Bee Keeping Frequently Asked Questions 11, Hive covers and more
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- In this video, we continue our discussion for beginner beekeepers by answering the following questions:
1) Do You Have to Re-Queen a Swarm of Bees after capturing them? Should I treat them with anything?
2) When should I have an entrance reducer on my hive?
3) How do you make a swarm lure with a Queen Bee?
4) What type of bee hive tops do you like and why?
5) How do bees stay cool when it's hot outside?
6) Shout out to Walls Bee Man as a good source for southern beekeeping information! Tell him that Fred sent you :)
7) I have a queen I like, how can I continue with those genetics?
8) How is your Oxalic Acid Vapor treatment going? Any updates?
COMING UP NEXT - Flow Hive 2 LARGE 10 Frame Langstroth version assembly and explanation of the integrated pest management tray - watch for that on Sunday!
Some links to items shown in today's FAQ are linked below:
Flow Hive Discount Link for $50 off mbsy.co/hpFB2
Swarm Trap/Box Lures: amzn.to/2WM3zM7
Glass Jars to make your own lure: amzn.to/2G4OPSX
Stainless funnel for small jars: amzn.to/2CTRY6b
BeeSmart Design Hive cover: amzn.to/2FX6Ql3
Gabled Hive Cover: amzn.to/2CZoGDj
Oxalic Acid Vaporizer ( I have 3 of these ): amzn.to/2WM4Ti3
Oxalic Acid that I am using this year: amzn.to/2Uwd8Bs
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
1) Do You Have to Re-Queen a Swarm of Bees after capturing them? Should I treat them with anything?
1:28
2) When should I have an entrance reducer on my hive?
8:33
3) How do you make a swarm lure with a Queen Bee?
13:29
4) What type of bee hive tops do you like and why?
19:18
5) How do bees stay cool when it's hot outside?
28:06
7) I have a queen I like, how can I continue with those genetics? 34:00
8) How is your Oxalic Acid Vapor treatment going? Any updates? 42:00
Good Lord you are an encyclopedia of very valuable information to a new and upcoming beekeeper like me. I can definitely tell you are/were a teacher, you have a gift and are using it well, Thank you for the wonderful videos!
Blaine from MI.
Wow, thank you so much Blaine! Yes, I have many years at the podium... thank you for such a nice compliment.
Hi Frederick I love your videos can I just add a suggestion when you were talking about the types of Bee covers is it possible you could put small pictures of that in the upper right hand corner of your screen when you do the editing that kind of helps give us a small visual understanding of what you're talkin about especially for us new beekeepers thank you very much for your work.
I will certainly do that in future videos! Thank you.
Hi Fred. You mentioned that your least favorite hive cover is the migratory cover because it doesn't telescope over 2 of the 4 sides. You talked about silver-colored bubble pack insulation in a few of your later videos in 2024. Well, I bought a roll of it and had ample for my number of hives. I had also bought a wooden nucleus hive that had a migratory cover. I cut a piece of the silver insulation foil to line the underside migratory cover, but I cut it so that it extended beyond the width of the cover at least an eighth of an inch to a quarter of an inch on both sides. I believe it sealed the gap between the migratory cover and the box it rested on. Gap problem solved. Well, as good as it gets.
Thanks for all your great information. I've listened to lots of them over the past 2 years before I started my first hive and continue to 'tune in' weekly for your continuing Friday "thrill-packed adventures" in backyard beekeeping, "same time, same station". (Yes, I know. I'm old!) Great information, great photography, and great background music. Thank you so much!
Yes, the double-bubble, or Reflectex work nicely under those migratory covers. I've tested them in the nucleus hives. Not as good as a nice overhanging cover, but definitely works and insulates a bit more. :)
Great info again can't wait to see the new flow hive 2. That should help put out some good honey.
Hi Jason! I was delayed on the Flow-Hive 2 Video, but it's going to go up soon! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I have a saskatraz hive . They made it thru there first winter unbelievably strong . 10 solid frames of bees when I looked last week. They are bringing in pollen flying in colder weather then any of my other hives. I’m in Ohio so I think they will do great for you .
I am so ready for those to arrive! Thanks for that favorable report Scot! We are all looking for those magical genetics to improve honeybee chances going forward.
Where are you located? Did you get them from Saskatchewan or one of the US suppliers?
I’m from North East Ohio and got my bees from Queen Right Colonies you can google them and I know they are selling Saskatraz queens now
That hive front is very cool Fred! I am going back through the old ones... trying to get through all the FAQ videos
Thanks Andrew!
Thank you for the Southern referral. I have been watching you for a while and have learned a lot.
Somethings however do not apply to me because of geography. NW Georgia vs Pennsylvania.
Your an excellent teacher. Sometimes seasoned beekeepers forget the small details that the newbees really need to know.
Thanks,
Susan
NW Georgia
Thank you so much! :)
Thanks for the info,Mr Dunn 🇱🇨👊.. Can't wait for the Weather to warm up on your side of the world..So we could see some videos of your Bees..
I'm with you on that Robert! I am soooo frustrated and of course, worried about how they are making it. So much to share!
I know I'm ready for some live action FAQ I really liked the video where fred when to the farm with the aggressive bees and helped. That was a very interesting video and it was awesome that fred could help
@@beefcurtains6691 Trust me, I'm an outdoor person and can't wait to get back out there!!!! I will definitely be investigating more dangerous bee and wasp situations this year so we can better understand them and get samples. We are on track to collect specimens from Africanized Bee Colonies and get them genetically verified. We'll see what happens...
I have been binge watching your videos all weekend! I'm a wanna bee beekeeper, your videos have been a great source of information. Going to be moving to New York very close to the Pennsylvania border so would be in the same Zone 4 next year and I want bees. So learning so much from you has been very inspirational. Do you do classes by chance in your area? I'd love some hands on experience as well.
I do not currently teach classes, but there are courses in the area and for hands-on, I highly recommend joining a beekeeper association as they will certainly have demonstrations as part of their meetings. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.
Well, I successfully (I hope) installed my first two packages of bees today. I was sweating, and not because it was 80+ degrees today! But everything went smoothly, except for the 8 ticks I removed from my person. Now to see what tomorrow brings.
You da man fred I love these videos. You put out great content thank you again
Thanks!!
Wow thanks for all of the great content Fred. Your wood burning skills are amazing too!
Thank you Brandon!
Tim is walls bee man he is great he is wonderful a good person to watch. that was nice for u to send people to him
It's not often that I have time to watch other channels, but he is one I enjoy sipping my coffee and watching from time to time. Recently I noticed some viewers giving him a hard time, I thought, maybe he needs some uplifting and encouragement :) We want lots of good-hearted beekeepers like him to continue sharing about bees. He really does crack me up, particularly when he's sitting in the bee yard talking and getting stung over and over until he moves out. Truly a good guy. I think his name is Tim?
@@FrederickDunn Tim Duram from Durham bee farm I laugh as well Tim is just so funny and he is a wonderful bee keeper. he never wears a veil never and he gets stung all the time. I wish I had the nerve not to wear one But I do not think my bees would be as nice as his. Mr Dunn u have a wonderful day and thanks again for all the videos u do they are great
Loving this series thank-you so much ❤️
You're welcome and thank you for watching!
I have seen mixed school of thoughts for swarms or not. Some do swarm prevention because they lose honey production but I have seen an increase of the numbers of people who do not treat for mites etc and let the hives swarm because this is how nature reproduces colonies.
Some people clip thier queens so that they cannot swarm very far and are easy to recapture.
You can even make your own swarm by taking the queen putting her in a cage and dumping a few frames of bees on her on like a fence post to simulate a swarm.
At any rate I think I want mine to swarm now as I want more bees and a swarm is a free new hive.
Wow I have been treatment free as well but I am going to try the exact same thing. O a vaporizer and Saskatchewan queen from lappes bee supply. I will try to follow your progress. Thanks from Kentucky
How did that work out for you? It's feen four years. I did try the Saskatraz line and didn't have good results. Things are headed back in the right direction finally. I wish you all the best.
@@FrederickDunn thanks for the reply, I did try those queen's a couple of different times but wasn't successful here with them either. I've had better luck with my local genetics so far, but I did bring in some of Bob Bennie's stock last season with good results. Wishing you the best too Fred, thanks
People also breed queens to harvest royal jelly for skin care products. I think China does up to 90 percent of Royal Jelly production. It is crazy how much they produce for the worldwide market.
China leads the world in counterfeit honey bee products - I no longer trust exports from them. :(
G'day Fred great video again👍not sure if you have covered it yet but any chance you could go over tge mechanism of the flow frames as i bought a secong hand hive and not sure if the cells are aligned properly cheers Dan from Aussie land 🍻
I have an entire series on the FlowHive and it's a play list - I'll link it here - even when the flow frames are new, you should take a moment and insert the key to align all of the sells before putting it into service. If you watch my first flowhive video, I show that alignment in very close detail - th-cam.com/play/PL0BtJyPt4SZ9UKIPrEMWF2NcJJLzFro_r.html
@@FrederickDunn ok cool i must of missed that 1 👍
I suggest to you to do oxalic acid treatment in the winter, when bees are broodless. That way, you only need 1 treatment instead of 3.
Thank you for that suggestion, but when they are in a tight cluster, they successfully repel the OA vapor and it doesn't penetrate through all of the bees. It's my opinion that it's much better to treat when they break cluster.
@@FrederickDunn Ok, i see.
Here in Czech Republic those who threat with OA (so called "alternative beekeepers" because treating in fall/winter is compulsory by the law and most beekeepers still use synthetic chemicals and dislike people who do it diferently) use OA in solution and drop it on bees around Christmas.
@@TheGuerrCZ Where I live, dripping Oxalic Acid syrup on bees in winter would kill them where they cluster. The beekeepers you are mentioning must have a warmer climate than we do. Vapor can be done during any temperature range, but dripping OA syrup puts bees in jeopardy unless it's warm enough for them to roam freely and fly out without getting chilled. I do agree with avoiding synthetic chemicals and Oxalic Acid - being a plant-based material, is the only treatment I personally would use.
@@FrederickDunn Are you sure about dying or it's just rumors?
Because in the product instrutions, the recomended temperature is from 41 F to 5 F. (Oxuvar, i guess you have something simillar in the US)
For the best efect, you want the bees to be clustered so you drip on all of them.
Here in Europe is aslo cool, maybe a bit warmer.
Usually when you register your hives for the state you can get put on a list for police or fire to call you if a swarm needs captured.
Our State doesn't offer that list, but your local beekeeping groups often to have those phone trees. It never hurts to reach out to your local Fire Dept and Police Stations so they know you are loaded and ready to go.
Please elaborate on the scenario you described where there are apparently starved bees inches away from capped honey. What are the circumstances and causes for this and are there any unknowns?
It happens most often when they start to rear brood too soon and no longer move the cluster towards the stored resources, instead remaining on the brood and starving in place. It's a very common and often frustrating event. Keeping them from starting brood too soon is key. When and if the weather breaks and they get a momentary warmup, they do collect the other resources and even move honey around. It's also why I recommend never feeding pollen patties during winter as it may cause them to respond by expanding the brood resulting in greater resource demand.
I want to try some of those bees you are talking about. I got all beeweavers in my yard.
Going to get 3 more nucs on April 19th. Can't wait. Especially since I have been filling raised garden beds with 2 tons of dirt.
I need the break!
Great video, Thank for answering my question
You're welcome Craig! Thanks for participating!
Frederick, a few days after installing new packages of bees, would you recommend treating with oxalic acid vapor during the short window of the hive being broodless?
Yes, it's a great opportunity to start off varroa-free.
I think I found out why I have no yellow jackets around here attacking my hives and being aggressive when I have picnics outside.
I have a large colony of carpenter bees living in my well house. They hate wasps and yellow jackets and are aggressive towards them. Well I would not say aggressive I mean territorial. I saw one yesterday take down a yellow jacket.
At first I thought it was just stunned but it died. It did not sting it either as males have no stinger. I dunno I guess just from the sheer size difference or damaging its wings it was just done. That or its mandibles.
Since the well house is so close to my front door, they greet me at the door and stare me down every time I go outside. They will not let the wasps make nests in my overhangs.
I have seen it kick off as long as I have been here. They will keep using the well house as they love to use nests that were used before instead of making a new nest.
My mason bee and leaf cutter bee hives are right by them and they leave them alone. It seems they only fight with each other trying to mate with the females or fight with the wasps I have seen.
That's a very interesting observation Carlos!
How do you overwinter your flow hives?
Thanks
Stephen
GREAT question... I've made a video about that very thing - th-cam.com/video/CZsGV1F8xbQ/w-d-xo.html Have a great day Stephen!
Thanks for all the videos u do great
Fred thank you for producing these videos. One of these days winter will end for you.
This spring I caught and hived a swarm of bees. I have an in-hive sugar syrup feeder in this new hive.
Should I remove this supplemental food source if I treat this hive with Oxalic vapor? If so, when can it be replaced?
Hi Larry, if you don't plan to take off that honey for your own use, you can leave it on when you do your Oxalic Acid treatment. It doesn't hurt to remove your feeder, do your treatment and put it right back on, but the OA isn't going to have any impact on the sugar syrup in my opinion.
Hi. Love your videos. Just thought I’d let you know that I had two hives of Saskatraz bees this past winter that didn’t make it through. So in a tough winter they may not make it either.
Dang! That's not good news Drew. Oh well, we'll do our best and I'm looking forward to seeing how they do. Thank you for sharing and for the nice comment!
I wish I found your videos sooner i started a new hive all new frames im freaking out im trying not to mess with em but i checked on em yesterday and they have only made about a 10 inch area of comb in total im assuming the queen will b out of her cage soon if she not out already is everything ok
Great information Mr. Dunn. Quick question, I have the opportunity to start a nuc yard at a great location. But there is a sewage lagoon within about 300 ft. Other than that a perfect location. Other water sources are close by. What would be your opinion of this?
Expect to see your bees drinking at those open sewage lagoons - they will be drawn to the high mineral content. Even with fresh clean water available, I've seen them go right to cow pies with puddles in them. I did reduce that attraction by providing mineral water feeders which were boosted by sea salts at 1 tsp per quart.
Thanks Mr. Dunn for everything you've shared. My question is, can a new beekeeper open the hive to often? We have decided to go foundationless (against all rule of "new beekeeper") We installed a 3lb package on 3/25, looked in a few day later, got the queen cage out (the girls had already built comb off the bottom of the cage). Looked in again a couple days later and they were building comb straight . Can we leave them alone for a couple of weeks? Thanks again
Hi Ken, I have added this question to my FAQ 12 that will post this coming Friday. You can indeed get into the hive too often and unsettle the bees. Once you've removed that queen cage and verified that she is laying, Let them "bee" for a few weeks. A lot can be learned from landing board observations. When things seem right, leave them alone, when and if you see something odd happening? Open them up.
Can you imagine this as a Disney movie? The Queen under so much pressure and not performing and being replaced by a new Queen. That's a movie I'd watch. Okay maybe not Disney. Pixar?
The actual "Bee Movie" was bad enough :)
I think I will just make a beeweaver split and put a saskatraz queen on it. If that isn't great genes I dunno what is.
Do it! I can't wait to hear how that works out! I have high hopes for that line and mixing them would be even better in my opinion! The dawn of the "super apiary" is upon you!
Do you wash out your flow hive for storage over winter. Perhaps just warm water?
I have the bees clean it up, they do a better job than I ever could.
Hi, when you get your package of Saskatraz, would you mind doing a demonstration video on your preferred method of installing a package of bees into their new hive?
I sure will Wendy! :) That will also give me an opportunity to discuss feeding and some other gear to think about.
Awesome! I look forward to it, thank you so much!
@@wendybachman6224 You're welcome!
When u do splits example u have a very strong hive there is 8 frames of capped brood plus lots of open brood how many frames can u take and not hurt the hive from making honey I hope u understand what I am trying to ask. I split the weak hives and not touch the strong one because I am afraid I will hurt production
HI again Frances! I'm going to add this to my FAQ 12 - When I have a rapidly building colony, I have two choices, expand their physical space, or split their brood and bring the population down that way. I take splits from the strongest and most productive colonies. I will discuss my method in depth next Friday. Thanks as always for your questions and for continuing to watch my series. :)
What’s you view on natural oil vaporization. I believe tea tree oil is used in a mister for this, don’t quote me on that tho.
The results have not been good so far. Also mineral oil vaporization had low results.
Me again. ;) When a huge chunk of your hive dies off in winter (happened to 1 of my hives. The other is a 100% loss), what do you do with the left-over resources? Do you leave them in the hive (a 2nd super) and still feed or do you get rid of the whole thing and just feed pollen and syrup?
Hi Marek, wow, that's terrible and sorry you lost some bees. I remove the surplus honey stores and scrape them out completely while leaving a thin foundation (if the frames have foundations in them), then I replace the frames after they are cleaned off when restoring honeybees to those boxes. FAQ 17.... Thanks for that question.
@@FrederickDunn Yeah. It was a little traumatic. Both hives were buzzing up until the Ides of March (March 15), then.... the hive I was certain would survive just dies - bees standing in place on the frames, others their head inside cells and dead with food a mere 2 centimetres away. The hive I suspected might die survived, but the lower brood box was jammed with bodies when I finally got a nice day to open it up. The bees couldn't get out and were 'trapped in the upper super. Weather has been just cac, so I did a quick switch and put that box on the bottom - haven't had the weather to do a full inspection. BUT - I haven't lost hope (and have ordered another 2 nucs and a full hive from a local(ish) beekeeper. I'll keep you posted. I'll also run through the other FAQ's and impatiently await #17. Thanks again for you video series. You REALLY ARE A GREAT TEACHER!
32 and snowing here too... I thought winter was done! Here's to spring! Really enjoying this series.. gotta go back and watch from 3 on. Thanks Fred! Oh didn't realize you were in PA... thought you were further west. Are you Eastern or Western PA? Haha! Yeah, always trying to keep polystyrene away from my chickens.. they think it's popcorn! :) Thanks for the Walls Beeman link! th-cam.com/users/WallsBeeManvideos?disable_polymer=1 Yes, I'm so stoked all 3 of my main hives came through winter SOLID. I understand they are of Russian origin and have been acclimatized here for about 30+ years. Bees are such a cool long awaited addition to my homesteading operation. On bee health and mite tolerance, Have you seen Paul Stamet's talk about bees and the Giant Garden Mushroom fungi and how his bees responded from a health perspective on that? th-cam.com/video/EfuSlJwQma0/w-d-xo.html Very sweet hive cover you did! Thanks as always for the excellent info!
You keep editing your post and it goes to the spam bin! :) I'm in the western side of the State and yes, I've heard quite a bit about the mushroom craze and the research is ongoing. Thanks for the post/link to Walls Bee Man - I would enjoy giving his channel a boost, his videos are pure gold. Russian bees come through winter in top form around here, so glad yours did well.
Haha! I'll try to reserve my edits until i am done watching.. never want to miss an opportunity to chime in. :) Western side OK. Well if you are ever in Eastern NY and want to pay a visit, I'd love to have a chat! Don't worry, I won't pester you with too many questions. :) Glad to share the link. I am looking forward to checking his channel out as well. I will say, I have found your channel to have some of the best content, especially for us beginners. You really explain and describe the processes well. Yes, I was told the Russian bees are excellent performers and so far we are looking good!
@@TheFarmacySeedsNetwork It was just cracking me up here as I'd write a response and the post was "gone"... I'd go to the "awaiting approval" bin and release it, then go to write my response and "poof" gone again... you were editing your post and every time you added a link, it went to the awaiting approval bin again. Post as you go, I'll just hold off my responses until later :) I don't have any plans to go to eastern NY, but if I do, I'll send a note for sure!
Haha! Yeah I bet.. "Where did it go NOW?" lol Ok... I do the same sometimes, respond too fast and the question grows or changes. :) Sounds good, definitely do if you end up this way and have time!
Um Fred. I got a question. So I got an 8 frame Flow hive right....but there is enough space to put in 9 frames. It says to pack them closely in the middle with extra space on both ends like an inch on either side.
Couldn't I put in an extra frame to make it a 9 frame? or should I leave the space to get frames out easier? I know you use ten frame set up, but do you have any 8 frame flow hives? it seems like a lot of space on the ends there. More than usual. Do you use dummy boards or anything? Evenly space? Tightly space with extra space on the outside sides? 9 Frames?
I'm adding this to today's FAQ - which I'm making in just a few minutes! Thanks for that question Carlos! I recommend not adding the 9th frame and I'll explain that soon :)
@@FrederickDunn Yeah I was thinking so. To give myself extra room to not roll bees after they propolize and make thier bee bridge, because it would be a tight fit.
Hi Fredrick, what are your thoughts on small fish tank heaters, for winter heating of sugar water? What was hive temperature shown on your thermal camera, over winter? Thanks for great Q & A.
We really shouldn't be putting sugar syrup in the hives during winter - consider dry feeding instead. The bees have difficulty dealing with any moist feed that is greater than 17% water. Hugely detrmental when the bees can't get out to cleanse.
I would think an even greater concern may be the increased humidity in the hive. Being cold is one thing, but cold & wet will kill.
I would love to set up a camera near the hive to observe the bees. Any recommendations?
I don't have any recommendations for remote activated cameras, if you are going to sit right there with the camera, then there are many choices.
@@FrederickDunn what do you recommend if I can sit there with the bees? I prefer to be near the camera recording in case something happens I catch it right away
@@loganfs5640 The Nikon Z6 is a favorite :)
Hi Fredrick. I have a question and forgive me if it's been addressed before. I have all mediums and am getting deep nucs in a few weeks. Suggestions on how to deal with this problem would be appreciated. I've heard you can cut the comb down to med size and attach with rubber bands. When and if should this be done?
Are you against having a deep brood box for them? You may have problems cutting the frames down if they are set up with a foundation that isn't just wax. Many keepers are using plastic foundation or have wired reinforcement. I would check in with your Nuc seller to see what his/her ideas are for you. I personally recommend having at least one deep brood box.
I think you said you have about ten hives? What do you do with the extra splits?
I probably don't mention this often enough. I pass on older equipment and low performing colonies to new beekeepers who need a start.
Were you a hardhat diver? I noticed your wrist watch.
Hi Kenneth, I've only been in the MKV and MK 12, I'm primarily a scuba diver and prefer that gear.. I still dive my pond :)
How often should you open up your bee box
IN my opinion, as little as possible. Opening the hive and pulling frames is very disruptive to the bees. If the numbers are strong, and the landing board is active and they are bringing in pollen and nectar, I recommend letting them do what they do and observe them from outside.
What do you think about polyiso as an insulating material for hives?
Thanks for that question, all I can say is that I don't personally use it. If you're talking about polystyrene - our recycling center won't accept it and that stuff has a decomposition half life of 500 years - I do have a few polystyrene covers, but that's it. Since the bees are making it without additional insulation, I don't have any current plans to change, but anything is possible in the future. Some keepers in my area who have heavily insulated their hives, reported higher humidity inside than those who didn't insulate. Lots to learn in that area.
Do u have beekeeping classes?
I do quite a bit of public speaking about honey bees and pollinators, but don't teach a formal course. As summer finally arrives, I plan to do "packaged" lessons here on TH-cam that will take beginners from boxes to bees to honey removal. There are already local beekeeping courses and I'm content to send beginners there.
I have a reverse osmosis filter system, does that equate to distilled water for mixing to feed bees?
That's probably just fine John.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you. I am about a a newbie beekeeper as can be found! Taking the course here in the Annapolis area this winter. Getting bees in the spring!! Plan on getting a mentor from the Anne Arundel Bee Association. Really like the information and style of your videos, particularly the FAQ's. Up to #11!!!
Hello. I have a problem with bee smart top covers........if you strap them down they bend terribly.
I think you are the second person who has brought that up - where are they bending? The sides, or are they depressing in the middle? That's something I think we need to let the beesmartdesign company know about. Mine have not bent or depressed, though I did put a heavy block in the center of one that looked like it was going to sag so I took that off. I would definitely contact the company and show some photos with the problem. The man who designed them seems open to suggestions. Thanks for commenting, I'd like to know more about what's going on with that.
Fred I get sazktraz bees from www.natures-nectarllc.com/index.html and they sell them for a lot less then Mannlake I do buy from mann lake but check this out.
Thanks for sharing Linus! Mann Lake is taking over the bee world, I'm glad you found someone else to support!
What % isopropyl?
99% there is also some available at 99.9% both would work.
what's your favorite thing to do May the peace of Christ be with you
That is a broad topic... do you mean regarding bees, or anything? I'll add this to my FAQ 12 video. :)
@@FrederickDunn I was wondering today which you find more interesting at this point - bees or chickens?
@@stgermain1074 Completely different, chickens are just fun and care free, a pure joy to own and care for. With the bees, it's far more complicated and there is always something new to learn. The weather and environment impact bees far more than chickens which are seemingly on auto-pilot. Chickens are more like pets, bees are a heavy responsibility.
Want to send some photos... how?
facebook.com/Freds-Fine-Fowl-167853353261108/?ref=settings
what is the best kind of sugar to feed ? unbleached raw ? white sugar ?
I'm going to add this question to my FAQ 12 video as it's a very common concern. Lots of studies have been done on this and processed white "pure cane sugar" is the strong winner for feeding bees when honey is not available in the hive. We are to avoid beat sugar and natural/raw sugars as they have potentially harmful trace residue that isn't beneficial. So, Pure-Cane granulated sugar is a standard and safe source for dry feeding as well as material for making syrup.
ok, thank you so much for that info, . james noell. @@FrederickDunn
@@jamesnoell5848 You're very welcome :)
The small bee box behind you what is it used for
It's a teaching tool.
Have you (or anyone) heard of a scientific study (University of Guelph, in Ontario Canada) regarding controlling Varroa with continuous release of oregano oil vapor? (1 month period) Any thoughts on it? Here is a link to the study. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5547185/ It seems to be easily repeatable, with the main challenge of running a 120V extension cord out to the hives. If you don't have a varroa problem with hygienic bees, then there is probably no point in you trying to duplicate this however.
Thank you for sharing that link Joel! I don't think I have a big enough varroa problem to warrant that level of intervention, BUT, there may be others reading the comments who would benefit from something like that. Much appreciated.
What is your tagger
.
you have spent too much to do something very beautiful
nice pyrography
Thank you, I wish I had the time to do all of my bee boxes this way.
@@FrederickDunn I will start with one Low hive 2 Cedar and I will try to do something like that on for sure