Im starting out too. I got a mentor who wanted to quit beekeeping because hes too old is unable to continue doing it. I got ALL his stuff including 8 hives from him, and hes agreed to keep mentoring me as long as hes able to walk. I watch youtube videos and guides to add onto the knowledge and guidance he imparts on me. Love my bees.
Big mistake many beginners make (myself included) is starting out with only 1 hive. If something goes wrong, you have nothing to fall back on. Start with at least two.
yes! i am already thinking of a follow up video and this is one topic. and makes it easier to compare the two hives, you will quickly realize if one is not doing as well.
I agree, to an extent. I started with 1 hive and did fine. That said, I live in the south and I think bee keeping is easier due to our mild winters. I caught a swarm, put them in a hive, and that was pretty much it. I checked on them every couple of weeks. I didn't feed them and didn't take any honey the first year.
but why? I'm very strongly considering purchasing a hive in the next few weeks in order o add bees next spring (I'll have the winter to spend handling, stacking, unstacking, familiarizing myself with it and the tools) I'm currently looking for a local keeper to talk with, but in the meantime I'm here trying to find out what questions I need to be asking when I do get that local contact. I have seen this mentioned three times now in comments on these videos, but no one has elaborated and it's the first time I've seen it mentioned at all.
The bees keep their hive in order, when you shift frames around, you upset that order. It can impact air flow, moisture, and temperature. The general wisdom is that unless you are trying to achieve a specific goal by moving the frames around, you put the hive back the way you found it. It's most important with brood frames, because the brood is sensitive. It's especially important with weak hives, because brood needs an even temperature, and a weak hive can struggle to maintain that temperature if you split up the brood frames.
Thank you so much for this info, I'm considering keeping bees, but I feel like I'm at least 2-3 years away from being ready, so ALL the info I can get is greatly appreciated!
Thank you for posting videos like this!! I am researching into beekeeping and it is information like this that I find the most valuable. We are all human, we do make mistakes and having someone who has been there done that tell the beginners the nitty gritty truths straight up before we make these blunders and lose our hope and our confidence is very heartening. I hope to see more beekeeping videos in the future! Keep up the good work!
Screen bottom board seems to help with mites and we coat the slide out tray under screen with coconut oil and those mites die and drown in the oil so do the hive beetles.
One mistake (probably of many) that I made was trying too hard to insulate the hives for winter. I wrapped them up so snuggly, and forgot about ventilation, and they got wet from condensation and died.
i too am surprised by comments and questions on places like FB beekeeping forums. there is so much information available today on the internet. before i got started i watched and read everything i could. i was a sponge for 3-4 months before i got my bees. and what i liked about that research was having access to differing opinions vs taking the advice of a single mentor. i liked being able to distill my own management plan from the collective knowledge. of course there is no substitute for having your hands directly on the bees and keeping hives. even though i had read and heard that you should start with 2 hives, i only started with one and i regret that. and i always suggest to newbies that they start with 2. but i'm in the suburbs of New Orleans and i think beekeeping must be much easier down here. i leave honey for the bees to over winter and never feed. i don't have to wrap or protect my hives. and i don't treat my bees... i do think it is important to have good genetics. my first package of bees came from Georgia from stock that was treated and sure enough i had varroa problems and i treated them and got them through an additional year only to have them succumb again and abscond the next year. after that, i've successfully kept bees from differnt no-treatment sources and haven't had a hive die over winter in 4 years. i do see varroa and i do get some deformed wing virus occasionally. and when i replace queens, i buy queens with VSH genetics. i won't pretend i know it it all and i'm not a commercial beekeeper with thousands of hives that my livelihood depends on, so i have the luxury of losing weaker hives and letting nature take her course to shape the bees i keep. this year i'm expanding from 3 hives to over 10, so we'll have to see if i can maintain that point of view. :)
Of course it is easier in warmer climates but Bee hives could be painted black , instead of white, for the solar heat they could gain from the sun during the day during the winter. Heat they do without by not being painted darker. I don't get how this is not obvious.
rick dees I don't think you want a black hive in the summer months. They make a black insulation wrap for the winter months that I have seen people use.
@Casey J. Brooks Your right "painting them black" would not due in the summer time at all. Specifically if they were located in locations with direct sun exposure as the are placed by human keepers and not under under a forest canopy type locations like where bees are naturally found. Trees are not painted white and are closer to black than white. imo. Wild bees seem to take up in trees given the right hollow quite well in the wild and to thrive through the seasons. Surely there are many factors to consider which will factor in to a greater or lessor degree when considered with all other factors. I know I don't see wild bee's in natural hives which are colored pure white like the ones traditionally provided by humans. I'm not a bee keeper and my comments carry no first hand experience. Just adding my to cents for what it may or not be worth. Cheers.
Eric, I agree 100% with the package bees. The other issue I see is people in northern climates buying bees from the south and those bees are not acclimated to the northern weather. We bought our bees, 2 nucs, from a local beekeeper who is treatment free (I'll get to that in a second) and our bees overwintered great. Our current colonies and the descendants are all from that stock. I didn't go the mentor route due to a work schedule that didn't allow it. I work wacky hours and while I was at work others were tending their bees. Your videos were a great help as were other channels. If you can't get a mentor at least read everything you can get your hands on so when something is happening you have some reference point to go from. I read and studied for 3 years before getting bees and still was amazed at how little I knew...but at least had an inkling of what might be happening. So thumbs up on mentoring. Great advice. Mites. Like I said, our bees came from a treatment free beekeeper about 5 miles from us. I don't treat our bees but if others do, hey, it's their prerogative. I just have a problem with putting chemicals, organic or otherwise, in the hive. I, or others, will be eating the honey so it's not something I feel right about. In four years of beekeeping the mite load in our hives has been incredibly low. Without going into the details of how I know this I do know we don't have a mite problem...or small hive beetles either. The hives are super strong and resilient. Mistakes others make. They only start with one hive. Two hives gives you the opportunity to compare what's going on. In addition if your hive dies you are left discouraged with a bunch of equipment. I wonder how many beginning beekeepers stopped after having their one hive die. Two also allows you to do a split if one dies so you can rebuild your apiary. Great video.
Fantastic hints! I'm Beekeeping in Perth Australia, we don't have Varroa Mites yet, but many beekeepers thinks it's just a matter of time. Awesome stuff thanks
GardenFork - thanks for talking about the tips. Happy to say I have done 2 out of 3 and also never sent bees in the mail. I will look into treating them. I also tried to start with only 1 hive. This time I will try 4. Good luck all.
I have NEVER treated for mites, have kept bees for over 18 years in the Northwest. Have healthy happy productive bees and started with two shipped packages. Did have a good mentor, who also does not treat for mites, never has.
+Jim F good to hear. mites have a huge affect on bees in the northeast. The combo of hard winters, mites, and nosema/dysentery makes it difficult to overwinter them. The mite levels increase as the bee population decreases through winter. Thx!
Top of my mistakes so far. 1.No 2nd anti-varroa treatment (a must in my area) 2.Transport at night: Not marking the spot I wanted to move the hives. 3. Treating small nucs like normal hives and not feeding them with substitutes, because I thought there were plenty of pollen/ flowers outside. 4. failed DIY traps for Vespa Cabro (wasps are a problem in my area)
we have had a yellow jacket wasp problem here, they killed one of my hives. i may try some traps this spring for them. i don't have much experience with raising nucs, we all make mistakes. thx!
The powdered sugar method also called the sugar shake test and is only a way to tell how bad your mite infestation is it does not treat for mites so essentially you weren't treating them for mites. The reason you do this is there is a recommended threshold for treatment once the colony has 10 mites to 100 bees you are supposed to use a mite treatment. Some beekeepers lower that threshold etc. The problem with blanket treating for mites is the more you expose the population to your miticide the more probability there is for the mites to become resistant to it and to carry their genetic disposition to their offspring which would give you a population that is unaffected by your miticide and that would really be a problem.
Love your channel and your videos were one of the reasons I decided to get a hive. I have made all of these mistakes (except for shipping bees) and then some. Thx for the info.
Thank you for your teaching, very informative. A swarm of bees tried to enter one of my nuc hives... What's that about? The colony managed to defend the hive but many bees over 100 were lost in the battle with the swarm that tried to enter. The area I am doing my apiary is south east Asia, and every other day local residents destroy a natural beehive up in the trees for the honey... How do u manage a swarm of bees trying to enter a hive that is already populated with a colony?
I think another mistake is using foundationless frames. I used wire in my frames because I didn't want to use plastic foundation with bees wax coating. I didn't realize there was 100% bees wax foundation until I did this in my first brood box. I ended up with cross comb on 4 frames. What a mess, but with some patients, a knife, and some rubber bands I fixed it. I did it alone, because my son was not home to help with my hive, and they were really angry, but I persisted, and 4 days later when we did our scheduled hive check, the comb was fixed, a rubber band had already been chewed off, and since then, each day I have found a rubber band that they have removed from the hive. I will never use wire supports again.
Also, we are recording our Hive journey. If you want to see what the comb looked like, look at the videos my son has posted. It is under Brian Koper. We are in N E Ohio
If you let your bees build in empty frames that do not have wires or fishing lines it is unlikely that you will get cross comb. The moment you put wires on a foundationles frame, you get cross comb. Pease note that all commercial foundations are polluted with chemical.
Hi Gordon I haven't started yet I believe in doing my research I have been invited for next month it's 1 of 4 in my province and the University is offering a 6 week couse so far I belive my research is going to payoff I was offered to help a local person with there hives so by the time iam ready I should have some good information before I start
Great video. I've been thinking about getting a hive going, but I want to be sure I know what I'm doing first. I live near an air force base that flies C-130's to spray for mosquitos during the Summer. If it's too much of a risk, I won't do it.
I have talked to Belgian queen breeders who don't treat for varroa mites, ever, and have barely any winter losses; ofcourse mite infestation levels have been among the selection criteria for years for those breeders. I've also had the chance to talk to a french beekeeper and commercial honey producer (south of France) who said 'he treats only when there is a problem' and doesnt believe in systematic treatment. I don't have the experience to confirm any of that myself, but it makes me sceptical about the 'treat or your bees will die' advice. Most people giving that advice do not really know what their losses would be if they did not treat. I would rather go for 'treat if you have only a small number of hives; but don't treat if you have enough hives to loose the few that can't survive varroa' advice myself. Or put otherwise, I think people keeping lots of bees SHOULD be selecting for varroa tollerance, as that is the only structural solution to that problem; wheres people keeping only a few hives should not be taking the risk of loosing all their bees. Yet in that spirit, it feels very wrong to blindly advice people to systematically treat. That being said, rather critically, i do actually love your videos!
i'm all about the average backyard beekeeper, like myself, who has 4 hives. i didn't treat for mites for several years and lost most of my hives every late winter, so this is why I say this. I do say in the video that mite treatment is a debated subject, and i do not claim to be the ultimate authority. thanks for taking the time to write, its appreciated.
you might find this article interesting, it was one of the reasons I brought up mite treatment in the vid. thx! www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/12/489622982/the-colony-killing-mistake-backyard-beekeepers-are-making
If you have not already, could you place this link in the description, also could you provide outlines or text information also for hearing impaired viewers?
We didn't treat for mites, my mom thought the chemicals were too dangerous, now I think all my bees are dead. Is there anything specific I should do to the box and the frames when cleaning them before getting new bees?
take the frames and knock both sides on something strong to dislodge what dead bees you can. the new bees will clean up the rest. IMHO, at present time, you have to treat for mites - i use oxalic acid dribble method - or your bees will be dead in winter.
oxalic acid is the mildest treatment that works, here is how i do it and the following vid is how to prep your hives for winter ua-cam.com/video/O99Ys3pbjhk/v-deo.html
The only mite treatment I use is making splits. My losses are about 20% a year. There are plenty of professional bee keepers who don't use any treatment for mites and are doing quite well. Not to poop on your advice or anything...just trying to give a balanced story. Good video. Thank you .
There are many opinions Anthony, kinda like how people raise kids. Thanks for your kind and measured comment, most people just scream ;) My point is more about Southern Packages that some north and are full of mites. This video is very interesting about pairing southern packages with northern queens = 80% survival rate ua-cam.com/video/UTW4ykwm_m8/v-deo.html
My biggest mistake was watching videos like this. Just kidding, good advice but I own a Health food store and I wanted to have organic honey. I am also in Alaska and over 8 years I have had a 68% over winter success, I am sure I have lost some to Varroa but I make Splits and raise queen from my survivor stock and I'm not growing fast but by making Splits we are now up to 40 hives.
I very much agree with you. Varroa is a problem BUT I genuinely believe that the bees need to evolve their way out of this. Are you located in southern Alaska?
Which neighborhood in Brooklyn you eep your bees? Maybe next time you come i can join you? I got my two hives last year in September from Long Island. I live in Brooklyn Ocean Avenue. First winter; both hives are good.
I am 2 week into being a sperm meeting an egg, in the education for bee keeping. When I ask a question on a forum, which I hasn't happened yet, please don't tell me my question is stupid and tell me to take a class. Not everyone who finds bee interesting will ever become a bee keeper. People test the water with a toe! Many people will express an interest and ask questions, that does not mean they are at a point to take a class. BTW I grew up in Brooklyn, Flatbush! Also, I'm subscribing after one video, which I rarely do because I found out one video does not justify subb'ing. This video suggests differently (right now), so I made an exception. Best wishes to you and family.
Have you read any of the information from Dr Sharashkin? I am going with Layens hives in the Northland --- MN And I am concerned with getting the bees through the long hard winters we get here, so I am going with a modified Layens with insulation. Your thoughts? Thanks and I am definitely taking a class this Feb!
I just posted a video with what I think is a queenless hive. I'm still fairly new at beekeeping and would love your input as I don't know what do do next.
- Took a sting to remember that while a honey bee sting isnt a yellow jacket sting, but it still swells way more than one would like. - Assumed I knew how to light a smoker. Seemed obvious, but I wasnt packing it well enough to feed it to last beyond a few minutes. - Realised that an empty box is super handy for holding frames while working as opposed to juggling them and setting them down precariously. - Hearing people casually suggest that theyll get bees without any effort to research anything. Its a bit of a pet peeve.
It is october 21st and i just got a hive and had to move it from one hour away , as soon as i got home i let them out but i notice them pulling out alot of dead brood that looks like it way fixing to come out because they were fully formed i dont know what caused this. If you have any ideas let me know thanks
Who on earth thinks powdered sugar will do anything about Varroa? It's used for diagnosing, nothing more... As for mistakes, I'd say starting with only one hive, especially if you happen to start in the autumn. I did that, and then my hive lost their queen in early October, and I couldn't get a new one. If I had one or two more hives, I could've combined them, instead I had to start from scratch again next year. Get two or three hives when you're starting. You'll get more experience faster, you'll have more to do, and you'll have more options if things start to go poorly.
Theory about powdered sugar that I've heard from a bee keeper, is that bees get covered in powdered sugar, which then they eat it if each other's backs, hence cleaning from mites. Down side is that bees eat away hairs on their back that protect from rain.
My mistake was I didn't treat for mites right away then I treated when they got them stopped treatment because the summer before I didn't have mites now I have mites again...
TAKE A CLASS! Best advice. Also - Learn all about recognition of bee diseases, like AFB. And last but not least: NO (or poor mite control) mite treatments = NO successful beekeeping.
+GardenFork You definitely hit on some good ideas. Although I've been studying up on them for about 2 years, this is only my first year keeping bees so I don't have a whole lot of insight to offer on beginner mistakes. I'm sure I will next year once I have a little more experience under my belt. Something that did plague me for a while was not being fully prepared with my tools and what to expect during inspections. I think I'm getting past that now but it's a pain to have an open hive, bees buzzing around you and have to scurry down a ladder because you forgot something.
that is an option, yes, thx for the question. i only know one friend who uses that, and don't have any experience with it, so I talked about my experience with the dribble method. the goal of this vid was to reach out to new beekeepers, and my thinking was not many of them would start out using the vaporising gear for oxalic. the dribble method, while perhaps not as efficient, is easier to the beginner. i just see so many people making some simple mistakes, I wanted to address some of those errors. thx!
Fair point, the equipment is becoming more readily available and the cost per treatment is very low perhaps it is worth making others aware of the options available. The points you make are very useful and I enjoy the videos.
i'm going to ask my friend about her experience with the vapor method. The dribble method is great for someone with 1-2 hives, but i should learn about the vapor rig. thx for taking the time to comment!
If 2/3 of the bees in a package are dead, something is wrong with the package, a package is basically a swarm that was manmade. Also, you should only treat for mites if the bees have an infestation, you don't take medicine if you dont have a problem. Its the same with bees.
I have a question have you ever thought of using essential oils for your mite or have you? and for healthly hives? Fat Bee Man and Ken Davis from Little Creek Bee Ranch has had great success and been keeping bees for many years. They are both on youtube. What do you use for mite? just wondering. I'm new and so I have put on the wintergreen mint patties already. Also they do a wintergreen , Tea Tree, lemongrass in the sugar water I like Ken Davis recipe he use it with a little warm honey and Fat Bee man does a blender for 5 min to emulate the oils. Fat Bee Man use some little machine I haven't figure out yet and sprays the hive but it all natural oils and seen doing it for years. I love you videos thank yo so much. I also get your email so enjoy learning new things thank you for being you.
Hi Shari, thx for the note. Mite treatment varies by beekeeper, i have not had success with herbal oil treatments. I use the oxalic acid dribble mite treatment in the late fall, which i believe is the least harsh effective method currently available. it seems beeks in warmer parts have less of a problem with mites, so maybe the oils work. but in the north, the mite load soars in the fall, and in a cold northern winter, they can kill a hive. the oxalic acid dribble method is easy to do and works well so far. this is just my opinion, i am not a bee scientist. thx!
thank you so much we are going to check for mite in this next two weeks so we will see what is happening it the oils haven't worked I will use what you have recommended thank you so much Blessings
i don't check for mites any more, my experience (which may be different than others) is that almost every hive has mites. doing the oxalic acid treatment in late fall keeps the mites at a tolerable level, from what I know. keep in mind i am an amateur in all this. thx!
Do you have to remove the honey supers for this? I was under the impression that any oxalic treatment, either dribble or smoke treatment, can harm the honey and make it unedible.
Even if your bees are VSH the loss of brood due to the removal of the capped pupae impacts the overall population and you don't get the potential hive population that you could have. VSH is helpful but it is not an ultimate solution. So, yeah, treat for mites
Oxalic acid vapoization. Oxalic acid is sold in hardware stores as wood bleach. You can make your own or buy one on line. Mine uses a 12 volt battery and it's a very reliable system that doesn't kill the bees or contaminate the wax. Read the directions and you'll be okay. Oxalic acid exists naturally in hives and is in many of the vegetables we eat such as spinach.
GardenFork and here the keepers I talk to have no interest in helping they are applachian old timers who stay to themselves.they have 3 or 4 hives and rather talk about thier garden
I think one big mistake is getting busy and not working the hives for a while. So much can go wrong so fast. It pays to stay on top of them and head off any problems.
its easy to forget about the bees when they are not in your backyard. this is my dilemma, since my bees are on a farm down in the valley and up on a friend's roof in the city.
Perhaps you can benefit from your own advice. Hives in remote locations to you could use a "ment-et" to check on your hive/s for you and communicate over the phone what they see? That would also be educational to them. If your mentoring them with their hives, why should you not have them help you (in trade) if you need it? Those not able to do so are less deserving of your knowledge and you are best served by helping those who appreciate your help by helpping you too. Would that also be of value to them educational wise? No matter what "we" do, it is those who take advantage of the opportunities they have on hand and opportunities advances in technologies offer that do the best monetarily and socially in their lifes. Cheers
some hive robbing happens on occasion, but a healthy hive will keep bees from other hives out if its house. and its a pain to work hives that are spread apart.
I read in two sources to mark the boxes differently so they can recognize their hive from the outside, or paint different color...(and I think red is the color they do not see?) Newbie here.
well the can live on sugar board and protein powder if they need to that even better for them then honey. Watch Fat Bee Man and Ken Davis from Little Creek Be Ranch good stuff they been keep bees for many years.
good comments, thats why you are here! I have a co-worker mentor , but I say , you say , we say and then there it is ...how it works. I agree with you 100 0/0
It is so true!!!I did it went out bought 2 hives.And I really have no clue what I'm doing.My bees are still working.One hive has swarmed twice.Classes are miles and miles away.Im not giving up but...I truly beliveved it was going to be easy.NOT!!!
He first one "they don't take a class" what if there too young or someting I'm only 14 and I want to start beekeeping and I don't have anyone to help out
I was surprised to see a beekeeper beekeeping on the roof top in Brooklyn. Pretty cool however why are you using straps on the bee boxes? Generally I use straps to protect from predators like bears but I imagine you don't have that issue on a rooftop LOL. Actually kind of jealous I wish I had a flat roof at my place I'd put them up there.
I'm new to bees I like your video Your suggestions make sense to me. I plan to get my bees from a supplier an hour from my house. I'm just not sure if they'll be sealed up good enough to ride in my car. I asked, waiting for a response
+Willy The Mailman bees won't sting you in the car, they will bump against the windows trying to get out. Keep. The AC running in the car to keep the bees cool while transporting. A few bees getting out of a package or nuc is no big deal. You will be fine. Have fun!
Another common mistake - is interfering with the hive too much. Give the bees space and time to do their thing, lifting frames and jogging brood every few days is not helpful to the colony
Taking a Class!!! That's a First Step Must! I'm in the South but I took a Class. The Info that I gained set the foundation. My Girls are Booming now. Please find a a class. Most counties have an Agriculture Dept so they watch/investigate the counties livestock. Well......Bees can/are considered live stock.
#4.Putting frame parts on tbe ground or grass while inspecting the hibe! #5. No wind break to protect your bees. #6. No sunshades during hot weather. #7. Mixing the wrong syrup! #8. Being stupid and showing off!
Hi Steven, i don't own a flow hive, and i've never seen one in person. it just seems to make it all sound so simple, when its not. you harvest honey one day a year, maybe 2. then there's the 363 more days when you try to keep your bees alive. many people see the flow vids, IMO, seem to think all they have to do is throw some bees in a hive, never inspect the hive, and turn on the spigot. i don't think the flow hive people are saying that, its just the impression people get from watching the vids.
That makes a lot of sense. If it wasn't your videos teaching all the things you have to do to keep the bees alive and happy I'd think it was just about harvesting honey too!
I would not have beehives in a forested area. I had to move mine from my backyard, which is surrounded by acres of woods, into pasture land down by the river, about 8 miles away. I don't think there is enough pollen & nectar through the season to sustain bees in wooded areas. they need many diverse sources of food to survive. thx!
oh i thought of this idea because bees in my area (100 km,sq or 62 mile squared) are extinct but the area is lightly wooded and it is possible to plant flowers as grass grows there and a 1 watt solar cell produces 0.82 watt and im just trying to think of a badass long term project and also i cannot believe that you replied
so 1 sq kilometer is not enough? also there is a suburban area nearby as well as a small meadow i have the support of some people to help me with the labour and i've tested the soil (i am very good at chemistry) and our town is trying to help combat the colony collapse disorder already by planting flowers everywhere and forbidding the use of neo-nicotinoids and pesticides in general. we have in plans to plant more flowers and put up some bee hives but it's just that we do not really know a good beekeeper
1 km sq is a rough estimate of the flowers in the meadow and the ones in the forest as well as some free land that we can fill up with flowers (200 m sq)
Not treating for Varroa mites, by the time you notice bee numbers down you are heading into winter its too late then the hives are weak and they will get robbed out.
Welp, so Far I've done none of these right. Looks like I'm screwed. Like i put my bees in the back of our truck when we got them, i have a few guys helping me, but i've never taken classes and looking for a good chemical for varroa mites. lol
outer space vlogs In a highly populated area, especially in tenements, apartments, or townhouses, If the roof is available, can you think of a better place for the hives? Are you a country dweller or do you live in a city? You have to consider your environment and what kind of space a bee hive needs.
No. I'm not the person to help with beginner bee keeping. You really need to follow the advice in this video and first contact your local bee keeping clubs and associations. That's the very first step because that will lead you to all the other information and resources you will need.
Big mistake I see beginners make is not having enough equipment. They get a small beehive kit, then don't have any spare boxes ready for when the population explodes, and are scrambling and paying through the roof to get one in quickly, or worse yet, not getting it in time and the hive swarms.
They were found in a hive of Asian honey bees, but it seems to have been an isolated incident. The AHBIC says that there aren't any known populations of varroa mites at this time. So as of now, there's nothing to be worried about :)
jee1shi I want to know how the AHBs got here and Cairns in the first place. Fair enough you might miss a mite during an inspection, but an entire, noisy hive?! One bee does not make a hive. The entire hive would have had to have gotten through customs. Then the eradication program failed, seems pretty serious flaws going on in nth Qld ports. Now the AHB is here it seems like only a matter of time before Varoa mite will arrive.
Hi Greg, Fantastic to hear of your success! I get many emails and comments from people who have killed their hives because of simple mistakes, and it gets a little depressing to be on the receiving end of that. So I made this video to hopefully have fewer dead hives. Sorry if it comes off as all bad, its quite amazing when it all works. thx!
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Im starting out too.
I got a mentor who wanted to quit beekeeping because hes too old is unable to continue doing it.
I got ALL his stuff including 8 hives from him, and hes agreed to keep mentoring me as long as hes able to walk.
I watch youtube videos and guides to add onto the knowledge and guidance he imparts on me.
Love my bees.
Big mistake many beginners make (myself included) is starting out with only 1 hive. If something goes wrong, you have nothing to fall back on. Start with at least two.
yes! i am already thinking of a follow up video and this is one topic. and makes it easier to compare the two hives, you will quickly realize if one is not doing as well.
looking forward for it! Really enjoy the beekeeping videos!
I agree, to an extent. I started with 1 hive and did fine.
That said, I live in the south and I think bee keeping is easier due to our mild winters.
I caught a swarm, put them in a hive, and that was pretty much it. I checked on them every couple of weeks. I didn't feed them and didn't take any honey the first year.
Paul Otis h
if you begin with a set of 3 hives, what ever fails, it will fail too on all. what is the recomended distance between them?
one mistake I see beginners make is not putting the frames back in the hive in the same order you took them out
yes mr swamprat, that is one I made early on. i've learned not to split the brood frames. thx!
I'm super anal and I can see that being an issue when not paying attention.
but why? I'm very strongly considering purchasing a hive in the next few weeks in order o add bees next spring (I'll have the winter to spend handling, stacking, unstacking, familiarizing myself with it and the tools) I'm currently looking for a local keeper to talk with, but in the meantime I'm here trying to find out what questions I need to be asking when I do get that local contact. I have seen this mentioned three times now in comments on these videos, but no one has elaborated and it's the first time I've seen it mentioned at all.
The bees keep their hive in order, when you shift frames around, you upset that order. It can impact air flow, moisture, and temperature. The general wisdom is that unless you are trying to achieve a specific goal by moving the frames around, you put the hive back the way you found it. It's most important with brood frames, because the brood is sensitive. It's especially important with weak hives, because brood needs an even temperature, and a weak hive can struggle to maintain that temperature if you split up the brood frames.
Only applies to the brood nest. Everything else can be shuffled to your liking.
Thank you so much for this info, I'm considering keeping bees, but I feel like I'm at least 2-3 years away from being ready, so ALL the info I can get is greatly appreciated!
a mentor or class is so important. beginners kill their bees making simple mistakes because they didn't. thx!
Thank you for posting videos like this!! I am researching into beekeeping and it is information like this that I find the most valuable. We are all human, we do make mistakes and having someone who has been there done that tell the beginners the nitty gritty truths straight up before we make these blunders and lose our hope and our confidence is very heartening.
I hope to see more beekeeping videos in the future! Keep up the good work!
NY Bee: "Hey, I'm flyin' here!"
Screen bottom board seems to help with mites and we coat the slide out tray under screen with coconut oil and those mites die and drown in the oil so do the hive beetles.
One mistake (probably of many) that I made was trying too hard to insulate the hives for winter. I wrapped them up so snuggly, and forgot about ventilation, and they got wet from condensation and died.
did not know that, will include that in a future vid. thx!
As you say, "Learn from me" (points to self) :-)
Seen a vid where this happened to a guy. Also he put sugar syrup in over winter, went all over the hive and the bees died.
Love your advice, agree with these mistakes and you can never stop learning about these girls, read read read and help others handle their hives!
Excellent advice and a very humble open comment. I agree fully THANK YOU SOOO MUCH
i too am surprised by comments and questions on places like FB beekeeping forums. there is so much information available today on the internet. before i got started i watched and read everything i could. i was a sponge for 3-4 months before i got my bees. and what i liked about that research was having access to differing opinions vs taking the advice of a single mentor. i liked being able to distill my own management plan from the collective knowledge. of course there is no substitute for having your hands directly on the bees and keeping hives. even though i had read and heard that you should start with 2 hives, i only started with one and i regret that. and i always suggest to newbies that they start with 2.
but i'm in the suburbs of New Orleans and i think beekeeping must be much easier down here. i leave honey for the bees to over winter and never feed. i don't have to wrap or protect my hives. and i don't treat my bees... i do think it is important to have good genetics. my first package of bees came from Georgia from stock that was treated and sure enough i had varroa problems and i treated them and got them through an additional year only to have them succumb again and abscond the next year. after that, i've successfully kept bees from differnt no-treatment sources and haven't had a hive die over winter in 4 years. i do see varroa and i do get some deformed wing virus occasionally. and when i replace queens, i buy queens with VSH genetics. i won't pretend i know it it all and i'm not a commercial beekeeper with thousands of hives that my livelihood depends on, so i have the luxury of losing weaker hives and letting nature take her course to shape the bees i keep. this year i'm expanding from 3 hives to over 10, so we'll have to see if i can maintain that point of view. :)
good to hear. i do think its easier in warmer climates to keep bees. good luck!
Of course it is easier in warmer climates but Bee hives could be painted black , instead of white, for the solar heat they could gain from the sun during the day during the winter. Heat they do without by not being painted darker. I don't get how this is not obvious.
rick dees I don't think you want a black hive in the summer months. They make a black insulation wrap for the winter months that I have seen people use.
@Casey J. Brooks Your right "painting them black" would not due in the summer time at all. Specifically if they were located in locations with direct sun exposure as the are placed by human keepers and not under under a forest canopy type locations like where bees are naturally found. Trees are not painted white and are closer to black than white. imo. Wild bees seem to take up in trees given the right hollow quite well in the wild and to thrive through the seasons. Surely there are many factors to consider which will factor in to a greater or lessor degree when considered with all other factors. I know I don't see wild bee's in natural hives which are colored pure white like the ones traditionally provided by humans. I'm not a bee keeper and my comments carry no first hand experience. Just adding my to cents for what it may or not be worth. Cheers.
My mentor covers his with roofing material on the sides, northern Illinois, for the winter months.
Eric, I agree 100% with the package bees. The other issue I see is people in northern climates buying bees from the south and those bees are not acclimated to the northern weather. We bought our bees, 2 nucs, from a local beekeeper who is treatment free (I'll get to that in a second) and our bees overwintered great. Our current colonies and the descendants are all from that stock.
I didn't go the mentor route due to a work schedule that didn't allow it. I work wacky hours and while I was at work others were tending their bees. Your videos were a great help as were other channels. If you can't get a mentor at least read everything you can get your hands on so when something is happening you have some reference point to go from. I read and studied for 3 years before getting bees and still was amazed at how little I knew...but at least had an inkling of what might be happening. So thumbs up on mentoring. Great advice.
Mites. Like I said, our bees came from a treatment free beekeeper about 5 miles from us. I don't treat our bees but if others do, hey, it's their prerogative. I just have a problem with putting chemicals, organic or otherwise, in the hive. I, or others, will be eating the honey so it's not something I feel right about. In four years of beekeeping the mite load in our hives has been incredibly low. Without going into the details of how I know this I do know we don't have a mite problem...or small hive beetles either. The hives are super strong and resilient.
Mistakes others make. They only start with one hive. Two hives gives you the opportunity to compare what's going on. In addition if your hive dies you are left discouraged with a bunch of equipment. I wonder how many beginning beekeepers stopped after having their one hive die. Two also allows you to do a split if one dies so you can rebuild your apiary.
Great video.
wow . a civil conversation on YT. how unusual... great idea to start with two hives, that will be in the next vid of this series. thx!
I also do not treat. My losses are around 20%. I just make a lot of splits to stay ahead of the little devils.
Like your advice I am interested in beekeeping having no experience but doing my research i' m from Jamaica
Fantastic hints! I'm Beekeeping in Perth Australia, we don't have Varroa Mites yet, but many beekeepers thinks it's just a matter of time. Awesome stuff thanks
GardenFork - thanks for talking about the tips. Happy to say I have done 2 out of 3 and also never sent bees in the mail. I will look into treating them. I also tried to start with only 1 hive. This time I will try 4. Good luck all.
Test for mites. If you have them, treat for them, or you will lose your hives. Happened to me.
i drove 3 hours with my bees in the trunk of a van... i had a couple come up front to visit me but that was one of the scarriest drives ever
LycaonsMemories vans have trunks?
@@notafuckinpplperson8233 y e s
I have NEVER treated for mites, have kept bees for over 18 years in the Northwest. Have healthy happy productive bees and started with two shipped packages. Did have a good mentor, who also does not treat for mites, never has.
+Jim F good to hear. mites have a huge affect on bees in the northeast. The combo of hard winters, mites, and nosema/dysentery makes it difficult to overwinter them. The mite levels increase as the bee population decreases through winter. Thx!
Top of my mistakes so far.
1.No 2nd anti-varroa treatment (a must in my area)
2.Transport at night: Not marking the spot I wanted to move the hives.
3. Treating small nucs like normal hives and not feeding them with substitutes, because I thought there were plenty of pollen/ flowers outside.
4. failed DIY traps for Vespa Cabro (wasps are a problem in my area)
we have had a yellow jacket wasp problem here, they killed one of my hives. i may try some traps this spring for them. i don't have much experience with raising nucs, we all make mistakes. thx!
=George Mitsikas What area is that?
+rick dees Southern Greece
The comments generated from this video are awesome with information. I'm impressed.
Thanks for the vids. I'm putting together my first hive right now, preparing to get bees for the Spring, and your videos are super helpful.
+Atomic Amphibian great! Sign up with your local bee group. Thx!
Thanks, short and sweet video, I hope to make a start in the near future with 3 hives.
take a class! i would suggest one or two hives to start. thx!
Isnt it hard when the bees are full of pollen have to fly so high to go to the hive? + The wind?
The powdered sugar method also called the sugar shake test and is only a way to tell how bad your mite infestation is it does not treat for mites so essentially you weren't treating them for mites. The reason you do this is there is a recommended threshold for treatment once the colony has 10 mites to 100 bees you are supposed to use a mite treatment. Some beekeepers lower that threshold etc. The problem with blanket treating for mites is the more you expose the population to your miticide the more probability there is for the mites to become resistant to it and to carry their genetic disposition to their offspring which would give you a population that is unaffected by your miticide and that would really be a problem.
our screened bottom boards show us that we have mites in our hives, similar to the powdered sugar. thx!
I beginning bee keeping and I love so much keeping it but I do not know how to do it l like learn it from you from now on I am your subscribers.
Love your channel and your videos were one of the reasons I decided to get a hive. I have made all of these mistakes (except for shipping bees) and then some. Thx for the info.
me too. what were the other mistakes? i want to make a follow up video with more beginner mistakes. thx!
A farmer sprays crops here, I was told to cover the entrances before they spray...what did you end up doing?
Totally agree 100% !!! Excelent advices.
Kind regards from Chile. 🇨🇱
Good to hear Felipe, thx!
i didnt even know there were classes for bee keeping
Thank you for your teaching, very informative. A swarm of bees tried to enter one of my nuc hives... What's that about? The colony managed to defend the hive but many bees over 100 were lost in the battle with the swarm that tried to enter. The area I am doing my apiary is south east Asia, and every other day local residents destroy a natural beehive up in the trees for the honey... How do u manage a swarm of bees trying to enter a hive that is already populated with a colony?
Quite a story! I don’t know what to do for that, sorry!
I think another mistake is using foundationless frames. I used wire in my frames because I didn't want to use plastic foundation with bees wax coating. I didn't realize there was 100% bees wax foundation until I did this in my first brood box. I ended up with cross comb on 4 frames. What a mess, but with some patients, a knife, and some rubber bands I fixed it. I did it alone, because my son was not home to help with my hive, and they were really angry, but I persisted, and 4 days later when we did our scheduled hive check, the comb was fixed, a rubber band had already been chewed off, and since then, each day I have found a rubber band that they have removed from the hive. I will never use wire supports again.
Also, we are recording our Hive journey. If you want to see what the comb looked like, look at the videos my son has posted. It is under Brian Koper. We are in N E Ohio
If you let your bees build in empty frames that do not have wires or fishing lines it is unlikely that you will get cross comb. The moment you put wires on a foundationles frame, you get cross comb. Pease note that all commercial foundations are polluted with chemical.
Hi Gordon I haven't started yet I believe in doing my research I have been invited for next month it's 1 of 4 in my province and the University is offering a 6 week couse so far I belive my research is going to payoff I was offered to help a local person with there hives so by the time iam ready I should have some good information before I start
Good to hear Doug, you will learn a lot. thx!
Great video. I've been thinking about getting a hive going, but I want to be sure I know what I'm doing first. I live near an air force base that flies C-130's to spray for mosquitos during the Summer. If it's too much of a risk, I won't do it.
I have talked to Belgian queen breeders who don't treat for varroa mites, ever, and have barely any winter losses; ofcourse mite infestation levels have been among the selection criteria for years for those breeders. I've also had the chance to talk to a french beekeeper and commercial honey producer (south of France) who said 'he treats only when there is a problem' and doesnt believe in systematic treatment. I don't have the experience to confirm any of that myself, but it makes me sceptical about the 'treat or your bees will die' advice. Most people giving that advice do not really know what their losses would be if they did not treat. I would rather go for 'treat if you have only a small number of hives; but don't treat if you have enough hives to loose the few that can't survive varroa' advice myself. Or put otherwise, I think people keeping lots of bees SHOULD be selecting for varroa tollerance, as that is the only structural solution to that problem; wheres people keeping only a few hives should not be taking the risk of loosing all their bees. Yet in that spirit, it feels very wrong to blindly advice people to systematically treat. That being said, rather critically, i do actually love your videos!
i'm all about the average backyard beekeeper, like myself, who has 4 hives. i didn't treat for mites for several years and lost most of my hives every late winter, so this is why I say this. I do say in the video that mite treatment is a debated subject, and i do not claim to be the ultimate authority. thanks for taking the time to write, its appreciated.
you might find this article interesting, it was one of the reasons I brought up mite treatment in the vid. thx! www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/12/489622982/the-colony-killing-mistake-backyard-beekeepers-are-making
If you have not already, could you place this link in the description, also could you provide outlines or text information also for hearing impaired viewers?
We didn't treat for mites, my mom thought the chemicals were too dangerous, now I think all my bees are dead. Is there anything specific I should do to the box and the frames when cleaning them before getting new bees?
take the frames and knock both sides on something strong to dislodge what dead bees you can. the new bees will clean up the rest. IMHO, at present time, you have to treat for mites - i use oxalic acid dribble method - or your bees will be dead in winter.
oxalic acid is the mildest treatment that works, here is how i do it and the following vid is how to prep your hives for winter ua-cam.com/video/O99Ys3pbjhk/v-deo.html
The only mite treatment I use is making splits. My losses are about 20% a year. There are plenty of professional bee keepers who don't use any treatment for mites and are doing quite well. Not to poop on your advice or anything...just trying to give a balanced story. Good video. Thank you .
There are many opinions Anthony, kinda like how people raise kids. Thanks for your kind and measured comment, most people just scream ;) My point is more about Southern Packages that some north and are full of mites. This video is very interesting about pairing southern packages with northern queens = 80% survival rate ua-cam.com/video/UTW4ykwm_m8/v-deo.html
Also, when do you make your splits, do you add a new queen to the queenless split, and what area do you live? I'd like to learn more. thx!
My biggest mistake was watching videos like this. Just kidding, good advice but I own a Health food store and I wanted to have organic honey. I am also in Alaska and over 8 years I have had a 68% over winter success, I am sure I have lost some to Varroa but I make Splits and raise queen from my survivor stock and I'm not growing fast but by making Splits we are now up to 40 hives.
I very much agree with you. Varroa is a problem BUT I genuinely believe that the bees need to evolve their way out of this. Are you located in southern Alaska?
@@iowasenator yes I’m in Palmer about 30 miles
North of Anchorage
Which neighborhood in Brooklyn you eep your bees? Maybe next time you come i can join you? I got my two hives last year in September from Long Island. I live in Brooklyn Ocean Avenue. First winter; both hives are good.
I am 2 week into being a sperm meeting an egg, in the education for bee keeping. When I ask a question on a forum, which I hasn't happened yet, please don't tell me my question is stupid and tell me to take a class. Not everyone who finds bee interesting will ever become a bee keeper. People test the water with a toe! Many people will express an interest and ask questions, that does not mean they are at a point to take a class. BTW I grew up in Brooklyn, Flatbush! Also, I'm subscribing after one video, which I rarely do because I found out one video does not justify subb'ing. This video suggests differently (right now), so I made an exception. Best wishes to you and family.
you are one of the best channels of your kind which leads me to wonder what if i never found you
+jakub rembacz thx for the kind words!
im just being honest
Kentucky state bee keepers association has a calendar with all the clubs listed with meeting dates
good to know, thanks!
Have you read any of the information from Dr Sharashkin? I am going with Layens hives in the Northland --- MN And I am concerned with getting the bees through the long hard winters we get here, so I am going with a modified Layens with insulation. Your thoughts? Thanks and I am definitely taking a class this Feb!
Join your local beekeeper assoc, they have the best local info. Hardest part is winter, treat for mites I suggest.
appreciate your honesty
what if you come from a dry area where theres no water for nuturing flowers trees important for nectors?
I think I'm now give that beekeeping job a try!
I just posted a video with what I think is a queenless hive. I'm still fairly new at beekeeping and would love your input as I don't know what do do next.
Find your local beekeeper Assoc, they will help you. Thx!
i'm thinking to start beekeeping but i'm having trouble finding a class near me.
maybe you can find another beekeeper nearby who might show you how.
There are a lot of classes online.
- Took a sting to remember that while a honey bee sting isnt a yellow jacket sting, but it still swells way more than one would like.
- Assumed I knew how to light a smoker. Seemed obvious, but I wasnt packing it well enough to feed it to last beyond a few minutes.
- Realised that an empty box is super handy for holding frames while working as opposed to juggling them and setting them down precariously.
- Hearing people casually suggest that theyll get bees without any effort to research anything. Its a bit of a pet peeve.
Now, I got an idea, thanks for the video.
It is october 21st and i just got a hive and had to move it from one hour away , as soon as i got home i let them out but i notice them pulling out alot of dead brood that looks like it way fixing to come out because they were fully formed i dont know what caused this. If you have any ideas let me know thanks
Best to ask a local beekeeper. Good luck.
Who on earth thinks powdered sugar will do anything about Varroa? It's used for diagnosing, nothing more...
As for mistakes, I'd say starting with only one hive, especially if you happen to start in the autumn. I did that, and then my hive lost their queen in early October, and I couldn't get a new one. If I had one or two more hives, I could've combined them, instead I had to start from scratch again next year.
Get two or three hives when you're starting. You'll get more experience faster, you'll have more to do, and you'll have more options if things start to go poorly.
excellent advice. thx!
Theory about powdered sugar that I've heard from a bee keeper, is that bees get covered in powdered sugar, which then they eat it if each other's backs, hence cleaning from mites. Down side is that bees eat away hairs on their back that protect from rain.
great video and great comments below.
i'm all about sharing, thx for the note.
My mistake was I didn't treat for mites right away then I treated when they got them stopped treatment because the summer before I didn't have mites now I have mites again...
Perhaps another mistake to add would be taking off honey too early when the water content is still too high.
yes, i've seen that too. and people taking honey off new packages when they should be focused raising a healthy new hive.
If it's capped it's good to go.
Really Helpful sir
good to hear, i had to vent a bit on this one. so many people start beekeeping and are not prepared at all. thx!
Leave them plenty of honey for the winter, and realize that VZ really do know what they’re doing leave them alone
TAKE A CLASS! Best advice. Also - Learn all about recognition of bee diseases, like AFB. And last but not least: NO (or poor mite control) mite treatments = NO successful beekeeping.
Can you recommend a good beekeeping class?
+dkroen17 search for your local beekeeping club, they will know. Thx!
Great points. Thanks for sharing!
let me know your thoughts from the land of Queens!
+GardenFork You definitely hit on some good ideas. Although I've been studying up on them for about 2 years, this is only my first year keeping bees so I don't have a whole lot of insight to offer on beginner mistakes. I'm sure I will next year once I have a little more experience under my belt. Something that did plague me for a while was not being fully prepared with my tools and what to expect during inspections. I think I'm getting past that now but it's a pain to have an open hive, bees buzzing around you and have to scurry down a ladder because you forgot something.
What about vaporising the oxalic - I this works really well and there are less fatalities of bees.
that is an option, yes, thx for the question. i only know one friend who uses that, and don't have any experience with it, so I talked about my experience with the dribble method. the goal of this vid was to reach out to new beekeepers, and my thinking was not many of them would start out using the vaporising gear for oxalic. the dribble method, while perhaps not as efficient, is easier to the beginner. i just see so many people making some simple mistakes, I wanted to address some of those errors. thx!
Fair point, the equipment is becoming more readily available and the cost per treatment is very low perhaps it is worth making others aware of the options available.
The points you make are very useful and I enjoy the videos.
i'm going to ask my friend about her experience with the vapor method. The dribble method is great for someone with 1-2 hives, but i should learn about the vapor rig. thx for taking the time to comment!
do you have an extra queen you can sell me...I'll need it shipped tho...if you do how much would you ask for one...
If 2/3 of the bees in a package are dead, something is wrong with the package, a package is basically a swarm that was manmade. Also, you should only treat for mites if the bees have an infestation, you don't take medicine if you dont have a problem. Its the same with bees.
Thanks! Good info👍🏻👍🏻
I ami am about to get a bee hive and I would love any advice
I have a question have you ever thought of using essential oils for your mite or have you? and for healthly hives? Fat Bee Man and Ken Davis from Little Creek Bee Ranch has had great success and been keeping bees for many years. They are both on youtube. What do you use for mite? just wondering. I'm new and so I have put on the wintergreen mint patties already. Also they do a wintergreen , Tea Tree, lemongrass in the sugar water I like Ken Davis recipe he use it with a little warm honey and Fat Bee man does a blender for 5 min to emulate the oils. Fat Bee Man use some little machine I haven't figure out yet and sprays the hive but it all natural oils and seen doing it for years. I love you videos thank yo so much. I also get your email so enjoy learning new things thank you for being you.
Hi Shari, thx for the note. Mite treatment varies by beekeeper, i have not had success with herbal oil treatments. I use the oxalic acid dribble mite treatment in the late fall, which i believe is the least harsh effective method currently available. it seems beeks in warmer parts have less of a problem with mites, so maybe the oils work. but in the north, the mite load soars in the fall, and in a cold northern winter, they can kill a hive. the oxalic acid dribble method is easy to do and works well so far. this is just my opinion, i am not a bee scientist. thx!
thank you so much we are going to check for mite in this next two weeks so we will see what is happening it the oils haven't worked I will use what you have recommended thank you so much Blessings
i don't check for mites any more, my experience (which may be different than others) is that almost every hive has mites. doing the oxalic acid treatment in late fall keeps the mites at a tolerable level, from what I know. keep in mind i am an amateur in all this. thx!
I know nothing about bees but what I heard while living in the US Virgin Islands. Where there is only one bee keeper I know of on an Island that had
Do you have to remove the honey supers for this? I was under the impression that any oxalic treatment, either dribble or smoke treatment, can harm the honey and make it unedible.
thinking of getting flo hive thoughts please?
Informative video! very helpful for the beekeeping community :)
good to hear, hope it will have an effect. thx!
Even if your bees are VSH the loss of brood due to the removal of the capped pupae impacts the overall population and you don't get the potential hive population that you could have.
VSH is helpful but it is not an ultimate solution.
So, yeah, treat for mites
i have a friend who just put VSH queens in her hives, we'll see how that works out going forward. how do you treat for mites?
Oxalic acid vapoization. Oxalic acid is sold in hardware stores as wood bleach. You can make your own or buy one on line. Mine uses a 12 volt battery and it's a very reliable system that doesn't kill the bees or contaminate the wax. Read the directions and you'll be okay. Oxalic acid exists naturally in hives and is in many of the vegetables we eat such as spinach.
I don't have any classes in my area. anyway we can talk before I get my hive soon?
+HaysiKing2 contact your state beekeeping assoc and see if they know of any local beekeeper you can mentor with. Thx!
GardenFork I did the area I live in is far out and it has a super small population and they said the closest one is 5 hours away
GardenFork and here the keepers I talk to have no interest in helping they are applachian old timers who stay to themselves.they have 3 or 4 hives and rather talk about thier garden
Search for Facebook groups, youtube videos and inter-library loan (search online and order with a library card number).
Is this guy still active in here? I recently found a wild swarm and rehomed them but beings it’s September, I’m worried they don’t have a queen.
Hello, I live in Connecticut as well, on the shoreline. Do you ever have any classes yourself?
Sorry I don’t. Thx!
I think one big mistake is getting busy and not working the hives for a while. So much can go wrong so fast. It pays to stay on top of them and head off any problems.
yes, i tried the hands off approach one year, and it didn't work well at all. thanks for that.
its easy to forget about the bees when they are not in your backyard. this is my dilemma, since my bees are on a farm down in the valley and up on a friend's roof in the city.
Perhaps you can benefit from your own advice. Hives in remote locations to you could use a "ment-et" to check on your hive/s for you and communicate over the phone what they see? That would also be educational to them. If your mentoring them with their hives, why should you not have them help you (in trade) if you need it? Those not able to do so are less deserving of your knowledge and you are best served by helping those who appreciate your help by helpping you too. Would that also be of value to them educational wise? No matter what "we" do, it is those who take advantage of the opportunities they have on hand and opportunities advances in technologies offer that do the best monetarily and socially in their lifes. Cheers
I monitored RV mice with Arlo and Samsung Smartcam cameras...now I'm monitoring the bees. It is interesting already!
I do not understand, why 2 hive close one to another do not attack each other or steal?
some hive robbing happens on occasion, but a healthy hive will keep bees from other hives out if its house. and its a pain to work hives that are spread apart.
I read in two sources to mark the boxes differently so they can recognize their hive from the outside, or paint different color...(and I think red is the color they do not see?) Newbie here.
My mentor said it's easier to have two close to each other to swap things and have tools in one place...etc.
Sometimes beekeepers take too much honey and their bees dies from starvation during the winter
yes, that is a common mistake, thanks for that.
well the can live on sugar board and protein powder if they need to that even better for them then honey. Watch Fat Bee Man and Ken Davis from Little Creek Be Ranch good stuff they been keep bees for many years.
good comments, thats why you are here! I have a co-worker mentor , but I say , you say , we say and then there it is ...how it works. I agree with you 100 0/0
thanks Suzzy, i get so many bee questions from new beeks that are easily answered by having a mentor or a class, so i vented in a video. thx!
It is so true!!!I did it went out bought 2 hives.And I really have no clue what I'm doing.My bees are still working.One hive has swarmed twice.Classes are miles and miles away.Im not giving up but...I truly beliveved it was going to be easy.NOT!!!
yes, raising bees is a lot of work, and honeybees don't read books. they will do all sorts of weird things. thx!
Try setting up a swarm trap (bait hive) with queen pheromone to catch your swarms...they actually work
Do you know of one near and around Fort Greene?
He first one "they don't take a class" what if there too young or someting I'm only 14 and I want to start beekeeping and I don't have anyone to help out
search for your state beekeeping association and contact them, they will connect you with a local beekeeping group who can help. thx@
Just study 10x as much online, you can do it class or no class
Check to see if there is a 4H club in your area. Your county Ag Extension office should have information .
I don't have classes in my area.
I was surprised to see a beekeeper beekeeping on the roof top in Brooklyn. Pretty cool however why are you using straps on the bee boxes? Generally I use straps to protect from predators like bears but I imagine you don't have that issue on a rooftop LOL. Actually kind of jealous I wish I had a flat roof at my place I'd put them up there.
Hi Andrew, thx for the notes here. We get high winds so we strap them. Thx!
Oxalic acid is poisonous to consume as a human, does it not harm the bees?
Good advice, thanks for the video.
I'm new to bees
I like your video
Your suggestions make sense to me.
I plan to get my bees from a supplier an hour from my house.
I'm just not sure if they'll be sealed up good enough to ride in my car.
I asked, waiting for a response
+Willy The Mailman bees won't sting you in the car, they will bump against the windows trying to get out. Keep. The AC running in the car to keep the bees cool while transporting. A few bees getting out of a package or nuc is no big deal. You will be fine. Have fun!
Another common mistake - is interfering with the hive too much. Give the bees space and time to do their thing, lifting frames and jogging brood every few days is not helpful to the colony
Great information, Eric!
Taking a Class!!! That's a First Step Must! I'm in the South but I took a Class. The Info that I gained set the foundation. My Girls are Booming now. Please find a a class.
Most counties have an Agriculture Dept so they watch/investigate the counties livestock. Well......Bees can/are considered live stock.
great to hear. so many start hives and have little knowledge. thx!
Thanks alot
#4.Putting frame parts on tbe ground or grass while inspecting the hibe!
#5. No wind break to protect your bees.
#6. No sunshades during hot weather.
#7. Mixing the wrong syrup!
#8. Being stupid and showing off!
Hi Beth, mistake #9 is being rude, which is what you are doing. Please be a better person, the world needs more. thx!
Any opinion on the Flow Hive?
i'm not a big fan of the flow hive, sorry.
Really? As a hopeful bee keeper in the future I was hoping you could shed some light on it from your point of view.
Hi Steven, i don't own a flow hive, and i've never seen one in person. it just seems to make it all sound so simple, when its not. you harvest honey one day a year, maybe 2. then there's the 363 more days when you try to keep your bees alive. many people see the flow vids, IMO, seem to think all they have to do is throw some bees in a hive, never inspect the hive, and turn on the spigot. i don't think the flow hive people are saying that, its just the impression people get from watching the vids.
That makes a lot of sense. If it wasn't your videos teaching all the things you have to do to keep the bees alive and happy I'd think it was just about harvesting honey too!
can i have a bee hive in a mixture of a deciduous and coniferous forest with some planted flowers
I would not have beehives in a forested area. I had to move mine from my backyard, which is surrounded by acres of woods, into pasture land down by the river, about 8 miles away. I don't think there is enough pollen & nectar through the season to sustain bees in wooded areas. they need many diverse sources of food to survive. thx!
oh i thought of this idea because bees in my area (100 km,sq or 62 mile squared) are extinct but the area is lightly wooded and it is possible to plant flowers as grass grows there and a 1 watt solar cell produces 0.82 watt and im just trying to think of a badass long term project and also i cannot believe that you replied
bees need a huge amount of flowers, and the forested areas don't provide that, sorry!
so 1 sq kilometer is not enough?
also there is a suburban area nearby as well as a small meadow
i have the support of some people to help me with the labour and i've tested the soil (i am very good at chemistry) and our town is trying to help combat the colony collapse disorder already by planting flowers everywhere and forbidding the use of neo-nicotinoids and pesticides in general.
we have in plans to plant more flowers and put up some bee hives but it's just that we do not really know a good beekeeper
1 km sq is a rough estimate of the flowers in the meadow and the ones in the forest as well as some free land that we can fill up with flowers (200 m sq)
Not treating for Varroa mites, by the time you notice bee numbers down you are heading into winter its too late then the hives are weak and they will get robbed out.
Welp, so Far I've done none of these right. Looks like I'm screwed. Like i put my bees in the back of our truck when we got them, i have a few guys helping me, but i've never taken classes and looking for a good chemical for varroa mites. lol
oxalic acid and hop guard for varroa is what is the least lethal and working well, from what I read presently. thx!
Good stuff in this info. thanks for sharing.
good to hear, thanks for watching!
Okay I have a question never knew anything about bees but why does he have bees on the roof
outer space vlogs
In a highly populated area, especially in tenements, apartments, or townhouses, If the roof is available, can you think of a better place for the hives?
Are you a country dweller or do you live in a city? You have to consider your environment and what kind of space a bee hive needs.
BigRalphSmith nope I'm thinking about starting a beekeeping business can you help
No. I'm not the person to help with beginner bee keeping.
You really need to follow the advice in this video and first contact your local bee keeping clubs and associations. That's the very first step because that will lead you to all the other information and resources you will need.
Tobacco helps with mites too. Or at least it helps with chickens
Unfortunately tobacco is not good for bees, but thx!
4:00 "aaay we're flying here! watch it!" bzz bzz
Big mistake I see beginners make is not having enough equipment. They get a small beehive kit, then don't have any spare boxes ready for when the population explodes, and are scrambling and paying through the roof to get one in quickly, or worse yet, not getting it in time and the hive swarms.
Good thing there's no mites in Australia ;)
They were found in a hive of Asian honey bees, but it seems to have been an isolated incident. The AHBIC says that there aren't any known populations of varroa mites at this time. So as of now, there's nothing to be worried about :)
jee1shi I want to know how the AHBs got here and Cairns in the first place. Fair enough you might miss a mite during an inspection, but an entire, noisy hive?! One bee does not make a hive. The entire hive would have had to have gotten through customs. Then the eradication program failed, seems pretty serious flaws going on in nth Qld ports.
Now the AHB is here it seems like only a matter of time before Varoa mite will arrive.
Is everything negative? I've Never had a "class" I have 5 Really Healthy hives. I'm still a "NewBee" 2 yrs. 180 lbs honey
Hi Greg, Fantastic to hear of your success! I get many emails and comments from people who have killed their hives because of simple mistakes, and it gets a little depressing to be on the receiving end of that. So I made this video to hopefully have fewer dead hives. Sorry if it comes off as all bad, its quite amazing when it all works. thx!
oxalic acid is a organic compound so imo still organic.
Check also if you are allergic with bee stung 😊
2/3 dead bees sad. Thank you am taking classes first than you.
If your bees are thriving than even if they were shipped they can still survive
i've had a different experience, unfortunately. From what I've seen, the Post Office and UPS do not handle bees with the care they need.
NO mentor in my area!!!! NO class within an hour from my home!!!
So... doing my best to just figure it out...
Dina Johnson you will b just fine
These tubes, inter library loan (online ordering), facebook bee groups...
how are you doing so far? Good luck! I just started.