rearing, For small backyard bee keeper with the price of shipping and queens, not sure what your getting….etc…. Just curious how come you dont raise your own? Perhaps you do and Im not aware of it. Thanks. Happy Inspections everyone.
Hi Seth, I don't rear queens in any quantity becuase I just don't need them. BUT, I do make new queens with splits and by fortifying queenless colonies with open brood and eggs on frames. It's easy and I've had very good success as long as there were plenty of drones around. If I have a prime colony that goes queenless, I order in a BeeWeaver Queen, but I only did that once last year, the rest are all home grown. Years ago I used the Nicot System and it was very easy, but I ended up with too many queens and quickly realized it wasn't for me as I have no intention of expanding at that rate.
Love the egg carton idea for pollen sub. I can see how this would be great for bees. Thanks.
Frederick, I need your advise once again. My Bee Package arrived in the next day or two, yet here in NYC, we went from 60 degree weather, to raining weather and chilly, like 40 degrees. And we have this weather for days in a row. So what if my package arrived with three days of 40 degrees and raining. Can I still empty the package on an angled board in front of the hive and let the walk up into the hive? Or will this be too cold for them? I'm so nervous. What do you suggest? Grateful.
Hi Brad, there may be many with this same question. I'll discuss it tomorrow! :)
@@FrederickDunn Ok great. If this come tomorrow, I'm good, because its the only day of warm sunny weather. Grateful.
It’s just not WA that honey frames are not allowed to be put out. It’s law across every Australian state🍺🍺
Thanks for sharing, I hope everyone will get familiar with local regulations regarding beekeeping.
good job eli....🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝
That's Quinn... :) Eli went back to New Mexico :)
@@FrederickDunn oh ,i was guessing,kids are great,so full of wonder ,and your a good granpa,my fondest memories of my grandpa, and fishing at his lake in san diego,its good you do all you do with them...today i set up another stand ,sunny but rain coming monday rrrrrrr,at least the snow n ice are gone,
I have a question about locating my new honeybee hives . I live near Corpus Cristi , Texas . The he ground temperatures reach over 120 degrees F nearly every afternoon when the weather is full sunshine .
Should I place my hives so that they will be in a shady place after the sun starts going west after high noon ?
Hi Rod, we live near Goliad, and we keep our colonies in full sun. Fred makes a visor that shades the entrance of the hive and says it drops the temperature by 20 degrees or so.
Real nice to see your Grandson Frederick. I recon he'll be an expert soon with you to guide him!
My lad was here today but cannot get the bee scan to work sorry about that. It seems by the feedback many folks cannot get it to work for different reasons! He tried it on different phone to no avail. I'll see what you say. The site said it's the only app to check for varroa which would have been far better than killing bees with alcohol.
I have a quandary whether to put a Queen excluder under the flow hive when it goes on? I see some of the old beekeepers nicknamed then honey excluders? Bad enough some saying bees don't go into Flow frames never mind causing an obsticle for them as well as the plastic material..... I have taken note of the fact when exactly you put yours on and the fact that you sometimes do not put an excluder on. I note you said she will lay in the flow frame. I have a Langstroth deep and a medium above (which got them through the winter) so I would hope it would take time before she might go up in the Flow frame? I think you said what to do if she lays in the Flow cells... I'll have to try to recap what you said....
So complicated for us new folks. I'm looking at you video 151 now. Just seen a couple of 'our' bees on the front shrubs =viburnum davidii best wishes
Remember that when the queen put her eggs in the flow-super, it was because I left it on through winter to see if she physically "could" and would. Had I removed the flow-super at the end of the last nectar flow, it would not have been an issue at all. The reason I did that was to see if she would lay, if the brood would be workers or drones, and if the bees would clean the cells and return them to honey storage. So, she did lay workers, they hatched fine, the bees cleaned the cells and restored them to honey production. This gave me lots of information in a single winter. This video shows how I arrange them. th-cam.com/video/CZsGV1F8xbQ/w-d-xo.html
In addition to question 7, do you change out the outside frames with the dark comb? The next year take out frame 2 and 9 and so on?
Yes, I rotate out combs at 5 years of age/use. 20% a year.
You've probably answered this in previous videos, do you leave your queen excluder on year round? Also, what brand is the one you showed in the video? Thanks. Glenn
I don't use queen excluders, but if I did, I would remove them prior to winter and during the last honey draw off.
Hi fred from va. Bees are bringing tons of pollen. Wont even touch my fake pollen.
That is great news!
The 18° night killed the clover and I never seen cold till clover but it's dead and I lost two boxes of bees
That stinks!
@@FrederickDunn for real I waited months on that clover to bloom and it finally had sprouts with a flower was and the cold burn it to the ground I think it got colder than 18 because there was ice outside the pump I have was kicked off because the water froze and that was moving water in the feeder bucket for the bees where they got their water
I found that ALL three of my hives are dead today. Do you have any videos about cleaning up dead out hives and restarting?
Hi Rachel, I am very sorry you've lost your bees :( I don't have a dead-out cleaning video. But I srape them all into trash bags, ORRR you can start a bon-fire if there isn't any plastic in there. Some people scrap everything into a bucket and bury it in their veggie garden and plant on top of it. Depending on the cause of the dead-out, you can put the colony back into service after you scrape it out and dry everything off. Some keepers will use a propane torch to scortch all interior woodwork. Many methods. It's a sad business. You can power wash off plastic foundation or plastic one piece frames.
@@FrederickDunn This is helpful. I have begun scraping, but now it is dark. So I am hauling everything toward the house/ garage. I have one nearly full box of honey that I would like to salvage. This is going to take a long time to get through. I am not giving up and plan to get bees ASAP.
Has anyone here ever tested orientation of slatted rack? Wondered what would happen if off center of frames above or if they run perpendicular to frame direction. Would that effect bees building on slatted rack harm bee/ air circulation movement?
If the slats don't line up with the frames, it's no problem at all, they are primarily spacers so the bees don't just build extra comb directly under the frames above.
Put your on the air sign on!
it is on, the LIVE sign is off :)
it was on. the 'live' neon sign above it was not on. ;-)
Fred do you have a good source for a manual record keeping system. OLD SCHOOL what is your favorite.
There are many logs on Amazon and other locations. I don't have a favorite. I like the little giant beekeeping log because it fits in your pocket and has weather proof paper. Simple and easy to figure out.
A BEE JOKE FOR KIDS,,(gonna tell my grandkids),,,,,,What do you call the newborn bees ? BABEEZ (babies)
I keep my bees on my mom's property and we introduce them as her grand-babees :)