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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2021
- In this video I chat about single brood chamber colonies in terms of difficulty, honey production, and overwinter ability.
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Well i have just discovered your channel...well done...congratulations!!!!!! As a Greek beekeeper i m working my colonies in this way...in honey flows like oak,sunflower-cotton and pine are full of honey....the most important thing you forgot to mention is a new queen ( 1-2 years old) and oxalic acid vaporising to eliminate varroa mites...wish you all the best!!!!
1:46 I appreciate you giving all the steps very bluntly and clearly on how to do this. I've looked and looked on other videos and you're the first person to make it concise and easy to understand. Thanks
No problem, thanks for watching.
I run single brood chambers here in western Alaska. I wintered four last year, all four made it.
That's pretty amazing, given where you are at. Do you have to do anything different up there to get them to make it? Your growing season must be kind of tight...
You bring an interesting situation to think about.
Jeff - are you also wintering in a single deep?
@@bullwinkled790 Yes I am. with a sugar brick and a shim, wrapped.
@@yukonjeffimagery how does the shim work? Do you have a web page that describes your wrapping and winterization? I once or twice sold you some fur when I lived in Kwethluk. I am now near Clear/Anderson and am a 3rd year bee keeper with 4 hives. Still trapping as well. Lotsa cats over here.
@@bullwinkled790 Oh yea I dont recall your fur sales must of shipped in ?
Cool your into bees must be better weather there than here for beekeeping. Been cold here all summer. And yes you can see my wintering successes and failures on beesource in the wintering section under Alaska.
This is amazingly fun to see. Thanks a bunch. Its good to see a really healthy box like you are showing.
Thanks Noah!
Always appreciate your videos! Running singles here in CT
Some very good insight! Said in a way that may have hit home for me, it’s why we appreciate your channel and don’t think any repetitiveness is wasted 👍
Thanks Matthew.
Great information thanks
Very well explained.
Thanks, Desmond!
Great work buddy ✅👍👍🏴☠️🏴☠️
Good info, used to run doubles but at my age and diminished energy level singles work for me now.
Good topic 🙂
Thanks, Btett! 👍🐝🐝🐝
Man my bees would be stinging the crap outta me if I did that😂
Lol same here!
Requeen. Life is to short to deal with hot hives.
Michael sums up my opinion on hot hives pretty darn well.
Love the hat!
Great video as always. Once I saw your videos switched to singles Wow Wow Wow. I live in south eastern Ontario when do you go into your summer dearth down your way. Thanks
In the lower peninsula the dearth was from mid July until goldenrod in late August. That's depending on rain though, because if there's rain, there's always something blooming in Michigan in the summer.
Here in the UP you could consider us in a dearth now, even though milkweed is blooming, once again just because it's dry as heck.
Like your videos. I'm trying single deeps for brood this year. Where in the U.P. are you located?
righteous beard !
What ya doing for queens this year? Do you keep your queens young? At what age do you replace?
I like your videos because you get to the point!... some of the guys I follow talk way too much... their 25 min videos could have been done in 5-7min. Thank you.
Hi Brett….I too…am a total convert to single brood box….the key is to keep storage above the brood box open….and even then I go into the brood box through the year to remove frames of excess honey and pollen…..the “excess” can always be used in weaker splits….keep the Queen happy….she will fill your hive with bees….
I don't cull queens based on age. I know a lot of operations do, but I really don't like that idea. Not only do my colonies not tend to swarm after the spring splits, but I like to see how long these queens can keep it up, and like to take advantage of the lengthy audition period for breeders.
thanks Brett. I fully intend to run singles next year. decided a couple weeks ago and was even going to start a couple weeks ago even though it is late in the year here in Alaska. Problem was I could not find queens. Has been very windy each time I got into the bees over that time period and did not want to shake bees in the wind. I am thinking it is never too late. Is this correct? My goal was simply to keep brood out of second box but it appears there is more benefit than just that.
I am in my 3rd year of bee keeping so I don’t have a lot of drawn comb yet. I have been keeping doubles so far, and still having trouble keeping bees from swarming. Any way you could do a video on what you’re doing to keep singles and keep them in the boxes and not in the trees.
I run them in singles throughout honey season, but I pulled honey and left them with a medium on top minus excluder. Pollen patties and syrup to fatten up, I kept 10 in singles, also some divided deep (4 frames each side) with additional nuc box . Trying some things here in southeast Michigan
Straight singles will work really well where you're at, but there's nothing wrong with an insurance box on top, if you don't mind some brood in it come spring time.
This winter I'm adding honey boxes on top of all of my singles, well, most of them, as it's my first UP winter. So, like you, I just feel better with an insurance box on top.
Thank you for this video! Im fairly new to beekeeping. So when you are going to treat for varroa in the fall do you taking all of the supers off and leave the 2 double deeps that you plan on over wintering and then after treating out the supers back on? One more question lol so when the deep super above the queen excluder gets full of nectar you replace it with foundation to keep the up to in all the other supers. Is this correct? I’m assuming this helps keep the bees from putting as much nectar in the bottom brood box where the queen is.
So I'm a new keeper, and have a lot of honey capped in top of double brood box. I have bees working shallow super up top. I left excluder off for a few days watching carefully. They still don't have them built enough to fill them up. I hope they move the honey from the bottom boxes up!
Hi! I live in the lower peninsula and was curious to know if you think it would be possible to have a single 8 frame brood chamber? Does this allow the queen enough space to lay? It so hard for me to manage two deeps as I'm a 5'0' tall tiny girl. Or better to do 1 deep brood box + 2 mediums?
Another great video, Brett. Have you gone to using All Deeps? Even for the honey Supers? What brand of honey extractor are you using that will accept the Deep Frames? (( I see that in your video you have gone to mostly plastic 1-piece frame/foundations - I am also thinking of going this route as they are stronger, cheaper (if purchased in bulk), and there is no assembly time.
Yeah we don't own any other box types at this point. In the coming years we'll start to purchase mediums for honey, but right now it's all deeps.
To be honest, I don't know the brand of extractor that we have. We made it up until last year with a 3 frame Mann Lake hand crank extractor. We were extracting for a month straight last year that way, lol, and because of that we bought an 18 frame radial electric from our old bee mentor. I haven't used it yet and don't know the brand.
@@BKBees Are you giving any thought to insulating the hives for winter? The UP can get some bad winter and deep snow. I've been watching Vino Farms - and he has done some neat work on adding 4-1/2" foam board insulation and making the deeps super deep. Luther gets some bad winters too
I have 3 young hives . I am located in South Georgia . I have enough bee furniture to work with . I am more of an older person who needs something pleasurable to do , not really interested in honey for profit . Single deep box ( I have only 8 frame boxes ) are what I use .
Do you recommend that I use a single deep brood box and place a deep 8 frame box on top of the brood box ( using a queen screen and removing it after the honey production season ) and leave it full of honey for winter use and only take honey for myself any surplus honey ( comb honey in one pint glass jars for some profit ) ?
I only wish to keep a productive hive that will survive the winter and have minimal losses during the winter months .
How do you store your drawn frames over winter?
Thx
Are you using deep boxes for honey?... if so I assume you are using crush and strain to harvest the honey from the deep frames correct?
Thx
What Queen Excluder do u run I tried plastic last year with no luck ywas going to try metal ones this year
so do you add every super to the bottom of the honey stack ?
I use 8 frame langstroth. Do you also recommend running a a single deep with 8 frames?
Thx,
DS
I run all mediums. My standard brood box is 2 mediums under a queen excluder, or about 1 1/3 deep equivalent. As honey supers fill I under super. Works great, with the added advantage of a singl box and frame size of a more manageable size/weight (certified old beekeeper here)
The single box size is great. My mindset has evolved and waffled, which is going to result in me sort of having to have two different depths.
When you under super do you use foundation or drawn comb or even empty frames?
Brett, I ran single brood boxes this year and had the biggest honey crop in the ten years that I have been a beekeeper. When you split them in early spring, what are you doing about early queens? I live in Maryland and I have to get mated queens from South Carolina or Georgia in the early spring which is April and its late May before I can start to grafting for queens. Are you just feeding 2-1 sugar water in the fall which will get the bees through the entire winter or are you putting a candy board on lets say between Thanksgiving and Christmas?
I split a lot with swarm cells, if possible, but otherwise I graft and give the splits a mature cell.
I don't mess around with candy boards, at least anymore, they get through the winter with the stored nectar/syrup.
I keep bees on the island of Tobago. Of course, we do not have winter. I have always managed singles with an average of around 4 medium supers per year. I never use deep supers, when a deep frame is half capped a medium is fully capped. I use half the number of brood boxes as every brood box is equal to one hive. It is also easy to make splits by placing a 2nd brood box on top and then removing it to form a new colony.
I have 2 hives, 1 single deep broodchamber with 3 supers (shallow) as well, 1 has 2 medium broodchambers and 1 medium super
Both are good setups.
after pulling honey in the very near future my plan is to put boxes of foundation (med or deep) over the brood box and feed like crazy in attempt to get comb drawn. I figure I can feed through last three weeks of august and through much of September before it gets too cold. Starts freezing end of September here. if it gets drawn and filled will let bees winter with it. I still have some sugar syrup honey from a dead out from the past spring. Is it OK to give it back to the bees for winter? Also what do you do with frames that have ugly busted and brittle comb?
I throw away old crappy comb, or wash it off of the plastic frames.
No problem giving them old sugar syrup honey, don't let it go to waste.
I'd put the effort in feeding the brood area, rather than trying to get them to draw comb at the end of the year. It can be difficult trying to get them to draw comb, even with a flow in the fall... Not only that, but it isn't always easy getting them up to weight, and by giving them more space to fill you are increasing the weight you need to achieve. Let 'em draw that comb out during the spring nectar flow next year.
northwest Iowa here. more similar to UP or lower Michigan? I'm thinking about trying a single or two, though I've only done doubles so far.
Do it. I think you'll enjoy working them and you'll realize they aren't as difficult as people think.
As a first year beekeeper we had a hard time keeping singles but we didn't start out with drawn frames. Our queens kept running out of room to lay while the supers were being drawn. Drawn comb is the key.
Yeah, putting foundation above the excluder is a great way to get honeybound really quickly.
@@BKBees it did happen that way but maybe I can split and do single deep boxes this coming spring before the flow 👏👏
I read the beekeepers guid to world recording in honey production from a single deep brood chamber (title "the art and adventure of beekeeping" 404lbs world record of harvested hiney in a single season.
Dang. I should pay more attention to how much I'm pulling from these bees. I've pulled 3 full deeps off of singles many times. Not sure if I've ever gotten anything from a 4th. I'd guess no, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened one of these years.
@@BKBees , im actually located just 100 miles south of the world record holder in honey production(san Diego California). The book is perfect for our climate, there are alot of tips and tricks (like facing a hive so its entrance gets morning sun and also a longer runway[less bee trafic]) you can do to really help them produce lots and lots of honey(and pollen), its actually a great book, ive only read about 80% (only bc the rest is just basic stuff like obtaining a swarm ect...). My first set up is just my medium 10 frame boxes from a swarm i collected a few seasons ago, it has swarmed a couple of times when i was a rookie. This hive produces aabout a medium box of honey a year, which is all my family needs to be honest.
@@BKBees , my second hive came from my friend at the local bee club that just needed someone to take this little swarm off of thier hands. Thats when i found the book :) and i followed the book pretty well. The hive became very successful, and began to grow rapidly right after winter. I dont use foundation in the frames like the book calls for, i just jam a few popsicle sticks in them to make a ledge for them. They build it perfect 90% of the time. However the book has a wierd suggestion to layer the supers so the bees can be optimally efficient with their work, its also has key dates (its publushed in 1975 or something like that, so i just stick clise to those dates) when to start adding supers bc the hive starts growing so fast. However, this is just my hobby and they are essentially my pets lol i love my bees. But maybe one day when im old and retired ill shoot for a world record:) still obataining my engineering degree, and my biology professor really helped me with questions i had since she did bee research for 9 years. I was so lucky to have had her as a professor, keep up the content 👍love the vids
How do feel about using mediums only and maybe a double medium for the brood? I’m thinking about standardizing my apiary with mediums.
Thats a great idea.
what size boxes do you use there ? Can see they are langs but are they deeps or mediums please? they look very heavy when full ... how many lbs in each box?? thanks
10 frame deeps. 90 of so lbs per box.
When you split them in early spring, what are you doing about queens? Walk aways and let them raise their own?
No I try not to let the splits make their own queens. If they don't have a swarm cell in them, and I try to make as many with swarm cells as I can, I give them a grafted cell on graft day -10/11.
@@BKBees I have GOT to learn how to graft queens.... I'm planning on making up a couple of Bob Binnies Timing Boxes and a grafting table/holder
Would this work with all new equipment as they have to draw out the comb?
No. You'd run into a honeybound brood chamber. You really do have to have drawn comb to make singles successful.
Ever think about putting some R-5 or R-10 XPS foam into your lids? Good stuff. Probably great stuff in the UP.
Gorilla Glue Construction Adhesive is great for sticking the foam to the underside of the lid.
Foam under the lid is a moisture-mold trap. Put it on the outside-top of the lid.
@@MinnesotaBeekeeper
You’re absolutely wrong and, unfortunately, do not seem to understand hive physics. It’s all about the dew point. “Moisture” is not the bogeyman that you believe it to be. XPS foam is a vapor barrier, not a “trap”.
Here:
www.beezslc.com/single-post/the-problem-to-the-solution-of-winter-moisture
open.spotify.com/episode/5vV2qLeIT7h4Q7NSSBFu8L?si=se1adoZyQ8i2nbEztUlABw&dl_branch=1
@@RyanMcDonnough I'm sorry do you mean foam board or blown on expanding foam?
@@MinnesotaBeekeeper
XPS foam board. Extruded polystyrene.
I don't insulate. I let the bees figure that stuff out. In reality we can argue the benefits or disadvantages of moisture inside the hive all day, but the only thing I truly know, objectively, is that healthy heavy bees survive. So to that effect, I put 'em in a solid box, keep 'em healthy, get 'em heavy, and don't worry too much about insulation or ventilation. It's worked pretty well for me up to this point, although admittedly I'm in a different situation now. My remedy for the different situation isn't insulation, at least not yet, it's another box on top, that I'll make sure gets heavy.
I find it very hard to run singles and I run 8 frame boxes because of my age and health. I think I’m going to try single broods next spring.
Let me know if you have any questions while you're going that route. I'm happy to help.
@@BKBeesThanks Brett! I may just contact you!
@@donbearden1953 brett@bkbees.com
I've been doing single hives for about 6 years and you are totally right on in your advice. My question is after you harvest do you put the wet supers back on the hives above the inner cover for a couple of days or do you put them out for open feeding? Open feeding seems like they would tear the wax apart for next years supers. Keeping them in hive for a few days could encourage robbing. What has been your experience?
I leave wet supers out on their sides to get cleaned by community bees. Yes, they tear up the wax some, but not enough to destroy it, not nearly.
@@BKBees Once the comb is de-capped- the bees are just interested in the free honey and should "polish" the comb, correct?
@@joecnc3341 I just checked California rules. Can't open feed. I wonder if that apples to cleaning supers
You talked about feeding your bees, what formula do you use during this time of year?
At this point in my career I pretty much use about a 1.5:1 year round. It gets a bit thinner in the spring but I don't go as far as measuring to make sure it's 2:1 or 1:1, I just fill up a bucket about 2/3 of the way with sugar, fill the rest of the way with hot water, stir.
@@BKBees I ask because I see a lot of mixtures that people post and we have well water.
do you always add the new super to the bottom closer to the brood box
I try to. It really helps the singles to feel like they have space.
Hey Brett, Would single 8 frame boxes have similar success? If not, what changes would you make?
Depending on the latitude you're keeping bees, I think it would work fine. Just make sure the cardinal points are taken care of, really well stacked in population, crazy heavy. If you're in the UP or Canada or something then I might envision some difficulty, but almost anywhere mainland US I think that would be fine.
8 frame hives?? Single brood?? Many many queen cells for swarming..... For sure
@@basilisziogas2431 what?
What if all you have are plain new undrawn frames for the honey supers ( I’m just starting out ) will cause my double deep to get honey bound ?
Yes and no. You'll battle it a bit here and there but it won't be a huge issue with a double. The margin for error is much larger with that extra brood box.
In the middle of summer when that nectar is flowing you will want to make a point to inspect your brood area pretty regularly to make sure they're moving nectar out.
@@BKBees thank you my talented brother
Definitely using the singles I did do a split earlier this season my split is doing a lot better than my original hive I haven't pulled any thing out of either one of my hives because I want to make sure they have enough food for winter am I doing that wrong should I have already pulled because both boxes are pretty full of honey? I would be more than happy to show you a video or some pictures of the inside of both of my hives
Shoot whatever images you have to brett@bkbees.com and I'll help you out over there. Really quickly though, sometimes a young queen can outpace an older one, and there might be some type of lingering disease, maybe nosema or an issue with mites that makes the older more established part of the colony a bit more susceptible and thus causes them to lag behind.
You can pull the honey or leave it, that's totally up to you and the decision won't really affect your bees overwinter chances. The only thing that changes is the amount you will have to feed prior to the winter cluster.
So now I need to take some honey out but I'm having an issue because both of my Queens are back up at the top and I know shaking them to the bottom isn't good for the larvae but what other choice do I have because Windows coming and I need to remove some of the honey and get the queen where she belongs to prep the boxes for winter do you know anybody that could come and help me or mentor me on how to go about doing this the proper way.
@@Melaniealsoomse072 I would harvest it frame by frame. Go slowly and carefully, find the frame the queen is on and try to put that frame in the lower boxes that you plan on wintering. If you really need to transfer her, a queen clip is a good idea. If you don't feel up to that and/or don't have a queen clip, I suggest getting in touch with your local club. If I remember correctly you're in the Newaygo area, right? I'd get in touch with the Fremont Area Beekeepers, either through their site at www.fremontareabeekeepers.org or on Facebook.
Thank you for taking the time and responding to my comment. I will definitely get a couple of videos to show you.
I love your gender non-specific intro. Kind to the bearded ladies in the crowd... or are the bees bearding? Either way, gets me every time. I love it. Also, i appreciate your sacrifice and service sharing.
I'm a woman and I always say "HELLO! 😅" when he says hi to the bearded bee people.
lol, this made me laugh, Katie and I were in the car when I saw this comment, and I read it to her so we could laugh together. To be honest I don't remember where the hello bearded bee people thing came from, but I am happy to know I'm being inclusive and woke.
New beekeeper here in NC. Question. I noticed you put the full honey super back on top on an empty honey super. Is there a reason for this? Why not just take the honey and process it? I'm trying to learn as much as I can about single brood management.
I try to pull all of my honey at the same time. If you have one or just a few colonies pulling it as it becomes ready is a great idea.
@@BKBees thanks!
Yes, just two for me in my backyard this year
@@BKBees That is interesting; I have more often seen people putting the empty supers on top of the full ones until they were ready to pull them.
Do you find that placing the empty super just above the brood box allows them to fill it faster?
So keeping the box above the queen excluder empty means that you’re under super incorrect? In other words when the honey supers full putting an empty one underneath and put the full one on top???
Yup. Exactly.
my super above the excluder is empty and not drawn out AT ALL. They are totally ignoring it. 3 weeks and nothing. Im gonna takenit off and see what happens. I wish i had some drawn frames to use instead. I heard that they dont like adding comb above the excluder very much.
If you leave a full honey box above the brood box... doesn't that essentially act like a honey barrier for the Queen and you could eliminate leaving the Queen excluder on - right?
Yeah, sure, but getting that honey barrier set up and not broody could be difficult to manage at scale. But yes, honey walls are a good way to prevent a queen from moving up or over.
@@BKBees So- you are using queen excluders between the Deeps and the honey super (also deeps) ?
@@joecnc3341 yes.
Can you run singles with 8 frame boxes?
🤔😉Time for a back brace!😉🤣
Yeah, agreed.
I use triples. Lots of room for bees, and nectar. Cuts down on swarming.
Every configuration has their upsides and downsides. I used to run all mediums with no excluders, giving the queen the ability to go wherever she wanted. Like you said, swarm control was easier, but management was difficult, in my opinion, and the harvest was always a pain.
@@BKBees yes my full deep triples are for the bees only. I put an excluder on top and there is still tons of honey. After I harvest, there is a full deep of honey for bees. In the spring I rotate the bottom empty box on top ready for early spring flow.
What about Canada
do you also winter with doubles or singles? i am debating which way to go
In the lower peninsula I wintered in straight singles. This year, my first in the UP, I plan on leaving a honey box on top of the singles, so they'll go in with two boxes.
new beekeeper here! love the info. your bees are great... anytime i have any bit of black on with clothing i get hit lmao. your lucky and i have italians. they are super nice just dont wear black around them. and as i comment you get hit haha :)
Does overwintering in a single 8 frame work as well?
I would say yes depending on where you're at. I know people who overwinter nucs.
@@BKBees Many thanks Bearded Bee Man! Wasn't sure if having 20% less frames would impact the bees over winter.
Could you condense them down to singles in the fall?
I suggest it. That's the plan, at least it was for me when I was in the lower peninsula. I'd pull the honey boxes off in late August and feed that single until it's heavy as hell. Overwinter just the single. This year I'm going to pull 'em in mid August, leave an unfinished honey box on top. For you, in Ohio or Illinois or Indiana or something, right? Sorry for my crappy memory but I do recall you being just south of Michigan, go with straight singles, you'll be happy you did.
@@BKBees yes I'm in Indiana close to Chicago. Cool! I'm gonna do it your way this fall!
I'm new to beekeeping but keep singles..this is my second year and I got over confident and put a second brood box on one hive....my only advice is don't be an idiot like me and put the double in your nastiest hive.....let's just say I'm sticking to singles from now on 😂
Yeah, the larger a colony gets the more pronounced it's bad traits are. I don't have any time for hot hives, but I'd much rather work a hot single than double. lol I said "hot single", TH-cam is going to think this is a dating video.
@@BKBees suppose the morale of the story is in the dating game it's a hot double all the time, but with beekeeping it's a respectable single