Hello friends, I'm always pumped and excited to answer your beekeeping question, and in today's video these questions might be the very same questions you are wanting to ask. Also, join me every Thursday night at 7pm for my livestream to ask your question.
Hey David, could you please shed some light on HOW bees of winter physiology are made? Does the queen lay a different type of egg? Do the nurse bees provide a different type of jelly? Or perhaps they provide less jelly and move to protein faster... what's the deal here? And as beekeepers, can we assist? I don't have the need to provide pollen-sub patties generally, but I am trying it this year in autumn to try and boost winter-bee numbers. Much love from the UK. Thanks for all you and Mrs Burns do, it is appreciated.
Great video as always! I perched a chair close to my hives this morning and just watched, took pictures, enjoyed some coffee and a few videos for fun. I saw a single yellow jacket attempting to enter the hive, she didn't succeed, and I got to watch how the hive defended against her. Full on Nat Geo going on!
I LOVE this concept of being good enough! I did an intro to beekeeping course and read some parts of beekeeping for dummies. I am a beginner at my 3rd year now, from 1 nuc to 8 hives (which are probably a lot for me now😂) Every year I learn something new by observing them, watching videos like yours, and reading articles whenever I have very specific questions. Great content here as usual! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. :)
What I appreciate most about your videos is that you explain how to read a hive rather than you just do this and that. I'm new this year, but have watched your videos for a couple years learning. Last year a swarm almost landed on me and decided that was my cinder block from heaven telling me it was time. This year, started with 3 nucs, but a month later decided to get another 3 and really happy I was able to do this many. I am learning so much just watching them, learning that you inspect and read the needs from the bees, not a book. They don't follow rules, they don't even seem to have read the books, but are absolutely amazing creatures. Steve from Sanget Tx
Been watching your videos for years, and I love this one! I am prone to “analysis paralysis,” and you always inspire me to just get in and try. Your videos are perfect in their imperfection: excellent content presented in a down-to-earth manner. It’s your character that sets you apart. Thank you, David!
I just wanted to say thank you for your advice last week. Thought I had a failing queen but the bees are back in resources and the Queen is doing great again! Glad I have her the extra week!
I hatched out 4 new virgin queens buy transferring capped queen cups from frames to cages. Your info to get me to beekeeper status has been much appreciated
Some of the diseases that Varroa Mites carry can make bees act weird like acting crippled or crawling on the ground and cannot fly (paralyzed wings) or can make the wings deformed. I would recomment to do a mite check on nurse bees to check the mite load or treat all hives if you know you have Varroa Mites. Treat all your hives when any one hive needs treated as foraging workers can sometimes go into other hives with Varroa Mites attached and if you have robbing the robbing bees can get mites from the foreign hive that they enter.
Thanks David for your observations. Very helpful to us trying to beekeeping on our own. I have an evil hive who have just nailed my suit to my ankles!! I feel they could be Queen less as the hive fell over earlier in the summer. We will wait and see if there is any brood in there I was getting stung so much I had to make a sharp exit.
David I have a patient that raises monarchs. She was observing dead bees all around her milkweed and flowers. She found a jagged ambush beetle on her flower. These are usually in Pennsylvania. Just another thought for dead bees now. Deborah
Regarding the shaking bees and crawling in the grass.... Do you have CBPV (chronic bee paralysis virus) in the US? We get it here in the UK and Europe a fair bit and it sounds just like that. Just a thought.
Hi David, could you make a video demonstrating how you used your dowel rod jig for making queen cups and then how you used those wax cups? Thanks in advance!
You can get beneficial nematodes that target SHB, since they typically live within 3' of hives it should help (I haven't had any SHB, but I use beneficial nematodes against potato beetles, ants, etc.). Arbico Organics sells them, and they've helped for other invasive pests, naturally.
I had SHB when my hive arrived but I used a trap with vege oil and a bait section where I put apple cider vinegar I have a ventilated bottom board with a pest tray underneath which contains vege oil as well At first there were a couple of beetles in the trap but now, 10 months later I have no SHB
David, is it possible that the bees struggling to fly are new to flying? I have seen the same thing a couple of times this year (my first). There have been no other signs of disease.
It's the rule of 10,000 if you want to be truly great at something commit 10,000 hours to it if you want to be a great beekeeper get inside of a box for 10,000 hours
I used Swiffer sheets for the first time for SHB's a few weeks ago. I cut them to be about 4"x4" and put one in each corner. When I went in the hive the following week, I had numerous dead bees stuck in the pads, as well as some still alive but stuck in the pads. Is this normal? I took them out and haven't replaced them since then.
Hi Tom, I use Swiffer sheets all of the time and have the same problem. Unfortunately you will loose bees in the process of reducing the SHB population.
In my experience, yes. Try the Beetle Bee Gone sheets from Dadant instead. They work better & there are fewer dead bees. Still lose some bees, bit a much better ratio of beetles to bees. Oil traps where you can use apple cider vinegar as bait are good too.
Hello friends, I'm always pumped and excited to answer your beekeeping question, and in today's video these questions might be the very same questions you are wanting to ask. Also, join me every Thursday night at 7pm for my livestream to ask your question.
Do you still have queen bees for sale I live in Northern Indiana
Hey David, could you please shed some light on HOW bees of winter physiology are made? Does the queen lay a different type of egg? Do the nurse bees provide a different type of jelly? Or perhaps they provide less jelly and move to protein faster... what's the deal here? And as beekeepers, can we assist? I don't have the need to provide pollen-sub patties generally, but I am trying it this year in autumn to try and boost winter-bee numbers. Much love from the UK. Thanks for all you and Mrs Burns do, it is appreciated.
Great video as always! I perched a chair close to my hives this morning and just watched, took pictures, enjoyed some coffee and a few videos for fun. I saw a single yellow jacket attempting to enter the hive, she didn't succeed, and I got to watch how the hive defended against her. Full on Nat Geo going on!
I LOVE this concept of being good enough! I did an intro to beekeeping course and read some parts of beekeeping for dummies. I am a beginner at my 3rd year now, from 1 nuc to 8 hives (which are probably a lot for me now😂)
Every year I learn something new by observing them, watching videos like yours, and reading articles whenever I have very specific questions. Great content here as usual! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. :)
David GREAT VIDEO and very good suggestion on observing bees in a 5 frame nuc. I wish I did this when I started bee keeping 7 yrs ago. 👍
What I appreciate most about your videos is that you explain how to read a hive rather than you just do this and that. I'm new this year, but have watched your videos for a couple years learning. Last year a swarm almost landed on me and decided that was my cinder block from heaven telling me it was time.
This year, started with 3 nucs, but a month later decided to get another 3 and really happy I was able to do this many. I am learning so much just watching them, learning that you inspect and read the needs from the bees, not a book. They don't follow rules, they don't even seem to have read the books, but are absolutely amazing creatures.
Steve from Sanget Tx
Been watching your videos for years, and I love this one! I am prone to “analysis paralysis,” and you always inspire me to just get in and try. Your videos are perfect in their imperfection: excellent content presented in a down-to-earth manner. It’s your character that sets you apart. Thank you, David!
Wow, I appreciate that so much!
I just wanted to say thank you for your advice last week.
Thought I had a failing queen but the bees are back in resources and the Queen is doing great again! Glad I have her the extra week!
Great job!
David Burns, awesome content it was really entertaining
Agree 💯 love watching the bees 🐝
I hatched out 4 new virgin queens buy transferring capped queen cups from frames to cages. Your info to get me to beekeeper status has been much appreciated
Some of the diseases that Varroa Mites carry can make bees act weird like acting crippled or crawling on the ground and cannot fly (paralyzed wings) or can make the wings deformed. I would recomment to do a mite check on nurse bees to check the mite load or treat all hives if you know you have Varroa Mites. Treat all your hives when any one hive needs treated as foraging workers can sometimes go into other hives with Varroa Mites attached and if you have robbing the robbing bees can get mites from the foreign hive that they enter.
Thank you, David, for sharing much needed information.
Thanks I'll try that😊
Thanks David for your observations. Very helpful to us trying to beekeeping on our own. I have an evil hive who have just nailed my suit to my ankles!! I feel they could be Queen less as the hive fell over earlier in the summer. We will wait and see if there is any brood in there I was getting stung so much I had to make a sharp exit.
David I have a patient that raises monarchs. She was observing dead bees all around her milkweed and flowers. She found a jagged ambush beetle on her flower. These are usually in Pennsylvania. Just another thought for dead bees now. Deborah
Regarding the shaking bees and crawling in the grass.... Do you have CBPV (chronic bee paralysis virus) in the US? We get it here in the UK and Europe a fair bit and it sounds just like that. Just a thought.
Hi David, could you make a video demonstrating how you used your dowel rod jig for making queen cups and then how you used those wax cups? Thanks in advance!
You can get beneficial nematodes that target SHB, since they typically live within 3' of hives it should help (I haven't had any SHB, but I use beneficial nematodes against potato beetles, ants, etc.). Arbico Organics sells them, and they've helped for other invasive pests, naturally.
I had SHB when my hive arrived but I used a trap with vege oil and a bait section where I put apple cider vinegar
I have a ventilated bottom board with a pest tray underneath which contains vege oil as well
At first there were a couple of beetles in the trap but now, 10 months later I have no SHB
Propolis trap has small slots that bees can’t go through. Obviously they can go through a queen excluder.
David, is it possible that the bees struggling to fly are new to flying? I have seen the same thing a couple of times this year (my first). There have been no other signs of disease.
After they swarm about how far do they usually go from the original Hive to settle down and make a new hive
It's the rule of 10,000 if you want to be truly great at something commit 10,000 hours to it if you want to be a great beekeeper get inside of a box for 10,000 hours
Also is there a website where you can buy those training models
I have seen some of those models in the past. Do a search online for 3D-printed honey bee or honeycomb models.
Yes: apertureapiary.com/
I used Swiffer sheets for the first time for SHB's a few weeks ago. I cut them to be about 4"x4" and put one in each corner. When I went in the hive the following week, I had numerous dead bees stuck in the pads, as well as some still alive but stuck in the pads. Is this normal? I took them out and haven't replaced them since then.
Hi Tom, I use Swiffer sheets all of the time and have the same problem. Unfortunately you will loose bees in the process of reducing the SHB population.
In my experience, yes. Try the Beetle Bee Gone sheets from Dadant instead. They work better & there are fewer dead bees. Still lose some bees, bit a much better ratio of beetles to bees. Oil traps where you can use apple cider vinegar as bait are good too.
They have tracheal mites, she needs to use grease patty.
They crawl around on the ground and try to fly but can't, they have tracheal mites and need to use grease patties to get rid of them.
Goldenrod smells like dirty gym socks to me
To me dirty gym socks smell worse!