have alot of fun man, i live in apartment now but as soon as a find a house with a backyard i will keep my bees, natural honey is very rare nowadays, and it's medecin to many health issues. the last time i ate actual honey from villages was 15 years ago.
LOL that's funny. You're welcome. Gosh I hate those kinds of seminars. Beekeepers can be a talkative bunch, especially when they start talking about bees 🤣
And hate to burst your bubble but...... A dimension of 7 ± 2 mm (9⁄32 ± 5⁄64 in or roughly 1⁄4-3⁄8 in) is nowadays the usual size meant when bee space is referred to. This setup has been established for the brood chamber, as for honey storage, the comb distance can be different. Dr. Jan Dzierżon, a Polish apiarist, had determined the correct spacing for the top bars in beehives in 1835. The distance between combs had been described as 38 mm (1+1⁄2 in) from the center of one top bar to the center of the next one. In this case, the distance between combs is 14 mm (1⁄2 in); that is, twice the medium bee space of 7 mm (1⁄4 in).[6] Later, in 1848, Dzierżon introduced grooves into his hives' side walls, to replace the strips of wood from which the top bars had earlier been hung.[7] The grooves were 8 mm × 8 mm (5⁄16 in × 5⁄16 in). In Europe, both Dzierżon and fellow apiarist Baron August von Berlepsch had been focused on side-opened hives. Land resources for beekeeping was limited, and traditionally, multiple beehives had been kept in a single beehouse. The so-called bee space had been incorporated by Berlepsch into his frame arrangement (Bienen-Zeitung, May 1852) following Dzierżon's discovery that grooves added to inner walls remained free of propolis (1848). Thus, the correct distance between frame side bar and hive wall was already understood by some European beekeepers before 1851. Langstroth's patent of 5 October 1852 adopted 3⁄8 in (9.5 mm) as the upper limit of the bee space, slightly larger than optimal, between the side bars of a frame and hive wall, and also reserved rights to use the distance 1⁄2 in (13 mm) between top bars and inner cover, the latter of which represents a gap larger than optimal. The term "bee space" was coined later than Langstroth's 1852 patent. The original patent was a box that incorporated the above dimensions and was patented twice by both Langstroth and Dr. Jan Dzierzon on opposite sides of the world, because they did not know about each others work at the time.
I can tell people right now, based solely on the thumbnail, before even watching this: If you're a new beekeeper or an experienced one, WEAR A VEIL. ALWAYS. Even if you wear no other special equipment. Protect your eyes, always. Always.
Yes, it is good practice to protect your face from getting stung by wearing a veil. That being said, I have been stung up the nose twice and they both happened when I was not opening a beehive. I've also witnessed a co-worker get stung in the eye. He was not a beekeeper. He was just near honey. You can't wear a veil every time you go outside.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple No, and I wasn't suggesting anyone should wear one every time they're outside. But working with the hive, standing at the hive, and holding frames with bees on them as you are here, people definitely should.
@divynerosehealing8546 I do wish that were the case but unfortunately bees don't work on vibes. Yeah, generally, if you're calm and all circumstances are ideal, they'll ignore you. But if, say, their queen has died, and you get too close, it doesn't matter how calm you are. They'll still come for your eyes. Part of respecting bees is understanding that they don't think like we do. And there are loads of beekeepers on RU-vid who make very clear videos with veils on, because they understand that vibes and respect won't stop bees from misunderstanding intent.
@@yulebonesI’m sorry I deleted my comment by accident. I appreciate your reply. My grandfather was painting his house once and disturbed a swarm and they stung him all over his body. He lived to tell the tale thankfully. You were right about the veil and being able to hear. I just watched a guy in a video with one on and I could hear him well.
im not so outdoorsy and i dont always plant, but i remember in primary school, we were gardening and it was one of the calmest feelings ive ever had... i think beekeeping is probably the greatest thing a human being can do to contribute to humanity in a positive and meaningful way, knowing that a simple gesture of keeping bees can actually help generations to come... thanks for making this video
We grow much of our food here and lots of flowers so attract many, many bees. They don’t mind us and we certainly don’t mind them! We’d like to start keeping bees but it’s a huge investment….
Oh I talk with them….they are so intriguing. Just yesterday, a glass of wine and a chair watching scout bees check out an empty hive….first days of Spring and wonderful.
Newer studies suggest clustering is not a healthy behavior for bees and should be prevented by keeping the box as warm as possible using blankets, insulation, etc
Interesting. Could you please share with me where I can read one of these studies? I'm curious what strains of honey bees they studied. There are strains of African honey bees that are more aggressive and prone to swarming often. But then there are Russian honey bees that evolved with the varroa mite and are in a very cold climate. I wonder if these different types of bees deal with cold and clustering differently. Also, there comes a point at which, even though it is better for the bees health to heat the cluster instead of letting them make their own heat, we are now making honey bees completely dependent on humans for survival which is not exactly a good thing. There is something to be said for letting the stronger hives that can withstand the stress of the cold to survive as opposed to keeping every hive alive through the winter. Don't you think? I stress to my viewers in a lot of my videos that honey bees swarm about 1-3 times in the wild and this is to account for a 50% hive loss or more that happens with more feral hives. I do not believe it is the job of the beekeeper keep every hive alive, no matter their genetics. At that point, we're interfering a little too much and might not help the bees in the long run. As a beekeeper you have to be able to accept that not every colony will survive and it is not always at the fault of the beekeeper.
You explain it so well ! 😊 people don't realize without bees everything Dies . It's euphoric to realize this interesting prossess I love that's it runs in my blood . It's beestringing
Really well done vlog Laryssa! I have taken your online class and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it. I am reading the book honeybee democracy, which seems very comprehensive so far. I am suffering from option paralysis. I made a top bar hive, because they seemed simple to build, but then I didn't want to start without foundation, and then winter got here, so I disassembled the hive. I also have an unassembled langstroth long hive (Leo Sharashkin, MO) that I think I want to use, because I am over 50, and will be managing supers by myself. I'm just new to know what I want to do first. 😊 Thanks for being encouraging. 2024- year of the honeybee!
If you're getting overwhelmed with the options and what to do, my recommendation is to start with a regular langstroth style beehive and if a box is too heavy to lift, just take as many frames out as you need to in order to make the box light enough to lift. In spring time and fall the hive will be small and light and you don't have to pick up anything heavy when it's just one box. With just a few hives, it doesn't add too much time to your inspections. Then you can just follow along with the online class and not worry about learning other options and figuring what to do. I'm always available via email to answer questions! Then in a couple years, if you have more than a couple hives and want to try it out, you can switch to long langstroth hives (or do half langstroth hives and half long langstroth) and use the same frames and foundation and sell any equipment you don't want anymore. Then your only worry is figuring out how to overwinter the long langstroth which should be a manageable thing to research as an experienced beekeeper. If you don't want to invest in more equipment, since you already have a long langstroth you can use that, put your frames and foundation in and just follow along with the class for everything else. You'll just have to research later on about overwintering those hives.
It happened while answering a question during a beekeeping class. I had just closed up the hive. my eyes teared up and snot started pouring out my nose almost immediately. It hurt but also was just making my eyes burn. The person I was talking to seemed unfazed by it and just kept asking questions 😂
The smoke makes it hard for them to communicate that there's something wrong. It's like blasting music so loud in someone's house that they can't hear the security alarm going off.
This information is very straight and broken down in a simple and understandable way. This is very helpful for beginners. She's very knowledgeable about bees.
Really? How did she do? I've heard of people spending a lot of money on queens with certain genetics, but no one has much to say about whether it was worth the price tag.
Really appreciate the simplicity of the setup demo I actually ordered 2 of what you demonstrated Thank you because I’m getting 2 NUCS from a local farmer on the 30th of March
Thank you so much! i was thinking of having a beekeeping job, or just have a hive to make fresh honey for me, my family and my friends. this was soo useful! also, poor drone bees.....
So we made about 1/3rd of our acre into a wildflower field. We have tons of pollinators now. Lots and lots of bees in our field. I thought the flowers would be great for beekeeping but will the already established bees be a problem if we introduced a hive?
Great content! I am a beginner and appreciate all the information. Not able to keep bees where I live but looking forward to the possibility in the future.
Thanks! The best way to deter bears is to have an electric fence up and on before a bear attacks a hive. Once a bear has already attacked a hive and knows what's inside, an electric fence won't necessarily keep them away.
By far the best video about beekeeping I have ever seen. I have just one question, what if I don't buy bees, how can I attract bees naturally to my beehive. I already have alot of flowering plants in my home and I often see alot of them on my flowers.? Please answer asap. Thanks
Thanks! You can definitely try to attract a swarm. Whether one comes is dependent on whether there are bees in your areas that will be swarming and they find your swarm trap attractive enough. you can set up swarm traps or buy them. You can also contact whoever would be called when someone has a swarm of bees they want removed. That might be your local fire department, police department, pest control company or big beekeeping company. I gave the local pest control company my number and they sent a lot of people my way when they got calls for swarms. Most of these calls are to remove an established colony from their home which is much more difficult to do especially as a beginner beekeeper, but sometimes it was for a swarm.
Hi I was wondering can you be a beekeeper when you're old and have mobility issues I use a walker I would love to be a beekeeper I really enjoyed your video thank you
Good question! It is not easy. There are people making it work for them. A long langstroth hive is what I would recommend because you use the same frames which makes it easy to inspect a hive, but there are no boxes to lift. Other than that, you'll also want to be able to be outside in the sun wearing a hot suit for at least an hour in the summer time and be able to harvest honey. Usually people only harvest once a year, so if you can recruit someone to help you that one day, have an extra suit for them and just have them help you carry the honey frames into your house. Honey is heavy! The best thing to do, if you can is join a local association and shadow someone. I just joined a local assoc near me and they have a shadow a beekeeper program. Or look for an apiary or bee assoc that has an in-person class (if they use top bar hives it'll be even better). DEpending on where you live, you should also look into having mason bees. you don't open up and inspect their hive, but you still get to observe them coming and going from the hive and that's one of my favorite parts of having a beehive.
If you do not prevent swarming by making sure there is space in your brood boxes, your bees will swarm and can go any number of places including a building, shed or tree. They have a knack for going exactly where you don't want them to. That's why I strongly encourage people to prevent their bees from swarming as much as possible, especially if your bees are in a residential area. Rural areas are best. That being said, it is not common for bees to swarm and make their new home so close to the original hive. They usually go a little bit further away.
no, you should not paint the beeswax coated boxes. However, if the beeswax coating starts to chip off, then you should coat it with paint or some other non toxic coating that is suitable for outdoor use. One reason why I like those hives so much is that they are coated already with beeswax (something a lot of commercial apiaries do to extend the life of their hives).
New subscriber!! Wonderful video and very interesting! Thank you . Reminds me of the bee movie, lol People don’t realize bees are so important! They are very beeeusy 😅This is a dream of mine… What if I make a bee house in my yard will that attract the queen?
I live in Canada, and i am shocked that our honey bees can survive our winters when it can dip below -40°C and sometimes even approach -50°C. We must have some tough honey bees!!
5 months late - but I've recently been interested in bee keeping but I don't want to dive into at home beekeeping despite my research. I'd rather get to learn it along side experienced keepers due to my age and lack of hands on, but I am struggling to figure out how. I've looked into companies in my area, or even if I am required to take a college online/in-person course to apply but nothing has come up. Is beekeeping a niche job that isn't widely circulated or am I just looking in the wrong places? I live in Thornton, CO if anyone knows how to help. I'm seriously struggling here.
Thank you Miss, your video was very informative. I was very pleased last year, when some bees moved into a bird nest box in my garden and I was wondering if it is likely that bees will use it again, unchanged, or whether it would need to be spring cleaned of whatever remains in it from the previous occupancy! Please can you advise? Incidentally, I live in UK. Thank you.
I like to watch beekeeping videos, but one thing I have been wondering about: why do most, but not all, beekeepers put a brick or rock or something heavy on the lid? Those lids look heavy and solid, so I don't think a gust of wind would knock it off so what is the purpose?
hah! It is not necessary to put something on your lid unless the hive is small and you are using a migratory lid. The telescoping outer covers are pretty heavy and shouldn't come off unless you are expecting really strong winds. A rock on the hive lid sometimes reminds the beekeeper that they just opened that hive. If you have a lot of hives in your yard, sometimes you forget where you started and which ones weren't opened yet or you use a rock to remember which hive needs something added to it.
I received a 10 frame Bee Castle hive for my birthday but it only came with one brood box (deep Super) Is this going to be okay to start? Also it's April and I haven't ordered bees, is this a problem?
I love the natural wood look of your boxes. Are they stained/sealed with clear varnish, or is the wood left bare? I'd love to get boxes like yours instead of painting them. I don't mind doing the work of finishing them with some kind of varnish but I just think the wood looks outstanding on its own.
Really cool video and great delivery... punchy, happy... great way to start learning. I started my first hive by extracting honey bees from my house... now the real fun begins. Appreciate the vid and encouragement! 🙂
I enjoye your posting, I see you live in Fl. I noticed the plants.. I am dreaming with a hard effort to move to Ga and get a gig with bees. For now thank you so much. I will continue watching. Mike
Just found a giant Styrofoam box full of these little creatures out in a field on the way home from work. Thanks for the video! Can’t wait for free honey!
You're welcome! It's not too late to get bees, but most apiaries start taking orders at the end of Jan or early Feb, so it's just a matter of whether they are taking orders still. When I lived in PA, we got our bees in late March. Depending on how north you are in NY, you probably wouldn't be picking up your bees until April or even early May if a nuc.
Aww thanks so much! Yeah I found a beekeeping supply near me ( I’m more southern ny) and it looks like April the nucs will be ready! I really want to get a Flow Hive for my first hive. Will a nuc be easily transferable into this type of hive?
Excellent video thank you. I’m also in the tropics and far South of Hawaii. I bought a hive recently and have been trying to move the hive from a tree about 16 feet up into a box. I know I’ve stuffed up, because the after I moved them to the boxes/hive, the bees are much less this afternoon than they were this morning. I noticed that the hive has restarted on another branch of the tree but quite a small hive , smaller than my fist. Does that generally mean that the Queen is still in the tree? Tomorrow I want to get the rest of the hive and get them into the beehive I’ve recently bought. Btw this app Amy first experience to do with honey beehives.
Well I am not allergic to bees like my father is if he got stung he would have to use an Epi pen for the sting and possibly go to the hospital. But he isn't afraid of bees and actually wants me to get honey bee's when we move onto are own property well onto land and so do I. I am not afraid of bee's nor allergic to them like I thought i was but I want to get honey bee's.
They say honey bees can fly up to a 3 mile radius from the hive. However, they don't go that far unless necessary. They fill up their honey crop with half their body weight in nectar, so I imagine the closer the better!
Some townships have rules on how close a hive can be to your dwelling. Other than your town's laws, you want it far enough away that the lights from your house won't affect the bees and they'll be far from where people and pets are walking. If you have a heavily wooded backyard, that could be 50' away from the house. If your yard is a big lawn, then they'll need to be as far away as possible or where you have a line of trees to put them next to.
It is! It is best to start a hive from a purchased nuc or to catch a swarm in May. Bees swarm in the late spring and summer, and they have to start a new hive from scratch. Swarms come with honey crops full of food and can build honeycomb really fast.
Great video. Can you taste the difference in the honey produced in Hawaii hives compared to Northern California where I live based on the different plants and temperature variation?
It's harder when you have just one colony. Usually, when you buy bees, one colony will be kind of weak and the other is average or strong. So when you have just one colony, you never know what you're going to get. Since it's your first year, you also don't know what "normal" is. With more than1 hive, you can at least compare your hives to each other. Also, if one hive has a problem and needs help, you can take resources like honey or baby bees from the other hive to help them out. If both hives are struggling, then you can combine them with the hope you can save at least one. Unfortunately, with just one hive, the odds are against you that they'll survive a full year.
@@BeekeepingMadeSimple Thank you!!! I've been busy with my tomato and pepper plants (Going to have a harvest). I plan on ordering a NUC in the Winter and then building my own boxes to transfer them to. I still have some studying to do of course, especially about all of the diseases and pests, and how to identify them by their symptoms as signs.
Great question! That is, actually, what I do. However, it gets tricky because the beekeeper should leave enough honey for the bees to survive until the flowers start blooming, but sometimes the bees don't gather enough honey or a rainy spring means less flowers and the bees need more honey than most years. In my area, I take excess honey off the hive in winter time because too much honey on the hive will lead to small hive beetles laying eggs on unprotected food and a beehive full of beetle slime. I have a chest freezer and put my extra honey frames in there and feed them back to the bees as needed. If it's your first year, then you don't have any stored up honey and feeding your bees syrup will help them grow a lot faster than letting them find their own food during a time of year when there's not a lot of food to be found.
Hello, BeeKeepingMadeSimple - thank you very much for your informative video. It is very helpful and I look forward to starting my BeeKeeping adventure! We must all work together to help save our beautiful planet and beautiful creatures we live in harmony with - support all forms of life the best we can :)
New subscriber,I’m ready to start my own hive and you explained things very well and I’m interested in Your online class ,Thank you I’m so glad I found your channel
I will look into them! These hives are not pine, but I can't remember off the top of my head what kind of wood. I am in Hawaii so this topic isn't really relevant to me. You can also wrap your hive when needed.
