Transferring Double Nucleus Colonies
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- Опубліковано 27 лис 2024
- Paul Kelly, research and apiary manager, and David Stotesbury, apiary assistant, explain how to transfer double nucleus colonies.
Frequently asked questions: hbrc.ca/faq/
A descriptive transcript is available here: www.uoguelph.c...
For more videos, check out the University of Guelph's Honey Bee Research Centre youtube channel at this link:
/ @uoghoneybeeresearchce...
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We would like to thank Québec beekeepers Marie-Hélène Majeau and Susan Kennerknecht for translating our videos into French. We are very grateful for their help with this project. (To view translation, click on settings then subtitles)
Nous aimerions remercier deux apicultrices du Québec, Marie-Hélène Majeau et Susan Kennerknecht pour la traduction de ces vidéos en français. Nous leur en sommes très reconnaissants. (Pour accéder à la traduction française, sélectionnez paramètres et ensuite sous-titres)
Thank you to everyone for watching and supporting our videos! If you have any questions about our videos, please check out our list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS on our website, which can be found at honeybee.uoguelph.ca/videos/frequently-asked-questions/
UoG Honey Bee Research Centre Sr I want to tell you that I been watching a lot of bee videos for like 6 years. But never see someone with so many bees and good brood on the frames. Congratulations Im bless to cross with you channel. I’m you subscriber now. Thanks for share you hard work
Love the videos,watch the same ones at least 3 times. Always picking something up. Thanks,Chris
Glad you like them. Thanks for the encouragement!
What has happened to you guys?!?!? No new vids since 2016...You were one of the best bee channels on YT...
Hi Brent
Nice to hear you missed us! We are planning to do twenty new videos this summer.
Missed is an understatement...That's fantastic news, thank you very much...so glad to hear it. I'll be watching intently. Hope you all have a great 2018 honey season!
I have not forgotten you guys, how's it going up there? We're having a fantastic season for bees down here in Missouri and Kansas.
GREAT REALLY REALLY GREAT, THE MOVEMENT ,THE SENCE CONFIEDENT
REALLY EDUCATIONAL AND FUN
THANKS APPRECIATED
Really educational and fun
Thanks Mohamed! We appreciate your encouragement.
please make new videos it's the best bee channel on youtube
Thanks BG
We do hope to make more this summer. Glad you find them helpful.
I second that and I've watched thousands of hours on bees
Will Paul be making more videos as the seasons starts to kick off this year? This is my favorite bee channel but I need more!
Thanks again bigsky14
We will be doing some more videos this year but not as many as last year. We had $ from a crowdfunding campaign last year.
Just to clarify, when you say that the entrances should face the same way, you mean that if the entrance of the half of the double nuc that you are working on is facing east, then the entrance of the full size box should also face east.
The way you presented it, there is a possibility that you meant that the entrances should face the same way, as in facing each other.
Thanks in advance.
Hi TK
You are right that could have been said more clearly. Entrances should be facing as they were originally.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Thanks
Can you guys make a over wintering indoors video?
Hi Joe
We filmed one last winter so should have it posted by the fall.
why do you capture the queen instead of just leaving her on the frame?great videos thank you
To keep her safe and to know where she is. You are most welcome.
Hi Paul & Dave,
Thanks for sharing this video, it's always interesting to see how other beekeepers manage their bees. I wish my bees would allow me to work without a beesuit & veil!
A question relating to disease prevention, the new boxes don't appear to be cleaned and scorched out and Dave talks about adding a frame of honey from a dead hive. Do you not worry about the chance of cross contamination between colonies? After all the hard work of bringing the nuc on so well I would be terrified of possibly transferring disease and losing a hive. This is not a criticism as you obviously know what you are doing, just interested in your views.
Thanks
Stewart
Hi Stewart Thanks for your comments. In North America we have a different outlook on dealing with comb and equipment than I've noticed in Europe. We are less concerned about transferring frames and only scorch hives if they get American Foulbrood. We should probably replace our combs sooner like you folks do. With our bees, we haven't had an AFB problem in over 30 years but we are allowed to use antibiotics prophylactically in spring and fall when robbing is a potential cause of disease transmission. We do thoroughly inspect frames for AFB before reusing them.
Thanks for the reply.
I try to replace all frames in a colony within three years replacing, approx. 1/3rd every year. I feel this helps keep diseases such as nosema at low levels and also helps with other less significant potential risks. Here in the UK we have stopped using antibiotics in all but a few cases of EFB where Official gov. bee inspectors believe that a colony may be helped through the winter and then benefit from a shook swarm in the Spring. Personally I destroy any colony with EFB and it is a statutory requirement to destroy all AFB cases.
I would worry that antibiotics are used prophylactically resulting in the potential for resistance to be allowed to develop, I believe this is why antibiotics such as fumidil B are no longer permitted legally in the UK.
Finally, I'm enjoying the videos, always something to learn, keep them coming.
Best wishes for 2017
Stewart
Hi Stewart
Those are all excellent proactive disease control measures. Thanks for sharing. All the best for you and your bees in 2017 too!
Hi. Thanks for the great videos, can't wait to see the one on indoor over-wintering you mentioned below. When were these nucs created last year?
Thanks Thomas
We make up the double nucs in June
He seemed very rough (carelessly?) with the bees compared to others. Ex: Blindly and quickly moving occupied frames over with another frame, quickly flapping the canvas down on top of bees after finished. Is that advisable, or does it matter? Asking respectfully. . . .
Yes Dave moves a bit faster than me. He's now a commercial beekeeper with his own bee business
Hello. At the start of the video, Paul is sitting on some kind of bee hive seat. Do you have a good picture of the seat? Also, do you know where I can find plans so I can make one? I appreciate your videos.
Hi Molsen35
Please send me an email me at pgkelly@uoguelph.ca so I can send plans and pictures. NIce to hear you appreciate the videos. Thanks.
When you put the lid on top of the canvas cover does it not squash the bees if there is no space available for them? Do you have any ventilation problems with no vets up the top? Thank you for helping all our learning about bees, still so much to learn.
Hi Julie
With the bee space provided between the top of the frames and the top of the box there is a bit of space between the inner cover and lid. As long as there are no bees on top of the inner cover the bees aren't harmed. Because the cloth is soft they can wriggle out from under it quickly if they feel any pressure. We provide an upper entrance with a 7/8" hole drilled in the brood chamber. You can see what I mean in the video. We don't provide any ventilation or entrance above the queen excluder so as to prevent pollen storage in the honey supers. The hives do fine with this set up in our climate.
You are quite welcome Julie. Enjoy the learning curve - always something new to discover. :)
Why do you need to catch and cage the queen if you already know she's going into the hive where the rest of the colony is going?
Hi Andrew
We cage the queen to keep her as safe as possible. That way we can move all the frames around and insert them all into the boxes before releasing her. It's certainly not mandatory.
I was quite surprised to see you using dirty frames and foundation, and that you used old frames from colonies that had died. I am new to beekeeping and I have been taught to use clean frames and replace wax regularly so as not to transfer disease.
Hi Deborah
Comb gets dark quickly. You'll see that in time. We do replace comb but standards are different in some regions.
Hi Paul
When overwintering, do the bees go through on just the bottom 5 frames or do you add another super of honey above? I am assuming you have a 4-5 months of winter?
Also interested in how your overwinter indoors ?
Thx again for your help and advice
Hi Duncan
Thanks for checking in again. Your questions will help others too. We winter the double nucs without supers so each nuc winters with only 5 frames. It's hard to believe how heavy these double nucs are after we feed them! We'll be filming a video on indoor overwintering in March. You are right about the duration of our winter.
UoG Honey Bee Research Centre Much appreciated Paul. I belong to several beekeeping groups on Facebook and have referenced your videos several times, when answering questions. Thank you again and I am very much looking forward to seeing more in the spring. All the best from the UK
Thanks for sharing the videos across the pond Duncan.
Do you ever use a feeder with sugar syrup (2:1 or 1:1 depending on local climate) instead of frames of honey for the two nascent colonies?
Hi Charles
No we don't feed as there are usually adequate honey stores available. It could help though in some situations.
I notice you seem to not mind using plastic frames and foundation. I like the premise of it but I've had mixed results. I've had some trouble with my bees wanting to build comb in it crossways from one frame to the next and also layering their comb just off the foundation in spots. Any suggestions?
In 10 frame brood chambers the frames are close enough that you don't get much bridge comb on new frames. I only add one or two to the brood chambers each year though. In 9 frame honey supers I alternate drawn and undrawn frames to get the comb built.
Yeah that's what I've started doing this spring and it seems to have helped a lot. Thanks for the reply.
What is the material you use for the inner cover?
18Oz. canvas. Please see our FAQ link posted under each video for more.
great videos. just wondering where yall get the belt holsters for your hive tool and such? thanks
I make them and sell them. Ship anywhere. email pgkelly48@gmail.com
Thanks AlonzoHoney Farm!
UoG Honey Bee Research Centre oh cool. I sent you an email about them.
I didn't get your email Alonzo
UoG Honey Bee Research Centre it would have been from bdement87@yahoo.com I'll try and send it again
Hey UoG HBRC, I was just wondering if one of your suppliers was propolis etc.
Yes. We deal with a number of suppliers. Propolis etc is one that has an outlet right here in Guelph.
Can you pull the mated queens and raise a new pair of queens while they are supering in common?
Hi Johnathon
No. The two sides can only be supered in common when they each have laying queens.
Thanks for the reply. My gut told me that it would not work.
Hi Thank you for your great videos helps me a lot.When do you move the upper breed box away from the bottom one and how far are you moving it away from its original spot. Thanks in advance. Trying to keep bees in Finland
Hi Erwin in Finland
It would have been better if we described what we do with the transferred nucs. After letting them settle into their new homes for about a week, so they can secure the frames in place, we move them at night to other apiaries 3Km or more away. You could move the colony anywhere in the original apiary but you lose some of the bees back to the first location. I think beekeepers should have more than 1 location for this and other reasons.
I'm glad you find the videos helpful Erwin.
Thanks
Hi Paul! What material do you recommend for inner cover?
Hi Mfanelo
Please see our FAQ #! below. We'll post a video this winter that covers this topic.
1. Why do we use canvas for the hive inner cover? A: We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas -otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by in Ontario, but it is available from online distributors (US: www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html, Canada www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html). Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavy weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half.
2. Why do we use single brood chambers? A: Our preference is to keep hives in single brood chambers. We use queen excluders above the brood chamber and then add supers. We produce bigger crops managing our hives in singles vs doubles and we find the hive management much easier. It's become quite common here, especially over the last twenty years. We will be making a video about single brood chambers soon!
3. Are our queens for sale? A: We sell some queens but don't export. To contact us about our queens, please email us at infohbrc@uoguelph.ca. Our Buckfast collaborators also sell queens: Munro Honey www.munrohoney.com/ (for CAN sales) and Ferguson Apiaries fergusonapiaries.on.ca/ (for CAN and US sales). .
4. What breed of honeybee do we use? A: We work with Buckfast bees. Check out our website if you would like to learn more about them: www.uoguelph.ca/honeybee/breeding.shtml
5. Will we be making any more videos? A: Yes! We are looking forward to creating more videos for our UA-cam channel this year! Here are some of the topics we will be covering: Working with single brood chambers, indoor overwintering.
6.How do you overwinter double nucleus colonies? A: At the University of Guelph, we winter our double nucleus colonies indoors. You can also winter them outdoors by wrapping two double nucs together with insulation on the sides and top.
7. Are double nucleus colonies prone to swarming? A: With a young queen and the supers above we don't have any problem with these nucs swarming in the first year. We do have to transfer them into a full size box early enough the following spring to prevent swarming.
8. Do we add a frame of pollen or honey into a new split? A: Ideally you add both pollen and honey. Of the two, honey is the most important.
9. Where to purchase some of the products that we use: Coveralls: We really like these Dickies all cotton coveralls. www.dickies.com/coveralls-overalls/deluxe-cotton-coverall/48700.html?dwvar_48700_color=GY#start=3. We use two sided velcro to strap up the wrists and usually tuck the legs into our socks. Plastic Queen cages: Mann Lake and their Canadian distributors sell these and they are made by the French company Nicot. www.mannlakeltd.com/hair-roller-cages. I use a wooden plug on the bottom and screw it in place with a #4 screw after pre drilling. Grafting microscope: www.amscope.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=gooseneck+binocular Mini/mating nucleus boxes: Mann Lake (US) and their Canadian distributors sell these. They are originally from Europe so are widely available there. www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/hive-colony-maintenance/queen-rearing/nuc-boxes Queen Pheromone: The pheromone strips were developed here in Canada. They are called Tempqueen and are made by Intko Supply Ltd.Suite 604, 3345 Kingsway VANCOUVER, BC, V5R 0A7 Canada +1 (604) 356-7393. pheromonesupply@gmail.com. Mann Lake in the US and several Canadian bee supply companies carry them. Bee belt and bulk bee box: Our apiary manager Paul Kelly manufactures the Bee Belts and bulk bee box. If you are interested in more information, please email him at pgkelly48@gmail.com.
10. Should you remove any queen cells in a colony before introducing a new queen in a cage? A: Yes, you should remove the queen cells. Look very carefully to make sure you don't miss one. Shake the bees off each frame to make sure you can see them all. Accepted queens are sometimes killed by virgins that emerge from queen cells.
11. Can you make a split without adding a mated queen/can a split raise their own queen? A: A split can raise their own queen (if they have eggs), but you'd be better off buying a mated or queen cell from a local bee breeder. Queens raised by a split are reared under the worst possible conditions, are physiologically inferior, and you aren't taking the opportunity to improve your hive genetics. For a number of reasons, colonies get more aggressive if we let splits raise their own queens. We always use queen cells that we have reared from breeder colonies so we can maintain and improve our genetics. Cells found in hives can be poorly reared if conditions aren't good or if you use swarm cells you are unintentionally breeding for swarming behavior.
12. How often do we check for swarm cells? A: We check for queen cells only in colonies that are stronger based on our ratings as described in our “Swarm Control” video. We only do this at the time of year bees are prone to swarming (ie just before the main summer nectar flow). In some colonies, we check twice, a week apart, if we have the time and we've found cells in them previously. We stop looking once the nectar flow gets going and the time for swarm preparation has passed.
13. How old is a queen when we replace her? A: We re-queen if a queen isn't doing well or when she is in her third year.
14. How often should you be stung to lessen the chances of developing anaphylactic reactions? A: Please speak with an allergist if you have any concerns regarding bee sting reactions. You don’t need that many stings to build an immunity and reduce your chance of developing an allergy. However, reactions can be very different from one individual to the next. For about three years after starting beekeeping you swell more in the spring when the bee season starts. After that most people don't swell up much at all. Some beekeepers apply stings through the winter to keep building immunity.
15. What do we use as candy for the queen cages? A: You can make the candy using honey and icing sugar but the candy you see in the tubes in our videos are purchased with the cages from Mann Lake beekeeping supplies and their Canadian distributors. In our province, it's not legal to use honey in queen candy if you are distributing queens. Honey can contain American Foulbrood spores. A specialized, non-drying, sugar syrup (Nulomoline invert sugar) can be used instead of the honey. In any case the candy must be made dry enough that it's crumbly.
16. How do we make pollen patties? A: The patty is made from pollen we collect using a pollen trap. We mix the pollen pellets with sugar syrup to a dough like consistency, form the patties between layers of wax paper and then keep them frozen until they are needed. They will keep for several months frozen.
17. How do we make our grafting bars? A: We cut the wood pieces and attach them to the graft bar with liquid beeswax. We then attach the cups with liquid wax. In both cases the liquid wax is applied with a syringe. Previously, we made the wax cups but now buy them from www.kelleybees.com/.
18. Do we move full honey supers to the top of the stack so the bees can fill the lower ones? A: Some beekeepers do shuffle the supers around and do what's called bottom supering. We place supers back on in the original order and only add new supers on top (top supering). That way it's easier to see when the bees need more space. The bees also ripen the honey before moving up. We sometimes harvest full lower supers and put the top ones that aren't full back on in the original order.
19. Do we ever add brood frames to the cell builder colonies to keep their populations high? A: We do add other frames of sealed brood and sometimes we shake in more young bees from brood frames to boost the hives. About once every three weeks we'll boost the hives in one way or another.
20. How do you level hive stands? A: We level the hive stands periodically with pressure treated wood shims. If the hives are already on the stands, we use a hardwood pry bar and a brick fulcrum to lift each end for shimming.
Hi guys, is it possible to speak slowly English because we re their some English speakers,shukran(thanks) to every single and help. You re doing a great job. Thumps up.
Hello, what kind of canvas is to put the hive off?
Why do we use canvas for the hive inner cover?
A: We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas -otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by in Ontario, but it is available from online distributors (US: www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html, Canada www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html). Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavy weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half.
I notice you don't seem to do any housekeeping in your hives. By that I mean you don't remove burr comb on the tops of the frames, or scrape the wax build up on the frame shoulders. If you did this as you removed the frames it will give more clearance a d make it easier to take the frames out the next inspection. Just a suggestion.
Hi David
We scrape the top bars once a year as we wrap the hives for winter. We also scrape frames from hives that have died See the video ' Dealing with Deadouts'. I don't find it worthwhile to do more than that.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Thanks for your feedback. I might be a bit pedantic, but I like to minimise any burr comb. It gives wax moth less places to hide. I have also found by scraping the shoulders of the frames it makes comb manipulation a bit easier. Especially when the comb is not quite flat. I live in Central Queensland Australia, so there isn't much call for me to wrap my hives for winter. Once again thanks for the feedback. I have been following your site with interest. It shows there are many different facets to beekeeping.
6:31 2nd nucleus last frame and it's put in what spot? nice.... way to go..
Great videos! Why do you use canvas as a inner cover
I like the canvas inner covers for a few reasons. Easy to take quick peek, cheap and easy to make, light, lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, never need to scrape the inner cover. I could go on... We'll do a video about them since we are getting so many questions.
We use 18 oz (#8) canvas - otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by here but I see it's available from online distributors. www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feed bag folded in half.
@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Dont the bees need "bee space" on top of the frames??
I just got a single nuc how will i know when to add them to a bigger brew box?
Hey Zach
A late reply but you should put the nuc in a full size box as soon as you get it . See our video on installing a nucleus colony. Enjoy your bees!
What are you using for inner covers
Hi Joseph
We are working on a FAQ list and this will definitely be #1 on the list.
I like the canvas inner covers for a few reasons. Easy to take a quick peek, cheap and easy to make, light, lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, never need to scrape the inner cover. I could go on... We'll do a video about them since we are getting so many questions.
We use 18 oz (#8) canvas - otherwise known as duck. Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavier weight #8 is better. It's a bit hard to come by here but I see it's available from online distributors.www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half.
Show
cool you did a wonderful job thank you
If u super these how much honey do they typically make? I know can be million variables but I mean do they usually fill one deep super? two? Three made up strong on a good flow .Anyone with Experience please let me know, I got some but just let fill their own 4 Frame super an use their brood..
I keep some of these nucs in my own beeyards and manage them differently. I sell a nuc out of each side in mid May, leave a frame or two of brood and install a queen cell in each side and super them when the queens have mated. I get as many as six full supers on these in a good year. The way the video describes it we get up to four full supers.
UoG Honey Bee Research Centre thank you for responding, I fixing to super mine,I'm actually running late, getting too many bees,need to sell some lol
Vocês exportam rainhas?
No we don't. Thanks for your interest.
why did you put the queen on the cage ?
Hi Valdrin
Whenever we see a queen we cages her. That way we can keep her safe and know exactly where she is while we do manipulations. You could see more about this in our video Marking and Clipping Queens.