Its been a rough year for you Southern guys. Hope all goes good for you and your bees. So funny when a northern person tells a southern to be careful of the heat.
I find it easier just to heft the hive to judge the weight and then I top feed anyways having marked the light hives, it is too late to worry about weak or queenless colonies and nature will look after these going into winter. The marked colonies are the first to be inspected come pre spring rotation.
Mine were very compromised when I bought them in may essentially swarms no drawn comb I smashed syrup into them 4 weeks later different hives opened 1 hour ago in australia and they have small brood patches plenty of both stores with 4 days of winter left so happy I gave both syrup 2 to 1 H20 they went to 40 kg by mid June single brood box’s only , one word “relief”👍
Spring has sprung here in Vic, blossoms all over the place, including my favorite tea tree what a relief from the overcast of last spring touch wood.@@trevorwindle8980
I feel your pain! The mites and beetles were awful this year. Thankfully, my colonies have bounced back. We had all but 2 with high mite counts. But retesting after an OA And then Apivar we are in the clear.
Hey Mike, Larry from MN. Here. Glad you enjoyed your vacation again, I was just up in Two Harbors. Lake Gegiche Gumey is beautiful. Not too much Canadian smoke. Good luck with the harvest.
Those were made from a 3D printer and Brian at Castle Hives made them for me. They’re made so that I can use them between boxes stacked very close together. Love them when I’m not in a great hurry
sounds like what I was doing 2 weeks. I did 2 rounds with OA to knock the mites down but since I have a few hives with good amount of honey on I don't want to start a frenzy its just so hot to deal with. I'm finally queen right on all hives so I'm hoping with robbing screens and couple rounds done it will hold them to weather cools off some so I can get back into them with out stressing either of us
Aye yi yi!!! When the beekeeper is away, the mites will play! Looks like a bit of work ahead of you. I'll be puling off honey supers and putting in pollen patties and ApiGuard this coming week. And yikes, those temperatures! I bet 44° at Moose Lake sounds pretty good about now. Thank you ! -Jeff and Diane
I had my hive requeen recently and when they were lowest capped brood I did an OA vapor treatment. I did it at night so all the bees would be in the hive. To keep them from flying I used deep red lights which have wavelengths 660nm+. They buzzed a little but I was able to do it without a suit and they couldn't find me because they couldn't see my light.
We are getting rain here' And you already know what the temps can be in Southeast Ga. It was a hot one for sure today. I started my once a month OAV July first because My mite test all checked high in June. I have had 3 absconds and lost a few queens and had to combine some hives. What I am seeing this year is that as of 2nd week of July, I have no Drones and No drone brood. Last year I had Drones and some drone brood in November. Not much flow here now other than a trickle from Crape Myrtle and some sweet pepper bush that is starting to fade out. I have Jars on all my Nucs and doing some open feeding as well. they are going through a pound and half of Ultra bee feed a day. It keeps the Bees busy and helps hold down robbing. all my larger colonies have dropped down to 2 frames or less of brood , But I have Nucs that need bigger boxes. Just ran OAV on all colonies again last weekend. with 75 colonies it takes about half a day. But with less Brood the OAV may work well. some colonies were queenless and broodless. so they were combined after treatment with a queen right colony. Most of my colonies have some Carnolian lines so maybe they are slowing down with the dearth but They need to be raising some winter Bees. This has been a crazy Bee year for sure.
Well, I wish we had the rain. The temps I can handle, but no rain for 5 weeks now is beginning to hurt really bad. I was at a great presentation last night with Dr. Jeff Harris and an interesting point came out about why the queens slow down this time of year and how it extends their life expectancy. I almost put out dry pollen sub, but might refrain for now. Mine are getting pollen off the crape myrtles.
Have you thought about using apivar strips now and oav later in the fall. Apivar has no temperature restrictions. Thats what im doing. Enjoyed the video.
James, yes, I did think about it. I just didn’t have any on hand. And I had a setback with a surprise roof replacement and a truck that lost the motor, so I didn’t get any on order since I had the apiguard. Figured I’d save some cash with that and it did ok for me last year. Guess it bit me. I’m doing my third round today and I hope to go back and do another wash to let you guys know how it goes. I appreciate your support and glad you like the video!!
I've had an abnormal amount of queen loss this year. A lot of swarming and them failing to requeen. A lot of failed mating flights, they never returned and I don't know why. As far as mites my hives were all over the place. The worst one was 18 count. It got OAV immediately and I put apiguard on them the next day. They are bearding like crazy, I can smell the thymol in my yard. Hoping they don't abscond
Hope that kills the mites good for you. So many variables on mating flights and sometimes the percentage is just not good. Especially in the summer. It’s always down then.
I am home in 3 or 4 days after a month away. A bit concerned what the bees have been up to. Have heard they are already acting like it is spring time in Queensland Australia. Good video thank you for taking the time.
Hopefully you are able to get the mite numbers knocked down. I've planned on doing OAV tomorrow, but it's supposed to pour the rain for the next two days, though if there's no standing water I may still may be able to. I really need to get a Lorobbees InstantVap...
It'll work out! That's one thing about where I am...continuous flows throughout spring, summer and early fall. Checked yesterday and all my colonies were packed w nectar honey and brood. Winter comes fast so it's time to build em up
Mike, your sharp eye and years of experience was fun to watch. Maybe this would be the time to invest in an Instavap from Lorrabees. Really saves time and so much easier they say. Glad you had a good vacation. 81 for a high today and tomorrow is rain and 68 for a high.
I’ll make a quick mention in the video this Saturday about my decision not to get the instavap…bottom line, last roof replacement, truck motor gone, and septic repairs put a stop to another investment this season. But next season, I sure hope to have one. The price looks good on papa we until you add in three batteries, so it just has to wait another season.😬😬
Your transparency is Awesome!!! Best of luck I have same problem with heat..oa dribble would be the lick if it didn't shrink clusters and kill hives..least that's my experience but maybe your flows clean em out good enough maybe a Blessing, it's soo fast.i did 4 sprays per seam with $1 spray bottle which measured 5ml per seam..
I’ve thought about dribble many times John, just never did it. Looks very easy compared to what I’m going through with this heat and a vaporizer every 4 to five days. Only one round left now though. I need to try the Swedish sponges and the OAE thru the season and see what that does. I really like the thymol and last year it did well, but just too hot and you can’t count on the weather. I only did it on three hives as a test in the 90’s and I had no absconding or queen issues with those three, so figured I’d go all out this year…..I figured wrong.
It’s not so much the heat at this point as the lack of rain. Nothing in 5 weeks. Daily showers help keep it cool. Just another challenge I suppose. Hope you guys come thru the season well!!
Yep, they can be up and down and the problem I see is the hives with a lot will crash and then they get robbed and those mites spread with the robbers as well as the virus that crashed the hive. Mites are a huge problem.
They pick up hitchhikers from other bees they make contact with collecting food but once in the hive they expand quickly and you have to control them as they spread diseases as they latch onto and eat the bees.
Agree with Eddie’s comment. Once you have a few, they expand rapidly. They can also pick up mites robbing other colonies, both feral and maintained, so that’s why I treat all hives. One does, the others will rob and pick up mites. Get 100 mites and they expand from there. Messy little creatures those mites. Hope that answers the question and thanks so much for your support!!
@@MikeBarryBees thank you it does. Apparently the mites have made it to Australia. Several of the bee keepers I watch from there are in the need for your expertise. They are trying to learn about mite treatments
@@Itstime2029 yes, I followed that development when they discovered them. I know they tried hard to mitigate them thru hive eradication early on, but my opinion was that it didn’t matter at that point. Better to leave the hives and begin to adopt best practices based on the worldwide beekeepers. I think many of us were pretty sad when we heard. It was like that last holdout and it was devastating news.
Please watch the video in full and I answer your question as well as the subsequent videos and you understand my varroa management past and present. I am not trying to be rude at all, but not would be a lot to try to explain in just this comment, and it’s all contained in the video. I do have a regiment for mites and they are weak, but I also do not feed during the dearth with so many honey stores, so they shrink in the weather and some have high mite loads due to previous ineffective treatments.
@@MikeBarryBees I watched the video already to the end. Yes, you have a big varroa problem, that is why I asked if you ever tried or would like to try an integrated form of varroa reduction. Integrated means, certain steps at special times of the year, like cutting drone brood, simultanously taking brood combs out of strong hives, every few weeks. Do you have a phase during the year in which the colonies are out of brood because of freezing temperatures. And if, how long do these phases of weather last? I'm just trying to get a picture of the/your situation and circumstances. I regularly do a oxalic acid treatment in winter, after at least three weeks of frost. From April onwards I would do splits by taking brood combs to form a split colony (1 comb in April, 2 in May, and so on) and treat them after these have become brood free with spraying either lactic acid (15%) or oxalic acid (5,7%). Simultanously to doing splits I would remove a single drone frame out of each hive every 20 days, these serve as varroa trap. In late summer ( that means now, or better, from the end of July to mid August) I would have two options: Either to slowly transpire 60% formic acid over a certain timespan (1st treatment lasting 3-5 days, 2nd treatment in September 10 days). Or by applying formic acid short times repetetive over a sponge cloth. Or to do a newer concept called "split and treat". Last concept goes as follows: Day X+0: Split a double box colony in two parts, the honeysuper and the brood chamber. Put the honey super away, put aside the brood chamber, now place the honey super on the old bottom board. Look for the queen. Put the brood chamber on a new bottom board, put a new lid on it (it will later be placed on top of the honey super). Catch the queen, cage it with a few bees accompanying her, leave a small opening and put feed dough in it ( so that the queen needs to eat through it, that is a necessity). Place the cage in the honey super - equipped with pure empty but drawn out combs and at least two frames of honey as reserve - underneath the actual hive (brood box), using its bottom bord (so that the forager bees recognise the smell of their hive and queen). All forager bees will gather in the honey super leaving the nurse bees in the brood box, together with all the brood, placed on top of the honey super with its own new bottom board and lid. Day X+3: After three days spray the bees in the honeysuper with 5,7% oxalic acid ( or evaporate it they way you're used to, if you're permitted to do so, cause we are not). Day X+21: Do the same oxalic acid treatment after the queen in the above brood hive has hatched and all the brood has hatched too, 21 days after the first step. Now you have two mite treated hives with one old and one new queen, decide if you want to keep both hives seperated, or join them with the removal of the old queen. Did this one time and I got a wonderful hive out of it and one with the old queen. The colony with the new queen gathered four honey supers this year! You only would need a second bottom board and a second lid and to keep the entrances small. That lastly explained concept is probably what you'd need right now.
It’s been so hot in north ms, I haven’t been able to even pull our honey. I’m older and the heat just wrings me out. It’s supposed to be 82 next week a couple days. Hope I can do it then. Be careful in this heat.
It cooled down today and was 70 this morning!! Hope you guys get that and that you’re able to get that honey off. We just have to be careful and use wisdom for sure.
This has been a confusing bee season for sure. Hot, humid, and wet here. My girls have been late bloomers on everything. Very strong, but just delayed.
Hello!!!! Thanks for watching from abroad. I love Spain!! Love it!! Just love Spain!! Palma De Mallorca, Benidorm, Torremolinos….I know that’s all resort coast, but Spain was one of my favorite visits and the people were always very friendly and receptive.
Mike, I have to say, the north has their winters, and we have our summers...and the bees pay the price for sure! Glad to hear that you didn't see many SHBs running around. I have had a couple of colonies that the robbing pressure stressed out and the SHBs took advantage of the guard bees not keeping them corralled.
I agree. I’d have a hard time with six months of brutal winter like they’d have a time of six months above 85. It’s all relative😁. I was very surprised to see so few beetles. Hope it stays that way.
I’ve thought about it, but it’s not dark until late, like about 9 and the bees are bearded on the front. I’d hate to disturb the cluster and have them running everywhere in the dark. But I do know there are folks that treat at night. OAV that is. I’m guessing that’s what you’re referring to. Thanks for watching Brett!
You are very correct it is for sure hot . Did you happen to see how your drone are doing have they started kicking them out yet ??. Also for your area what is the latest you will do splits ??. I started around three weeks ago doing my treatments an I think that is the earliest I have ever started treatment just because I also saw a little hi mite wash. I also have started on 9-1 most years an I am using OA because of the heat . Then I will do treatments in mid December an coming out of winter I will do wash an the last treatment before the flow starts . I know it is hard to do but with everything that has to be done but stay cool in this heat . Looking forward to other videos. THANKS
Well, we don’t really see drones kicked out like the books say. We’ll have drones die off gradually and just not replaced since they don’t put in drone brood late in the season. And we’ll also have drones thru the winter in the clusters. I won’t do splits after June. Weakening a colony in the heat it bad news and beetles will take advantage of weak hives. Splits this late down here must have a mated queen introduced no matter what. A walk away will fail almost surely this late. Drones are an issue too. Just not enough. And remember, queens out-fly the drones in their yard by at least 1/2 mile to avoid in-breeding, so that means the feral hives have to have a lot of drones, so it’s just not a good time for us to do splits unless we have super strong colonies to split with mated queens ready to go. Later in the fall are better and that’s when I see the larger operations do them here.
Great commentary Mike. I’m listening to you while working in garden & I can picture what you’re seeing & learning from you’re experience. Every time I look in a hive or do a removal I learn something as the 🐝 & the seasons just keep throwing those curveballs 😮
Mike, I have looked far and wide and your take on things still continues to be my favorite! Maybe it's the Senior Chief mentality of always keeping the enlisted below you trained up and ready to go. That must be what I enjoy about it the most I think, the Navy and the Marine Corps are under the Department of the Navy. I look at it as a training period during my youth that I learned more from then anything else in my life, when I was forming how I would think for the rest of it. You're a diamond in the rough for me, I just had to say it. I'll try to dial it back going forward, I just came to the realization why and felt compelled to say what I did. Thanks for being you.
Well, I really appreciate the comment and the support. Very fulfilling to hear you say these things. And maybe it is those years of guiding my sailors and those that guided me as a young sailer and as a senior chief. I just try to be real and have a good time, even when it’s not going well. In the end, God has blessed me so very much, I just want to be a light to the best ability that He has given me. Thanks so much Tommy!!
I have you on the TV and the laptop at the same time. I don't know which one to watch. 🙂 I lost 4 hives this week. 3 robbed out and one attacked by ants and absconded. This is the worst season OI have ever had but I chalk it up to learning experience. Hopefully next year will return to normal.
Well BF, we can really chalk every season up to learning I think. Good and bad. What I’ve done is change from what worked to something new with treatments and now twice it hasn’t worked out as well. It’s tough to lose them, but it does teach us for sure. I’m keeping my eye on you with your videos. 😁😁
ive started feeding,weve had a long heat spell, now getting some rain,caught a small swarm today,thanks for all the hard work mike,i try to keep up on them,between life distractions, ill be treating w OA too,give em the best chances to winter
My hives are all so heavy each summer, I’ve never really fed them at that time. I’ll probably bucks a few up in fall. Im wrapping up the third round of OAV today and only have one more round to do this weekend.
Ha Mike good to see you I had wandered where u were. if you want some bettles u are more then welcome to come to my place, they are going crazy. I Had 1 hive leave so far I have towels in all the hives, puting bait traps in the hives as well. It is hot and dry here nothing coming in and I have to feed, been feeding since middle of june, I have apiver on the hives have treated with oa as well glad u had a good trip I also hope your bees get better. I enjoyed the video. Hope u have a blessed week
We haven’t seen as many beetles as usuals, so I guess I’ll go ahead and decline your offer😂😂😂. Yes, same here, super dry. Haven’t had to feed since the Ives are good and heavy, but we’ll see how they are in the fall.
@@vanishedforgotten433 No. The mites can be treated a number of different ways to bring them under control. However, a bad infestation can make the bees sick and give them any number of diseases and in some rare cases collapse the entire colony.
Its been a rough year for you Southern guys. Hope all goes good for you and your bees. So funny when a northern person tells a southern to be careful of the heat.
Its been a rough year for you Southern guys. Hope all goes good for you and your bees. So funny when a northern person tells a southern to be careful of the heat.
Hope so too Melvin. Yea, say that to us down here would be like me telling you to be careful when it gets in the 30’s😂😂. Have a great day!!
I find it easier just to heft the hive to judge the weight and then I top feed anyways having marked the light hives, it is too late to worry about weak or queenless colonies and nature will look after these going into winter. The marked colonies are the first to be inspected come pre spring rotation.
I do the same. 90% are very heavy and only one is concerning as far as being light. I’ll add a couple honey frames and feed in fall.
@@MikeBarryBees Fall is the perfect time for feeding sugar at 2/1. I wouldn't waste honey on them, as they will make do with sugar.
Mine were very compromised when I bought them in may essentially swarms no drawn comb I smashed syrup into them 4 weeks later different hives opened 1 hour ago in australia and they have small brood patches plenty of both stores with 4 days of winter left so happy I gave both syrup 2 to 1 H20 they went to 40 kg by mid June single brood box’s only , one word “relief”👍
Spring has sprung here in Vic, blossoms all over the place, including my favorite tea tree what a relief from the overcast of last spring touch wood.@@trevorwindle8980
I love fishing on Moose Lake and the other lakes in the area. Hoist bay and Wind Bay are great for big Northern Pike.
While we were there, they were slaying the small mouth on Wind. We caught some nice ones in Agnes as well. Great trip!
I feel your pain! The mites and beetles were awful this year. Thankfully, my colonies have bounced back. We had all but 2 with high mite counts. But retesting after an OA And then Apivar we are in the clear.
Yea, that apivar did the trick. Good stuff and coupled with the OAV it gives that double whammy.
July, August, September. Tough time for beekeeping here in the south...
I agree Bruce!
Be careful in that heat Mike. Crazy hot and dearth. Bad combo. Feeding some here. Take care. God bless.
Thought about feeding a light syrup for a boost, but just going to hold off and watch for now.
great video Mike!! im feeling your pain!!! too dang hot!!!
Thanks Stan!! Yea, it’s just brutal. I know you guys are feeling it too.
Hey Mike, Larry from MN. Here. Glad you enjoyed your vacation again, I was just up in Two Harbors. Lake Gegiche Gumey is beautiful. Not too much Canadian smoke. Good luck with the harvest.
I love that area. Just love it. We had smoke one day, but the rest were great, even one of the overcast days.
Beekeeping in August in the south. Hot and miserable...good video Mike. you do a great job explaining your strategy. Thanks for the video my friend!
Thanks so much Bruce. Always appreciate your support!!
This years beekeeping season has been a strange one for sure. Nothing normal about it! Keep cool Mike!
I agree and thanks for the support!!
Morning Mike, it gets to hot down there.🥵Happy Lords Day.😁
Yes indeed it does. Thanks!!
Mr. Barry … what were those orange frame holders you pulled off the side of the box?
Those were made from a 3D printer and Brian at Castle Hives made them for me. They’re made so that I can use them between boxes stacked very close together. Love them when I’m not in a great hurry
Glad you got a vacation Mike, hot one for sure thanks for sharing
Thanks Rick. It was refreshing for sure!!
Great stuff Mike. This has defiantly been a very unique and difficult year.
Thanks Richard. Yea, a lot of folks saying the same. But that’s what keeps up watching I suppose. Can never get complacent.
sounds like what I was doing 2 weeks. I did 2 rounds with OA to knock the mites down but since I have a few hives with good amount of honey on I don't want to start a frenzy its just so hot to deal with. I'm finally queen right on all hives so I'm hoping with robbing screens and couple rounds done it will hold them to weather cools off some so I can get back into them with out stressing either of us
Sounds like a good plan to me. Just knock them back enough to get into a good point to evaluate them later.
Do you know where I can find those little orange frame holders?
I got those from Brian at Castle Hives.
Aye yi yi!!! When the beekeeper is away, the mites will play! Looks like a bit of work ahead of you. I'll be puling off honey supers and putting in pollen patties and ApiGuard this coming week. And yikes, those temperatures! I bet 44° at Moose Lake sounds pretty good about now. Thank you ! -Jeff and Diane
Yep Jeff, they knew I was having to much fun!!
I had my hive requeen recently and when they were lowest capped brood I did an OA vapor treatment. I did it at night so all the bees would be in the hive. To keep them from flying I used deep red lights which have wavelengths 660nm+. They buzzed a little but I was able to do it without a suit and they couldn't find me because they couldn't see my light.
Thanks for sharing. Very interesting way to do it. I’m on my third round with one more round this weekend, so I hope I knocked them back some.
Thanks good info.
Glad it was helpful!!! Thanks!!
We are getting rain here' And you already know what the temps can be in Southeast Ga. It was a hot one for sure today. I started my once a month OAV July first because My mite test all checked high in June. I have had 3 absconds and lost a few queens and had to combine some hives. What I am seeing this year is that as of 2nd week of July, I have no Drones and No drone brood. Last year I had Drones and some drone brood in November. Not much flow here now other than a trickle from Crape Myrtle and some sweet pepper bush that is starting to fade out. I have Jars on all my Nucs and doing some open feeding as well. they are going through a pound and half of Ultra bee feed a day. It keeps the Bees busy and helps hold down robbing. all my larger colonies have dropped down to 2 frames or less of brood , But I have Nucs that need bigger boxes. Just ran OAV on all colonies again last weekend. with 75 colonies it takes about half a day. But with less Brood the OAV may work well. some colonies were queenless and broodless. so they were combined after treatment with a queen right colony. Most of my colonies have some Carnolian lines so maybe they are slowing down with the dearth but They need to be raising some winter Bees. This has been a crazy Bee year for sure.
Well, I wish we had the rain. The temps I can handle, but no rain for 5 weeks now is beginning to hurt really bad. I was at a great presentation last night with Dr. Jeff Harris and an interesting point came out about why the queens slow down this time of year and how it extends their life expectancy. I almost put out dry pollen sub, but might refrain for now. Mine are getting pollen off the crape myrtles.
Have you thought about using apivar strips now and oav later in the fall. Apivar has no temperature restrictions. Thats what im doing. Enjoyed the video.
James, yes, I did think about it. I just didn’t have any on hand. And I had a setback with a surprise roof replacement and a truck that lost the motor, so I didn’t get any on order since I had the apiguard. Figured I’d save some cash with that and it did ok for me last year. Guess it bit me. I’m doing my third round today and I hope to go back and do another wash to let you guys know how it goes. I appreciate your support and glad you like the video!!
Awesome video Mike! Very informative as always. Hope you get those mites knocked back!
Thanks Johnny!!
Same here. Too hot to be working them but if you don't, they'll crash. I strapped the feed bag on a couple and OAV starts tomorrow.
Agreed. I got the tied round to finish today and last round of OAV do be done this weekend.
Hello Mike,, I'm in northeast Rapides parish, these triple digit temps are brutal. I like your style in the videos. Keep it up..
Thanks and glad you enjoy the videos!!
Lost a 6hives to wax moths and hive bettles. It’s been too hot for inspections. Thry been neglected since May.
Sorry to hear that. I’m always concerned about pests when the hives shrink. Hope you get back strong again in spring. Thanks for watching!
I've had an abnormal amount of queen loss this year. A lot of swarming and them failing to requeen. A lot of failed mating flights, they never returned and I don't know why. As far as mites my hives were all over the place. The worst one was 18 count. It got OAV immediately and I put apiguard on them the next day. They are bearding like crazy, I can smell the thymol in my yard. Hoping they don't abscond
Hope that kills the mites good for you. So many variables on mating flights and sometimes the percentage is just not good. Especially in the summer. It’s always down then.
I am home in 3 or 4 days after a month away. A bit concerned what the bees have been up to. Have heard they are already acting like it is spring time in Queensland Australia. Good video thank you for taking the time.
Oh boy, y’all are getting ready to kick off the season in no time!! I hope you found your hives in good shape.
Hopefully you are able to get the mite numbers knocked down. I've planned on doing OAV tomorrow, but it's supposed to pour the rain for the next two days, though if there's no standing water I may still may be able to. I really need to get a Lorobbees InstantVap...
I’ll get the instavap next season. Great tool, just couldn’t swing it this year due to unexpected expenses.
@@MikeBarryBees I wont be able to get one until next season, either. Seems like when it rains, it pours sometimes.
Great job. Great demonstration.
Thanks!! Glad you liked it!
hot and humid that's rough !
Yes indeed!!
Nice video! I’m new to your channel. Good information.
Welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks!!!
sounds like a tough life in that heat Mike!
Well, it’s not easy, but it’s just part of living down south I suppose.
It'll work out! That's one thing about where I am...continuous flows throughout spring, summer and early fall. Checked yesterday and all my colonies were packed w nectar honey and brood. Winter comes fast so it's time to build em up
That’s great Bill!! And yes, I’m the end, it’ll all work out. Thanks for the support!!
Mike, your sharp eye and years of experience was fun to watch. Maybe this would be the time to invest in an Instavap from Lorrabees. Really saves time and so much easier they say.
Glad you had a good vacation. 81 for a high today and tomorrow is rain and 68 for a high.
I’ll make a quick mention in the video this Saturday about my decision not to get the instavap…bottom line, last roof replacement, truck motor gone, and septic repairs put a stop to another investment this season. But next season, I sure hope to have one. The price looks good on papa we until you add in three batteries, so it just has to wait another season.😬😬
Your transparency is Awesome!!! Best of luck I have same problem with heat..oa dribble would be the lick if it didn't shrink clusters and kill hives..least that's my experience but maybe your flows clean em out good enough maybe a Blessing, it's soo fast.i did 4 sprays per seam with $1 spray bottle which measured 5ml per seam..
I’ve thought about dribble many times John, just never did it. Looks very easy compared to what I’m going through with this heat and a vaporizer every 4 to five days. Only one round left now though. I need to try the Swedish sponges and the OAE thru the season and see what that does. I really like the thymol and last year it did well, but just too hot and you can’t count on the weather. I only did it on three hives as a test in the 90’s and I had no absconding or queen issues with those three, so figured I’d go all out this year…..I figured wrong.
@MikeBarryBees I've had trouble too before started to remind me of formic..I know people who love the sponges .good luck down there we're cooking too
I have heard it has been a hard summer it is hot here. This is our first summer we started in May. I hope all goes well
It’s not so much the heat at this point as the lack of rain. Nothing in 5 weeks. Daily showers help keep it cool. Just another challenge I suppose. Hope you guys come thru the season well!!
@@MikeBarryBees it was nice yesterday and today looks like it is a good cool day praise God
Yes Mike I had 1hive with 1 mite to a hundred the next was 22to 2 hundred
Yep, they can be up and down and the problem I see is the hives with a lot will crash and then they get robbed and those mites spread with the robbers as well as the virus that crashed the hive. Mites are a huge problem.
Where do the bees pickup the mites? Do the field bees bring them in after looking for food sources that are mite infested
They pick up hitchhikers from other bees they make contact with collecting food but once in the hive they expand quickly and you have to control them as they spread diseases as they latch onto and eat the bees.
Agree with Eddie’s comment. Once you have a few, they expand rapidly. They can also pick up mites robbing other colonies, both feral and maintained, so that’s why I treat all hives. One does, the others will rob and pick up mites. Get 100 mites and they expand from there. Messy little creatures those mites. Hope that answers the question and thanks so much for your support!!
@@MikeBarryBees thank you it does. Apparently the mites have made it to Australia. Several of the bee keepers I watch from there are in the need for your expertise.
They are trying to learn about mite treatments
@@Itstime2029 yes, I followed that development when they discovered them. I know they tried hard to mitigate them thru hive eradication early on, but my opinion was that it didn’t matter at that point. Better to leave the hives and begin to adopt best practices based on the worldwide beekeepers. I think many of us were pretty sad when we heard. It was like that last holdout and it was devastating news.
Hey Mike, you make Louisiana weather sound so pleasant. Lol. I wouldn't be able to handle that heat. Stay safe and good luck with your bees.
Well, the older I get the harder it is to handle. But on the same note, I couldn’t handle the extreme cold for an entire winter 😬😬🥶🥶😁😁
Why is the colony you´re showing so small and weak? Bees are not steady but very nervous. Have you ever tried an integrated form of varroa-reduction?
Please watch the video in full and I answer your question as well as the subsequent videos and you understand my varroa management past and present. I am not trying to be rude at all, but not would be a lot to try to explain in just this comment, and it’s all contained in the video. I do have a regiment for mites and they are weak, but I also do not feed during the dearth with so many honey stores, so they shrink in the weather and some have high mite loads due to previous ineffective treatments.
@@MikeBarryBees I watched the video already to the end. Yes, you have a big varroa problem, that is why I asked if you ever tried or would like to try an integrated form of varroa reduction. Integrated means, certain steps at special times of the year, like cutting drone brood, simultanously taking brood combs out of strong hives, every few weeks. Do you have a phase during the year in which the colonies are out of brood because of freezing temperatures. And if, how long do these phases of weather last? I'm just trying to get a picture of the/your situation and circumstances.
I regularly do a oxalic acid treatment in winter, after at least three weeks of frost. From April onwards I would do splits by taking brood combs to form a split colony (1 comb in April, 2 in May, and so on) and treat them after these have become brood free with spraying either lactic acid (15%) or oxalic acid (5,7%). Simultanously to doing splits I would remove a single drone frame out of each hive every 20 days, these serve as varroa trap.
In late summer ( that means now, or better, from the end of July to mid August) I would have two options:
Either to slowly transpire 60% formic acid over a certain timespan (1st treatment lasting 3-5 days, 2nd treatment in September 10 days). Or by applying formic acid short times repetetive over a sponge cloth. Or to do a newer concept called "split and treat".
Last concept goes as follows:
Day X+0:
Split a double box colony in two parts, the honeysuper and the brood chamber. Put the honey super away, put aside the brood chamber, now place the honey super on the old bottom board. Look for the queen. Put the brood chamber on a new bottom board, put a new lid on it (it will later be placed on top of the honey super).
Catch the queen, cage it with a few bees accompanying her, leave a small opening and put feed dough in it ( so that the queen needs to eat through it, that is a necessity). Place the cage in the honey super - equipped with pure empty but drawn out combs and at least two frames of honey as reserve - underneath the actual hive (brood box), using its bottom bord (so that the forager bees recognise the smell of their hive and queen).
All forager bees will gather in the honey super leaving the nurse bees in the brood box, together with all the brood, placed on top of the honey super with its own new bottom board and lid.
Day X+3:
After three days spray the bees in the honeysuper with 5,7% oxalic acid ( or evaporate it they way you're used to, if you're permitted to do so, cause we are not).
Day X+21:
Do the same oxalic acid treatment after the queen in the above brood hive has hatched and all the brood has hatched too, 21 days after the first step.
Now you have two mite treated hives with one old and one new queen, decide if you want to keep both hives seperated, or join them with the removal of the old queen.
Did this one time and I got a wonderful hive out of it and one with the old queen. The colony with the new queen gathered four honey supers this year!
You only would need a second bottom board and a second lid and to keep the entrances small.
That lastly explained concept is probably what you'd need right now.
It’s been so hot in north ms, I haven’t been able to even pull our honey. I’m older and the heat just wrings me out. It’s supposed to be 82 next week a couple days. Hope I can do it then. Be careful in this heat.
It cooled down today and was 70 this morning!! Hope you guys get that and that you’re able to get that honey off. We just have to be careful and use wisdom for sure.
This has been a confusing bee season for sure. Hot, humid, and wet here. My girls have been late bloomers on everything. Very strong, but just delayed.
We went from delayed to now ahead😁😁. It’s like it is already September with hives ready to build back up with the fall flow.
Greetings from Spain
Hello!!!! Thanks for watching from abroad. I love Spain!! Love it!! Just love Spain!! Palma De Mallorca, Benidorm, Torremolinos….I know that’s all resort coast, but Spain was one of my favorite visits and the people were always very friendly and receptive.
Nice job Mike!!! Thanks!!!
Thanks Rodney!!
That was interesting!
So glad you enjoyed it and found it interesting. Thanks for watching!!
I hope your treatment helps but bee keeping is just working with nature and nature will do what nature does. good luck!
Yes indeed. And nature can be a very harsh teacher as well. Thanks for watching!!
👍👍👍
Thanks Brad!
Mike, I have to say, the north has their winters, and we have our summers...and the bees pay the price for sure! Glad to hear that you didn't see many SHBs running around. I have had a couple of colonies that the robbing pressure stressed out and the SHBs took advantage of the guard bees not keeping them corralled.
I agree. I’d have a hard time with six months of brutal winter like they’d have a time of six months above 85. It’s all relative😁. I was very surprised to see so few beetles. Hope it stays that way.
I got to go through mine I had to storm come through blew a couple them over and one ain't found yet
Oh wow!! Hope you get that sorted out.
Treat at night???.
I’ve thought about it, but it’s not dark until late, like about 9 and the bees are bearded on the front. I’d hate to disturb the cluster and have them running everywhere in the dark. But I do know there are folks that treat at night. OAV that is. I’m guessing that’s what you’re referring to. Thanks for watching Brett!
You are very correct it is for sure hot . Did you happen to see how your drone are doing have they started kicking them out yet ??. Also for your area what is the latest you will do splits ??. I started around three weeks ago doing my treatments an I think that is the earliest I have ever started treatment just because I also saw a little hi mite wash. I also have started on 9-1 most years an I am using OA because of the heat . Then I will do treatments in mid December an coming out of winter I will do wash an the last treatment before the flow starts . I know it is hard to do but with everything that has to be done but stay cool in this heat . Looking forward to other videos. THANKS
Well, we don’t really see drones kicked out like the books say. We’ll have drones die off gradually and just not replaced since they don’t put in drone brood late in the season. And we’ll also have drones thru the winter in the clusters. I won’t do splits after June. Weakening a colony in the heat it bad news and beetles will take advantage of weak hives. Splits this late down here must have a mated queen introduced no matter what. A walk away will fail almost surely this late. Drones are an issue too. Just not enough. And remember, queens out-fly the drones in their yard by at least 1/2 mile to avoid in-breeding, so that means the feral hives have to have a lot of drones, so it’s just not a good time for us to do splits unless we have super strong colonies to split with mated queens ready to go. Later in the fall are better and that’s when I see the larger operations do them here.
Great video Mike. Kill them all!
Thanks Jim!! I hope I get them good!
Great commentary Mike. I’m listening to you while working in garden & I can picture what you’re seeing & learning from you’re experience. Every time I look in a hive or do a removal I learn something as the 🐝 & the seasons just keep throwing those curveballs 😮
Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed it!!
Mike, I have looked far and wide and your take on things still continues to be my favorite! Maybe it's the Senior Chief mentality of always keeping the enlisted below you trained up and ready to go. That must be what I enjoy about it the most I think, the Navy and the Marine Corps are under the Department of the Navy. I look at it as a training period during my youth that I learned more from then anything else in my life, when I was forming how I would think for the rest of it. You're a diamond in the rough for me, I just had to say it. I'll try to dial it back going forward, I just came to the realization why and felt compelled to say what I did. Thanks for being you.
Well, I really appreciate the comment and the support. Very fulfilling to hear you say these things. And maybe it is those years of guiding my sailors and those that guided me as a young sailer and as a senior chief. I just try to be real and have a good time, even when it’s not going well. In the end, God has blessed me so very much, I just want to be a light to the best ability that He has given me. Thanks so much Tommy!!
I use strips during summer and apiguard in spring
Good plan. If I had strips, I’d be most likely putting them in.
Thanks Mike, God bless !
Thank you!!
I have you on the TV and the laptop at the same time. I don't know which one to watch. 🙂 I lost 4 hives this week. 3 robbed out and one attacked by ants and absconded. This is the worst season OI have ever had but I chalk it up to learning experience. Hopefully next year will return to normal.
Don't feel lonely, I lost two nucs between last weekend and today....
Well BF, we can really chalk every season up to learning I think. Good and bad. What I’ve done is change from what worked to something new with treatments and now twice it hasn’t worked out as well. It’s tough to lose them, but it does teach us for sure. I’m keeping my eye on you with your videos. 😁😁
ive started feeding,weve had a long heat spell, now getting some rain,caught a small swarm today,thanks for all the hard work mike,i try to keep up on them,between life distractions, ill be treating w OA too,give em the best chances to winter
My hives are all so heavy each summer, I’ve never really fed them at that time. I’ll probably bucks a few up in fall. Im wrapping up the third round of OAV today and only have one more round to do this weekend.
Ha Mike good to see you I had wandered where u were. if you want some bettles u are more then welcome to come to my place, they are going crazy. I Had 1 hive leave so far I have towels in all the hives, puting bait traps in the hives as well. It is hot and dry here nothing coming in and I have to feed, been feeding since middle of june, I have apiver on the hives have treated with oa as well glad u had a good trip I also hope your bees get better. I enjoyed the video. Hope u have a blessed week
We haven’t seen as many beetles as usuals, so I guess I’ll go ahead and decline your offer😂😂😂. Yes, same here, super dry. Haven’t had to feed since the Ives are good and heavy, but we’ll see how they are in the fall.
POW! #1
So if the mites r bad u have to kill the whole colony? Or what's gotta happen? Does it affect the honey?
@@vanishedforgotten433 No. The mites can be treated a number of different ways to bring them under control. However, a bad infestation can make the bees sick and give them any number of diseases and in some rare cases collapse the entire colony.
@@BugFarmerBees Thank u for your response.
@@vanishedforgotten433oh no, we don’t kill the colony. Different treatments for different results and they target only the mites.
Its been a rough year for you Southern guys. Hope all goes good for you and your bees. So funny when a northern person tells a southern to be careful of the heat.
Hope so too Melvin. Yea, say that to us down here would be like me telling you to be careful when it gets in the 30’s😂😂. Have a great day!!