Honey Bees Vanish! So disappointing...Why we almost lost them all! 

Yes partnering with an active beekeeper would help. Need to treat for mites. Like your videos too Jason. Keep the videos flowing Josh. I hope to start a small farm. Learning a lot. Thank you

@@arthurdewith7608 The last research I saw said 2 mile radius. I'm lucky that there is no one doing any industrial farming that close to me.

I figured with Monsanto genetically modifying with pesticides it would be messing with the bee population. You've got to realize that if it destroys pests from the inside out it's not going to only effect Bees but eventually humans too.

A swarm that has been there for a while usually is more aggressive. The other swarms will likely be the same after they have been there a couple of months.

No i dont think i want to deal with bees they are great but not for me have a great day whooooo

We are in Minnesota also!

you do when they are old, rotten and contaminated with wax moth and hive beetle eggs my friend. It's about time consumption...not about trying to save $1 by spending 1/2 hour cleaning it. Money well spent replacing what's rotten and bad. I could spend 40 hours cleaning 200 frames....or spend $400 and replace them with a better product. Look at that pile of mess....again...its about time..our most valuable commodity!

In our part of the United States, varroa mite colony activity is highest in August and September. The typical treatment is to use a vaporizer to heat either formic acid or oxalic acid into a vapor underneath the hive and you may have to do it several times with two to four weeks between applications. (Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring chemical found in many vegetables such as spinach). They're also pads soaked with formic acid/oacillic acid available commercially or with DIY recipes that you can place at the bottom of your brood box. Or you can get cakes of formic acid/oxalic acid, break it into four pieces placed in a cage so the bees won't remove it and placed in the four corners of your brood box. The pads/cakes are an alternative to the vaporizer method if you're uncomfortable with that. There are also commercial chemicals that can be used, the most common in our part of the US is Apivar since it will complete a 42 day treatment cycle. While trying to find the name of the formic acid/oxalic acid, the internet also reminded me there are two bee breeds that are resistant to varroa mites VSH stock bees, standing for Varroa Sensitive Hygiene, this trait was selectively breed by USDA researchers using classical bee breeding and instrumental insemination techniques. The bees have been selected to detect varroa mites in the cells of developing pupae and remove them before the mites can reproduce. Bee hygiene and a strong queen to keep the hive hygienic are very important methods for the bees to protect themselves from varroa mites, both in the two strains listed here or other strains that are not technically resistant just lucky. There is a Russian strain of bees that researchers from the USDA Honey Bee Research Lab in Baton Rouge, LA have imported bees from the Primorsky region in far-eastern Russia because they co-exist with the original host species of varroa (the sister honey-bee species, Apis cerana). Because these Russian bees have been exposed to the mite for a longer period compared to other strains, it follows that they may have developed a resistance to the mite. And yes I did copy some of the breeding info from the internet site I found it on because they're better at explaining it than I am. Other helpful information is look on Facebook / social media for local beekeeping groups, they'll have resources specific to your area. Also universities are a good source of info and most states have a state beekeeping association that have resources and members that can be very helpful.

Partially answered question during apple tree part in video. 😊

there ya go, so we've captured many swarms on the farm...but swarms aren't guaranteed so we are brining some new genetics on the farm with these packages

@StoneyRidgeFarmer makes complete sense! I want to do bees next year so I'm building up the knowledge now!

Great to see the team working together

If he had not 'neglected' them (ie allow them to live naturally, albeit in a nicely fabricated home) Would you then complain he's exploiting them for harvesting the honey?

I just saw further on that they are mediums not shallows.

we are building a first generation farm here....diversification of income in the modern age includes social media....so on a small farm like mine...my "town job" is the social media business. Would you like me to do a video on this?

@@StoneyRidgeFarmer That would be a great video! Thanks for the response!