Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 223, do honey bees have a favorite color?
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Welcome to another episode of backyard beekeeping topics. These questions have been submitted during the first week of September.
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These are bucket lids that permit frequent unscrewing, have gaskets, and give strength to the top of the bucket. I'm a fan. This is an affiliate link: amzn.to/485GFEX
These are today's topics:
1) Is it true that metal with/in honey destroys the enzymes?
2) Thanks for taking my question. Follow up response to Question 3 from Q&A Episode 220. The observation hive was not queenless, and they are on track.
3) My colonies had high mite wash counts. My question is, should I replace the queens in those hives? Are those queens spreading viruses to the next generation?
4) I have a question about storing honey supers. Is there anything wrong with just letting the little bit of leftover honey dry on the frames? Seems like the comb gets torn up by the bees.
5) I have a memory of you talking about drilling holes in your hive walls to allow OA Vaporizers. How are you placing the hole and bolt to avoid hitting frames and stopping the flow of OA?
This is an affiliate link to the 1/4 20 red screws I'm using: amzn.to/3Px7Hhf
6) I purchased the Ross Round brackets that you introduced during your Hive Life Conference video and I had to purchase them. They are 40 to 60% filled out. I am interested in your thoughts regarding what to do with them.
7) Do you have any thoughts on what a honey bee's favorite color is?
8) I'd love to know what you are going to do to winterize your Ivry-B hive, if anything?
Those are all of the questions for this episode.
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1) Is it true that metal with/in honey destroys the enzymes? 11:20
2) Follow up response to Question 3 from Q&A Episode 220. The observation hive was not queenless, and they are on track. 25:00
3) My colonies had high mite counts. Should I replace the queens in those hives? Are those queens spreading viruses to the next generation? 26:00
4) I have a question about storing honey supers. Is there anything wrong with just letting the little bit of leftover honey dry on the frames? Seems like the comb gets torn up by the bees. 33:45
5) I have a memory of you talking about drilling holes in your hive walls to allow OA Vaporizers. How are you placing the hole and bolt to avoid hitting frames and stopping the flow of OA? 41:40
6) I purchased the Ross Round brackets that you introduced during your Hive Life Conference video and I had to purchase them. They are 40 to 60% filled out. I am interested in your thoughts regarding what to do with them. 52:41
7) Do you have any thoughts on what a honey bee's favorite color is? 59:44
8) I'd love to know what you are going to do to winterize your Ivry-B hive, if anything? 1:05:05
Thank you Adam
Thank you Adam, We do appreciate your time stamps.
Again and again Adam, thank you so much for all the effort you put into arranging this vital information for easy access. You are a treasure to the community.
Beautiful photograph Fred I could watch this flowers and bees in a loop on the big screen, thank you so refreshing and relaxing too
Thank you so much, Rick! :)
Beautiful videography to start the video! You're teaching your grandson right while he is young, some people can imprint, and he seems like one to me, my grandmother taught me gardening things that I still remember from when I was his age.
In the spring/early summer I congratulated you on the bonanza of honey bees in your vicinity - as we had very few here, just 45 miles southeast of you (Sugar Grove, PA). I've been using my bee-free time to renovate my small apiary, and a few days ago I heard the familiar buzzing of a few bees; then heard a faint hum that a large number of bees make. I discovered that the ladies had decided that the best possible place to ride out the winter was to move into a knothole 15 feet up in a dying tree right in my apiary! Oh, har-dee-har-har ladies!
With that new info, I checked the five swarm traps I have out, and three of them now (I last checked at the end of August - no real activity) have what I think of as a somewhat small number of bees trying to set up house (they are bringing in some pollen, and in one case they seemed to be fanning their Nasonov glands). The traps all hold six Layen's frames.
My question is, will it be worth the effort this late in the season to bring them in, or are their survival chances so low that I may as well leave them where they are and move them in the spring if they conjure up miracles and make it through the winter? Thanks so much for all that you do!
If you're interested, I made a quick video of the swarm in the tree:
ua-cam.com/video/-CsqgM3WtLg/v-deo.html
Thanks again, Sally loves to make slow motion videos of our bees. Your videos encourage her.
Here in SE coastal VA, the cotton is still in full blooms and the goldenrod is in. Also, Hive Alive fondant was still available. Got my shipment last week!
Sounds like you'll be ready for fall :)
Great information on different materials that can get into the honey
Thank you.
Getting ready for harvest number 2. Looks like a great year for my bees.
I’m thinking next year trying the rapid rounds.
I’m missing the bee breakfast meeting, hopefully next month.
I am so ready for iHop! :) I actually don't know why they shut that down during summer, but I'm not the decision maker :)
Fascinating episode for sure! Thanks!
Thank you :)
Thank you, Fred.
You're welcome :)
Your photography is fantastic.
Thank you so much! :)
Time index1:01 favorite color before you said anything , I said inside my head because of my own observations of bees on tyhme flowers , rosemary and Allium ornamental onions and also Vitex flowering trees . The bees seemed to be almost ravenously collecting from them. The other tree was a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) they are white and this tree would be full of bees, so much do the whole tree would buzz. It blooms when the weather is cold. And finally the green tree bush from which we get Japanese green tea , it has white flowers and the bees work them even when they have fallen to the ground.
feeding internaly,bees upset, had one slimeout(beetles)been cutting deep boxes into winter feed shims screwed to inner covers,smoke does seem to help mitigate defensive guards ,
I tried a bunch of Ross Round supers this year. Had mixed results in the past but the really hit this year. Not that popular in Fort Wayne area so I probably have a 2 to 3 year supply 😮 when I get unfinished rounds I do as you said. If they are 50% capped I cut them up and put them in a wide mouth pint jar with honey. If less than 50% the go in with the capping in the uncapping tank.
Wow, Fort Wayne isn't a popular area for comb honey? We can't keep it around in my neck of the woods. Maybe you just haven't found the right people yet? :) I'd put the unsold rounds right in the freezer if you have the room. Maybe visit some elder care facilities and give them a presentation about your bees and offer your comb honey for sale. There are lots of senior citizens who have fond memories of having comb honey. Just a thought.
@FrederickDunn I think k it is a "northern/midwest" thing. Other beeks say the same thing. Almost everyone else who sees it asks what it is and how do you eat it! I have a hard time getting $10 for a Ross Round. My large freezer is full!!
amazing creation ,from the master designer,it is possible to know him intimately
those are cool vids mr dunn!!!!!! really good!!! mayb some bluegrass nextime!!!!
Thank you very much!
Hi Fred! Another great video! Hey I use entrance reducers on landing board for OA vapor. I'll have 2 of them to seal off entrance after application. Pretty easy and I already have them.
Yea I really didn't like the heater pans. Also be sure to smoke bees first to move them up
That works too! :)
Hello fantastic Mister Frederik 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Hello, Enrico :)
@@FrederickDunn Hello too Mister Frederik 🥰
Fred live in Connecticut Golden rod and knot week are in full bloom. When should I take the suppers off and start feeding for winter thanks
W jakim mieście mieszkasz?
@@pawelcc38 Farmington
You may be in a similar climate, I'm pulling supers next week. On the next hot day. Then I don't feed unless the weather turns early. There is time for them to take in their winter resources. I don't take any honey from the bottom two boxes, so if they didn't fill above those, nothing gets taken from those colonies.
Thanks Fred, looking forward to seeing the up and coming videos, have a great weekend!!
Thank you, I'm really trying to play cach-up around here! Enjoy your weekend also!
Comment 4 U
❤🐝❤
Hey 👋 sir, Idaho here..How often would you do OA treatment, every 4 days or every 7 days…I’ve heard everything out there and wanted your expertise suggestion!! Thanks buddy
The cycles should ultimately amount to 21 days in the end, so many now break it up in 5 day increments. Some are getting satisfactory results at the end of the 4th treatments (20 days), others continue with one more treatment at 5 day intervals that then covers 25 days. Remember that the target is to get all mites when exposed and not under pupa caps. AND, the final impact can be measured by the mite drop on removable trays/boards, or a final mite count.
Your Videos are always very informative and educational. Thank you…
Thank you so much! :)
Thank you again in advance. I was again thinking as I viewed the opening scenes. You have the best image. Regarding that 20 percent migrating drones and bees . Does this mean that you treat all your colonies in one yard , all at the same time and does the count for when to treat change according to the numbers of one colony? Just curious.
When I got to the end I had to wait for your video to o finish completely. That would make good video and music at s as by breakfast or brunch restaurant.
That's actually something I've changed through the years. I used to treat loaded hives exclusively when it came to varroa mites. I monitor individual colonies and identify those that are having problems. If it's just one out of ten that have high counts, I don't treat the others. Now, if there are 4 colonies out of 10 that have higher numbers I consider them all as a collective, and then treat them all so the varroa find no sanctuary. It's worked very well, and I haven't had to progress past OAV to get them under control. The long game is genetics, so I'm trying to split those that are performing well.
Fred. You mentioned that at any given time you probably have 20% of the hive that are bees that have wondered in from other hives. These are bees in our own apiary right? Other bees from other apiaries don’t find our hives and take residence-correct?
Hi Brad, I wish they were only our own, but Randy Oliver reported them coming in from unexpectedly long distances in some cases. Right now, during a strong nectar flow drift is anticipated to be high and they can come from more than a mile away. It's not good news if you have neighboring beekeepers who aren't managing their stock well. Less drift during periods of dearth.
@@FrederickDunn this is concerning. My question is how do other bees find our apiary if they have never oriented to it?
Wondering if you have some sort of escape board for your horizontal hives? I have purchased components to make some for the Layens and Long Lang. Just wondering if I am reinventing something that has already been made??? BTW in the meantime, the hand held re-chargable blower has been a great suggestion--that is what I am using until I can come up with the above.
I don't have an escape board for horizontal hives... BUT, that tiny blower is worth its weight in gold as I can blow off individual bees, or clear an entire honey frame upon removal. I'm glad you mentioned it! I now have two so that one is always being charged and the other is in my kit. :)
Hi there! Thanks for ur videos! I too live in colorado at elevation. A couple questions…..are your bees from colorado? What is the biggest threat to your bees? I plan on trapping swarms in my area to get started. Do you recommend me also buying a nuc from somewhere? Also, what are your thoughts on dark bees?
My very first recommendation for you there in Colorado would be to find a local beekeeper and plan a visit with him/her to see what the local beekeeping conditions are. I'm in PA. :)
Thank you for another informative Q&A, Fred! I was wondering if you had any objections to using galvanized wire mesh between the frames of a hive and its oil pan? I have four 5-frame nucs, three long hives and four 8-frame Langstroth hives like this, and I recently heard OA can corrode galvanized metal. OA is what I use for mites. Thank You, again!
I think that's going to depend on how often you are using your OA. I'm not sure how quickly the OA will act on the galvanized screens you have, it can't hurt to just wait and see and then simply replace them if you see degradation and of course rust. Please keep us updated regarding what you end up doing and observing. Thanks :)
mannlake's uncapping tub do not have a stainless steel mesh. i gave a review today to show my concern. such a great tub only to drop the ball on a $10 mesh, really frustrating
That's interesting, they weren't the ones I was referring to, but that needs to be addressed in my opinion.
Thank you Fred. Nice to hear about your grandson's impressive progress. Was the one white hive @2:48 in the opening sequence a polystyrene hive? Looking forward to the 2 upcoming videos.
Lyson 6-frame nucleus hive. We'll see how it goes.
The connection of aluminum and Alzheimer's makes me wonder why aluminum is not included in the list of risky metals.
I gotten all aluminum out of my food chain. Great point!
I don't have any aluminum equipment at all. There are many different grades of Aluminum. For me, even though it's inconclusive, I don't use any aluminum cookware etc...
Some studies have shown that people with Alzheimer's disease have higher levels of aluminum in their brains than people without the disease. However, other studies have found no such association. It is still not clear whether aluminum exposure can actually cause Alzheimer's disease, or whether it is simply a marker for the disease.
The Alzheimer's Association states that "there is no convincing evidence that aluminum causes Alzheimer's disease." However, they also state that "more research is needed to understand the role of aluminum in Alzheimer's disease."
As always, I'm failing SAFE... and avoiding that material.
Always good sruff
Hi Fred we recently had a conversation about how long does OA kill mites after vape the times was all over it went from 4 days to 1 hr. What is your thoughts on how long will OA kill mites in the hives after vaporizing
Thanks Fred. Alan
The active period of oxalic acid vaporization treatment inside a bee hive depends on a few factors, such as the temperature and humidity of the hive, the amount of oxalic acid used, and the ventilation of the hive. In general, the treatment will remain active for 24-48 hours.
Thanks Fred
Speaking of colors, I feed my bees all summer with watermelons I grow. I grow orange and red melons and they go after the orange if both are side by side. Is it the color or does one have a higher brix? I don’t know, but to me they taste equally as sweet. I couldn’t see the orange melons always being sweeter than the reds because ripeness is a big factor on taste and I feed them many melons in a year. I also grow many varieties.
All I can say about that is, they will definitely jump on whichever one has the highest sugar content. There may be some scent that they have a preference for as well, but sugar wins.
@@FrederickDunn my bees are working all the wooly croton around my pond now. It’s the only thing I know of around here that’s blooming in our heat and drought. 110 here yesterday and a 1/2” of rain total in 3 1/2 months now. Setting in 2nd place for the number of 105+ degree days in a year. 1980 has it beat by 2 more days. I planted that croton many years ago for the doves because I used to hunt them when they were more abundant.
OK. I set up a beehive at my sister's house two years ago. Things had been great, healthy hive, lots of honey harvest, even made two splits with the hive. Then two weeks ago, she noticed that there was a pile of dead bees in front. I took a look and I saw a lot of signs of poisoning. tongues out, bees that tried to fly and fell to the ground, and the huge number of dead bees in the hive. I poured them out and there were at least 50,000dead bees with many just fluttering around dying. I reduced the size of the hive so that the remaining survivors would have a chance to defend and maintain the hive. I took the equipment, super and frames and vigorously cleaned them, soaking them in concentrated bleach and removing wax and propolis that ended up in fireplace. My sister cleaned the bottom board, inner and outer cover. My question is, is that enough? Do you have any advice about cleaning or treatments for the hive, or things I should do?
I'm going to ask a very basic question... was there honey in the hive? Did they have plenty of nectar coming in? The only reason I start with that is, a dearth can come on pretty fast and the large colonies can use up resources alarmingly fast if they are still in full brood production when that happens. If that wasn't the case, then your Dept. of Ag Extension Office should be notified. A die-off on that scale probably isn't isolated, and they need to know what killed those bees. Please let us know what you discover. This spring, I have a large healthy colony that was in full brood production suddenly begin to die off. Foragers were trying to fly out but just dropped off of the landing board. Hundreds of bees were dying inside the hive and covered the bottom board. When I examined their honey stores every single cell was empty. I provided sugar syrup and they were back in full swing in a matter of hours. Had I not given them the sugar syrup in that hive, it would have been a total loss.
There were still a few frames of honey left when I took a look. I could not tell you about the nectar flow at her house though. I will have to tell the local ag folks what happened I think. Thanks for the sage advice and counsel. @@FrederickDunn
link for the red head bolts?...
Oops, I'll add that now. :) They are on Amazon.
@@FrederickDunn thanks,i didnt know what their called, looking forward to the two new videos you mentioned
I really like that curved landing board in the very first shot.
Thanks, that's an Ivry-B hive, it's barrel shaped.
1:59
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Fred, thanks for a great video. You mentioned the food-grade screw-on lid buckets you have been using. Did you buy those local or on the interwebs? If interweb, can you provide a link? I find the standard 5 gallon buckets to be useful, but they always seem so cheap to me (hence their low price). Would like to upgrade to something better and be able to use the purchased bucket for a long time. Cheers and thanks. - Jeff
This is what I use. They’re pricey but last forever.
I found them on sale, and depending on the color of the lid they were less expensive. I'll provide a link in the video description... this is what I purchased: amzn.to/485GFEX
3:16 1:59
what happens at 1:59?
I just made 2” thick styrofoam telescope covers. The sides telescope 4”s. I live on the south shore of Long Island and our temperatures stay around 30,s with short bouts of 20’s. Once in a while we will get below zero. Should I rap my hives as well? The cover will be over a vented box with burlap. I have 2 strong hives. One deep+1 medium the other 2 Deeps+ 1 medium. Thx again for your videos.
Capt Brian.
I don't personally think it's necessary to wrap your hives. The insulation cap with an insulated inner cover has carried my bees through winter in great shape. You've chosen to go with a vented top, that alters the interior climate, and causes an air flow that is not under control of the bees. If both of your hives are configured the same, you won't really be able to tell if one configuration is better than another. I hope it all works out for you :)
@@FrederickDunn I did make it so I can close off those vents. I will start out closed. I will monitor the moisture and make adjustments. Thx again. Have a successful winter.
Um, Fred, all stainless steels have iron, including 304, 316, 316L, etc. Whether they are called ferretic is more a question of the crystal structure and what it is alloyed with. Austentitic steels have iron, but are not very ferromagnetic. It's mixing in chromium, nitrogen, etc and controlling the carbon level. They are all alloys of iron, and alloy properties vary. Chromium tends to seal off the iron in a sense, but it is in there.
Oops, thanks for clearing that up. Magnets do not stick to 300 series stainless steel because it is not a ferromagnetic material. Ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, nickel, and cobalt, have magnetic properties and can attract magnets. However, 300 series stainless steel is austenitic, which means that it has a face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure. This crystal structure does not allow the alignment of the magnetic moments of the iron atoms, which is necessary for ferromagnetism. I was trying to give a laymen's magnetic to non-magnetic explanation, I should have stopped there :)
Fred Thank you for your answer. It was of great help. Thanks for all you do to help others. Never miss an episode. You are such a wealth of information. 🐝😊
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Icy Mountain Honey is a great name!
@@FrederickDunn Thanks. It gets Icy here.
DCL Md. 😊
Moving and beautiful opening sequence. Music, film, beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you, Rose :)
Hi Fred. Have not sent you a comment lately but now we got told yesterday we can’t stop the varroa mite spreading over Australia. I don’t think the Australian DPI in each state has any item how to control these bloody pests. I would like to use OA but there is no talk about using AO here. Feeling down about the spread.
David. Brisbane Australia.
I'll mention this on Friday during the Q&A. I'm not sure what Australia's approval pipeline is for pesticides, but I hope they collectivel arrive at some approved treatments/miticides soon. Early control can profoundly slow the spread. I've never suffered profound losses in my apiary, so even with varroa being present the beekeeping future may not be so bad.
I don't know if you already did it but I would appreciate a somewhat condensed video on everything that you have learned since you started beekeeping. And a video showing how your aviary has grew and changed over the years. I know it probably would be a lot of work but I enjoy seeing how things progress and I think it would be a cool story/video. Thanks for the awesome content
That sounds like it would be a good video to post around New Years :) thank you for suggesting it.
(2nd comment) Fred, this episode is almost information overload, maybe it's just me realizing how to learn more! It happened when I joined the Corps. During field radio operator school, I learned how to memorize things I could never remember when I was in high school. You're pushing me to a different level in comparison to that even! Time is the difference now though. Thank you for your great Q&A's.
Hi Tommy, I have to say that when on active duty I was a sponge and learned everything I could while I had the chance. I also collected NECs any time new, or special qualifications were offered. I'm glad that you are enjoying learning with me now :) and if I haven't said it before, thank you for your service :) you now have a "need to know" :)
@@FrederickDunn Yeah I took MCI courses and when I had time. I remember being questioned by the SNCOIC over training as to why I had requested some SNCO training courses as an E-3, I had to convince him to let me take them and that I wouldn't fail. lol
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Thanks for another great video. I have my first hive and It seems to be doing very well. My mentor also has a hive in my apiary. Most days I stand 10-15 feet away to the side of the landing boards. Being a new bee keeper I love just watching and learning from the bees. I note the activity, pollen arriving, guard bees checking new arrivals. Bees fighting with wasps, hornets and ants (ants seem to have gotten the do not enter message).
My mentors hive I just noticed tan colored ovals/caps on the landing board. In today's video you mentioned the expulsion of drones/drone pupa. This makes me think the tan caps may have been from drone cells, What are your thoughts? I did not look for or notice dead drones or pupa but I'll look next time.
Regards
Yes, sometimes you will see brood cell caps on the landing board. A good check would be to see if the brood cells are being cleaned out, or if they are uncapping pupae that are not fully developed yet. Some bees pull the caps from cells with varroa in them. Worth a look.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you Fred, I noticed them on my mentor's hive. I'll make sure we'll look next inspection. I know in a couple of weeks we will be doing a varroa count. He has an OA vaporizer and that will be the treatment soon if required.
I'll post our findings at that time.
Hi Frederick
I dropped a mated Queen next to the box, but can't find her anymore
will it fly into the box again?
That is not a guarantee, but queens do tend to find themselves attended to by other bees fairly fast if there are plenty of bees flying around. You can look for a cluster of bees nearby where you think the queen is. She may indeed go right back into the hive, but if she's new to your apiary I'd look for that cluster of bees that are just drawn to her pheromone.
thank you @@FrederickDunn
Another great vdo
Thank you, Peter :)
Mr. Fred, great stuff as always sir. I have a question about hive alive in my sugar syrup, i accidentally added 21 tsp to 6 gallons instead of 12 due to the wrong size measuring spoon handed to me by my lovely wife. In your opinion, what are the dangers of this dosage?
Essential oils in high doses can (not necessarily will) harm the micro biome in the mid-gut of the honey bees. BUT, I'd be surprised if they actually took that in. I highly recommend that you add in more sugar syrup to balance out the high HA dose. You may not see any negative impact, but Hive Alive is already pretty strong at the recommended dose, and remember it is considered a treatment. There are lots of sub-lethal impacts that you might see, such as trembling, reduction in fertility, and even noticeably reduced activity/foraging. This is with all essential oils, not just Hive Alive. Please update us on what you observe, and how you manage the mix.
@FrederickDunn Thank you for taking the time to respond in a very detailed manner, i will dilute it down with more sugar water this morning and let you know in a week or so what i observe in the bees behavior. I watch other content creators, but responses like this are why i consider you the best in the business of really helping others.
You are very welcome, and thanks :) @@honeyandthecoop803
Fred, where do you get your bee excluders from to get the bees out of the honey supers?
Hi Ray, I think you're talking about escape boards. The Great Escape is sold via Blythewood Beekeeping supplies. They originate from Ceracell in New Zealand. By far the most effective escape boards I've tested. Expensive though, so may be worth searching on Amazon or Ebay?
@@FrederickDunn thanks they must have sold out they just canceled my order. I just wanted to be sure. Thanks so much for your channel I try and watch everything!!!
Wow, that's not good at all. I had problems getting the 10-frame size a few years ago. Maybe we need to make a video showing how to make your own? :) @@rayzzz1916
@@FrederickDunn that would be great, I would watch!
I'm in San Antonio, TX and we are having a bigtime drought and super-hot days, so for sure, we are in a dearth. I have 2 fairly strong hives, both of which are double-deeps, and both are absolutely packed with bees, and all frames have something on them. One of them has 2 honey supers, and earlier this year, I got some honey from them, and returned the frames to the hive, but so far, there is no activity on them that would lead me to think that they are backfilling the comb with new honey. I am thinking I should split them so they don't swarm for lack of space to lay eggs. If I split them, how many frames should I take from each hive. I have 2 empty hive boxes that I can put splits into. If I do split them, should I get a queen for each of them or let them make their own queen?
Hi Steve, that's a very regional question... I don't know that forage remains in your neck of the woods. For me here, I wouldn't split a colony at this late date. Since you say they are not backfilling the comb, are you saying they are out of cells for laying in the brood area also? I think it's too late to expect them to make replacement queens on their own, so if you do elect to split them I think you're going to need mated queens to install. There are too many variables here for me to make a sound decision on that one. Sorry.
Do you do fall feeding? When?
Case by case, usually only the late season swarms get fed. All of the Langstroth Hives get Hive Alive fondant when late October arrives. The horizontal hives and observation hives aren't fed during winter as they have good stores inside.