Bees had been living in this compost bin for at least a few months, but now they needed a new home. I was happy to meet such a gentle colony of bees and to be able to give them a better place to live.
I still can’t get over how the air holes in the compost bin were literally the perfect bee size! They’re so cute popping in and out of the little bee size doors!!!🥰🥰🥰
I always appreciated bees for their important role in our ecosystem, but your love and enthusiasm for them you show in your videos makes me cherish them even more
Thank you so much for your kind words and for appreciating bees! They're extraordinary creatures and it's a privilege to share with everyone my life as a professional beekeeper.
I mean yeah man, if bees were extinct then in 5 years we probably wont survived that long either cause some of are fruit and vegetables is made by bees
I grew up terrified of bees. Watching you save colony after colony, and being so respectful of everything about bees, has completely changed my mind about them. Thank you for saving the bees. After finding you, I’ve watched a bunch of bee vids. You are my favorite. So calm and kind. ❤
I’d also love to see more about you bringing them back to your place. I’d really love to see your apiary. We have a 10 acre farm, and I’d love to start beekeeping. I’ve had love & respect for honeybees for a long time, but your videos are deepening those feelings. They deserve the best.
Thank you for showing my family that hives can be rehomed. Our neighbor sold his huge property an had a dead old growth tree that has a huge hive of honey bees thriving in it and the new owners want to kill them. They were going to set it on fire. But we googled an this nice couple spent two days straight finding the queen amidst the river of honey flowing from that thing while carefully digging the queen out. It was so big she found two queens! I never knew that could happen. No bees died (needlessly at least, a few causalities are unavoidable during moveing) an we had so much honey we didn't know what to do with all the combs and it was all thanks to your videos.
Your videos are the most wholesome thing on the internet and make me believe that just maybe we, as a species, are not entirely lost, because there are still people like you. Sending much love from a fellow bee lover in Germany. Truly thank you for the precious work you do and for sharing it with us!
Erica is a wonderful human being, and there are many people like her on this planet. Thing is media doesn't highlight all the good works people do. Much goes unnoticed, the bad gets the attention unfortunately. Makes for better news? I don't think so....Good people inspire good deeds...and evil doesn't want to promote good deeds....it is up to us to give recognition and praise and and inspire to do the same....thank you for what you do and how you do it, dear keeper of bees.....
I think it's great how she explained in another video that another hive will accept stranded bees. Of course, if they are bearing the gift of pollen the new hive is happier.
Being severely allergic to bees as a kid and going through several years of inoculations taught me deep appreciation for bees. People would always wonder why i was drawn to something that could kill me. Lets say that respect is a great motivation. Amazing little creatures!
Same! I've always been terrified/ fascinated by bees and I want them to love me 😭 I had no idea you could be inoculated from bee allergies, I will definitely look into that! Whatever the costs, it has to beat paying $800 every time you need an Epi-pen.
@@iCanbEYOURrUKIA Don't buy any more epipens. Look for an autoinjector and get a script for adrenaline. Should be able to get out of it for under $40. Those gready mongrels are just price gouging.
I also have a be allergy and it’s my goal to have a bee farm of my own. People always wonder why I’m so calm around bees but I think they’re beautiful!
Woman? While you are a very lovely young lady and I’m a 59 year old widow, when I grow up I want to be just like you! You’re so one with nature but you are truly a Bee Charmer! ❤ You should put up a “donation” button on your RU-vid page. I’m not saying you do this for the money but for those that cannot do it because of allergies or whatever reason, at least we can get a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that we have contributed to the success of “saving the Bees” - make US feel better! ❤ hey at least start some merch? “I Help Save Bees!” 🐝
I always appreciate Erica for her knowledge and insight on the bees, I also give a gold star for her handling of them, she is so gentle with them, you can see they accept her as one of their own after awhile, I guess after they notice she's trying to help them and is not a threat. We need more people like Erika's good heart and soul!
Truly amazes me how she does this so calm. No protective gear. Its like she understands the bees and the bees understand her. Blows my mind 💛 Enjoy watching this actually and proud of her. She is a very peaceful woman which does make a difference as well
Experience quickly tells you if the bees are calm. I too love the feel of bees on my hands. I'm happy to do a swarm with no gear but even with tame bees, I do like a headcover. Dislike them in my hair. 😞
@@marylivich6058 Of course you could. Do you have bees? I was pretty timid the first time. Get fully suited except for one hand. That way you only can get stung in one place. When you have done it a few times you get more confident. Try it with a swarm. Most of them are really gentle. What I do to check temperament is to walk up and stand about 3m away and watch them for a bit. If a bee doesn't bounce off your forehead, take another step, and then another until you are right up next to them. As Erica says, move slowly, then gently shove your hand in. It's warm and tingly. A unique experience.
I LOVE how you rescue the bees. You have such a natural way of handling them and you have such a calming voice. I like watching your episodes of rescuing the bees. Keep up the Good Work.
Love how you remove them so carefully. Making sure to transport their hive in a box and allowing them to get back to work while you round them all up. You make sure to respect them and just want to help them move to a different spot. ❤
I like how the "most replayed" graph confirms I'm not the only one quickly pausing or rewinding as soon as you say: "I was looking for the queen and pretty soon, I found her" to see how quickly I could find her before you point her out.
What compassionate human being I can see why the bees are so calm Just listening to your calm reassuring voice and demeanor lowers my heart rate & blood pressure
Your videos are so relaxing. I actually had a dream last night, after watching so many of your videos, that I had bees in my chimney, dripping with honey. Lol! Thank you for bee...ing one with nature. You have a special gift.
Man, this channel is amazing! It's so fascinating getting a close up look on something most of us would happily avoid but that is deadly essential to our survival. Keep up the good work!
Every time I need a softer approach to life her videos seem to arrest my anxiety and depression her voice is so soothing and comforting and of course not many people have a command of their emotions when working with bees so she is absolutely amazing of showing people how to handle a colony of bees 🐝 with little fear and the bees respond well to her presence
When you load the beehive box onto your truck, You can put the box in front of the axle not over/after. It will give smoother ride for bees and their delicate bee nests. Also, you can get a high density foam block, place them under the beehive box and strap them.
My dad almost died when he was too lazy to wear his protective gear. Hive was calm for about 5-10 minutes until he found out they were killer bees because half the hive stung him.
I started beeing more kind and peaceful with bees after you, they are so beautiful! One of my Favorite animals ❤ so happy that you are here to save them, thanks!
I support the bee lady, because she is doing something that MOST don’t have the guts to do. I rarely use gloves in my hives. I’m sure you get stung sometimes. I dropped frames when I started,that’s a great way to get stung if your looking 😂 I’m sure you work early in the day also.
I am so fascinated with bees now! I always loved them bc I know how important they are, but seeing how they actually work together and how complex they are, is truly amazing! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
I absolutely LOVE your videos. I used to be one that would get rid of bees when I seen swarms, im sorry. I was uneducated and didn't know. You have taught me a lot. I was furious back last year when other beekeepers and others started hating on you. It's non of their business. You are just amazing at your profession, able to explain stuff on a level where it's understandable for laymen like me. Thanks so much for your work and videos. Also, you could make so much money by doing audio books and meditation exercises.
This was a very fun video to watch. You've given me pause as I have that same compost bin design next to our garden and apiary, I'll have to keep an eye on that. It's also interesting to see you using a smoker. So nice to have those comb closeups. Do you have a smoker fuel preference? Excellent point about keeping the brood and honey-loaded-comb separate in transit. I wish you all the best in beekeeping :) thanks for the video.
Your vid’s inspired me. My city suburb allows two hives. So I put out traps in trees in the garden and on the roof. After ten days I had my first two hives. I have a healthy hive and a question hive. I saw pictures that included you during my studies at a summer bee camp on a farm. My question hive experienced a dearth lack of nectar because of ant robbing. It was only my first examination but I concluded that my queen is dead and I put the new Dadant trap I’d used in a tree on the roof this time to find a new queen. I saw a scout bee but since then we’ve had stormy weather.
I dont know if you will see this, but have you ever been attacked by the bees you were saving? just curios you dont have to answer! 😊 you have such a calming asmr voice and treat the bees amazingly! love what you do ❤
You inspired me and my husband to take a beekeeping class. We can’t have bees ourselves but we just wanted to learn more. We could identify your hive tool, the propalas, the nuc box and your smoker.
This is a fascinating process to watch. I'm allergic to bees so I've always been afraid of them, but I know they are actually very gentle and social creatures. I keep my distance and admire from a far. Important work you're doing, thank you for sharing your expertise!
That compost bin is the exact same as mine that a hive built in. Unfortunately, something ( a raccoon I think) rotated the bin and killed some of them and made the hive leave. A few days later some bees started coming back, but since the queen had left, they just kept coming back to feed on the honey combs. I wish I could get them to come back to stay.
@Roscoe P. Coltrane • ah hee hee hee (my best Roscoe impersonation) you can buy traps to catch another queen. Or that's what a city beekeeper below in the comments said. Something about putting the trap on the roof or in a tree. Called it a dadant trap. I also have one of those compost bins I got from Amazon for $50 3-4yrs ago. Turned mine nearly every day since. Because if you do, it will make compost in about 3 weeks. But I'm just learning about bee keeping myself. Hear you can get actual hives for pretty cheap. Or build easily. Good luck on your Queen quest. ✌️🐝❤️
Great job. You are really a true professional and extremely talented and compassionate towards the bees. Love your videos. Some day I would like to start my own hive. Thanks for all of the information you provide everyone.
I absolutely love your channel! It's so interesting watching you do your job with the bees! You are so good at what you do, and like you said, I feel like the bees do except you. You are so gentle and so calm while getting them transferred over to their new homes. You do a great job, and I could sit and watch your videos all day (seriously)!!!! I'm so glad to be a new follower of yours, and thanks so much for all the explanation of what you're doing and the education of the bee's and how they all work together and what they do it's so very interesting! I just watched a video where you took a bite of the honey comb, and I was so jealous! I'd love to taste the honey straight out of their honey combs! You do an amazing job. Keep up the great work! 😋🍯🐝💛
I love hearing her speak. It calming to me. The way she says "baby bees" puts a smile on my face. I get why the bees are okay with her. I wish I could be as calm around bees as she is!!!😊 keep saving the bees. We need them.
Sharing the wax that the bees ‘shared’ with you, then ‘shared’ back to the bees. I love it! What really good work you do, Erika. I’m such a fan. I miss the bees that used to live somewhere close to me. They would come and share my tea that I made extra sweet for them. We both sipped the tea, unless they were all around the cup. This was my favorite time of every day, the bees coming to visit each day at the same time. I just opened my door and in they came. In and out, a line of bees following the lead bee, into my house, to my tea glass. They’re so soft to touch, and I always touched them when they were thick and intent on their feeding, at my house or at my mother’s house around the hummingbird feeders on the patio. But one year they didn’t show up, and they haven’t been back since. I get a little if bumble bees and occasionally I’d see a velvet ant or two. But my bee friends have been long gone. It’s been sad. I hope their new hive is safe and thriving. I really hope that someone didn’t do - I don’t want to think about that. The bees, the beeees🐝🐝🐝
A friend has 4 hives, and every September, I get to help with honey harvest. My proze for helping is good size piece of comb, and a quart of honey. We pulled 7 gallons out of the hives last time, and left plenty for the bees to winter on.
Huh. This makes me want to get a compost bin like this specifically for bees to live in. Those little holes are perfect, and it seems like a safe space for them! I wonder if I could creatively install hollow bamboo inside of it for my leafcutter bees?
Just so you know, they sell little pre-made beehive/bee houses made out of wood and bamboo at Lowes, Home Depot, and sometimes even the garden center at Walmart. They're relatively inexpensive too... I really wouldn't recommend using one of these compost tumblers as a beehive, they cost several hundred dollars and there's no guarantee the bees will even move in there
Erika's voice always soothes n calms me into a lovely state of relaxation. No wonder the bees are always calm with her, her energy probably soothes the bees into a meditation chill out state!❤😂👍🙏
This woman is absolutly amazing. Her calmness and gentleness is above and beyond! I bet she would make a wonderful wife! Well done on another day of saving the bees!!!
@@marilynrowland5197 she is definitely a wife. No way a woman that awesome doesn’t have a man. Its tough to find a good trustworthy woman who really loves for real. I have failed twice I give up. Im seeking the Lord for a wife now , it’s obvious I do not choose wisely. I hope you have a blessed Sunday Marilyn! 🙏
Glad to see you on UTUBE. I have a few hives where I live in Iowa. I love your steady way of talking and how you go about taking care of the bees and your ways of placing the comb in the frames with the rubber bands . Thanks for your way of keeping the bees safe.
So awesome 👏 they’re calm like our Slovenian native Carniolan honey bee which is known by their calmness and productiveness.. lovely 🥰 Thank you and greetings from Slovenia 🇸🇮 EU
Hi from Texas! It’s been one of my dreams is to visit Slovenia ever since I started beekeeping and read that 1 out of every 200 people in Slovenia are beekeepers! ❤️🐝
@@TexasBeeworks yep that’s true haha .. so nice to hear that Slovenia is getting known in the world of beekeeping 😄 and yes you’re very welcome to visit our country 🙏
I've got mostly carniolian bees on account of how and when I do my splits. They are very gentle. If you raise bees yourself your surviving bees tend to be carnies. Keep splitting and your bees get more and more gentle. 😉
Every one of these videos is amazing! And I'm always surprised that they don't Sting. There's definitely alot more to bees than meets the eye! It's like they can tell they're not in danger
This is really interesting, and I love watching you work. Would you ever do specific informative videos on different topics, or can you suggest someone who does? I'd love to know where you take the bees that you relocate? Do you need to take them a certain distance to prevent them returning to the old location, or is moving the queen and most of the comb sufficient? Are all the honey bees you work with the same species? Do you ever work with native bees? What are the native bees in your area, and do they form combs like the honey bees? There are so many interesting aspects, and I love the little snippets of insight that you provide in your removal videos.
8:18 “These bees were not stinging me, and it’s just my preference to scoop the bees using my hands if they will let me.” This is really amazing! When/how do you know if they won’t let you? They sting you? And if that’s how you know, do you run the risk of being stung by too many of them at once?
I love these videos. It is such an important job, and you perform your role so amazingly! I've learned so much about bees and bee care from you!! Keep up the amazing work
Anybody that comes back and is lost are older bees that will die in a week or two of old age anyway. It's not the end of the colony and that's what matters.
I've been stung before, twice, but not because I was trying to annoy the bees. I wasn't even aware they were in the areas I was in - one place was a drugstore - so I wouldn't ever consider beekeeping. I know they can sense fear. However, I love watching your videos because you are so calm, something I suspect the bees pick up on very easily. And I like that you offer some education regarding how a hive works and the jobs of individual bees. Thank you! 🐝 🐝
I love this a channel as it has given me new understanding and appreciation of bees and the important role they play in ecology. My concern however is with European bees as they have a tendency to take jobs away from the local bees, and with the tough times we are facing during the pandemic I believe this is having a heavy impact on the economy.
Out of curiosity, if you wanted to give bees in your area a home (provided you're not allergic) would a compost bin like this be a suitable thing to buy and set out specifically for them to use??
@@Exodianecross1978 🤷♂️ I’ll continue with the hornet hypothetical - they’d likely make their nest somewhere else nearby anyway if they chose a nest in that location right? That’s a geographical issue with hornets, not the compost bin. 😆 if food is nearby they’ll just make a nest in something else nearby if no compost bin. Dunno - I’m not an Arthropod expert.
@@mrbejam I can only tell you what I know through books and what my late uncle told me, a beekeeper! Bees should always live in a hive that is located in a box so that a beekeeper can take care of them. Living on their own is possible, but this makes it difficult. Bees can become sick as any other living being. Trichodes apiarius is a beetle that troubles bees more often than you can imagine, bee-killer wasps are also a curse, something a beekeeper can fight if he takes care of the hive! So in my eyes bees shouldn't live on their own, always under the protection of a beekeeper. It's still difficult enough, a swarm of wasps can be the end for a hive as well, that was a reason why my uncle stopped being a beekeeper, he was already old and after he realized that his hives were raided by wasps, who killed ALL queenbees and queenbee-larvae, he ended his work.
I haven’t seen your videos in a while. So today I poked around and found that, as usual you had run up against those who know better.., and those who thought they could do you.., only to quickly learn they’re them…. I truly miss your wonderful videos. Like you bees, they are very calming. I wish you the very best. Hope you come back. Mike
It amazes me how you can scoop them barehanded. It looks to me that your every action is done lovingly, and one thing I admire is people who really understand an animal they work with.
