My issue with the package industry is I don't believe 3 lbs. of bees to be enough to build up enough of a new hive to survive the winter. I started beekeeping years ago. I started with 5 lb. packages. They exploded through the spring and I actually built enough comb for two deeps and produced 30 lbs. of surplus honey that year per colony. Today, try to find someone who will sell a 5 lb. package. You can't! They've been eliminated to a 3 lb. package. It's just no enough to properly build a colony to be strong. Package costs are outrageous. Build your nucs for replacement. If you need more information watch Michael Palmer. There are others on youtube that discuss the same procedure.
Great presentation. Much better than 2.5 with all the coughing. One suggestion for future presentations - repeat the questions that are asked before you answer them; makes your answer(s) easier to understand.
I am 72 years old.Going back to when I was a young boy interested in bees.Every bad thing that ever came along was deemed a crisis. Some people look at the bee and some people understand the ecology the bee lives in.Over 8000 organisms living in that box and science only knows what a hand full of them do.So many people bouncing around inside the box now and they are just repeating them selves. Sounding now like white noise. 15 years now and they are no closer to solving anything than day one. I been 0 treatment for more than 12 years and I rarely lose a hive,but to each his own ,But at least try to think outside the box,organisms are a whole new frontier folks.
Thanks for the suggestions. One more question? Instead of moving the nuc, why not just place it in the same apiary but close the entrance for 48 hours. Won't bees need to re-orient if kept closed up for a couple days? Would that not alleviate the need to move them and then bring them back?
Dave, It's possible but tricky. I use a thin paring knife to try to detailedly cut around it. Two alternative are: 1) Make a 6x6 in push-in queen cage out of #8 hardware cloth and put it over the queen cell while making sure it also covers some of the brood in the direct vicinity. This ensures any workers or other emerging queens don't kill her while also giving her attendance to feel and clean her. Here is a good link about them. www.glenn-apiaries.com/QnIntroInstr.html 2) Move that frame as well as a frame of emerging brood, a frame of pollen and a frame of honey to a nut box and move it 3 miles away 3 days. By then, they will be fateful to the new hive and they can be moved back to the original location. Hope this helps. Todd
Im not the teacher here but yes,I take queen cells off my plastic frames .Scrap as close to the plastic as you can.as long as you dont break into the cell and open it,they work just fine for splits.
Just watched again... Very good but if you live in MISSOURI NEVER put Nuc in shade unless you want them to be taken over by Small Hive Beetles starting 1st day and ABSCOND by day two or three because of SOOOO much Stress caused by the SHB. ..
Kevin McMahon not ALL nucs are 5 frame, basically he means it's called take 7 frames approved for that Hive to make it through winter so obviously you're going to have to put them in at least an eight frame or 10 logically 10.... More or less a week split will never make it they won't have time to build up so if you do a late split better make it really strong maybe you know this and just being hateful??
I agree and disagree with your comment. Bees have been mass produced for thousands of years. From clay pots to skeps to Langstroth style hives (frames). It was never an issue. The problems started with the age of mites. But even with our colonies dying every year we split hives and continue to increase our apiary sizes. It still works but is really tough. My true issue with multiple colonies apiaries is viral and bacterial disease issues.
why not just go back in few days later,shake bees put back over excluder,come back in hour make up nuc..that way u don't waste emergency queen cells plus newbeekeepers liable to miss one in corners and get their mated queen killed
