Marking the queen not only makes her more visible, it provides you information about the year she was installed and assures that the queen you put in the hive hasn't been replaced by the colony or swarmed. That was some beautiful brood!
I’ve never even been close to a hive , I don’t even like honey that much , but watching you work with and care for your girls ( and boys) gives me such a sense of quiet joy , thank you for caring and sharing about these most precious of nature’s gifts ....much love Jules
You certainly have grown in colonies and very healthy ones at that! Almost 30 and splits to come is a full time job! It's great how your mom and daughter share your passion.
I mark my queens to know age and make sure it is the queen I placed there. Having africanized queens move in will ruin my entire apiary. Seem to have to replace one out of 15 hives a year. Hoping that my drones will change the feral population sooner than later. My dog doesn't like being chased either. Love your videos! Thanks for taking the time to make and share them.
Today I was checking a hive that I split a few weeks ago to see if the queen was successfully mated and was excited to see eggs, but didn’t see the queen. After a while the bees started making that buzz and putting their butts in the air as if they were missing their queen! I glanced down at the inner cover I had casually put on the ground at the beginning of my inspection and saw her scurrying across the cover! Ahhhh! First time that has ever happened (as far as I know!) That could have been a disaster! Great tip! I will always check the inner cover more carefully now! 🐝
Good stuff! I've been subscribed for a few weeks now but don't comment much as I like to watch these on the big screen TV. LOL Keep up the great and sincere videos. My first Nuc ever will be ready the first week of June. I'm super excited.
@@TheHoneystead i think youd have alot of people watching that! Love your energy...keep on with your passion, girl! Bees are this planet's existence. 🐝
Thank you, I am new to beekeeping and your pointing out the drone cells versus the worker cells is a great help to me!! I will keep watching and learning! I am very curious about and like to learn more about the ankle biter breed you have.
Yes particularly when your glasses are fogging up, and the screen on your veil is dripping with sweat. It is cruel humid and hot here in Florida right now!
I love they way you explained the smell of a hive. No one will never understand if they have never smelled it before. Enjoyed the inspection. And yea better get the next box on. Or will be like me this year chasing swarms in my apiary. 😂
Good move going to 9 frames per super. I watch so many bee keeping video's and when I see 10 frames in a super it bothers me. It's been decades since I worked bees, I miss it very much. I love your channel. Thanks
9 frames only makes sense in the honey supers. They will draw those cells out further to fill the space, in a brood chamber it usually results in a mess with burr comb. When I do inspections I pull out and outside frame, which is usually a honey frame and set it outside the hive. I then shift one frame at a time toward the empty space. When I'm finished I place the removed frame at the opposite side of the box. The bees don't seem to mind. The next time I go though I start at the opposite side of the box. I always make sure the brood frames are centered, and adjust if needed. Especially with a new colony where they have only taken to one side of the box. Do whatever works for you though!
Stopping by to tell you that your videos are awesome and inspirational - I chose to raise quail over bees, but now I'm thinking I just may be able to pull it off - You definitely have a new subsriber!
I appreciate when people share their hive inspections. With my one hive, I don't get to see much hive variation. I can't do the heavy lifting so I'm going to a horizontal hive.
Hi Kayleigh! New sub here! I love the way you explain the different types of bees and give us a good closeup of your beautiful Queen. WOW and Thanks for sharing. You are so gentle when handling your frames, it is no wonder they love you so much!!
🐝🐝. Absolutely fascinating. Having had a citrus orchard bordering our horse ranch along with a small grove of olive trees there was an old timer who kept his bees there and willing to share his knowledge with anyone. I was always amazed how quietly and tenderly he spoke when tending to them and they seem to respond to him just like yours do to you. He claimed that they could sense your fear thusly getting stung. Observing him and learning to be calm I’ve had fewer problems and stings tho sometimes one seems to be angrier than the others. Your soothing voice and mild mannerisms reminded me of him as you checked through the hives not disturbing them as you searched. Your respect has made me enjoy watching your videos and learning more about these hard workers. Love all that you do on your piece of paradise but the wealth of knowledge you have about bees keeps me coming back for more. Fantastic videos so well edited and amazing photography keeps me looking forward to the next one. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Slowly getting interested or curious about bee 🐝 keeping! Love how you explain everything, easy for someone who knows absolutely nothing about bee keeping to understand. 😊 glad I found your channel!!!
I agree about the aroma of the colony when you open up the hive. I find it very calming. I wish they would make a room deodorizer in that scent. Love your channel.
Try making some propolis tincture. The aroma is fantastic. Just toss all your scraped propolis into a quart jar filled with Everclear. Shake the jar once a day. Within a week you’ll see a dark liquid separated at the top, thats the tincture. I swab the inside of swarm traps and new brood boxes with it, gives them that “new car” (or healthy hive) smell. Would be a great unisex cologne.
I hear about 9 frame in a 10 frame hive a lot as well. Yet when asking the guys in Australia who make the FlowHIVE (I'm getting one,) they told me that you always want to have it packed, all 10 frames, because that how close they draw out their comb in nature. And he mentioned, he believes that giving the bees the closest replication to nature, will always give them the best chance at survival for many years; like letting them draw out their own comb, no chemicals in the hive, no sugar water at all, unless they are going to starve and keeping a small entrance at all times. Just sharing some things I believe in. Yet whatever works for you. Thank you.
I am committed to being a more observant beekeeper this year (more than just 1)open hive 2) pick out some frames, 3) nod like I'm looking under the hood of a car, 4) repeat) and really appreciate your videos. If you ever find yourself lost in Southern Wisconsin - please stop by and leave a little of your good ju-ju on our bees! Were all of your hives that perfect on this day (it was like you must have treated with some sort of miracle-gro for bees)?
Oh wow Kaylee, this was so awesome to watch this morning. I'm hoping today to be able to get my first glimpse into my hive that is the feral swarm that moved into one of our boxes. It's been 2 1/2 weeks since they moved in and I made myself wait to let them get established before I look in on them. I'm so excited to see what is happening in there and pray I find a happy queen and a good bit of brood. Pollen has been going in everyday so I'm taking that as a good sign. Your videos are so encouraging and informative. Thanks so much for you dedication and love of the bees. Sending love from your neighbor in Shenandoah County. xxoo
Thank you for your videos. I watch so many others and the guys just get so far off point that I have to switch them off. I'm happy that I found your site. I'm just a second year Bee Keeper and need all the help I can get. My bees absconded just before Christmas last year. I'm in So Cal. I was so bummed. My goal is to not let that happen again. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experiences. Stay safe and healthy.
Not sure how i ended up on this video one of those random RU-vid rabbitholes but i can say i have never seen a colony in action and that was very awesome to watch and learnt a lot from it!
When I was young, my brother and I use to raise honey bees. First it was 1 box, then 2, 3 ,4 5. Wee eventually had 10 boxes all with supers. We bought a centrifugal honey extractor to extract the honey in the springtime. We started selling jars of honey. A good way for a kid to make money. Unfortunately the area we lived in was governed by a civic club that prohibited homeowners from running a business from with-in their home. So sadly, we had to get rid of all our bees. I really did like doing that. I got stung a lot, but I didn't care. It was always interesting for me.
I must say just recently found your channel and I am really impressed. You have a passion for this so few actually show. I only wish I could have bees myself as I live in a fantastic area for them. Unfortunately some of my family is very allergic to stings so just can't take the risk. The farm lifestyle has been declining it's good when you see younger people like you keep farming alive and teaching your kids those valuable skills.
Just an observation and some friendly advice, if you use straw in your smoker you can get sparks and burn bee's, also hotter smoke. I use hay it's slower and cooler.
9 frames works in a honey super, but I found it impractical in a brood box. They build out the top of the frame where the honey is really thick, and then you risk rolling bees when you pull frames out for inspections. So 10 frames in the brood box and 9 frames in the supers is my mojo
Your colonies look so healthy and thriving. Gorgeous. I love how you take such good care of them. What part of the country are you located? I'm curious about your climate...specifically the depth and length of the cold season.
