Interchangeable Honeycomb! Just Swap It Out!
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- There were a few frames in the bee yard that the bees never fully drew out with honeycomb. Fortunately, I had a barn full of recently pulled supers with fully drawn comb... so I did a little transplant surgery inside the hives! Now the bees have a lot more pantry space to store food for winter. One more reason to LOVE THESE NEW HIVES!
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That was definitely easy to swap out the foundation. So, how many people will bash you this week for busting up those frames. Heh, you probably get it all. Over the Winter Jim I'm going to build one of those hives and have it set for Spring splits. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to seeing the Broodminder results from the Winter.
If you hang tight, I am planning on a build series this winter. Probably broken up into 4 parts:
1. Frames
2. Stand/bottom board/insulation
3. Exterior Cladding
4. Inner cover/lids.
It will most likely happen in January to give people plenty of time to build before next season.
@@vinofarm Latest news, build on hold. Thanks Jim.
@@vinofarm I am looking forward to this. A good friend of mine and I are going to try and keep some bees on his land next spring. I think your insulated beehives might protect them from a Texas summer as much as a New England winter.
If he had a broodminder cam with live data, I think that would be a successful channel in itself.
:)
(Sorry for suggesting more work...)
@@johnabbottphotography Haha, yes.
I just watched the overwinter setup for extreme cold from Etienne Tardif, and I thought of your hive design! So cool that you came up with that on your own by simply assessing the needs of the bees and combining that with your personal preferences. It's been great to see your hives in action this year, so thank you for the updates!
I've been watching him for a while. He influenced a couple design elements. Also, I'm re-doing the entire top part for winter after watching his latest videos. Stay tuned!
No frames were harmed in the making of this video… oh wait 😜
Ha ha. You should see the pile of destroyed frames. Imagine where the drawn comb for 80 of these mega frames came from....
The innovation from this channel is so bomb. I love following each and every year of this channel
Looking forward to seeing how the bees go through winter this year :) I have faith those bee barns will help them a lot! I’m pretty sure Maine/new Hampshire winters are way worse than Ohio’s most of the time 🥶
I am looking forward to winter! I really want to see how these hives perform. And these bees are more prepared than any bees I’ve ever kept.
Have a problem. Find a solution. That's why I love this channel. Thanks for showing. What is the next problem to solve?
That really was EASY! I'm liking your setup more and more. Have a great weekend!!
…fantastic!! YAY VinoFarm BeeBarn genius design and modular frames!! You ROCK!!
Your amazing Jim always thinking outside the box to help the girls. Love you videos
Jim, great way to solve the issue. I’m sure by cutting off the conners that it made it easier to get in. That can be hard to do in a regular medium frame when not cutting the conners, ask me how I know.
Ve4vvom v
I hereby grant you the title of: Bee Whisperer 🐝 😊
I Love that you did this for your hives that didn't have time to draw comb :)
I'll skip the title, but thanks!
I don’t keep bees, but I’ve been with you on your journey (this is my second account, I’ve been subbed on my main since 4K subscribers) and I have to say that you’ve helped me feel more confident in my own self about beekeeping one day. I’ve learned so much with you and I’m so thankful for your channel!
As a beekeeper on a budget I absolutely cringed when I watched you destroy that frame to get the drawn comb. But if it works for you then it works right!💪😎👍
Happy 🐝s!
I have about 80 of these mega sized frames. I had to destroy over 100 deep and/or medium sized frames to steal the drawn comb out of them. It was a blood bath!
@@vinofarm 😲OMG. LOL
Getting close to 100k subs, Vino! Time flies so fast! I was here when your were at 7k subs. I knew that time that your channel will get to this level because the quality of your uploads are 💯.
Fast forward to today, I still own zero hives, aside from a natural colony of stingless bees in our garden (yes, we have native stingless bees in my country). But still hoping that I'd still be able to keep Apis mellifera someday 👍😃.
I remember you!
@@vinofarm very sweet 😊
I like the way you just put it back together like lego 😁
I'm sure you already thought of this but if the bees are not using the new comb by the next inspection, it could be because the cells are inverted. The cells typically have anywhere from an 11-17 degree upward angle.
Really enjoy this channel, you and Fred Dunn are my 2 favorite hobbyist channels.
I was thinking that the whole time he was doing the replacement. I hope he kept the 'top' the 'top'. We'll find out next Video.
I've constructed about 80 of these mega frames. Almost all the comb was harvested from old deep and medium frames (I ripped apart over 100 frames this year.) I'm well aware of "top" and "bottom" when re-inserting. Don't worry about that.
Good Engineering there :)
Oh that was awesome! LOL! Another unexpected advantage for your system! Way to go!!
Jim, Nicely done. Makes me wonder if screwing in the bottom bar (and no glue) might be an even easier way to slide in drawn comb for future frames you make. Also might putting outside 90 degree L brackets on the bottom of the frames eliminate the need for those wood triangles and let you use unmodified full sheets...would also reinforce the use of screws to attach the bottoms
To be honest, screwing in the bottoms and unscrewing them in these rare instances would be way more of a hassle. The frames are so large and the foundation is so flexible that there’s plenty of wiggle room and flex in the frames to just pop in the comb. I really, really like the corner gussets. I thought about that design element a lot when I was making these. I really like that there’s no extra hardware needed for stability. There’s no sturdier shape than a triangle! These gussets are super light and add TONS of rigidity and gluing surface area to the weakest part of bee frames. I wouldn’t change a thing! (Except maybe making those blocks a little less blocky!)
Very slick.
That's great.
Good thinking
Bees draw comb based on several things, and if it is still warm enough to feed syrup then it is still warm enough to draw comb. They won't if they dont need it to store food though, and to get them drawing comb you will need more than a few little jars worth. Put a proper feeder on, like a 4 gallon ashforth, fill it with thymolised syrup and they will draw the comb to store it.
Remember, 1Lb of wax costs the bees 8Lb of sugar to make.
Or just give them an entirely drawn frame of comb, right?
I'm getting my bees to draw out comb currently with heavy feeding. I give my undrawn plastic foundations, a fresh lick of wax. The wax is just the least processed wax left over from this year, it doesn't need to be nicest wax in the world, the bees still love it. It gives my strong colonies something to do as the nights draw in.
Woo!
thanks for the update. Always enjoy following you & your videos. until next time be safe...... GO BALBOA!
I'm starting an apiary at the international school I work at in China... your videos are providing a lot of ideas for us to think about as a group of new beekeepers! Thank you for posting and we'd love to hear from you if you get the time.
Are Vermont bees generally more docile? I’ve seen comments on other videos discussing how their bees in other states like Arizona are brutally aggressive.
It looked liked your Queens left wing did not look right just my observation.
Nice to have drawn comb around! Are you thinking of switching to poly supers?
Probably not. The supers don’t need to be insulated in my situation. Those are going to be insulated lid mods for my winter configuration. Stay tuned.
Have you tried feeding pollen patties to help with drawing?
I do this in my top bar hives and my medium lang hives but i don't use foundation.
Florida bees draw comb year round!
You would have been further ahead if you would have waxed your plastic foundation then wrecking your frames 😉
The foundation WAS waxed. I sacrificed a $2 frame to harvest a completely drawn foundation and put it into a colony that immediately put it to use. Is that $2 frame more valuable sitting in my garage for the next 7 months or hanging inside an overwintering colony of live bees, filled with resources?
Gota' love it when a plan comes together.
Is any of your beeswax for sale?
Vino. I didn't see any capped honey on any of those frames. I'd recommend feeding like crazy while it's still warm. Good luck with your bees.
That is the current course of action.
I watch most of your video's, how do you spin your honey , because your frames are so large . i would like to see a video on it. ,Thank you for your time ,and teaching new ways of bee Keeping. I enjoy every videos'. please keep up the great work.
I don’t extract those frames. They are brood frames for the brood box. There are supers on top during flow times. The supers have regular medium frames that go in my extractor.
If you ever do another VinoFarm Q&A:
I'm curious as to what mindset skills you think you've gained through beekeeping?
How does beekeeping affect the way that you think? Did it make you more patient? Think ahead? Let go?
Just curious.
That is a really good question that will require some thought. It’s a bit difficult because for me, beekeeping is completely intertwined with the UA-cam experience. When I think of bees, I think of UA-cam and all the comments I’ve ever received. Everything I do is on display and scrutinized by “the internet” and that’s always the elephant in the room. 95% of the time I’m in the beeyard I have a camera pointing at me and I’m having a conversation with it while I stand alone in my field. I self narrate my experience and figure stuff out on camera. It’s kind of interesting. I’ve never stopped to think about how it’s changed my mindset. I was already very much in tune with growing food and concerned with where my food comes from. I’ve been a climate conscious tree hugger for most of my life. I’ve always appreciated nature and wildlife but I had never had “livestock” before bees. I think one of the big things that hit me early on is that honey bees aren’t “nature” and they don’t need “saving”. They are very much livestock. Not to say they don’t deserve care and respect, just that keeping bees is not the world-saving exercise it’s made out to be. I have learned a whole lot about bees, but definitely feel like there’s way more that I don’t know. I also have different goals than a lot of beekeepers. I’m not and will never make a living keeping bees. It’s a hobby and I have no interest in scaling to anything larger than where I am now. I’m not trying to be a master beekeeper or educate anyone. I just love the challenge and the chess game of it. And sharing the journey is really fun (most of the time.) I hope this isn’t coming across as if I don’t care about my bees because I totally do. I go over the top for them!
I think I’m rambling. That may have just caused more questions.
@@vinofarm
You couldn't convince me that you don't care about your bees without going on some strange and random queen-killing rampage. (And even then, I'd wonder if you were just trying to re-queen weak queens.)
Thanks for these thoughts. I'm incredibly interested in hearing more.
I feel like every hobby that we take on with a passion changes us in some way. But the parts that fascinate me the most are how they redefine our mindset. How the 'life lessons" connected with our hobbies influence how we think about the world, or just ourselves.
Certainly, beekeeping has contributed to your natural humility, evidenced by the phrase:
"I have learned a whole lot about bees, but definitely feel like there’s way more that I don’t know."
I love your discovery that you are (to a certain degree) taking care of livestock. Love the chess aspect of it, and your constant reminder to let bees be bees.
I'm always enthused to read about your desire to improve upon an old industry that has - in some ways - stayed in its old ways merely for the sake of "this is how its always been done".
I obviously love your narration and the discovery of your process as you are processing it. (Its very much like watching Adam Savage and Mythbusters in that way; right up to that point where Adam pauses to gather up what he wants to say.)
And yeah, I get that it doesn't matter if its making sour dough, or building a barn, or trying to decide on what kind of wintering you want to take part in... the internets are a rough place.
Thanks for the time you put into it.
Its very worthy to me to just hear you think, and tell the story.
cheers to helpin out the bees.
bees are going up not dovn
People who think outside the box to solve a solution will continue to push the limits of their field. That, sir, is you. Keep coming up with original ideas! Some may not work and some may, but never stop!
Thank you. A lot of beekeepers hate that I think outside the box. I can’t help it.
Where did you get your woodworking skills. This is pretty advanced stuff.
UA-cam and lots of trial and error.
Will the bees reuse a frame indefinitely? After brood emerges, will the queen refill the frame with eggs? When resources are used up over the winter, will the bees reload resources into the frames over the summer? Or, at some point, will a frame be "worn out" and need to be replaced with a new one to keep the bees happy?
They reuse cells over and over. Brood frames last 3-5 years and should be replaced after that. I usually try to rotate in 2-3 new brood frames in each hive each year so after 3 years they’ve all been replaced.
Would ya be bothered
Very cool! I'll be keeping this trick in my back pocket. A question: In the name of bee autonomy, would it be good/bad/neutral to use a hole saw and "swiss cheese" undrawn foundations? Provide them the support, but also give them more space to create their preferred cell sizes? Is uncelled plastic foundation even a thing?
I know Scott Hendricks drills out the center of his plastic foundation to give the bees the option of an easy pass through. Not sure what his bees do with it. I left those 1” gaps between foundation and it was interesting to watch them decide what to do with the space. About 75% of the gaps were straight worker comb. About 20% made drone comb. The rest was sort of a wonky combo of sizes filling the gap. About 20% of the gaps were left with pass-through areas on the edges. Most were just completely covered.
Here in the U.K. We don't have Plastic foundation. I like the idea of making up my own double depth frames. Do you have any suggestions on how it may be possible to fix wax into position ? Did you manufacture your own frames ?
Great videos. Thank you
I plan on doing a video series on how to make the frames and the full hive but that won’t be for a couple months. I made an Instagram post about the frames here: instagram.com/p/CPd8cIIHl6z/
Much appreciated
Those megaframes look about square, have you considered putting in the foundations next to each other instead of one above the other?
They would not fit the other way. Frames are about 16"x18". And I like the gap horizontal. That's where they hang queen cells.
@@vinofarm Clear, thanks
Very cool! And such a simple trick!
Great innovation to get them some drawn comb!
Oooh, a quickie. Good engineering!
Another fantasic piece of work, always impresses me about bees overall.
They did not draw the comb because they had enough for their needs. The cluster is like 9in diameter (6 frames wide). All extra frames are just a distraction. And you destroyed a good super's frame. I do not understand the logic
I destroyed over 100 regular frames to make my extra large frames. Is drawn comb more useful for these bees sitting in my barn or hanging inside their hive where they can fill it up with syrup for the winter? What is difficult to understand?
@@vinofarm I think with this deep frames the syrup should be above the 6 frame cluster not on the sides. Do you feed to have more winter bees or to draw the comb at this time of the year? I watch Sergiej Gopka videos to learn what he does to overwinter his 500+ hives in Siberia:-)
@@jackgoral8482 I feed to give the bees resources to do whatever they want to do with them. A small nuc is not likely to survive anyway, but I want to give them everything I possibly can. If they're sucking down gallons of syrup and filling frames and the queen is STILL LAYING (as of yesterday, October 7, she was) I'm not going to deny them a couple frames of drawn comb when it's simple for me to just put it in there.
@@vinofarm Looks very nice that you have enough winter bees. I looked into mine and had like 4 frames of brood 3 weeks ago in 6 frame over 6 frame setup.