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boogerhillbee
Приєднався 27 чер 2011
Reducing moisture content in honey using a bottling tank
An easy and quick way to reduce the moisture content in honey is to blend it with low moisture content honey in a bottling tank.
Переглядів: 6 127
Відео
Making sugar syrup to feed your bees....20 gallons at a time.
Переглядів 9294 роки тому
Your beekeeping enterprise is expanding. Mixing sugar syrup to feed bees in 5 gallon pails is no longer working. Yet you aren’t ready to buy it by the tanker load. This is a relatively simple way to mix 20 gallon batches utilizing a piece of equipment you may already own….and if you don’t, you probably should.
May 20, 2020
Переглядів 1014 роки тому
Another swarm video….my apologies. It was hard to resist recording when I approached the backyard deck of my house to discover a swarm moving into some stacked boxes. Also, let me apologize for the recording quality. UA-cam has been automatically reducing the resolution of my uploaded videos to 720p...which is ok but this one ended up at 480. I need to check and see it that is a result of somet...
firsttrap2020ep2
Переглядів 374 роки тому
Episode 2 is the first inspection of the first trapped swarm four days after the capture.
firsttrap2020ep1
Переглядів 784 роки тому
This is my first trapped swarm of 2020. Episode 1 shows scouting, the swarm moving in and adding frames afterward. Episode 2 is 4 days later and the first full inspection and episode 3 is moving day.
Expectationsvsreality
Переглядів 2174 роки тому
Beginning beekeepers are frequently disappointed after their first couple of years of keeping bees. This video discusses some of the reasons why those early expectations aren't met and some ways to make the reality come closer to those expectations.
Splits
Переглядів 1455 років тому
I did a talk on July 15, 2019 at the Oglethorpe County Bee Club. The topic was early and late season splits.
emergingswarm
Переглядів 1445 років тому
In the spring of each year beekeepers become obsessed with swarming. It is a reproductive event where two thirds of the workers and the queen leave the hive to seek a new nesting site. It is a huge disappointment to the beekeeper as he/she has lost much, if not all of the honey production from that hive for the season. This short video is one of my hives swarming. You might note that I was work...
March252019
Переглядів 1635 років тому
I set out honey bee swarm traps each spring. In this video I show how I set them up and also organize the first swarm caught in one of those traps.
swarmedinspection
Переглядів 1265 років тому
Early 2019 hive inspections. This hive has swarmed already. I talk about my methods of opening a hive and removing frames.
smokerlighting
Переглядів 1685 років тому
I've had any number of beekeepers ask how I manage to light my smokers so that they remain lit. This is my method.
smokermaint
Переглядів 1855 років тому
Every year I have to remove the creosote from the top of my smoker. Otherwise the top fails to close properly and will pop open when in use. That, in turn risks dumping a load of burning pine straw inside my hives. This is how I remove that creosote.
swarmtrap1
Переглядів 1375 років тому
On March 6, 2019 I began putting out swarm traps. Although unusually early I have already seen one swarm in my hives. This is about a month earlier than usual . Also, this allows scout bees from all of the colonies in the area to find them before they begin swarm preparations.
That must be on the Upper Nantahala. Maybe up around Otter Creek Road? I don't recognize the view. I run the Paddle Inn Rafting Company on the Nantahala. I raised bees for 2 years. Had 10-12 hives. Had bad die outs over the winter and got frustrated.. Had a Feral(I think) move into my old boxes about 5 years ago.. My Mom said I was running low on Honey. (Only have 4 years worth left.. Ha..Ha.. ) I figured I would spin them up again... Lazy/unorganized bees after 5 years. Having to get them back in order, to make extra hives next spring off of them.. Peckerwoods have a sting worse than any honey bee I have ever dealt with.. I mix the Sourwood and Early honey. Makes a really good batch of goodness.. Cheers!
My beeyard is a couple of miles from the headwaters of the lake. 6+ miles down Rainbow Springs Rd. A couple of turns further. I had a big die off last year. Dead bees everywhere. Only one hive survived. I told the property owner that I couldn’t keep bees there any longer. It’s over a hundred miles each way from my home. He wants to try his hand at beekeeping. I helped him start three hives this spring. We shall see. Sadly, I am not optimistic. I don’t really think that he appreciates the level of attention and challenges in beekeeping today. We shall see.
@@boogerhillbee Yea. Its not easy sometimes.
please any one answer
Hello sir، How to dry extracted Honey?
Never bought sc but have always caught swarms with lemongrass.
I love it, wearing a Dadant hat using a Maxant bottling tank. I have a Dadant hat just like the one you're wearing but mine is very worn.
My Dadant cap is worn out too. It is funny that I never noticed the Dadant cap/Maxant tank thing.
@@boogerhillbee I had a guy a couple of years ago that offered me $50.00 for my Dadant cap. Had to tell him, sorry... it's not for sale. :-D :-D
Just wanted to say thank you for your experiment of swarm commander vs Lemongrass. We need more people like you =) enjoy!
could you clarify the amount of water to pounds of sugar ?
To make sugar syrup in my twenty five gallon bottling tank: For 1:1 I heat 12 gallons of water to about 150 degrees F and stir in 100lbs of sugar. For 2:1 I heat 9 gallons of water to 160+ and stir in 150lbs of sugar.
Three questions. 1. Do you leave the lid on during this process or do you leave it open so steam/moisture can escape? 2. So after putting in 15 gallons and running it for 1hr at 100deg then letting it sit for 24hrs, what moisture content % drop do you expect? I have one of these Maxant bottling tanks and think this would be a great use. 3. Do you use this bottling tank for wax melting? Thanks again for your answers!
Good questions. When I leave it for overnight or for any extended period with honey in it, I leave the lid on. I don’t want to encourage ants or other critters who might find themselves swimming in the honey. As soon as I think I’m ready to put it into buckets or jars, I first open the lid and inspect the underside. It isn’t uncommon for there to be condensation collected there. I dry this off with a towel. When I am trying to reduce the moisture content from high moisture honey, I blend in honey with low moisture content. The result depends on the moisture content of both and the relative quantities of each. I do a little algebra to estimate the end result but also use a refractometer to check the final product. I don’t melt wax in mine. A bit too messy for me. I have some solar wax melters that I use for my wax. Thanks for watching. Dan
@@boogerhillbee thanks for the response, i appreciate it.
So, the lemongrass oil won. If the whole purpose of this exercise was a competition between the two products, why wait until 3:25 before casually mentioning it? Very irritating!
Did you read my description of the video? Two sentences....the first states the purpose of the video.
@@boogerhillbee That is not what I meant. I knew the purpose. I was hanging on every word waiting to learn which product WON.
@@iowasenator When this video was recorded, neither had won. I was simply demonstrating my methods. I’ll save you the time and energy to look any further. By the end of swarm season, the two products tied. I don’t remember the exact number but I believe that it was 4 swarms caught with each product.
@@boogerhillbee After re-reading the posts, I was unfair to you and I apologize. At the time I viewed your video I was irritated through no fault of yours. My post was unkind. My eagerness to discover which product won set me even more on edge. I sincerely hope that you accept my apology.
@@iowasenator Of course, but no apology necessary. My videos aren’t always self-explanatory and I understand that viewers are often coming from directions that I don’t understand either. It is very kind of you to offer an apology. Not many folks are willing to rethink their posts on social media. Good luck.
Have you ever tested the honey after its been in a 5 gal bucket for a few months?
As you might guess, I use food grade buckets. Beekeepers have been storing honey in this type of container for decades. What do you suggest that I test for? Are you aware of any history of contamination?
@@boogerhillbee I use food grade buckets also was wondering if you tested mostior level after bucket has been stored for a long time.
@@desmondsimmons1436 The buckets that I use have a gasket in the cover. They seal up very well. I check the moisture content before closing them. I don’t see any way for them to collect additional moisture after they’ve been closed.
Thanks for this. I extract about 800 lbs. I put supers in a small mud room with a dehumidifier. Then I get extract when I get around to it. Maybe a week or so later. I test as I bring in just out of curiosity. I test the open cells in partially capped frames. I test completely uncapped frames. When it is extracting time of the year, I have yet to find cells of less than 18.5% when I bring them into the mud room. Yesterday I tested a frame with no cappings at all on either side. 16.5%! At least in my apiary in Mid-MD, it appears that uncapped cells are the beneficiaries of all the drying out going on all around. Just tested a bucket of honey from 2 suppers of partially-capped frames. 17.8%. I think too much is emphasis is placed on waiting until frames are 80% to 100% capped.
Actually testing is the only way to be sure. No question about it. We’ve had a nice, wet spring. Uncapped honey coming in at close to 19% isn’t a surprise. In years past I’ve seen it higher….and in other years lower. Curing it in the comb is much faster than trying to do so in a bucket, yet many people try to do that. When I bring it into the honey house, I want to extract and be done. So, for me whatever works fastest is the way I tend to go. Blending it with lower moisture honey is my preferred method so I can move on to the next yard.
I agree Dave. Too much
Dan, thanks for the video. JWP
That's the problem with purchased queens. They have not been laying for so long that they are not attractive to the bees. I can take a split that has been queenless for an hour a direct release a queen that is laying. Purchased queens are mated but have not been laying for many days before you get them. Unless you pick them up from the breeder on the day they are caught.
Why don't you make splits and raise your own queens.
There are a number of reasons that I choose to buy mated queens. First….I manage over a hundred hives….at one time two hundred….., extract, bottle, label and sell the honey I produce by myself. There are time constraints. Second….I can get mated queens by April 1. I cannot produce mated queens before late April. There is a 2 to 3 week advantage of buying mated queens. 2+ weeks makes a huge difference in how well built out the colonies’ nests are by season’s end. Third…..I’ve worked in a queen selecting operation. Having participated in such a process made me realize that I needed to choose between honey production and queen breeding. I chose honey production…..a poor economic choice to be sure. Having said that, I truly appreciate what goes into queen selection and production and believe that those who do it properly earn every penny they get. Fourth….I buy queens from a variety of breeders. I believe that genetic diversity is important. Those are probably my four biggest reasons. One day in the not distant future, when I have cut back a bit and have a handful of hives in my backyard….I may do it again. Good luck.
All the grunting and groaning sounds like me. 😉
Great to see new videos from you. I like the swarm trap videos but would also appreciate more of your general beekeeping.
Thanks. I hope to make the time to get some beekeeping videos done this spring. We shall see.
It seems like nearly every beekeeping lecture video I see the camera is set up with the speaker between the camera and the screen.
As you might imagine, it was not intentional. All the same, when I reviewed the recording, I also noticed. When I am doing a talk like this, my first priority is always the live audience. A pet peeve of mine is when I’m in the audience and the speaker spends the first 15 minutes of the scheduled talk time arranging and connecting equipment. Therefore, when I am the speaker I make sure that things are set up beforehand. Doing everything alone, it isn’t uncommon for me to overlook optimum camera position. I’m working on doing a better job.
Hello Dan, my hives swarm pretty early, most of the time I don't even realize it happened. Luckily, this year I witnessed one, they also triggered one of my other hives to swarm. I caught them both and then I made a split to prevent more. I also do thorough inspections now. I sure wish that I could put up swarm traps here, but every time I do, wasp move in. :o (
I have to shake out one of my hives. This video really helped with a lot of my questions. Thanks
I'm glad it helped!
Excellent talk. Very clear regarding differences between early and late splits. Spot on regarding the brown plastic top feeders. Nuc size works great. 10-frame size should be avoided for the reasons you state. BTW, the brown feeders have zero clearance beneath so they literally sit on top of the top bars of some of the wooden nucs I happen to use. On occasions I like to feed a small patty at the same time as I feed syrup. For those cases, I make 3/8" shims to place on top of the nuc before adding the feeder.
Thanks for the compliment and the shim idea!
I find that it is always helpful to know where the speaker is from so I can gauge his management needs to mine here in mid-MD. The speaker is from Athens, GA, I believe. Dan appears to be a month or so ahead of steps I would take in Maryland.
Hey Dan, I live in the area and would like to get into hobby bee keeping (building a house now so would want to start next spring more than likely) . Any farms or people you would recommend seeking out in the Madison county area? Looking for a little guidance
I’m not sure what you are looking for. Guidance with regard to house building, farming or beekeeping?
@@boogerhillbee Sorry yes bee keeping. Just would like to get more familiar with everything. Would like to start 2 new hives spring 2020
@@ArcherHHS There are three local groups, any of which would allow you to network with local beekeepers. The Madison County Beekeepers meets in Danielsville, the Oglethorpe Bee Club meets in Crawford and the Eastern Piedmont Beekeepers meets in the Pharmacy building on the UGA campus.
Grab a metal bucket and start tanging. They will come back! Here I am tanging last year: ua-cam.com/video/BJg5Xk3PZfk/v-deo.html
Do one with Emma,Reagan,Gabe, and Avery.Do a video with us please the next time?
I'd love to.
Hey Grampa it’s me Gabe we have been watching all of the videos.👌🏻
Before I forget what are you using this year for a lure ? swarm commander or lemon grass oil!
Lemon grass oil. Last year I caught exactly the same number of swarms with swarm commander and lemon grass oil. I don't see any difference between them.....except price.
I always used lemongrass oil but a buddy last year used swarm commander! Neither one of us caught a swarm but verroa mightsall but destroyed the feral bee population in Kentucky last year
Good catch Dan!
Thanks
What kind of management do you use for swarm prevention? If you are correct that most of them are coming from your hives it seems like you have allot of swarms.
Excellent tips and explanations! Thanks. I use a cart like yours. Glad to see you are using a deep as a platform to place deeps on. Instead of building a platform, I use the cart to place deeps on. It is a bit higher. Really saves my back. I try to never have to bend over when removing those heavy deeps and looking for a place to put them. I'm 70, but young beekeepers take note! Build platforms or use rolling carts when removing heavy boxes to help prevent back issues.
I’m 68 and know what you’re saying…especially about backs.
How did you get that smoker so dented?
Ha! That old smoker has been through the mill. Heaven only knows how many times it has taken a tumble and had a bad landing.
Nice catch Dan!
Thanks. It's much better to catch one of your own than to lose it, yet I hope swarm season hasn't started yet or mine will all be in the trees before I do anything to stop them.
Thanks, Dan. Good basic beginner info.
Monitor and treat when necessary. I use Minnesota Hygienic queens that are very adapt at killing varroa. I can always tell when a brood hatch has occurred because I will see an increase in varroa bodies on my sticky boards. I do alcohol wash 3 times a year. My bees haven't been treated in 2 years because they have yet to reach treatment thresh holds. Here in South Louisiana I have brood year round.
We pretty much have brood year round here. Alcohol washes are the most accurate method of testing. By the end of the season my washes are ALWAYS far above any acceptable threshold. At that same time parasitic mite syndrome is evident in most of the hives. I don’t always see dwv. If I treat in August/September using a proven effective method (typically Apiguard or Apivar) and a single oav in December my overwinter losses are practically nil. In evaluating treatments, I have treated and at the same time placed real sticky sheets on my bottom boards. On those occasions it is not uncommon to see more than two thousand mites drop in a matter of days. I have gotten any number of highly selected queens over the years. Even today I am buying vsh queens. I have yet to find any that confer enough mite resistance to allow for good vigor and long term survival without treatment. I hope yours continue to work for you. You might note that during the lecture I told the students that we would be testing during our August beeyard workshop. I also mentioned that typically less than half of the students attend that very important lesson. By then, they’ve had their bees for a few months and often believe that they have it under control. Within a few years….they are beeless.
@@boogerhillbee Great video and information. I find I have to be kind of obsessive about treating to stay on top of this. I also do OAV twice in December and last year I did OAV on splits in June then Apivar in July/August but still lost 1 out of 9 hives from the diseases mites spread. I first will notice like I did this year bees crawling on the ground in front of a group of hives. Crawlers I call them and if you pick one up it can't fly will just fall back to the ground from the DWV or what not. When I see that usually it is to late. I have been considering 3 rounds of treatments next year OAV in winter, Apivar in early July as soon as I pull honey supers and split, then Apiguard on Sept 1 when it is cool enough to do so. Not sure if that is being too aggressive or not but I may try it on a few hives at least as an experiment. The problem now seems to be even a very few mites can kill a hive with the viruses much easier than a few years back. Maybe that is because we are knocking the mites down better so the remaining ones are more lethal I am not sure.
@@akbeal No question about it, varroa are relentless! Consequently we must be equally relentless. I still do a round of Apivar or Apiguard following honey harvest each year. I am doing my midwinter oav treatments as I speak. I hope to do most yards twice this month. I told myself a few years ago that if I had to treat three times a season I would stop keeping bees. The jury is still out. I expect that the regimen that you are following will work pretty well.
I thought the dark color came from the cocoon that is left over after each bee is hatched. The layers of cocoons become darker and darker. The comb holes also get smaller and smaller until the queen will not be able to lay in that comb at all. This is one of the reasons you should replace brood comb every 2 - 5 years. This from Honeybeesuite, "The cocoons that remain in the cell after the bees hatch are the major problem. The cocoons are extremely sticky and, try as they might, the bees cannot strip it all from the comb. Some say the darkness is caused by the feces that remains in the bottom of the cocoons. Although this may be partially true, based on what I’ve read, the bees manage to remove most-if not all-of the feces as they prepare the cell for the next generation".
I think there is some of each. When the larva is growing….and there is no cocoon….that larva excretes waste, much of which is absorbed by the wax. The accumulation of cocoons surely also adds to the color of the comb. If you ever try to render wax from brood comb, you can easily filter out the old cocoons but the wax will still be a much different color than that rendered from pristine comb. As a lecture to a group of aspiring beekeepers there is a limit to the amount of detail I can include. Otherwise, instead of six hours of talking….it would go on forever. And the amount of important information would get lost in the enormity of information.
Even honeycomb wax will be colored when render and this thought to be fro m the bees walking on the wax.
@@privatebubba8876Did you see my candlemaking video? Did that wax look tainted?
@@boogerhillbee Sorry I haven't.
@@boogerhillbee I have to disagree, only the first egg is laid on bare wax that would have it's waste soak into the wax. Every other generation the egg is laid in the resulting cocoons of the generation before them. The workers can not remove the cocoons. Their waste will not soak through the cocoons left in the comb. Propolis, pollen and other dirt also contributes to the darkening of the wax. So waste from larva would be minuscule at best .
So what happened?
Show the results.
My apologies. I was sure that I had answered this in a later video but actually only put it in the text of a June 11, 2018 video. That video is here ua-cam.com/video/62N5HOjlB94/v-deo.html The text from that video: For the record I’ve caught 10 swarms in these four traps this season. 5 with traps baited using Swarm Commander (SC) and 5 using lemon grass oil(lgo). All four traps are within a few feet of each other. Interesting is the fact that the two traps facing south caught 8….3 in the SC trap and 5 in the lgo trap. 2 more were caught in the west facing sc trap and 0 in the east facing lgo trap. My take away is that lgo is at least as effective as SC in my trial. Second that location may be important but the direction the entrance faces is also important.
Hey Dan, good to see you again. I've missed your vids. Love those candles, where can I buy some?
Thanks! The last few months have been pretty hectic. I have a bit of recorded material but haven't had the time to edit any. Recording is easy. Editing is tedious.The only place I sell candles is at the Athens Farmers Market in Athens, GA.
Hi grandpa
Hi Gabe.
Thanks for another great video. I also use the yard wagon. What a labor savor being able to haul lots of items around from hive to hive. I place two deeps side-by-side into the wagon in order to make an elevated platform onto which I can place the heavy boxes. Doing so really saves my back since I can merely squat and quickly place the box down without having to bend over. With you being so tall, it might be beneficially for you to give that a try. Can you tell me where you got your bee veil?
Thanks for this vid! Do you super up only one super at a time? Don't the bees need more than one super put on when the flow starts in order to spread the nectar around for drying purposes before condensing it down into a smaller space for capping?
One at a time. I know other beekeepers who put on multiples but I don't have a lot of extra drawn comb so I want to be sure to put it where it'll get used.
Yes you’re right 2:18, nice queen
Saw the queen at 2:23
I see her at about 2:18...our timers must be different as at 2:23 on my display I am looking at the tops of frames. She is a beauty.
You need to add electrolyte replacement to your water, 1 32 oz. bottle with electrolyte and then 2 32.oz bottles of plain water. I use a mix called Eletro Mix distributed by Alacer Corp available on amazon. It's sodium free, Sugar Free and gluten free. It uses Stevia leaf extract as the last ingredient in the mix. It replaces the potassium, magnesium and calcium which protects the heart in high heat and stress situations. Staying properly hydrated is a must for us older distinguished gentlemen.
I'll surely look at it. Thanks!
Hi Dan. Great vid, thank you. I have one question. I've been feeding my 2 hives 1:1 syrup for a couple of weeks. I did an inspection the other day and, one of the hives is just loaded with what looks like nectar but, I'm thinking they are stashing the syrup. I was told by someone that bees don't stash 1:1, because it is too thin, only 2:1. Is that true? Thanks.
Bees will store either 1:1 or 2:1. 1:1 is actually more concentrated than natural nectars and they certainly store that. The biggest difference in the two concentrations, in my opinion, is that once it is placed in the comb it takes longer for the bees to ‘cure’ the 1:1.
Thanks Dan, that's a big help to know.
From fast and furious to dead calm. I didn't realize your foraging season was so short. here in Baton Rouge my hives are in a frenzy putting away nectar and pollen and they started in March. But from all the supers I see you had a productive season. I enjoy your videos very much. Thanks for posting them.
It was an exceptional season. And we will get a bit more, just not enough to qualify as a flow. Pollen comes in almost year round. I can walk into a beeyard and tell when the flow is on. It truly is a frenzy. I appreciate you kind comments. I hope your season goes well.
Late season swarm! We are just getting going!
I’m guessing that you are a bit north of me. The season here has been exceptional so far. I hope yours is as well.
boogerhillbee thank you. Yes I am north of you and we are very late this year. Please keep the videos y coming.
Looks like you started a gang war..lol.
Yet for all the rukus I walked amongst them with lots of exposed skin and didn’t get a single sting. Instead of triggering a defensive response, I think that shaking them out like I do only causes a great deal of confusion. Which is what we are seeing.
I had a dog once that got snake bit every spring. He’d swell up and be sick for a couple of days then go about his business. After that first bite each year he’d remember to stay away from snakes…for the remainder of that season. Then the next year he’d do it all over again. I’m a bit like that dog. Every year I encounter something that should be attended to but I put it off. And then there are consequences. And then I remember the lesson and I’m good for the rest of the year…..I hope.
Lesson learned. Your humility is refreshing Sir.
Great video, most new beekeepers have never seen SHB larvae. These boogers drop from the hive and pupate in the ground. I use screened bottom boards with trays that I made filled with Diatomaceous Earth. I saw a few SHB in 2 nucs I got this year and have found 20 or so in the 2 hives trays but have yet to see one in the hive it's self. I also put beetle baffles in the hives. So far so good this season.
Good luck. Here and south of here they can be pretty awful. A queenless hive is a sure recipe for disaster.