Rookie mistake number 6; be careful not to leave removed burr comb fall to the ground and not picked up and removed from the site. Stray bits of wax comb may attract wax moths to lay their eggs and lure them into the hive.
Top bar beekeeper here who just hived a swarm into a Langstroth. Thanks for being willing to show your "comedy of errors"--I learned several tips. Need to turn my inner cover over--I put the notch down and while the bees are loving it I won't love all that burr comb.
One really good tip: Learn to work with bees without clumsy gloves! If you just take a little time, and extra smoke, the bees will realise you are not an amateur, and you are less likely to get stung. If you get stung, just take a moment to realise why, Did you proceed with a plan? Learn from the bees, not too many books. Second tip: ALWAYS prepare your boxes well in advance with wood preservative, such as Copper Napthanate, because the inside of a box collects an incredible amount of evaporated moisture, and that, with the heat from the bees, facilitates "dry rot" particularly in the dovetailed corners. Corners should be sanded smooth, and particularly well sealed. I always paint the inside thoroughly firstly with primer, then undercoat, then gloss enamel. Mis tinted paint can usually be bought cheaply at hardware shops, and the bees don't care what the colour is. They just like a dry, hygienic, box. Do this months ahead, and expose the boxes outdoors so the paint de odourises. Oil based paint is better than acrylic. A good box is less likely to allow spores of disease, but even more importantly, it might last 18 - 20 years, which is more economical, perhaps at the rate of $1 a year! An unpainted box may warp within only a few years. Sometimes it helps to sit a new box on top of an existing hive, until it gets the hive smell inside.
I`ve seen quite a few videos on here and you deserve a slap on the back . Your commentry was clear ,with none of the usual rambling bull that is totally incoherent without a translator ( this especially is the case for professional beekeepers trying to sell you something for a company they work for ), As for the video ,in one word, superb .Lots of detail, in focus and clear as crystal glass . I rest my case .
I enjoyed this video and watching you make mistakes. Watching experienced beekeeper videos doesn't give you the whole story and you can end up feeling like you'll never get it. When you see someone make a mistake, I believe you learn so much more. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks as well. I'm new to beekeeping and I've watched a ton of videos made by experienced beekeepers. Sometimes they talk about subjects that only experienced keepers know about so watching you point out your mistakes is a bonus for me. I've done some of the same mistakes such as taking off the inner cover straight up!!
Thanks for putting yourself out there. I have enjoyed the videos and i am learning lots from them.. I am new BK and have made a few of the same mistakes you have made and probably others. Some of the comments are pretty harsh. Learning is a process and I have not found anyone who is willing to be a mentor. Taken lots of courses and read etc but actually standing in the bee yard and trying to interpret what you are seeing when the information is all new is no easy task. Many times I have walked away and a day or too later I have figured out what was going on...I have panicked when I didn’t need to and didn’t react when I should have, cheers to next year!
Awesome comment! Thank you so much. It gives me confidence it will be okay. Figuring out the problem (or that I responded inappropriately) a day or two later is how I usually figure out all problems, lol!
They r wild animals u can kinda say this or that is right or wrong but in the end what was right today is huge mistake tomarrow just keep tryin n hope u and ur bees can come to a understanding of each other without either being hurt or 1 leaving the other[guess im tryin to say its alot like marriage 2day ur wrong n probably the next but 1 in hundredd times all will go right] Good luck n dont give up or be 2 harsh on self or bees
Careful tilting the frames too far. Had one episode of a full comb falling off and being over the medium whole contents fell into the medium. all the honey cells broke open and bees actually got drowned in the mess. I think an important thing for beginners is yes, no matter how careful you may be bees do get squished, but don't panic and just puff a little smoke over it. when you panic you'll make more mistakes. the bees will start to panic when you're panicking and if you end up squishing more and you start smelling bananas they will go bananas on you. No matter what occurs stay calm. Watch your back when lifting anything. Unless working in pairs you don't want to throw your back out way out in the middle of your apiary. Because you still have to put the hive back together before you get yourself home and if its not done proper you risk the survival of that hive to the elements. If you were hauling the second or third medium you'd either lose your honey or worse and have to spend considerable time gaining their trust again. Like hiking, tell someone when you're going out to the apiary and when you plan to be back. Those mediums only get heavier. Drones are a good sign of them getting enough to eat, and yes they get fatter it seems. Splitting is an option if overcrowding is occurring. If you haven't fed them and they're doing well with two frames of honey I'd say go for it if you have the space. The bridge combs is an indication your inner cover isn't correct in spacing. There's an important concept call Bee Space. Basically... Bee space is considered to be a distance not less than 1/4" and not bigger than 3/8". If the opening is less than 1/4" wide it'll get sealed with propolis. Bigger than 3/8" you'll get a bridge/burr comb. Its a nuisance. I don't know of a way around it.
I have watched so many beekeepers drop frames, lay frames on the ground, break comb, all these awful avoidable errors due to those bulky ill-fitting gloves...you and others have been a great example from the beginning why to never wear a suit or gloves - just a head cover (I hate stings to the face). I want to thank you and many other beekeepers for teaching me by example and convincing me how not to do it. It's been a wonderful experience this first year, learning the art of gently and quietly handling bees. There's been a few stings, it was expected. I've had worst from cats, working with roses and my berry bushes. My 10 yr old granddaughter has now learned to handle bees in the same way. Thank you.
I am not bragging and I don't why but sometime ago I stopped using gloves and the headnet. For some reason they are not attacking when I do my inspections. There's this lady that does the same thing successfully "and it's another great day for the bees".
There is so much to learn when beekeeping. I know I have made many mistakes too and will likely continue to do so. It's awesome you are willing to share your experiences!
second year beekeeper here, love what you do ;) Got a Tip aswel from my teacher. We sprinkle water over the top not much just some hand sprayer. It works great, the bee's go down and you don't need the smoker to stay on. I love it, because they don't go eat them self fat plus with the water they have water for there honey and production and they can't fly until there wings are dry. try it you love it 2, saves time and doesn't put them in alert mode. sorry for my english I'm from belgium. Keep the bee's alive! keep doing what you do and pass it on to the next generation
I've seen many bee keepers use very light mists of sugar water instead of smoke, claiming the bees are "happier". I've also read many comments saying you can kill the bees by drowning them with it:/ If I were a bee, I'd rather be misted w/ sugar water.
Thanks I have used sugar Ayer spray new frames to help stimulate wax production but for me at least I think spraying each frame both sides is impractical. At the wrong time of the season it may also promote robbing especially when doing a longer inspection. Just my opinion tho.
I've been thinking about starting beekeeping for awhile, thank you for your honest interpretation of your harvesting techniques. It's good to show the mistakes as well as the successes, it saves the learner time in the long run so I appreciate you posting this video.
The first queen cell is a supercede cell because it's in the middle of the frame. Queen cells on the bottom of frames because they are going to swarm. That hive needs divided or a second brood box added. You can coax them in to the second brood box with 50/50 sugar syrup or a frame of honey. Beautiful brood! They need A LOT to eat, hope you're feeding them! Best regards
They have plenty of room yet for the queen to lay and for bees so they aren't fixing to swarm. If the queen cells had royal jelly in them then you would need to watch closely. the cells might be from when they were in the nuc box.
@@StaCatRoo If you have no need for any queens (example another hive has an old queen that needs replaced) then yes I personally remove them. Otherwise let them get close to hatching (check more frequently, every few days) and you can help them hatch and catch them. You can carefully remove the cell from the frame, kill a queen you want to replace and give that hive the queen cell. Lots of options but if you want more hives just divide your hives, easy and best swarm prevention method.
Believe it or not, my bees got an aggressive genetics, but God! They are the best nothing comes to my hives even they never give me a good welcome, but a love them.😊
well done. the main thing yr asking the right questions, asking for supportive comments and learning. Even the experts in be keeping are still learning. Assume yr a meme of a bee club you can all for help. A Bee buddy to advise and assist plus a club which have apirary (US Bee Yard) meet ups is a great way to learn. Well done, I've been doing this for 8yrs still learning
Thanks for the video; also new beekeeper here and just finished my certification exam. Since it's fresh on my memory; your 2nd mistake was technically turning the frames horizontal with the comb parallel to the ground. That's a very good way to lose a block of brood or capped honey... especially on a hot day when the wax is soft.
@@4dhoneybee107 Allah (God) says in the Noble Quran about bees theses Quranic verses: ( And your Lord inspired the bees, saying: "Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect, Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you)." There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think)
Great video! Loved it. I know I can easily add to your mistake quota! You are really confident and gentle (with one exception) around the bees- definitely beekeeper material. It looks like you put your two frames down at your feet- I always put mine a bit out of the way- that way you don't have bees climbing up your leg! Also, an older beekeeper taught me to cover the open hive with a towel. This idea really works for me- the bees like it in the dark, and I just lift the edge of the towel up when I take out a frame.
I had supersedure cells and swarm cells in two hives this spring. Plus, I already had a swarm. Hopefully that is IT for excitement for the year for me. Thanks again for the video, and looking forward to more. Kathie
Thanks for this! I am a brand new bee keeper but I got a great tip this weekend. If you use your hive tool to push the frames toward the back of the box (just slide the tool between the top of the frame and front of the hive, it gives space where the bees will chase and trap hive beetles with propolis. Then you can squish them and kill them, whereas if you don't push the frames back, the beetles will get loose when you shift the frames during inspection as you pull the propolis with the frame without having squished the beetle "trap." I hope that makes sense!
Great video. It is very informative and well done. One thing you may want to keep in mind is to have a container for putting bee products such as burr comb, propolis, etc. This will keep the hive area clear of things which may cause robbing behavior and stuff for bee pests to feed upon.It will also allow you to collect such bee products for later processing. It does add up.
Thanks for the video. This is a good demonstration / learning experience for beginners. I would recommend to all beginners to make a plan of action before opening your hive.
Great video, I am a relatively new beekeeper and it was great to learn from your inspection what to look for (and things I might do without realizing it was a mistake!) Thanks for sharing and being willing to teach, I look forward to more of your videos.
Thanks for posting this and asking the questions many of us newbies have. My bee adventures are also a comedy(or tragedy) of errors. I learned from the video as well as the comments. Keep the videos coming!
I agree. We learn as you learn! You ask questions we want to ask. Please don't respond to the know it all's or rude comments. There's always gonna be those, and you can't change them, so don't waste time trying. Your channel is one to watch because you are willing to put yourself out there for everyone to see, including mistakes as well as successes. That takes guts, humility, and confidence. New Sub 😊
Really liking this video. Starting this year. Good to see how you move, how often you give smoke, get rid of the extra wax. Read a couple books on it but seeing it is different.
the fanning with their tails up, plus a small white area near the end of the abdomen exposed is called the Nasonov gland. is common when the hive is opened. It tells the workers and those returning this is the entrance, come here. Something has happened to the colony. A sort of regrouping alarm. Common to see when swam collecting. Tails up fanning the pheromone to collect all the colony into the swam box (new home).
Thanks for the mistakes video, very honest and I usually learn more from my or others' mistakes. Was thinking about starting a drinking game for every time I heard the word burrcomb but I realized I'd be out before the video ended.
You made me laugh when you said "I hope that's my phone buzzing and not a bee in my pants" lol Loved the video. I'm the queen bee when it comes to making mistakes with my bees. Still learning at year two. Keep the videos coming! (add a super)
I had a really good laugh at the “bee in the pants” keep up the great videos and comedy, and just occasional forget to turn off the buzzer on your phone it’s a great heart stopper, bee or phone, ho god I hope it’s the phone, ha ha ha lmao, thank you for the laughs....
very powerful hive with respect to the amount of sealed brood. From Trinidad & Tobago also a beekeeper. you should definitely add a super to that hive.
I don’t keep bees, and have no reason to be here, but I’m mesmerized. I gotta watch folks like you on YT, as I’m allergic to bee stings, so keeping isn’t a good risk for me :) The industrious nature of bees, the and amazing structures they build fascinate me. Also they’re cute and fuzzy.
I enjoyed this, and I appreciate you leaving the mistakes in. Very honest. I have never kept bees, but they have always fascinated me and I hope to do so in the future
I found this on a site dedicated to bees... Supersedure cells are often begun after the eggs are laid. The bees, knowing they need to replace the queen, begin feeding royal jelly to a young larva they have selected. They build a supersedure cell around this larva (or several larvae) and it hangs down from the face of the comb. It also said that the cell hanging from the bottom is not a supersedure cell but a swarm cell. Essentially, the bees don't have enough room in the hive, so they are creating an additional queen, not as a replacement, but as a new leader to take a swarm of bees and start a new colony. So, if you are getting one of those, you need more space. I don't raise bees, I would like to, but I have absolutely no authority whatsoever to tell you this, it is purely a regurgitation of someone else who did have the authority to talk about it.
I see there are a lot of good advice comments on the inner cover and ventilation. The bee space is a clear problem here so a flip is necessary in this cover, I would also as another super since the hive seems strong from our point of view, the bees will adapt to the added space and will move to make comb in frames. Hope this helps too. Looking forward to more videos.
Anywhere there is too much space (ideally 3/8"), your bees will build burr comb to close what they feel is too much empty space. If you turn your hive top board over so it is installed the correct way, it will leave exactly 3/8" between the top of your frames & the bottom side of the hive top cover & your bees will not only ignore this area when building comb, but it will allow proper ventilation along the top of your frames also. Great camera work on your video.
It is that top entrance that gets you in trouble. Most hives have honey in those top supers with no guard bees. Over the past 25 years, when I have been in a hurry, I have accidentally left that where bees can enter and 95% the robbing starts. Just my two cents worth.
I'm watching 4 years and 1 million plus views after upload and I appreciate you for uploading this video. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.
My hats off to you! I have never seen so many bees in all my life! I’m dizzy, nauseous and still squirming! I thought I wanted to get into beekeeping. Now I need a beer...
I was worried about that . Dont have my bees yet. Getting educated. I have a friend that showed me some of his bees and in person they were so calm. The buzz was VERY soothing! Cant wait to have my own!
it would be better if you were to bring an extra empty box to set the frames into, just in case you happen to bump into them it won't kill the bees. it also gives you more room to put the frames rather than leaning them against their box. also, you shouldn't throw the removed burrcomb near the hive, because that'll attract beetles and other unwanted guests.
Also I think experienced bee keepers make mistakes and that's how we learn, I started with 1 hive and now up to 3 its a learning curve as we go along cheers. One can learn more from the comments that anything cheers I wish you the best of luck with your bees keep on keeping on
This has been very informative! As far as Queen cells go, I'm pretty sure you always want to remove them any time you are removing burr comb unless you want to let your hive create a new queen instead of purchasing one when it is time to replace the ol' gal. From what I understand, unless she is magnificently filling frames full, you should replace her every two years. I honestly think once I get started, if my bees have a good temperament I will most likely let them make their next queen. Saves a little cash! I have also considered introducing a queen of another species for breed qualities. Swarming is always looked at as negative unless you want to repopulate your area with honey bees or you're pretty good at catching swarms for a new hive. When your hive is robust, you can consider splitting the hive yourself. Another good tip was when your first deep is full 7/10(6/8) frames, it's time to add your second deep to give the girls more room to work. This is where they store a lot of honey for the hive. Then when you want to collect for yourself once they've filled the second deep in the same manner you'll add a queen excluder and your first medium or shallow honey super. Also, always be mindful of your frame spacing so you don't squish any girls on the sides of the frames. This is all just my understanding from reading as I haven't started my own hive just yet, but I urge you to pick up some books for Winter reading! I just finished "Beekeeping for Dummies". It was very informative and quirky to boot so I had a hard time putting it down. Hope this helps! Happy keeping!
great advice given, need to split the hive or add a box and remove the lower queen cell aka (swarm cell) by the way if your not coming into the nectar season you definitely need to feed them. great job on the hives and love the videos keep them coming.
Have you watched dirt rooster yet ? Hes great . Goes and pulls wild colonies out of peoples homes and shops and mailboxes . Bee carefull you could spend a whole day watching him and his friends .
The burr combs under the inner lid may be due to a bee space (distance between the inner lid and the hive box cover) too big or too small for the bees. Bee space for the A. mellifera is between 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch. Too big or too small and the bees will bridge the gap. Try sand papering the edges of the inner lid to reduce the bee space or gluing a plastic sheet to increase the bee space and observe the space or distance with which the burr comb building stops or becomes minimal. You can do it with new inner lids and put the new inner lid in the hive box. Or if you think the bee space is too big you can cover the underside of the inner lid with PE plastic sheet so that wax won't stick to it hard.
All things considered, you did a fair job of checking the hive. With practice comes efficiency and speed. I'm sure you figured out that they definitely needed more room. One more deep on top of that one will help a lot in keeping the girls from building queen cells and all the extra burr comb. I hope they didn't swarm on you before you were able to add another body and frames to the top.
Thanks for sharing, I started my one on one beekeeping learning. And my bees be home soon. I will also share with the community my journey. Wish me luck
@@4dhoneybee107 My Bee keeping actually started as a teen in the 60's helping my dad. No internet. Dad had a bee magazine subscription and knowledge from his youth to start with. I got my first hive in 1975 and had a half dozen books about beekeeping. My ex got the bees in mid 90's but my back was giving out so I didn't really mind. When I found my first beekeeping video I was in hog heaven.
Use nitrile gloves. 2-3 pairs, a few sizes larger than your hand. Chew a pepcid ac max (famotidine 20mg) about 15-30min before inspection. The sting doesn't hurt because there's no swelling. SERIOUSLY. You feel a quick painless jab. It scares you because you expect the pain. But then you realize it doesn't hurt. You get a lot more confident. I use to look like I got in a bar fight from a single sting anywhere on my body. I got bee flu too..(felt like I had a terrible hangover the next day). But since I learned the famotidine hack.. I have NO reaction. I got stung by 43 bees in Sept 2022. I dropped a hive upside down, brood nest was wide open, in rain. I didn't have suit on. I got mauled. The famotidine saved me. I did chew a 2nd one immediately after I got stung. I ran screaming ofcource into the garage, covered in bees. Flipped the florescent overhead light on and bees (that weren't jabbing me) went straight for the light. I grabbed a can of lysol spray and doused the bees on me. They didn't like that and sorta started dying fast. I closed door to stop bees from coming in, went in garage bathroom, and started getting bees off me. I promise.. you got nothing on my fails.
Thanks. Appreciate learning a few things from a seasoned rookie. The easy mistakes and easy care tips while you were doing them made me decide to study more and maybe even start a hive box of my own. Now I feel like I can balance my education from seasoned old pros, rookies and new bee farmers and feel like I'm getting a well rounded education on the subject. Cheers!
Hi , interesting to see your video. I think the reason you have so much burr comb is because you have a 'bottom bee space' crown board (and a pretty generous one at that) AND you have a 'top bee space' above your frames . Added together this gives way more than the 8mm you need for a conventional bee space-hence the wild comb . They wont build burr comb if the space is right. Good luck and I am sure if you change the space you will reduce the comb building to nearly zero.
Bees require about 1/4-1/3" bee space any more and they build bridging comb any less and they can't get through. If you have a bigger space under your inner lid then you get a lot of comb on de lid. I think on this hive you might need another nuke box as a nest box. And then 2-3 weeks later shift to full width honey super and nest box or 2 nest boxes and a honey box, with a queen excluder That full frame of brood means your bee numbers are going up fast. Very good sign. Queen cup underneath frame means More Room please else I will be swarming soon. You could also try splitting that nuke putting the frame with the queen cells in one nuke, And the queen in the other. But that might can your honey production a little bit. But looks like your bees have plenty of resource. Judging by your nuke. Bees like to build top downwards. Put your next nest box underneath. Looking again you are already on ten frame boxes. I was thinking of 5 frame boxes in comment above. I love bees
I have 3 herniations in my lumbar and 3 compressions in my neck, which is why when I start beekeeping I have chosen to use Top Bar Langstroth extended hives! It puts everything at waist Heights!
Just ran across your video. I'm only 30 days into being a new BK. Started with a 5-frame nuc and a medium super on top of my brood box. My first inspection was at one week and I managed to get through it pretty well. I have a marked queen (courtesy of breeder Randy Oliver) and found her on the second frame. Next inspection is on this coming Saturday, which will be week 4 for the colony. I'm hoping it doesn't take me 26 minutes to do my next inspection! Thanks for sharing your second-year insights. Scott Bayles, Lake Elsinore, California
Congrats Scott that is awesome. Do not worry about how long it takes. Does not matter. Be calm and confident. You get anxious, bees get anxious. Please let me know how it goes!
@@4dhoneybee107 Actually it does matter. In early spring the brood could get chilled so you want to keep the time down as much as possible without it being just a cursory inspection.
You can build a hive stand with 16” legs and a tabletop between hives so you can have a place for your frames off the ground and ability to tip the whole deep on its side to tabletop instead of having to lift. A must for back preservation. Also, table makes storage space underneath for supplies. Queen cells should be removed and add another deep immediately or allow queen cells and split.
mistake number 5 is so funny! hahahaha! BTW, not an expert or anything (I don't even have a hive yet), but I watched a video saying that if 80% of the first box has been occupied, then it's time to add another box on top. :) Keep on posting videos. I'm loving your channel. :)
new worker cells built under bottom of frame is indicative of a young queen,also excellent brood pattern indicates same, this hive will not supersede and will not swarm if given adequate space
Not going to read all your replies but I am a use ta be bee keeper and had quite a few hives a bout 30 years ago. Lots of things have probably changed but here are my 2Cents. I was alway taught not to leave spaces larger than a bees body around the hive so I do not like your double top and you are getting a lot of comb on the bottoms of your frames so I would suspect that there is too much space down there also.. Bees like all space to be filled and as you are seeing they do a great job of doing that. I never had anywhere near the problem you had pulling off the tops.. my top set right down on the top of the box. Also it looked like you had left out the #3 frame, why? again the same problem and they will build out the cells on the adjacent frames to fill up that space. Never used or had seen that white pull out bottom but don't like the idea of attracting ants etc to the hive. Last thing, I promise, I would find a better way of building up your hives off the ground as two boards just are not giving you enough support as seen as your hive moving around while you are pulling up frames etc. As I said I have not kept bees for a number of years but I am looking to re-bee myself over the next year or so...If my back will allow...oh, oh, take off those queen cells and add another gum as those bees are getting ready to swarm.. Now I stop.
Great thanks. I have three that have each made it through winter to this point. Plan on adding two nucs and hopefully at least one split this year. Thanks for asking.
You did a great job for being a relatively new beekeeper. I had to laugh at these comments - who would have thought bee keepers could be so pushy!!? I was wondering - do you have the hives in the direct sun, or do they get any shade?
I have them on direct sun. Yes I agree somethings people give solid information but present it in a shearing way. No sweat of my back tho I take it all in.
OK. You made a couple of mistakes. I hope you realize just how helpful that is to real rookies, like me. I think you did well, considering you were not only inspecting a hive, you were also making a UA-cam video. I know I'm commenting 2 years late, but, thanks for posting this. I find it, along with the comments, were helpful.
Great video, great mistakes and great comments. It's my 3rd year; 1 observing and 1 lost hive to swarming (rookie mistake). I really appreciate your candor and these comment help me out. Thanks a bunch.
Some inner covers have a winter side and spring/summer side. I can't tell if yours are like that. The smaller bee space in spring and summer and the larger bee space for winter. Measure the depth of each side. Great videos!
That's interesting. I checked my inner covers and one side only has a 1/16'' recess and the other side has a 3/8'' recess. I think your covers are allowing to much bee space, that could explain the excessive burr comb.
Na gonna call y on that one. I have mine about 2 skids plus and 8 inch block so about 16” off the ground. It really depends on how many boxes you have on the hive and how you do the work.
Yes, remove the swarm cells. They will swarm as early as March/April in some areas and with a new nuc that isn't a good thing. Good luck on your second year! ,💓Jen
I’ve heard that removing swarm cells will do nothing because the bees will only build them again and it may prompt them to swarm earlier. I’m a rookie beekeeper though definitely not an expert
@@Killertiger2000correct, however it is VERY important to know what type of queen cells your hive is making. If they make supersedure cells that means they aren’t happy with their current queen, so you would want to remove the current queen, after you see that a new virgin has hatched. Once you find the virgin make sure only 1 hatched and smash the other cells.
@@hambone6793 yea I know the difference I was talking purely about swarm mentality of the hive but in my opinion I let them do most things on their own because if i have to do it for them then I think that’s less desirable genetics
at 7:20 on the first frame on the back, please notice the bees are starting a new queen, probably getting ready to leave or the first queen has some issues. The cell's in the middle might be empty because the bees hatched there first before the outer ones did.
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At 1:14 I heard "...this is where the ants get their free crack." I thought, whoa, lucky ants! All kidding aside, I love these videos that show what NOT to do. I don't keep bees yet but hope to in the future, and am learning all I can about beekeeping before I venture into the wonderful world of keeping and caring for honeybees. God bless!
Rookie mistake number 6; be careful not to leave removed burr comb fall to the ground and not picked up and removed from the site. Stray bits of wax comb may attract wax moths to lay their eggs and lure them into the hive.
I hear you.
True! I made this mitake and lost a hive to moths.
That sucks.
Also, burr comb is wax, which is worth up to $10/pound!!
Wow really? Who is paying that for it?
Top bar beekeeper here who just hived a swarm into a Langstroth. Thanks for being willing to show your "comedy of errors"--I learned several tips. Need to turn my inner cover over--I put the notch down and while the bees are loving it I won't love all that burr comb.
Thank Gretchen.
One really good tip: Learn to work with bees without clumsy gloves! If you just take a little time, and extra smoke, the bees will realise you are not an amateur, and you are less likely to get stung. If you get stung, just take a moment to realise why, Did you proceed with a plan? Learn from the bees, not too many books. Second tip: ALWAYS prepare your boxes well in advance with wood preservative, such as Copper Napthanate, because the inside of a box collects an incredible amount of evaporated moisture, and that, with the heat from the bees, facilitates "dry rot" particularly in the dovetailed corners. Corners should be sanded smooth, and particularly well sealed. I always paint the inside thoroughly firstly with primer, then undercoat, then gloss enamel. Mis tinted paint can usually be bought cheaply at hardware shops, and the bees don't care what the colour is. They just like a dry, hygienic, box. Do this months ahead, and expose the boxes outdoors so the paint de odourises. Oil based paint is better than acrylic. A good box is less likely to allow spores of disease, but even more importantly, it might last 18 - 20 years, which is more economical, perhaps at the rate of $1 a year! An unpainted box may warp within only a few years. Sometimes it helps to sit a new box on top of an existing hive, until it gets the hive smell inside.
Great info I dont treat at ll inside the box
My hive is covered in bee wax inside and out. I took a small torch and melted bees wax into the dovetails that had gaps.
Heat gun works great too
I`ve seen quite a few videos on here and you deserve a slap on the back . Your commentry was clear ,with none of the usual rambling bull that is totally incoherent without a translator ( this especially is the case for professional beekeepers trying to sell you something for a company they work for ), As for the video ,in one word, superb .Lots of detail, in focus and clear as crystal glass . I rest my case .
Appreciated.
it's 3am and I should be sleeping for work in the morning but i've found myself fascinated by beekeeping videos for the last couple of hours...
Bahaha good for you!
It happens haha
Yup
I do the same thing. I just caught my first wild swarm and I got myself set up after watching many hours late at night 😆
Congrats on the swarm. Good therapy.
"I hope that was my phone buzzing and not a bee in my pants..." LOL! That definitely made me laugh!
Thanks. The week before that I had a bee buzzing in a very sensitive are when o realized my fly was down. !!
I enjoyed this video and watching you make mistakes. Watching experienced beekeeper videos doesn't give you the whole story and you can end up feeling like you'll never get it. When you see someone make a mistake, I believe you learn so much more. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Theresa I appreciate it. We have to learn from our mistakes so why not from others?
Thanks as well. I'm new to beekeeping and I've watched a ton of videos made by experienced beekeepers. Sometimes they talk about subjects that only experienced keepers know about so watching you point out your mistakes is a bonus for me. I've done some of the same mistakes such as taking off the inner cover straight up!!
Good stuff
Yes! Exactly! Ty!
Np
I appreciate you sharing this. We are all learning. You seem to have an attitude that will make you a successful beekeeper.
+Moosehead appreciated
Thanks for putting yourself out there. I have enjoyed the videos and i am learning lots from them.. I am new BK and have made a few of the same mistakes you have made and probably others. Some of the comments are pretty harsh. Learning is a process and I have not found anyone who is willing to be a mentor. Taken lots of courses and read etc but actually standing in the bee yard and trying to interpret what you are seeing when the information is all new is no easy task. Many times I have walked away and a day or too later I have figured out what was going on...I have panicked when I didn’t need to and didn’t react when I should have, cheers to next year!
Awesome comment! Thank you so much. It gives me confidence it will be okay. Figuring out the problem (or that I responded inappropriately) a day or two later is how I usually figure out all problems, lol!
They r wild animals u can kinda say this or that is right or wrong but in the end what was right today is huge mistake tomarrow just keep tryin n hope u and ur bees can come to a understanding of each other without either being hurt or 1 leaving the other[guess im tryin to say its alot like marriage 2day ur wrong n probably the next but 1 in hundredd times all will go right]
Good luck n dont give up or be 2 harsh on self or bees
Great philosophy john!
Careful tilting the frames too far. Had one episode of a full comb falling off and being over the medium whole contents fell into the medium. all the honey cells broke open and bees actually got drowned in the mess.
I think an important thing for beginners is yes, no matter how careful you may be bees do get squished, but don't panic and just puff a little smoke over it. when you panic you'll make more mistakes. the bees will start to panic when you're panicking and if you end up squishing more and you start smelling bananas they will go bananas on you. No matter what occurs stay calm.
Watch your back when lifting anything. Unless working in pairs you don't want to throw your back out way out in the middle of your apiary. Because you still have to put the hive back together before you get yourself home and if its not done proper you risk the survival of that hive to the elements. If you were hauling the second or third medium you'd either lose your honey or worse and have to spend considerable time gaining their trust again. Like hiking, tell someone when you're going out to the apiary and when you plan to be back. Those mediums only get heavier.
Drones are a good sign of them getting enough to eat, and yes they get fatter it seems.
Splitting is an option if overcrowding is occurring. If you haven't fed them and they're doing well with two frames of honey I'd say go for it if you have the space.
The bridge combs is an indication your inner cover isn't correct in spacing. There's an important concept call Bee Space. Basically... Bee space is considered to be a distance not less than 1/4" and not bigger than 3/8". If the opening is less than 1/4" wide it'll get sealed with propolis. Bigger than 3/8" you'll get a bridge/burr comb. Its a nuisance. I don't know of a way around it.
I’ve always been so terrified of splitting. I have no idea why. Any good videos you recommend on proper splitting?
I have watched so many beekeepers drop frames, lay frames on the ground, break comb, all these awful avoidable errors due to those bulky ill-fitting gloves...you and others have been a great example from the beginning why to never wear a suit or gloves - just a head cover (I hate stings to the face). I want to thank you and many other beekeepers for teaching me by example and convincing me how not to do it. It's been a wonderful experience this first year, learning the art of gently and quietly handling bees. There's been a few stings, it was expected. I've had worst from cats, working with roses and my berry bushes. My 10 yr old granddaughter has now learned to handle bees in the same way. Thank you.
I am not bragging and I don't why but sometime ago I stopped using gloves and the headnet. For some reason they are not attacking when I do my inspections. There's this lady that does the same thing successfully "and it's another great day for the bees".
I have aggressive bees in Texas, from swarms, I know better.
@user-cp2sx8gp2z aggressive bees suck!
There is so much to learn when beekeeping. I know I have made many mistakes too and will likely continue to do so. It's awesome you are willing to share your experiences!
Thanks. We can definitely learn from each other.
second year beekeeper here, love what you do ;) Got a Tip aswel from my teacher.
We sprinkle water over the top not much just some hand sprayer. It works great, the bee's go down and you don't need the smoker to stay on. I love it, because they don't go eat them self fat plus with the water they have water for there honey and production and they can't fly until there wings are dry. try it you love it 2, saves time and doesn't put them in alert mode. sorry for my english I'm from belgium. Keep the bee's alive! keep doing what you do and pass it on to the next generation
+steven Biesen interesting. Never heard of that.
Better English than I, I'm from missouri.
+Bruce B I have down this. It works great.
I've seen many bee keepers use very light mists of sugar water instead of smoke, claiming the bees are "happier". I've also read many comments saying you can kill the bees by drowning them with it:/ If I were a bee, I'd rather be misted w/ sugar water.
Thanks I have used sugar Ayer spray new frames to help stimulate wax production but for me at least I think spraying each frame both sides is impractical. At the wrong time of the season it may also promote robbing especially when doing a longer inspection. Just my opinion tho.
I've been thinking about starting beekeeping for awhile, thank you for your honest interpretation of your harvesting techniques. It's good to show the mistakes as well as the successes, it saves the learner time in the long run so I appreciate you posting this video.
That’s the intent. Good luck.
you don't "do bees". it's expensive and takes work.
The first queen cell is a supercede cell because it's in the middle of the frame. Queen cells on the bottom of frames because they are going to swarm. That hive needs divided or a second brood box added. You can coax them in to the second brood box with 50/50 sugar syrup or a frame of honey. Beautiful brood! They need A LOT to eat, hope you're feeding them! Best regards
No expert but expansion seems to "bee" the need
Great video. I'm just now learning beekeeping myself. Thanks for taking the time to make video and share your information.
They have plenty of room yet for the queen to lay and for bees so they aren't fixing to swarm. If the queen cells had royal jelly in them then you would need to watch closely. the cells might be from when they were in the nuc box.
Stan Schleusener if the queen cells did have royal jelly in them, what would be the next step. Remove the cell?
@@StaCatRoo If you have no need for any queens (example another hive has an old queen that needs replaced) then yes I personally remove them. Otherwise let them get close to hatching (check more frequently, every few days) and you can help them hatch and catch them. You can carefully remove the cell from the frame, kill a queen you want to replace and give that hive the queen cell. Lots of options but if you want more hives just divide your hives, easy and best swarm prevention method.
Nothing better in life than working gentle bees on a perfect summer day.
Believe it or not, my bees got an aggressive genetics, but God! They are the best nothing comes to my hives even they never give me a good welcome, but a love them.😊
I agree with both of you. I would would choose passive over aggressive but agresive hives really produce!
well done. the main thing yr asking the right questions, asking for supportive comments and learning. Even the experts in be keeping are still learning. Assume yr a meme of a bee club you can all for help. A Bee buddy to advise and assist plus a club which have apirary (US Bee Yard) meet ups is a great way to learn. Well done, I've been doing this for 8yrs still learning
+Frodo Baker thx
Thanks for sharing and your humility, Best of luck.
Thanks for the video; also new beekeeper here and just finished my certification exam. Since it's fresh on my memory; your 2nd mistake was technically turning the frames horizontal with the comb parallel to the ground. That's a very good way to lose a block of brood or capped honey... especially on a hot day when the wax is soft.
Thanks James. That will not happen with wax or plastic frame faces. That’s only a concern where the comb is 100% built by the bees with starter comb.
Thanks for sharing. Makes me want to video my next inspection to see if I can make more mistakes than 5. ;) way to take it nice and slow.
Thx
@@4dhoneybee107
Allah (God) says in the Noble Quran about bees theses Quranic verses: ( And your Lord inspired the bees, saying: "Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect, Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you)." There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think)
@@user-td2wi4vw6r mohammed was a pedophile.
"Once they start bouncing off your head you know they're upset."
Yup. you actually hear them bouncing!
Great video! Loved it. I know I can easily add to your mistake quota! You are really confident and gentle (with one exception) around the bees- definitely beekeeper material. It looks like you put your two frames down at your feet- I always put mine a bit out of the way- that way you don't have bees climbing up your leg! Also, an older beekeeper taught me to cover the open hive with a towel. This idea really works for me- the bees like it in the dark, and I just lift the edge of the towel up when I take out a frame.
+Kathie Hogan great ideas!
+Kathie Hogan great info thx
I had supersedure cells and swarm cells in two hives this spring. Plus, I already had a swarm. Hopefully that is IT for excitement for the year for me. Thanks again for the video, and looking forward to more. Kathie
One can also learn from all the comments brilliant idea as the hive is dark. This year is my first year 1 week I pick up my bees @@kathiehogan9223
Good luck kathie
THANKS! This is the best video that I have seen doing an inspection.
Brilliant information. I just subbed. This year I am trying out the Canadian Saskatartz bees. Thank you sir.
Good luck!
Thanks for this! I am a brand new bee keeper but I got a great tip this weekend. If you use your hive tool to push the frames toward the back of the box (just slide the tool between the top of the frame and front of the hive, it gives space where the bees will chase and trap hive beetles with propolis. Then you can squish them and kill them, whereas if you don't push the frames back, the beetles will get loose when you shift the frames during inspection as you pull the propolis with the frame without having squished the beetle "trap." I hope that makes sense!
Never heard this before very interesting stuff.
Great video. It is very informative and well done. One thing you may want to keep in mind is to have a container for putting bee products such as burr comb, propolis, etc. This will keep the hive area clear of things which may cause robbing behavior and stuff for bee pests to feed upon.It will also allow you to collect such bee products for later processing. It does add up.
Great idea! I'll pick up an alien at home depot for this job right away. Go green...😂
Thank you. I'm still reading and learning about bee keeping. I learned a ton from this video.
Thanks for the video. This is a good demonstration / learning experience for beginners. I would recommend to all beginners to make a plan of action before opening your hive.
Thanks.
Everything you did wrong is everything we've all done wrong, it's a learning curve that never stops curving, great vid.
Thanks Terry
Great video, I am a relatively new beekeeper and it was great to learn from your inspection what to look for (and things I might do without realizing it was a mistake!) Thanks for sharing and being willing to teach, I look forward to more of your videos.
+Peregrine77 appreciated.
Thanks for posting this and asking the questions many of us newbies have. My bee adventures are also a comedy(or tragedy) of errors. I learned from the video as well as the comments. Keep the videos coming!
+l kaching appreciate it.
I agree. We learn as you learn! You ask questions we want to ask. Please don't respond to the know it all's or rude comments. There's always gonna be those, and you can't change them, so don't waste time trying. Your channel is one to watch because you are willing to put yourself out there for everyone to see, including mistakes as well as successes. That takes guts, humility, and confidence. New Sub 😊
Really liking this video. Starting this year. Good to see how you move, how often you give smoke, get rid of the extra wax. Read a couple books on it but seeing it is different.
I agree there are great resources on line to help you find your way.
the fanning with their tails up, plus a small white area near the end of the abdomen exposed is called the Nasonov gland. is common when the hive is opened. It tells the workers and those returning this is the entrance, come here. Something has happened to the colony. A sort of regrouping alarm. Common to see when swam collecting. Tails up fanning the pheromone to collect all the colony into the swam box (new home).
+Frodo Baker great info thx.
Thanks for the mistakes video, very honest and I usually learn more from my or others' mistakes. Was thinking about starting a drinking game for every time I heard the word burrcomb but I realized I'd be out before the video ended.
Thanks
Thanks for a great video showing how calm you are, must make a difference to keep the bees relaxed as possible.
Absolutely
Beautiful frames. Great work, bees! :-). Thanks for sharing. I love keeping my bees, too! And you're right....It's hard on the old back!!
Thank you Charlotte!
You made me laugh when you said "I hope that's my phone buzzing and not a bee in my pants" lol Loved the video. I'm the queen bee when it comes to making mistakes with my bees. Still learning at year two. Keep the videos coming! (add a super)
+Nico Dominy thx. One of my first videos featured me with my fly open and a bee buzzing its way into my pants. Not pretty!
@@4dhoneybee107 😮🙄😱🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂
Gail Stone uhhu
I had a really good laugh at the “bee in the pants” keep up the great videos and comedy, and just occasional forget to turn off the buzzer on your phone it’s a great heart stopper, bee or phone, ho god I hope it’s the phone, ha ha ha lmao, thank you for the laughs....
4dhoneybee So, don’t worry, it’s as funny as hell, lmao Again..... :)
I'm surprised you don't have a frame hanger for your hive!
Thanks for an informative video. As a 2nd year beek I've made all of your mistakes at one time, sometimes 2 or 3 times. Still, I learned.
+Jocy McCormick appreciated
very powerful hive with respect to the amount of sealed brood. From Trinidad & Tobago also a beekeeper. you should definitely add a super to that hive.
+Kerron Doodnath great thanks.
Hi, I'm from Barbados, I would love your advice on beekeeping in the Caribbean, is there another way to contact you?
I don’t keep bees, and have no reason to be here, but I’m mesmerized. I gotta watch folks like you on YT, as I’m allergic to bee stings, so keeping isn’t a good risk for me :) The industrious nature of bees, the and amazing structures they build fascinate me. Also they’re cute and fuzzy.
Hey Margarita (one of my favourite names btw) that’s great. Do you get squeamish when you watch?
4dhoneybee nah, I find them fascinating. It relaxes me to watch them actually!
Good stuff.
I enjoyed this, and I appreciate you leaving the mistakes in. Very honest. I have never kept bees, but they have always fascinated me and I hope to do so in the future
Thanks.
I found this on a site dedicated to bees... Supersedure cells are often begun after the eggs are laid. The bees, knowing they need to replace the queen, begin feeding royal jelly to a young larva they have selected. They build a supersedure cell around this larva (or several larvae) and it hangs down from the face of the comb.
It also said that the cell hanging from the bottom is not a supersedure cell but a swarm cell. Essentially, the bees don't have enough room in the hive, so they are creating an additional queen, not as a replacement, but as a new leader to take a swarm of bees and start a new colony. So, if you are getting one of those, you need more space.
I don't raise bees, I would like to, but I have absolutely no authority whatsoever to tell you this, it is purely a regurgitation of someone else who did have the authority to talk about it.
+Ben Salm this great info I appreciate the help.
Actually the existing Queen leaves with the swarm. Sometimes a new Queen leaves with another portion of the hive as well.
Yes that is the norm.
excellent as a complete newby to beekeeping (and not looking for honey production) I found this fascinating
I see there are a lot of good advice comments on the inner cover and ventilation. The bee space is a clear problem here so a flip is necessary in this cover, I would also as another super since the hive seems strong from our point of view, the bees will adapt to the added space and will move to make comb in frames. Hope this helps too. Looking forward to more videos.
Thanks William.
Nice job sir & great information, i learned a lot' thanks for sharing.....
Thanks dragon appreciate it.
I am a want-to-be bee non-keeper, Thank you for this channel! Subscribing now.
Thank you enjoy!
Anywhere there is too much space (ideally 3/8"), your bees will build burr comb to close what they feel is too much empty space. If you turn your hive top board over so it is installed the correct way, it will leave exactly 3/8" between the top of your frames & the bottom side of the hive top cover & your bees will not only ignore this area when building comb, but it will allow proper ventilation along the top of your frames also. Great camera work on your video.
Your inner cover is up side down. That is causing the burr comb and will eventually set off a robbing spree.
+David Dixon this cover can be used on both sides. One side of you want the top entrance (which I do) other side of you do not.
It is that top entrance that gets you in trouble. Most hives have honey in those top supers with no guard bees. Over the past 25 years, when I have been in a hurry, I have accidentally left that where bees can enter and 95% the robbing starts. Just my two cents worth.
+David Dixon interesting. I will keep an eye on it. They use it a ton and it can't hurt wrt ventilation.
David is right. upside down. The side you're using violates bee space.
+Matt H how exactly.
I'm watching 4 years and 1 million plus views after upload and I appreciate you for uploading this video. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.
My hats off to you! I have never seen so many bees in all my life! I’m dizzy, nauseous and still squirming! I thought I wanted to get into beekeeping. Now I need a beer...
Me too dont watch the videos just before bed!
I was worried about that . Dont have my bees yet. Getting educated. I have a friend that showed me some of his bees and in person they were so calm. The buzz was VERY soothing! Cant wait to have my own!
Good luck.
Can you add a sumary of the 5 mistakes at the video description? Thank you
it would be better if you were to bring an extra empty box to set the frames into, just in case you happen to bump into them it won't kill the bees. it also gives you more room to put the frames rather than leaning them against their box. also, you shouldn't throw the removed burrcomb near the hive, because that'll attract beetles and other unwanted guests.
+Tonya McQueen thx
I was thinking the same thing. If you drop any "waste" around, it can attract bears too
Agree.
Just watched Billy Davis's UA-cam video on his "quiet box". It's a great place to put the frames that you have taken out of the hive for inspection.
Ok going to check it out.
Also I think experienced bee keepers make mistakes and that's how we learn, I started with 1 hive and now up to 3 its a learning curve as we go along cheers. One can learn more from the comments that anything cheers I wish you the best of luck with your bees keep on keeping on
Great info Ray
Yes its time for another box. Good funny vlog.
Great video I have made those mistakes before on my bees I am a new bee keeper here in West Virginia hope all is well with you and your bees.
Love West Virginia!
This has been very informative! As far as Queen cells go, I'm pretty sure you always want to remove them any time you are removing burr comb unless you want to let your hive create a new queen instead of purchasing one when it is time to replace the ol' gal. From what I understand, unless she is magnificently filling frames full, you should replace her every two years. I honestly think once I get started, if my bees have a good temperament I will most likely let them make their next queen. Saves a little cash! I have also considered introducing a queen of another species for breed qualities. Swarming is always looked at as negative unless you want to repopulate your area with honey bees or you're pretty good at catching swarms for a new hive. When your hive is robust, you can consider splitting the hive yourself. Another good tip was when your first deep is full 7/10(6/8) frames, it's time to add your second deep to give the girls more room to work. This is where they store a lot of honey for the hive. Then when you want to collect for yourself once they've filled the second deep in the same manner you'll add a queen excluder and your first medium or shallow honey super. Also, always be mindful of your frame spacing so you don't squish any girls on the sides of the frames. This is all just my understanding from reading as I haven't started my own hive just yet, but I urge you to pick up some books for Winter reading! I just finished "Beekeeping for Dummies". It was very informative and quirky to boot so I had a hard time putting it down. Hope this helps! Happy keeping!
great advice given, need to split the hive or add a box and remove the lower queen cell aka (swarm cell) by the way if your not coming into the nectar season you definitely need to feed them. great job on the hives and love the videos keep them coming.
Great info thaanks
Your first inner cover was put on upside down. That is why the burr comb.
Yes it was, I got onto this to tell him that! Good catch on your part!
Took me 3 years to figure that out.
I have no experience or reason to be here and I'm not really sure how I started watching this beekeeping stuff, but I really find it interesting.
Those bees can be mezmorising
And that's how it all begins, lol
Yup!
Have you watched dirt rooster yet ? Hes great . Goes and pulls wild colonies out of peoples homes and shops and mailboxes . Bee carefull you could spend a whole day watching him and his friends .
The burr combs under the inner lid may be due to a bee space (distance between the inner lid and the hive box cover) too big or too small for the bees. Bee space for the A. mellifera is between 3/8 inch and 1/4 inch. Too big or too small and the bees will bridge the gap. Try sand papering the edges of the inner lid to reduce the bee space or gluing a plastic sheet to increase the bee space and observe the space or distance with which the burr comb building stops or becomes minimal. You can do it with new inner lids and put the new inner lid in the hive box. Or if you think the bee space is too big you can cover the underside of the inner lid with PE plastic sheet so that wax won't stick to it hard.
You nailed the burr comb problem on the head: bee space
Great video! Thanks from a beginner bee keeper!
ahaha cool video, you are fun guy i also like the way you take care of your bees.
All things considered, you did a fair job of checking the hive. With practice comes efficiency and speed.
I'm sure you figured out that they definitely needed more room. One more deep on top of that one will help a lot in keeping the girls from building queen cells and all the extra burr comb.
I hope they didn't swarm on you before you were able to add another body and frames to the top.
Precisely
I watched this before bed and dreamt all night about the problems you had! Bees in my pockets, missing queens, dropping things... haha
+Daniel Larson bahaha. Sorry about that!
😂🤣
Thanks for sharing, I started my one on one beekeeping learning. And my bees be home soon. I will also share with the community my journey. Wish me luck
Good Luck!
"I hope that's my phone buzzing and not a bee in my pants again". LOL 😅
Thanks for this - as a rookie I want to see the real world not the perfection of the pro!
Anything but perfection here thanks
Great job, thanks. I am doing my video studying before I try my own; hopefully next year.
There are great resources and great people on line that can help
@@4dhoneybee107 My Bee keeping actually started as a teen in the 60's helping my dad. No internet. Dad had a bee magazine subscription and knowledge from his youth to start with. I got my first hive in 1975 and had a half dozen books about beekeeping. My ex got the bees in mid 90's but my back was giving out so I didn't really mind. When I found my first beekeeping video I was in hog heaven.
Use nitrile gloves. 2-3 pairs, a few sizes larger than your hand. Chew a pepcid ac max (famotidine 20mg) about 15-30min before inspection. The sting doesn't hurt because there's no swelling. SERIOUSLY. You feel a quick painless jab. It scares you because you expect the pain. But then you realize it doesn't hurt. You get a lot more confident. I use to look like I got in a bar fight from a single sting anywhere on my body. I got bee flu too..(felt like I had a terrible hangover the next day). But since I learned the famotidine hack.. I have NO reaction. I got stung by 43 bees in Sept 2022. I dropped a hive upside down, brood nest was wide open, in rain. I didn't have suit on. I got mauled. The famotidine saved me. I did chew a 2nd one immediately after I got stung. I ran screaming ofcource into the garage, covered in bees. Flipped the florescent overhead light on and bees (that weren't jabbing me) went straight for the light. I grabbed a can of lysol spray and doused the bees on me. They didn't like that and sorta started dying fast. I closed door to stop bees from coming in, went in garage bathroom, and started getting bees off me. I promise.. you got nothing on my fails.
Definitely you need an extra super on top, well done your bees are nice & healthy
Agree thanks
Thanks. Appreciate learning a few things from a seasoned rookie. The easy mistakes and easy care tips while you were doing them made me decide to study more and maybe even start a hive box of my own. Now I feel like I can balance my education from seasoned old pros, rookies and new bee farmers and feel like I'm getting a well rounded education on the subject. Cheers!
Glad to help
Hi , interesting to see your video. I think the reason you have so much burr comb is because you have a 'bottom bee space' crown board (and a pretty generous one at that) AND you have a 'top bee space' above your frames . Added together this gives way more than the 8mm you need for a conventional bee space-hence the wild comb . They wont build burr comb if the space is right. Good luck and I am sure if you change the space you will reduce the comb building to nearly zero.
Bob Parsons is the man you need and it is only 9-15$ and always a must w the new hybrid and ALL THE MITES
Great will check it out.
Bees require about 1/4-1/3" bee space any more and they build bridging comb any less and they can't get through. If you have a bigger space under your inner lid then you get a lot of comb on de lid. I think on this hive you might need another nuke box as a nest box. And then 2-3 weeks later shift to full width honey super and nest box or 2 nest boxes and a honey box, with a queen excluder That full frame of brood means your bee numbers are going up fast. Very good sign. Queen cup underneath frame means More Room please else I will be swarming soon. You could also try splitting that nuke putting the frame with the queen cells in one nuke, And the queen in the other. But that might can your honey production a little bit. But looks like your bees have plenty of resource. Judging by your nuke. Bees like to build top downwards. Put your next nest box underneath. Looking again you are already on ten frame boxes. I was thinking of 5 frame boxes in comment above. I love bees
I have considered a nest box. Great info thanks
I have 3 herniations in my lumbar and 3 compressions in my neck, which is why when I start beekeeping I have chosen to use Top Bar Langstroth extended hives!
It puts everything at waist Heights!
Excellent point
New friend here!! I just found your channel and loving it!!
Thanks friend!
I love the change in buzz tone when they get annoyed
I don't lol!
Just ran across your video. I'm only 30 days into being a new BK. Started with a 5-frame nuc and a medium super on top of my brood box. My first inspection was at one week and I managed to get through it pretty well. I have a marked queen (courtesy of breeder Randy Oliver) and found her on the second frame. Next inspection is on this coming Saturday, which will be week 4 for the colony. I'm hoping it doesn't take me 26 minutes to do my next inspection! Thanks for sharing your second-year insights.
Scott Bayles, Lake Elsinore, California
Congrats Scott that is awesome. Do not worry about how long it takes. Does not matter. Be calm and confident. You get anxious, bees get anxious. Please let me know how it goes!
@@4dhoneybee107 Actually it does matter. In early spring the brood could get chilled so you want to keep the time down as much as possible without it being just a cursory inspection.
You can build a hive stand with 16” legs and a tabletop between hives so you can have a place for your frames off the ground and ability to tip the whole deep on its side to tabletop instead of having to lift. A must for back preservation. Also, table makes storage space underneath for supplies. Queen cells should be removed and add another deep immediately or allow queen cells and split.
brilliant!
mistake number 5 is so funny! hahahaha! BTW, not an expert or anything (I don't even have a hive yet), but I watched a video saying that if 80% of the first box has been occupied, then it's time to add another box on top. :) Keep on posting videos. I'm loving your channel. :)
+iamziano yes the 80% rule is what I go by. I'd say that box is closer 60% especially since I removed a frame of brood. Thx for the comment.
the scraping of the top cover against the tripod lol yea i found that funny as well.
+paul spuria bad day all in all.
thats not good
@4dhoneybee 1 It's only a bad day if you haven't learned anything.
Another method to clean is to place short end of one side of the frame on your shoe toe and just scrape down each side
As a child my uncle raised Bee's, I never understood why, now I know that he was a protector of earth and humans.
gold2black.
My first year at this. Thank you. Very informative for me.
Good luck suz!
new worker cells built under bottom of frame is indicative of a young queen,also excellent brood pattern indicates same, this hive will not supersede and will not swarm if given adequate space
+michael joncour thanks. Never heard that about a new queen.
Not going to read all your replies but I am a use ta be bee keeper and had quite a few hives a bout 30 years ago. Lots of things have probably changed but here are my 2Cents. I was alway taught not to leave spaces larger than a bees body around the hive so I do not like your double top and you are getting a lot of comb on the bottoms of your frames so I would suspect that there is too much space down there also.. Bees like all space to be filled and as you are seeing they do a great job of doing that. I never had anywhere near the problem you had pulling off the tops.. my top set right down on the top of the box. Also it looked like you had left out the #3 frame, why? again the same problem and they will build out the cells on the adjacent frames to fill up that space. Never used or had seen that white pull out bottom but don't like the idea of attracting ants etc to the hive. Last thing, I promise, I would find a better way of building up your hives off the ground as two boards just are not giving you enough support as seen as your hive moving around while you are pulling up frames etc. As I said I have not kept bees for a number of years but I am looking to re-bee myself over the next year or so...If my back will allow...oh, oh, take off those queen cells and add another gum as those bees are getting ready to swarm.. Now I stop.
Great advice thanks.
4dhoneybee didn't realize that this video was so old
How the hive doing now?
Great thanks. I have three that have each made it through winter to this point. Plan on adding two nucs and hopefully at least one split this year. Thanks for asking.
You did a great job for being a relatively new beekeeper. I had to laugh at these comments - who would have thought bee keepers could be so pushy!!? I was wondering - do you have the hives in the direct sun, or do they get any shade?
I have them on direct sun. Yes I agree somethings people give solid information but present it in a shearing way. No sweat of my back tho I take it all in.
OK. You made a couple of mistakes. I hope you realize just how helpful that is to real rookies, like me.
I think you did well, considering you were not only inspecting a hive, you were also making a UA-cam video.
I know I'm commenting 2 years late, but, thanks for posting this. I find it, along with the comments, were helpful.
BEAUTIFUL! Thank you.
Thank you Rita
Great video, great mistakes and great comments. It's my 3rd year; 1 observing and 1 lost hive to swarming (rookie mistake). I really appreciate your candor and these comment help me out. Thanks a bunch.
+Lesa Graber no probs. Appreciate it.
Some inner covers have a winter side and spring/summer side. I can't tell if yours are like that. The smaller bee space in spring and summer and the larger bee space for winter. Measure the depth of each side. Great videos!
+Jeffrey Rumpf i think mine are the same distance. It does have an upper entrance (vent) on one side but. It the other tho.
That's interesting. I checked my inner covers and one side only has a 1/16'' recess and the other side has a 3/8'' recess. I think your covers are allowing to much bee space, that could explain the excessive burr comb.
+Jeffrey Rumpf i will check as well.
Excellent. Thank you for your contribution.
Rookie mistake number 7:
To prevent your back from giving out, lift the beehive off the ground by using 4 cinder blocks. That way its at your height.
Na gonna call y on that one. I have mine about 2 skids plus and 8 inch block so about 16” off the ground. It really depends on how many boxes you have on the hive and how you do the work.
Should be careful raising it too high as you could then be reaching up and lifting from there.
No...that much burr comb means we are going to have a rough winter!
All my bee keeping friends are reporting the same thing!
To deal with the heaviness if you're going to keep the bee hives in one spot your best bet is to go with the horizontal beehive
Yes
LOVE, LOVE , LOVE YOUR CALMNESS WITH THE BEES YOUR REALLY GENTLE WITH THEM , THE VIDEO IS GREAT
Appreciated.
Yes, remove the swarm cells. They will swarm as early as March/April in some areas and with a new nuc that isn't a good thing. Good luck on your second year! ,💓Jen
I’ve heard that removing swarm cells will do nothing because the bees will only build them again and it may prompt them to swarm earlier. I’m a rookie beekeeper though definitely not an expert
@@xXZookeeper11 That is correct in most cases. From my experience it is very had to stop the bees from swarming once they start.
From what I get once they decide they want to swarm their gonna do it regardless of what you do
@@Killertiger2000correct, however it is VERY important to know what type of queen cells your hive is making. If they make supersedure cells that means they aren’t happy with their current queen, so you would want to remove the current queen, after you see that a new virgin has hatched. Once you find the virgin make sure only 1 hatched and smash the other cells.
@@hambone6793 yea I know the difference I was talking purely about swarm mentality of the hive but in my opinion I let them do most things on their own because if i have to do it for them then I think that’s less desirable genetics
at 7:20 on the first frame on the back, please notice the bees are starting a new queen, probably getting ready to leave or the first queen has some issues. The cell's in the middle might be empty because the bees hatched there first before the outer ones did.
Yes
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At 1:14 I heard "...this is where the ants get their free crack." I thought, whoa, lucky ants!
All kidding aside, I love these videos that show what NOT to do. I don't keep bees yet but hope to in the future, and am learning all I can about beekeeping before I venture into the wonderful world of keeping and caring for honeybees. God bless!
thanks
Your box is very overpopulated, that's why the lid was so stuck like that, you gotta give them more space
+STEVEN BURNETT thx
STEVEN BURNETT agreed
NO!