"Finding and Building a New Bee Yard" includes how we choose and build a good bee yard site, how we deal with land owners, what colony numbers we choose and much more.
Just so you are aware you are making a real difference in my life. I am learning so much from you that will translate directly into saved time, effort and money. Thanks again Bob!
I would LOVE more content on setting up new yards. What you’re looking for and setting up the fences. I’ve seen all your videos and I just can’t get enough knowledge from you. Thank you so much for what you do!!!!😊
Bob I have spent from early January this year till now watching all your videos. You have changed and inspired me more than you realize. I’m only a second year beekeeper but from listening to you, Jim Coss and Kamon Reynolds I’m well on my way to expanding into a (bigger) sideline operation. I thank you for these videos, they are probably my favorite part of my day to come home from logging and dream about being a commercial beekeeper. You are really making a big difference in so many lives. Turns out, East Ky has more sourwood than I thought!!
Bob - thank you for taking the time to film, edit and publish these videos. We’ve picked up a great deal of knowledge from you. Question on the landscape timber stands - what’s your preferred fastener, big nails or screws?
@Bob, you always do things in a first class way, plus you always give us Beeks good information and tips to strive for, your easy manner and not talking over average peoples heads is why I consider you a foremost top notch expert 👍👏👌😉 I got a little chuckle when you said 1400' elevation was actually one of you lowest yards, I'm below Macon GA at around 425' with cotton, peanuts and peaches all around, about 50% ag & 50% natural woodlands. SHB, wild hogs and an occasional racoon and the small piedmont bears are my biggest threats in that order.
Great information Bob thanks, I’m always learning from so many great people like yourself and others. Great channel thanks for sharing TrickyTrev 🇦🇺👍🐝🍯
The new one is going to have a nice view, that is one thing about keeping bees real nice offices even with rain and snow. That's going to be a nice yard I'll bet, I look forward to videos of that yard. Oh that is soft ground, my clay is like concrete this time of year.Ty for sharing your time Bob, have a Blessed Lord's Day.
Mug up, down to Georgia. Funny you should post this; I was just over checking on a friend's bees when I noticed some muddy paw prints on the hive...hummmm, got bears. I will change the second wire to ground. Thanks Bob. You always have great information. Take care, Brice
As a hobby beekeeper (used to sell honey) I would suggest the hobby beekeepers keep their apiaries as close to home as you can. Sometimes it's tough getting out to the yard to do work because of time schedules. Just keep loving what you do and that's important. Bob is a great teacher of beekeeping for all of us. His management programs are well thought out and successful. One thing I would like to see would be a commercial beekeeper in the northeast run a youtube channel. Our weather and flows are very unique to our area.
@@carlsledge3868 He is great (almost as great as Bob Binnie) but is too far north for what I'm looking for. Southeast Pennsylvania is what I'm looking for. We have Herman Danenhower out of the Kutztown area who is nationally known for his comb honey production process. But he has only done videos as favors to people. He has rights to the Hogg Half Comb system and is an expert in the use of the Juniper Hill Split for comb honey production. I use this for comb honey production instead of the traditional method.
Bob as many yards that you guys setup and maintain you should get yourself a big hammer drill. They have ground rod attachment bits that you attach. Can drive a rod in just a min or 2. I'm sure you could make an attachment for the actual fence post very easily. Just a generator and cord and you'll save yourselves alot of time and back breaking work
I wish I could keep a couple hives maybe if my health gets better I can try to get into bee keeping thanks for sharing I’d like to see a video of a bear finding out the fence bites
It's always a joy to see the progress being made when building a new beeyard. We've had to move several yards over the past 2 years because of some reason or another. (Mostly because of all the timber harvesting going on in our area.) Naming the different yards gets to be a joy for our team as it's almost a game when we start spitting out different names to call the yard, lol. When you showed the clip of the old lumber mill that was close by automatically made me think 🤔 now, I would call this yard the lumber mill yard. On a serious note, I really enjoy all your content. I've been dancing around the idea of starting a beekeeping channel as well. Keep the content and inspiration coming!
Hi Jonathan. We have odd and interesting yard names also. The names could be a land owners name, a road, a landmark or an event that happened there. Like the alligator, the hay-barn, Piggly Wiggly, the river, etc. This one is simply called Shane's. I'm sure you have some good ones. And yes, you should do a channel. Thanks.
I seen a feild yesterday about 3 acres of goldenrod and would be a great location for bees but close to town so probably not a good idea. Great video and hope you do great on the new yard. ❤️🐝
Thanks. Close to town can be good sometimes because of the ornamental plants grown in some areas. I've got a couple of yards within a quarter mile of a town and they do great.
I've definitely picked up reputation with local farmers and families of those farmers.. I'm well known as the bee keeper...oh your the bee keeper .. probably don't met bee keepers everyday for most good folks think about it...
Hello Bob. I have to find an out yard for next year myself.The spot I had the property owner is building a house there. I set up my hives on single stands. At a 3ft. x 6ft. pattern. Takes up a lot of real estate, but it's a lot better for the bees.
Thx for the video. I needed a little break from the daily headaches of life today. Bob, How do you decide when your bees out number the resources for the area? I said I was stopping at 125 hives here. No out yards...I do not have the time. The season started slow. But then turned out ok. Dryish for long periods tho. I only fed a couple weaker colonies despite it being dry. Bigger colonies managed just fine. I will pull honey this week and do a bit of feeding 2:1 to back fill the brood nest. Proly 50 to 100 gal open fed depending on how quickly it gets cold. 2 or 3 struggling colonies that need fed in the hive. Then I start some winter prep. But I think even with year dryish another 50 hives could easily thrive here. Seems to be the right mix of natural forage with the right crops being planted (by others) to fill in the foraging gaps here. Contemplating adding another 25 hives next year. My luck tho... bad drought next year and then I have to feed a lot. Just can not decide.... Your musings would be welcome always.
Hi Diane. With everything you have going on 50 more colonies could be just what you need😇. No doubt that an out-yard could benefit you if you were to increase more in that spot. You may be getting close to the "To Many Cows On A Pasture" syndrome. Only you could know.
Thanks for sharing this video, I learned a few new ideas! One question I have is when you say a case of honey what quantity and what size jar/bottle are you using? Thanks Bob!
Each land owner is different. Some want only plastic, in which case I suggest a case of 32oz to them, and others like glass quarts or pints. I also have few that just want a couple of jars. I leave the option up to them.
I really appreciate this video. This helps in trying to find a new location or two. One question, do you find these stands high enough to discourage skunks and other creatures?
Awesome information Bob and a beautiful location. Wondering if you ever got a chance to use those Tabs I sent you. They are before the EPA right now for approval.
Great video Bob. How did you move the hives from the bottom to the hillside? Move several miles and then back? Or just move and cover entrances for a bit? Thanks!!
Hi Mike. We dip the whole piece. Even though they're pressure treated they still don't last long in our area. The dipping doubles or triples their usefulness. We don't need to let them dry long. Maybe a few weeks so they're not oily feeling and don't smell bad.
Have you ever sat down and actually written a guide... something like "a year as a beekeeper". Documents what you do, when to do it and some insight as to why? I'd be a buyer! Always great info in your videos.
Great video Bob! Question: Do you ever place bee yards closer to residential areas where there is more houses, and if so, have you ever had complaints? I've got a yard on 20 acres near town with only 12 colonies on it, and a little hesitant to add more because there's subdivisions near by. Property owner said he doesn't mind if I add more though. Thankfully every bee yard I have so far has been people requesting bees be placed on their property. I'm trying to keep them in the same general area, so I'm not wasting time and fuel. One is about 5 miles from my yard, another about 3 miles from that and the last is a good 15-20 miles from there. Just working on filling in the gaps in between. 😃
Close to residential areas can be good sometimes because of the ornamental plants being grown the and clover in irrigated lawns. I've got a couple of yards within a quarter mile of a town and they do great. Complaints are possible though, you just never know.
Hi Bob, have a need for some guidance. I went through my hives this morning and noticed several with very little resources. They had a gallon bucket on them that they had drank but stored very little. I checked for brood and that looks good. I put the third round on sugar water on them this morning. Any suggestions on getting the stubborn live for today and don't worry about tomorrow attitudes changed? Lol
Thin syrup (thinner than 1 x 1) is stimulating and gets colonies in the mood for rearing brood. Thick syrup (2 x 1) does not, and promotes weight gain. We're currently feeding 1 x 1 which keeps the colony rearing some brood while also gaining weight but will switch to something thicker as we get closer to winter. Good luck persuading them.
Sorry if this is a redundant question, Bob. Why do you maintain some colonies/yards on traditional bottom boards? Isn’t it easier to run your operation uniformly on pallets for ease of moving colonies?
Some of our colonies are meant for moving and some are not. At one time in my career all of our colonies were on pallets and were moved a number of times a year for pollination. At this stage only about half of our colonies are on pallets and do not get moved very much. The hives on bottom boards are on what we call permanent locations and are not meant to move. Because I don't travel and pollinate anymore we are slowly moving away from pallets but will probably always have some. Colony management is the same.
Just curious. Do you have formal signed contracts with the property owners where your bee yards are located, or are they handshake agreements? Thank you for your videos. I'm always happy when a new one pops up in my feed.
Hey Bob! I am struggling a bit with rainwater in my colonies. It's raining here a lot in Himalayas for the last 4-5 days and water is leaking inside, not much, but atleast a trickle especially if it's raining continuously. I know i need to build my own equipment for better quality, but I was still wondering, if you are able to absolutely avoid water inside your colonies even if it's raining heavily and continuosly ? Especially when you use just one migratory style top cover and no second layer?
We are able to keep most of the water out but there is occasionally a little seepage. If you need to use flat lids to conserve building materials you might consider making your covers oversize so there is an extra overhang on all sides. An extra inch or two can make a big difference.
Hi BOB great vid just wondering what the spacing is between the electric positive wire is from the ground then the ground wire from the bottom wire and the distance between the ground and top wire....looks all spaced about a foot apart.... and a second question, what about grass cutting? you must go around and cut grass so the fence doesn't short out?Is this correct? just some questions thanks again for making great vids.
Hi Marlo. The fences we build now are short, about 30 inches, and I can step over all of the ones that have been constructed in the last 10 years. It took me a while to come to the conclusion that bears don't try to jump fences. Although they are not always exact I would say the wires average 8 or 9 from the ground, 11 and 11 inches apart. We do cut the grass but because we use good chargers a little bit of touching between mowings generally doesn't cause a problem.
@@bobbinnie9872 thanks Bob for replying. It’s a real blessing to have so many great beekeepers help and give away so much info. Just started learning last year. Built one Top bar. The bees lived the winter. But This year built 11 boxes of langstroth out of 2 by 8’s and 2by 4’s.. From Canada. Thought I would try that extra thickness. Anyhow, your videos are great thank u. I’ll keep learning. Hopefully this summer gives success. To both of us.
Hi Bob, when looking for yards, do you also look for the type of nectar that you would like to collect or is the location more important and trust that the bees will find something?
Hi Chris. I do try to know what nectar to expect but I also know there can be unexpected surprises both good and bad. It usually takes a couple of years to understand what a location is capable of. By the way, congratulations on winning the black jar first prize in Georgia this year. It was fun to see the surprise on your face.
Hi Bob great video, I have been looking for new sites but I'm always met with farmers who are afraid the bees would attack their livestock (cattle and sheep), is this something you ever come up against. Please and thanks
I've occasionally had a concern with farmers about that. When I mention that we put electric fences around our bees it often takes away some of the fear.
Good morning Bob .I’ve been watching your videos on bee feeding .Would it be possible for you to give me your recipe to make Honey be healthy? PLEASE .Thank you in advance
Hi Diane. We don't have an exact recipe for Honey B Healthy. The main ingredient is lemongrass oil and we do add that to our syrup at times. We put 400 ml in 250 gallons.
Thank you for your content. I have been digesting as much as possible from various seasoned beekeepers. My question: I am in a state where bee hives should be registered. I am concerned that just as a hospital is a place I don't want to go as there are real Illnesses I don't want to exposure to, I'm also concerned that an inspector traveling from one aviary to the next might be the carrier of things like Foul Brood disease. Is this a valid concern? Should I have a spare suit, gloves and tools for the inspector? Thank you for any consideration.
Hi Atlas. The answer is to insist on that inspector to disinfect his hive tool, gloves and anything else that might touch your equipment, with a fairly strong bleach solution. You can provide this for them if they don't have it. When I worked as a bee inspector for the state of Oregon we did this always.
Hi Bob, I was just typing you to ask about the stands and sure enough you rattled off the lengths. Landscape ties are a bit less than dimensional lumber :) === Are they screwed together ?? 5-6 inch exterior screws ??
We should be done feeding sugar syrup in 3 to 4 weeks. We won't be feeding any protein this fall because our bees have been able to bring in a lot of good fresh pollen and should continue for two more weeks. We are also feeding enough syrup so we won't need to feed any dry sugar, sugar bricks or sugar dough this winter.
@@beebob1279 Hi Bee Bob. I don't have any videos on that. I was trying to keep my answer as simple and straightforward as possible because I don't think english is this viewer's first language.
Also, do tell me, if oxalic acid vaporization is harmful to bees if done just before rain (by which i mean in leaking colonies). I checked my colonies yesterday, and found some dead bees at the entrance. I had treated those colonies with vaporizer a day back...is that a coincidence, or is it just the regular death that colony suffers, and because of continuous rain the hive could not dispose them properly, as it usually does (so they piled them up at the entrance) ? What could be the cause!
Sweet corn in and of itself is not a problem. It's the repeated spray applied while it is tasseling to keep worms from getting established. This is the time when bees visit it for pollen collection. Almost all commercially grown sweet corn purchased in grocery stores has had this done.
Why are all your yards surrounded by wires, battery and appliance?What is the importance of this? I heard you say that no electrical wires mean no bees
Just so you are aware you are making a real difference in my life. I am learning so much from you that will translate directly into saved time, effort and money. Thanks again Bob!
👍
Every body is with the program, makes the day so much easier.
I love the details in this video. Especially the hive stands made of landscape timbers. Thank you.
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I would LOVE more content on setting up new yards. What you’re looking for and setting up the fences. I’ve seen all your videos and I just can’t get enough knowledge from you. Thank you so much for what you do!!!!😊
What a beautiful new bee yard! I certainly wouldn't mind having that view as a human or a honeybee! 😂🐝😂
I agree. My first thought was how nice of a house site it would make.
@@bobbinnie9872 great minds think alike! 😉
Bob I have spent from early January this year till now watching all your videos. You have changed and inspired me more than you realize. I’m only a second year beekeeper but from listening to you, Jim Coss and Kamon Reynolds I’m well on my way to expanding into a (bigger) sideline operation. I thank you for these videos, they are probably my favorite part of my day to come home from logging and dream about being a commercial beekeeper. You are really making a big difference in so many lives. Turns out, East Ky has more sourwood than I thought!!
Thanks and good luck.
Beautiful Scenery 👍
Thank you 👍
Bob - thank you for taking the time to film, edit and publish these videos. We’ve picked up a great deal of knowledge from you. Question on the landscape timber stands - what’s your preferred fastener, big nails or screws?
Thanks. No fasteners, just stacked.
Bee's are VERY important.. Some people don't understand that like a beekeeper does. Thank you for the great information.
@Bob, you always do things in a first class way, plus you always give us Beeks good information and tips to strive for, your easy manner and not talking over average peoples heads is why I consider you a foremost top notch expert 👍👏👌😉 I got a little chuckle when you said 1400' elevation was actually one of you lowest yards, I'm below Macon GA at around 425' with cotton, peanuts and peaches all around, about 50% ag & 50% natural woodlands. SHB, wild hogs and an occasional racoon and the small piedmont bears are my biggest threats in that order.
Thanks Carl. I'm actually fairly average. It's just that I've been doing it a long time.
Well Bob your wealth of knowledge and easy going average demeanor is what makes such a great mentor. Just keep on being you . 🙂
Thank you for the information provided in this sector. We benefited a lot from you. We wish you lasting health
Nice to see you around Bob.
Hoping the new beeyards will be even better than the old ones.
Great information Bob thanks, I’m always learning from so many great people like yourself and others. Great channel thanks for sharing TrickyTrev 🇦🇺👍🐝🍯
Thanks, hope to visit your country someday.👍
The new one is going to have a nice view, that is one thing about keeping bees real nice offices even with rain and snow. That's going to be a nice yard I'll bet, I look forward to videos of that yard. Oh that is soft ground, my clay is like concrete this time of year.Ty for sharing your time Bob, have a Blessed Lord's Day.
Thank you. We have to occasionally remind ourselves of how lucky we are to work where we do.
That’s a beautiful looking yard Bob! Living in the woods I know first hand how much hard work it takes to cultivate an area like that. Bravo!
Thanks 👍
Thank you for this !
Thanks for the information
Thanks for sharing your Information
Nice video Bob, very informative,thanks for your work!
Mug up, down to Georgia. Funny you should post this; I was just over checking on a friend's bees when I noticed some muddy paw prints on the hive...hummmm, got bears. I will change the second wire to ground. Thanks Bob. You always have great information. Take care, Brice
Thank you, Bob! Your videos are very helpful to me as a hobby beekeeper in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Upper East TN. 🍯🍯🍯
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As a hobby beekeeper (used to sell honey) I would suggest the hobby beekeepers keep their apiaries as close to home as you can. Sometimes it's tough getting out to the yard to do work because of time schedules.
Just keep loving what you do and that's important.
Bob is a great teacher of beekeeping for all of us. His management programs are well thought out and successful.
One thing I would like to see would be a commercial beekeeper in the northeast run a youtube channel. Our weather and flows are very unique to our area.
Bee Bob, I see a TH-cam channel in your future.👍
@@bobbinnie9872 🤣
@Bee Bob, you have one of the all time greats, Micheal Palmer, I think Bob Binnie would agree with me on that.
@@carlsledge3868 He is great (almost as great as Bob Binnie) but is too far north for what I'm looking for. Southeast Pennsylvania is what I'm looking for. We have Herman Danenhower out of the Kutztown area who is nationally known for his comb honey production process. But he has only done videos as favors to people.
He has rights to the Hogg Half Comb system and is an expert in the use of the Juniper Hill Split for comb honey production. I use this for comb honey production instead of the traditional method.
Thank you nice video like always 👍🐝🌻
Thanks Oscar. 👍
Great video Bob !
Thanks.
Thanks for showing this. I want to get a yard or two and it’s great to hear how to get it done! Love your videos and the wonderful calm voice!!
Thanks.
Thanks for sharing interesting content Bob 👍
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That was a nice video. It looks like you were having fun setting it up. You a good bunch of guy. Thanks Bob
Thanks 👍
Love your channel, Bob. I learn so much from you. I hope to visit your store soon.
Thank you.
Good stuff thanks for sharing Bob. We all enjoyed your talk the other night at Fairfield co. Bee keepers up here in Ohio thank you.
Thanks 👍
The scenery around there is just so beautiful love the mountains. I move my bees to mostly flat locations here in Mississippi
I agree, we're lucky to live and work here.
Seth is a great guy.
Agreed.👍
Lindo apiario sucesso 🤝👍🇧🇷
Obrigado.
Bob as many yards that you guys setup and maintain you should get yourself a big hammer drill. They have ground rod attachment bits that you attach. Can drive a rod in just a min or 2. I'm sure you could make an attachment for the actual fence post very easily. Just a generator and cord and you'll save yourselves alot of time and back breaking work
I was thinking the exact same thing --a rod driver is the ticket!
Thanks, I'll educate myself on that.
@@bobbinnie9872 here's a vid of the tool in action th-cam.com/video/WQ-xervxCY0/w-d-xo.html&feature=share&si=EMSIkaIECMiOmarE6JChQQ
I wish I could keep a couple hives maybe if my health gets better I can try to get into bee keeping thanks for sharing I’d like to see a video of a bear finding out the fence bites
Check out our video " How To Protect Bees From Bears". th-cam.com/video/k8-tmulErMA/w-d-xo.html"
It's always a joy to see the progress being made when building a new beeyard. We've had to move several yards over the past 2 years because of some reason or another. (Mostly because of all the timber harvesting going on in our area.) Naming the different yards gets to be a joy for our team as it's almost a game when we start spitting out different names to call the yard, lol. When you showed the clip of the old lumber mill that was close by automatically made me think 🤔 now, I would call this yard the lumber mill yard. On a serious note, I really enjoy all your content. I've been dancing around the idea of starting a beekeeping channel as well. Keep the content and inspiration coming!
Hi Jonathan. We have odd and interesting yard names also. The names could be a land owners name, a road, a landmark or an event that happened there. Like the alligator, the hay-barn, Piggly Wiggly, the river, etc. This one is simply called Shane's. I'm sure you have some good ones. And yes, you should do a channel. Thanks.
Please keep making videos.
Very informative video! New Bee Yard looks like a sweet spot for a cabin. Beautiful view! Keep up your good works. ❤
I agree. When I first saw it I thought it would be a good small house site.
@@bobbinnie9872 Nothing like those Mountain View’s!
I seen a feild yesterday about 3 acres of goldenrod and would be a great location for bees but close to town so probably not a good idea. Great video and hope you do great on the new yard. ❤️🐝
Thanks. Close to town can be good sometimes because of the ornamental plants grown in some areas. I've got a couple of yards within a quarter mile of a town and they do great.
I've definitely picked up reputation with local farmers and families of those farmers.. I'm well known as the bee keeper...oh your the bee keeper .. probably don't met bee keepers everyday for most good folks think about it...
I agree. I'm well known in our county as the bee guy.
👏👏👏
Hello Bob. I have to find an out yard for next year myself.The spot I had the property owner is building a house there. I set up my hives on single stands. At a 3ft. x 6ft. pattern. Takes up a lot of real estate, but it's a lot better for the bees.
I would agree.
Thx for the video. I needed a little break from the daily headaches of life today.
Bob, How do you decide when your bees out number the resources for the area? I said I was stopping at 125 hives here. No out yards...I do not have the time. The season started slow. But then turned out ok. Dryish for long periods tho. I only fed a couple weaker colonies despite it being dry. Bigger colonies managed just fine. I will pull honey this week and do a bit of feeding 2:1 to back fill the brood nest. Proly 50 to 100 gal open fed depending on how quickly it gets cold. 2 or 3 struggling colonies that need fed in the hive. Then I start some winter prep. But I think even with year dryish another 50 hives could easily thrive here. Seems to be the right mix of natural forage with the right crops being planted (by others) to fill in the foraging gaps here.
Contemplating adding another 25 hives next year. My luck tho... bad drought next year and then I have to feed a lot. Just can not decide....
Your musings would be welcome always.
Hi Diane. With everything you have going on 50 more colonies could be just what you need😇. No doubt that an out-yard could benefit you if you were to increase more in that spot. You may be getting close to the "To Many Cows On A Pasture" syndrome. Only you could know.
Thanks for sharing this video, I learned a few new ideas! One question I have is when you say a case of honey what quantity and what size jar/bottle are you using? Thanks Bob!
Each land owner is different. Some want only plastic, in which case I suggest a case of 32oz to them, and others like glass quarts or pints. I also have few that just want a couple of jars. I leave the option up to them.
I really appreciate this video. This helps in trying to find a new location or two. One question, do you find these stands high enough to discourage skunks and other creatures?
Hi Al.
That height is helpful. On more round of boards would probably be enough to fix it completely.
Thank you for the video and teaching. I am wondering how far apart you place your hive stands?
As little as 3 feet and as much as 6 feet depending on the room available.
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Awesome information Bob and a beautiful location. Wondering if you ever got a chance to use those Tabs I sent you. They are before the EPA right now for approval.
We won't be doing Oxalic until late November. They're waiting on my book shelf. Thanks.
Great video Bob. How did you move the hives from the bottom to the hillside? Move several miles and then back? Or just move and cover entrances for a bit? Thanks!!
The colonies that were placed in both of these yards came from several miles away. Thanks.
Bob,
Thanks again for the video. On the anti rot dip; do you dip just the cut ends or the entire timber? Also, what is the dry time after dipping?
Hi Mike. We dip the whole piece. Even though they're pressure treated they still don't last long in our area. The dipping doubles or triples their usefulness. We don't need to let them dry long. Maybe a few weeks so they're not oily feeling and don't smell bad.
60 yards... wow... when you have that many, you could forget about one or two...
I shouldn't admit it but I have had it happen.
Have you ever sat down and actually written a guide... something like "a year as a beekeeper". Documents what you do, when to do it and some insight as to why? I'd be a buyer!
Always great info in your videos.
So you don't have to watch video after video to get a simple answer to questions, just quickly find it in the book... dummy
I actually like the videos
Hi Randy. I've not done that, but maybe someday when I slow down. Thanks.
@Egon Musk You don't have to call someone a dummy with a question. No question is dumb.
Great video Bob!
Question: Do you ever place bee yards closer to residential areas where there is more houses, and if so, have you ever had complaints?
I've got a yard on 20 acres near town with only 12 colonies on it, and a little hesitant to add more because there's subdivisions near by. Property owner said he doesn't mind if I add more though.
Thankfully every bee yard I have so far has been people requesting bees be placed on their property. I'm trying to keep them in the same general area, so I'm not wasting time and fuel. One is about 5 miles from my yard, another about 3 miles from that and the last is a good 15-20 miles from there. Just working on filling in the gaps in between. 😃
Close to residential areas can be good sometimes because of the ornamental plants being grown the and clover in irrigated lawns. I've got a couple of yards within a quarter mile of a town and they do great. Complaints are possible though, you just never know.
You’re welcome to my 50 acres. I’m sure I’d learn a lot with your colonies here. Unfortunately I’m about a six hour car drive north……
Thanks, but a bit too far.
Hi Bob, have a need for some guidance. I went through my hives this morning and noticed several with very little resources. They had a gallon bucket on them that they had drank but stored very little. I checked for brood and that looks good. I put the third round on sugar water on them this morning. Any suggestions on getting the stubborn live for today and don't worry about tomorrow attitudes changed? Lol
Thin syrup (thinner than 1 x 1) is stimulating and gets colonies in the mood for rearing brood. Thick syrup (2 x 1) does not, and promotes weight gain. We're currently feeding 1 x 1 which keeps the colony rearing some brood while also gaining weight but will switch to something thicker as we get closer to winter. Good luck persuading them.
Sorry if this is a redundant question, Bob. Why do you maintain some colonies/yards on traditional bottom boards? Isn’t it easier to run your operation uniformly on pallets for ease of moving colonies?
Some of our colonies are meant for moving and some are not. At one time in my career all of our colonies were on pallets and were moved a number of times a year for pollination. At this stage only about half of our colonies are on pallets and do not get moved very much. The hives on bottom boards are on what we call permanent locations and are not meant to move. Because I don't travel and pollinate anymore we are slowly moving away from pallets but will probably always have some. Colony management is the same.
Just curious. Do you have formal signed contracts with the property owners where your bee yards are located, or are they handshake agreements? Thank you for your videos. I'm always happy when a new one pops up in my feed.
I've never had signed contracts and maybe a lawyer would tell me I should. Just a handshake works for me. Thanks.
A contract for colonies in urban areas is recommended. In rural areas, the culture is very different and handshake agreements are common.
Hey Bob! I am struggling a bit with rainwater in my colonies. It's raining here a lot in Himalayas for the last 4-5 days and water is leaking inside, not much, but atleast a trickle especially if it's raining continuously. I know i need to build my own equipment for better quality, but I was still wondering, if you are able to absolutely avoid water inside your colonies even if it's raining heavily and continuosly ? Especially when you use just one migratory style top cover and no second layer?
We are able to keep most of the water out but there is occasionally a little seepage. If you need to use flat lids to conserve building materials you might consider making your covers oversize so there is an extra overhang on all sides. An extra inch or two can make a big difference.
Hi BOB great vid just wondering what the spacing is between the electric positive wire is from the ground then the ground wire from the bottom wire and the distance between the ground and top wire....looks all spaced about a foot apart.... and a second question, what about grass cutting? you must go around and cut grass so the fence doesn't short out?Is this correct? just some questions thanks again for making great vids.
Hi Marlo. The fences we build now are short, about 30 inches, and I can step over all of the ones that have been constructed in the last 10 years. It took me a while to come to the conclusion that bears don't try to jump fences. Although they are not always exact I would say the wires average 8 or 9 from the ground, 11 and 11 inches apart. We do cut the grass but because we use good chargers a little bit of touching between mowings generally doesn't cause a problem.
@@bobbinnie9872 thanks Bob for replying. It’s a real blessing to have so many great beekeepers help and give away so much info. Just started learning last year. Built one Top bar. The bees lived the winter. But This year built 11 boxes of langstroth out of 2 by 8’s and 2by 4’s.. From Canada. Thought I would try that extra thickness. Anyhow, your videos are great thank u. I’ll keep learning. Hopefully this summer gives success. To both of us.
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On your hive stands are you nailing or screwing the boards together?
No, we just set them in place.
Hi Bob, when looking for yards, do you also look for the type of nectar that you would like to collect or is the location more important and trust that the bees will find something?
Hi Chris. I do try to know what nectar to expect but I also know there can be unexpected surprises both good and bad. It usually takes a couple of years to understand what a location is capable of. By the way, congratulations on winning the black jar first prize in Georgia this year. It was fun to see the surprise on your face.
@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks Bob. I was totally surprised. I have to give credit to my bees as they made it for me.
@@chrisjones9602 Yes. We get the bragging rights while the bees do most of the work.
Hi Bob great video, I have been looking for new sites but I'm always met with farmers who are afraid the bees would attack their livestock (cattle and sheep), is this something you ever come up against.
Please and thanks
I've occasionally had a concern with farmers about that. When I mention that we put electric fences around our bees it often takes away some of the fear.
@@bobbinnie9872 thanks Bob for your reply much appreciated.
Regards Michael
I assume you understand the danger with bees and horses. Keep them apart from each other.
Good morning Bob .I’ve been watching your videos on bee feeding .Would it be possible for you to give me your recipe to make Honey be healthy? PLEASE .Thank you in advance
Hi Diane. We don't have an exact recipe for Honey B Healthy. The main ingredient is lemongrass oil and we do add that to our syrup at times. We put 400 ml in 250 gallons.
Pick up the truck and fly away with it lol
Do you have to mow those grassy yards?
Yes. We are lucky enough to have an employee that likes doing it and we have good equipment for the job.
Thank you for your content. I have been digesting as much as possible from various seasoned beekeepers.
My question:
I am in a state where bee hives should be registered. I am concerned that just as a hospital is a place I don't want to go as there are real Illnesses I don't want to exposure to, I'm also concerned that an inspector traveling from one aviary to the next might be the carrier of things like Foul Brood disease. Is this a valid concern? Should I have a spare suit, gloves and tools for the inspector? Thank you for any consideration.
Hi Atlas. The answer is to insist on that inspector to disinfect his hive tool, gloves and anything else that might touch your equipment, with a fairly strong bleach solution. You can provide this for them if they don't have it. When I worked as a bee inspector for the state of Oregon we did this always.
@@bobbinnie9872 thank you!
Hi Bob, I was just typing you to ask about the stands and sure enough you rattled off the lengths. Landscape ties are a bit less than dimensional lumber :) === Are they screwed together ?? 5-6 inch exterior screws ??
No screws, they stack and stay put nicely. I should have mentioned that.
@@bobbinnie9872 No worries thank you Bob. I figured I'd ask :)
Do you make an effort to supply bee keepers near your yards with your genetics?
We do. We don't know everyone around us but the ones we do often get cells and queens from us.
Can queen's mate with wild bee's like wasps and native bee's?
Not that I'm aware of.
How much honey is in a case that you give to property owners.
Depending on the land owner and what they need, we give 16oz, 32oz or quarts in a case of twelve.
Have you noticed any undesired behavior or ill affects from the diesel fuel/motor oil used on the timbers?
No, but we do let them season a bit before using.
When will you stop feeding with sugar solution and when will you start feeding with protein or sugary dough?
He will stop doing what he does when it no longer works the way he intends it to work. He gets good results.
We should be done feeding sugar syrup in 3 to 4 weeks. We won't be feeding any protein this fall because our bees have been able to bring in a lot of good fresh pollen and should continue for two more weeks. We are also feeding enough syrup so we won't need to feed any dry sugar, sugar bricks or sugar dough this winter.
@@bobbinnie9872 Do you have a video on making sugar dough? I haven't seen that one.
@@beebob1279 Hi Bee Bob. I don't have any videos on that. I was trying to keep my answer as simple and straightforward as possible because I don't think english is this viewer's first language.
Can I feed the bees in the winter with protein paste, if there is a weak supply of pollen, is this not bad for the bees
Also, do tell me, if oxalic acid vaporization is harmful to bees if done just before rain (by which i mean in leaking colonies). I checked my colonies yesterday, and found some dead bees at the entrance. I had treated those colonies with vaporizer a day back...is that a coincidence, or is it just the regular death that colony suffers, and because of continuous rain the hive could not dispose them properly, as it usually does (so they piled them up at the entrance) ? What could be the cause!
Oxalic acid residue mixed with water could be a problem, especially if there is a lot of it.
@@bobbinnie9872 Interesting. I never thought of that.
@@bobbinnie9872 thanks for the reply as always bob 🙏
@@Life-ld9ko 🙏
So I take it that sweetcorn is bad for honey production? Please forgive my ignorance.
Sweet corn in and of itself is not a problem. It's the repeated spray applied while it is tasseling to keep worms from getting established. This is the time when bees visit it for pollen collection. Almost all commercially grown sweet corn purchased in grocery stores has had this done.
Why are all your yards surrounded by wires, battery and appliance?What is the importance of this? I heard you say that no electrical wires mean no bees
We have a lot of bears in our area and we use electric fences to keep them away from the bees.
Is this the yard you ended up having to move because of a neighbors swimming pool?
No, this was just a yard put together with overflow from other yards.
Du you know 'tropic' клещи
Sorry, no.
black bear will come
Yes he will.
Thank you....N.E.Fl. Beek