What Are Your Bees Doing All Winter? Checking on hives

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  • Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
  • Taking a look at some bees towards the end of winter here in Southern Ontario. It's March 14th. I use a Flir heat detecting camera to show how you can check on clusters without disturbing them.
    I don't recommend digging into your colonies when it's still cold and snowy out, but I thought I'd show you so maybe this will satisfy your curiosity and you won't have to go disturb your own bees.
    Follow me on instagram @devan.beekeeper
    Music by Andrew Applepie, used with permission.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 82

  • @AureliusR
    @AureliusR 4 роки тому +2

    Hey - electronics engineer here. For more accurate temperature measurements, you need to change the emissivity on your FLIR. In the pictures, it's set to e=0.95 which is adjusted for a very dark surface, but you were using it on light coloured wood. So it was probably under-reading the temperature by quite a few degrees! In the box your FLIR came in, it should have a chart with different emissivity factors and what materials to use them with. If not, you can also do a manual conversion afterward based on some simple math.
    However if you're not after specific temperature measurements then everything I said is useless and can be ignored 😂

    • @etiennelavigueur2955
      @etiennelavigueur2955 Рік тому +1

      =) Geologist engineer here. Thank you, completely forgot about this parameter.

    • @AureliusR
      @AureliusR Рік тому

      @@etiennelavigueur2955 Hello fellow engineer! :) Hope your engineering is going well.

  • @johnevans3623
    @johnevans3623 6 років тому +2

    Devan can you comment on what the name, manufacturer, and supplier you got the black 4 way pallet cover / insulated unit from?
    I enjoy your videos and the knowledge you share. Great job.

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому +1

      tonylalondesales.ca/product-category/wintering-equipment/wraps/

  • @cnevett6854
    @cnevett6854 5 років тому +1

    Just found your channel... wonderful and appreciate so much your good shots of the hive. Just starting this spring with two nucs. Learning alot from you. Thank you so much!

  • @TylerJSpry
    @TylerJSpry 6 років тому +1

    Hey Devan! Thanks for making great videos! I live in NW Ontario and this was my first year keeping bees. I purchased the big wrap in this video because I thought it seemed to do a better job. My question is when do you decide to put wraps on? Do you go by temperature or time of year? Both? Thanks again!

    • @terrim.602
      @terrim.602 4 роки тому

      Tyler, I am curious where to get the wraps, as well as when to add them? What are the wraps called? Did you find out when it's recommended to add them?

  • @daisygirl1993
    @daisygirl1993 Рік тому

    Do bees died every winter of all year?
    How come they died like this?

  • @mosquitoswat1
    @mosquitoswat1 6 років тому +1

    Great vids. Am learning and enjoy your perspective, please keep the videos coming!

  • @billiamc1969
    @billiamc1969 6 років тому +1

    I use a stethoscope as it works perfectly to assess winter bees....

    • @terrim.602
      @terrim.602 4 роки тому

      Hey, great idea. I'm a nurse, so right up my alley! I'll give them a head to toe assessment and formulate a care plan, provide interventions based of the care plan, reevaluate and adjust the care plan as needed. I'll call the doctor if I see anything critical! (Doctor is aka my Mentor, ☺️☺️)

  • @honeyspoonbeewrangler4550
    @honeyspoonbeewrangler4550 3 роки тому

    How do they get out to eliminate with all that on? Why do you let all the heat out when you are covering them so well? seems counter intuitive.

  • @blakedhoffman
    @blakedhoffman 6 років тому +1

    Great job - thanks, always informative.

  • @jamescasper6334
    @jamescasper6334 6 років тому

    Have you tried, or what are your thoughts about using slatted racks under the single story brood chambers to enhance maximum brood production and to provide more cluster room in the summer and reduced cold air circulation in the winter? Thank you for the fine videos!

  • @beebob1279
    @beebob1279 5 років тому

    My concern with overwintering single deeps comes from our unpredictable winters. We can go from 0 F to 45 F in a day. Maybe some days going up to the 60's F. This plays on the bees using food to start rearing brood. Our bees start rearing brood in early January. I could run out of food or have overpopulated colonies which could lead to March or early April swarming.
    I'll tinker with a couple of hives this fall and prepare them for winter as described in how to overwinter singles. It's worked with 4 over 4 frame nucs so I can't see why it won't work.

  • @Sequalsgoon
    @Sequalsgoon 6 років тому +1

    New beekeeper here! Just subscribed and hope to see a bunch more content this coming year! Thanks for the videos Devan! Entertaining and informative!
    Also: Did you graduate from one of Canada's top business schools with really good grades?

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому +1

      Haha, what? No, I didn't go to business school. Is this a setup for a joke?

    • @Sequalsgoon
      @Sequalsgoon 6 років тому

      Devan Rawn Haha, you remind me of Canadian comdeian Nathan Felder and that's the opening line of his TV show.

  • @josephfryc5994
    @josephfryc5994 4 роки тому

    Devan just started watching these videos recently I am a backyard beekeeper with just a few hives, can't really have more where I am located. But your videos are fantastic
    Thank You for your sincere output.

  • @JoseDiaz-ux4mq
    @JoseDiaz-ux4mq 5 років тому

    Hello Devan. Thanks for your videos. You are amazing. I am from Colombia and I am beekeeper too but I have african bees and they are so wonderful and exciting. I like to keep the environment the bees and their products although I am Mechanical Engineering by profession. Thank you.

  • @aar3682
    @aar3682 3 роки тому

    all that gear, probably cheaper to carry them to a wharehouse.

  • @TheMarky26
    @TheMarky26 5 років тому

    That first 4 hive wrap you have there is pretty nice.. Where did u get it from or who makes it? Another question.. It would be impossible to feed sugar syrup this time of year but would it be possible to feed granulated sugar? Or would they not eat it?

  • @brianralph69
    @brianralph69 6 років тому

    Mine don’t take kindly to being disturbed, regardless of if temps are warmer or near freezing. They will come boiling out the top the minute I crack it. I fed some Winter patties and Fondant, both of which they’ve taken very well. I’m erring on the side of caution, even though I think they have enough stores.

  • @SFERDIAN
    @SFERDIAN 6 років тому +1

    Nice use of equipment
    Love the Flir

  • @bradgoliphant
    @bradgoliphant 4 роки тому

    Arn't you inviting a lot of moisture buildup inside the hive by wrapping it so well like that?

    • @rstlr01
      @rstlr01 3 роки тому

      Only time you have to worry about moisture is if your no that well insulated.

  • @bradgoliphant
    @bradgoliphant 3 роки тому

    Really like those winter boots! Can you share where you bought them?

  • @ianwolski5913
    @ianwolski5913 6 років тому

    Well Done! I am Switching to your style of inner covers this year i enjoy the implications and variety of ways you can utilize them. i just read your article on marking queens in the latest edition of the OBJ great work! also give candy boards a try! i take a standard inner cover and screw 2x1s to the bottom you can fit 2 full bags of sugar in candy board form it has saved colonies in the past especially overwintering nucs. hope these Nor Easters calm down in the east this cold air needs to move on over.

  • @kevinarcher7701
    @kevinarcher7701 4 роки тому

    What breed are these bees the first hive
    you got into?I would like some of this breed.

  • @Westernwilson
    @Westernwilson 5 років тому

    Those colonies look fabulous! The clusters are a really impressive size for late winter.

  • @kevinwright8823
    @kevinwright8823 5 років тому

    I would greatly enjoy more videos from you!! Please!! LOL

  • @nathancoons1331
    @nathancoons1331 6 років тому +1

    nice b-roll

  • @danveneski726
    @danveneski726 6 років тому

    Devan, good to see you back out making videos! excited to see many more from you this summer!

  • @bigbrickwall
    @bigbrickwall 4 роки тому

    I like imagining the singer of your intro music is a honey bee. Try it!

  • @danveneski726
    @danveneski726 6 років тому

    Also Devan, when will you be doing a video on your mite control tactics??

  • @homelessbeekeeper4770
    @homelessbeekeeper4770 6 років тому

    Hello from midwestern Ohio. I checked mine two weeks ago. I have 3 yards where I maintain 20 to 24 hives per yard. Been keeping bees for 6 years without problems until this winter. I have brood minder systems in each yard on a hand full of hives to help me monitor their conditions. One of my yards in December showed a substantial increase in weight so I checked them out and found 14 dead out of 21. Upon inspection I found frames backfilled with sugar water in all of them and they had died of excessive moisture. My conclusion is an inexperienced beekeeper near that yard had open fed his bees and mine brought it home.

    • @terrim.602
      @terrim.602 4 роки тому

      That has to be very frustrating. I'm sorry that happened to your hives.
      My mentor was just talking about drift from inexperienced backyard beekeepers and how things like that can effects his commercial practice.

  • @rosirockful
    @rosirockful 4 роки тому

    Where did you go? Love the videos! Thanks!

  • @unisol2287
    @unisol2287 6 років тому

    I hope you didn’t break any cluster?

  • @yukonjeffimagery
    @yukonjeffimagery 6 років тому

    Cool tips thanks. I have sugar bricks and a 3 '' shims and working so far.

    • @terrim.602
      @terrim.602 4 роки тому

      What are the 3" shims used for? Or are you talking about a feeder chamber on top?

  • @hopesadler4000
    @hopesadler4000 6 років тому

    With the loss of all but one hive, I am going to implement your single brood chamber method. I have a couple of questions.1. With the hive I have left which is very strong and has a honey super on top of the brood chamber, should I take the super off and shake the bees into the 10 frame brood box, add a queen excluder and a super with pulled comb?2. With the new packages I am buying, is it the same procedure with the excluder and honey super?3. Until the flow, would you recommend feeding sugar solution to all the hives?I appreciate your videos and any input you may have.

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому +2

      Ok, 1. ya, shake the bees out of the "honey super" and slide a queen excluder in there. If your queen has already laid eggs in that box you better leave it on the hive and let them raise that brood though. In this case I wouldn't be calling that box a honey super. Was that box exposed to a mite treatment or anitbiotics?
      2. just shake your packages into a single, which is pretty standard anyway until they're a decent strength. 3. you should definitely feed packages to get them started, how much depends on if you're shaking them onto comb that already has honey stored from your dead colonies. Only feed your surviving hive if you think it needs it.

    • @hopesadler4000
      @hopesadler4000 6 років тому

      She has already laid eggs in the lower box. The top box with honey probably was exposed to an oxalic acid vaporization. My understanding is it won't affect the honey. Thank you for all of your help.

    • @hopesadler4000
      @hopesadler4000 6 років тому

      The brood box is a 9 frame. Do you think I could transfer it to a ten frame? Or I could pull the spacers out and put in a tenth.

  • @phoenixfarm8792
    @phoenixfarm8792 6 років тому

    Devon, thanks for all the great video's been keeping bees for three years and still learned a few things. what brand of hand held infrared meter do you use?

    • @phoenixfarm8792
      @phoenixfarm8792 6 років тому

      OOPS,if i'd read the comment, I would have seen it's a FLIR but what model? it looks like they run from 250.00 usd +/_ to $1,500 USD

  • @TheSecondMouse
    @TheSecondMouse 6 років тому

    Thanks for the info

  • @mckeeshoneybees8351
    @mckeeshoneybees8351 6 років тому

    What is your opinion on splitting a package? Getting an extra queen and making one package into two colonies. Awesome videos. Keep em coming.

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому +3

      Generally I think it's bad idea. I haven't really worked with packages lately, but when I used to see australian packages years ago we could order them in different sizes (3 lb or 4 lb i think) and some people would split the bigger packages in two. Just keep in mind the bees you get in that package are the only bees your colony has for it's first 3 weeks, and they've already gone through the stress of being shaken and shipped. If your weather is anything like mine, when we get packages we need every bee available in them to have a decent sized colony so that queen can be laying strong and they'll raise enough brood.
      If you're trying to get your packages up to spec for a pollination rental then you need them raising as much brood as possible, and splitting them up is going to mean 2 crappy hives that the grower might not like. But obviously that depends on what you do with your bees.

    • @mckeeshoneybees8351
      @mckeeshoneybees8351 6 років тому

      Devan Rawn I am just a back yarder. This will be my second year. I am getting two packages. I think I am going to try one as a single brood chamber and the other as two. I was curious to what breed of bees you use? Thank you

  • @jpmako
    @jpmako 6 років тому

    Devan, I know that you talked about the single wraps that you use in another video. Where can one find information about these “Quad wraps” that you are testing? I have seen them in some older photos from commercial Beekeepers but have not seen them in a while.

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому

      These ones are from Tony Lalonde in Saskatchewan (not sure if you're canadian), check this link: tonylalondesales.ca/product-category/wintering-equipment/wraps/
      I don't know off hand of any american retailers carrying similar wraps, but they probably do. Might have to ask suppliers in Minnesota or North Dakota.

    • @jpmako
      @jpmako 6 років тому +1

      Devan Rawn Thank You very much. It is a shame that we cannot get the polypropylene wraps here in the USA. I used to use the Mann Lake version and would really like to be able to get these.
      Any leads on who manufactures them would be greatly appreciated.
      Otherwise,
      Great videos and good luck this upcoming season.

  • @OklahomaBeekeeper
    @OklahomaBeekeeper 6 років тому +1

    I really enjoy your videos. I hope you show more details on the single box system throughout this year.

    • @krispapas9834
      @krispapas9834 6 років тому +1

      What's that winter wrap on that 4 pack on the pallet?

    • @debbierodda2203
      @debbierodda2203 6 років тому +1

      I agree as I’m going to single brood boxes this coming season too. 8 frame boxes tho not 10 frame.

    • @terrim.602
      @terrim.602 4 роки тому

      @@debbierodda2203 how did you do with 8 frame hives. I am going that way simply due to weight. I'm a wuss and can't lift the 10 frames. ☺️

    • @debbierodda2203
      @debbierodda2203 4 роки тому +1

      @@terrim.602 I use the Paradise Honey Hives (polystyrene) for their light weight and great thermal qualities. They are 8/9 frame boxes. I put 9 fr in brood box and 8 in honey supers. Works great. Most over here use 8 frame boxes and many who were in 10 are changing back to 8 due to the weight. I also have gone ideal size for honey boxes as I cant lift a full deep box. A deep brood box with one ideal ontop full of honey does well here over winter. But we dont get snow over winter (usually).

    • @terrim.602
      @terrim.602 4 роки тому

      @@debbierodda2203 thank you! I will look them up. Where do you live?

  • @croboy751
    @croboy751 6 років тому

    Nice video!

  • @MsDaddyrabbit1
    @MsDaddyrabbit1 6 років тому

    Excellent

  • @Les0613
    @Les0613 6 років тому

    Do you feed fondant, sugar blocks or dry sugar?

  • @kwil5379
    @kwil5379 6 років тому

    Where ya been?

  • @PhillipHall01
    @PhillipHall01 6 років тому

    Very well done video!! Very informative!! Thank you for posting !!

    • @PhillipHall01
      @PhillipHall01 6 років тому

      Questions please, I don't have the infrared camera. Will an infrared laser thermometer work for this? Even though it doesn't give you a picture, it does give an accurate temperature. I was thinking that this might get the job done also, but without the convenience of the picture ?? And again thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and love of the bees 🐝...

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому +3

      Ya sure. if you can get a reading showing heat coming out of the hive, that's all you need. Alternatively you can just go up to a hive, knock on the side of it, and listen for the bees inside. That doesn't require any equipment.

  • @danlieter1521
    @danlieter1521 6 років тому

    Hi Devan, Love the videos. Question? What race of bee do you prefer raising?

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому +3

      I breed my own bees and make no claims about what race/type/sub-species they are. They are simply bees that produce and survive well in my part of the world. Too many people put way too much emphasis on the label of race their bees come with.

    • @danlieter1521
      @danlieter1521 6 років тому +1

      Excellent point.

  • @DorkwadAmanda
    @DorkwadAmanda 6 років тому

    Swell stuff!

  • @pauldow1648
    @pauldow1648 5 років тому +1

    Why mess with them. Just for UA-cam ?! Too much.

  • @moebees3060
    @moebees3060 6 років тому +2

    Leave em closed.

  • @gr8belayr
    @gr8belayr 6 років тому

    How do you keep records on your colonies? Looking for efficient ways to keep track of less than 10 hives.

    • @DevanRawn
      @DevanRawn  6 років тому +2

      Less than 10 hives should be pretty easy. Just stick a number on the front and take notes. I number a lot of my colonies, and use an excel spreadsheet if they're potential breeders. At the very least I have hives labeled with the line that the queen is from, all my queens are marked in the colonies so I can verify how my queens are performing.

    • @gr8belayr
      @gr8belayr 6 років тому

      So you are pretty basic then. Awesome thx!