SPLITTING BEES | EASY & CHEAP | w/ Queen Cells
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- Опубліковано 17 бер 2021
- I spent the weekend splitting bees and I want to show you my favorite technique. It is a 3 step system and it is not necessary to find the queen. I have split bees many ways but if I need to move quickly and have have confidence that I know where the queen is, this is how I do it.
I hope will will subscribe to the channel @brucesbees and enable notifications. To subscribe to brucesbees go to this link: / brucejenne
Thanks and enjoy!
#beekeeping #honeybees #splittingbees #queencells #beemanbruce #beesarecool - Розваги
I've got to do several splits this weekend, I truly hope they go as good as you have show us.. Another Great Video!!
Good luck! Thanks for watching!
Hey Bruce love your work
I used to be so frustrated by locating queens, especially if in a mongrel hive.
An old timer told me he noticed my eyes were all over the place.
He told me to read the frame like a book.
Start reading from the top left and across to the right.
Duplicating as if fine lines of text.
Even she drops a line or 2 your eye will catch it, as well as if she is being ushered around.
I became so thrilled at time and stress I reduced.
Hope the splits all take, a real thrill
Hey that is great advice. I will have to give that a try!
Good to see your bee season off to a great start. Looking forward to watching this bee season!!
Thanks. It is already crazy! But I love it.
This turned out to be an excellent video, thanks
Thank you. I had so many issues trying to get it filmed but I am glad I got enough good footage to put a video together.
Great video buddy thanks for sharing your bees are doing well buddy. I hope your splits work out for you. Hope you have a great weekend.
Thanks for checking in and I hope all is well with you too!
Lots of good information. Thanks for the video.
Thank you.
Splits are Looking good Bruce hope they all work out
I hope so to. Thanks.
Good explanation of the method. Appreciate it
Thanks.
Enjoyed your video, I plan to use this technique or a modified with double screen. Thanks for the information!
Thanks for checking in and good luck!
If you hadn't told me there were technical difficulties I wouldn't have known. The video was awesome anyway!!
Thanks. It turned out better than I thought it would.
Looking good Bruce, anytime you do a split it means that you are growing your apiary.
Yes! Almost too fast. I am afraid I am going to run out of equipment. The bees are building up fast and the pollination hives are on the way back from California right now!
Thanks Bruce for making videos, they are so very helpful and well done. It did make me chuckle when the 1 critic gave you a hit in the neck ! Sorry,and yes I also hate stings in head and neck areas, they hurt worst!
I appreciate the kind words and thanks for watching. I am trying to share the journey with you and always striving to improve.
Looking good! Cant wait to find out who get that vaporizer! Its not gonna be that far away!
Yes. Thanks to all my awesome viewers and new subscribers we are gaining some momentum and it will be here much faster than I thought when we first talked. Exciting times! But gotta keep grinding...
So I’m not the only one who loves brood on fresh wax. It’s just beautiful to me.
Yes it is amazing!
Great video. Don't you just love how that one bee will harass you and never give up. I sure do. Thanks for sharing.
Yes! It is so crazy! Thanks for checking in!
Good video
Thanks!
There's always 1 bee that wants to kill you and follows you all the way back to the truck, every time.
I know!!! Literally hundreds of thousands of bees on the beeyard and always at least one or two obnoxious ones lol.
Great video Bruce
Thanks!
Video was fine to me, had to chuckle a little when those bees hit you at the last, I've had those days.
I know! Always something...
Hello Bruce all looked good on our end . Hope you get 100 percent take . I need to do several soon . I do not have any emergency colonies set a side right now. Thanks
I hope so too. Good luck!
The video turned out great.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
Btw...
Our bee keepers club just agreed to buy 1 or maybe 2 of those LOROB BEES OXALIC ACID VAPORIZERS... As hobbyists with 1-8 hives it was an easy decision to share amongst us...
Great give away.
That is great news. Quality product.
Thank you I learn more every time I watch! I'm waiting to restart doing bees after losing a hive 4 times when staring over.. waiting until I really retire..the third time..
Question can you do a video of some of the best locations to place your need hives for success? I'm on a ranch and our neighbors happen to park a big trailer and I didn't catch it for 2 days that they parked at where the sun didn't hit my bees and that was like January 2nd and I walked over January 4th I try to check them every other day and the bees were gone. And so that was the fourth time so I quit until I retire one day as I mentioned. But learning how to put in place a hive might be really good for beginners even myself I still got so much to learn I don't that ever stop learning about theses. My Apiry is called Crabapple Cove..and I'm the Queen Bee! Lots of fun ahead this year
That is a good idea. Hopefully when you start up again things will work out better for you. Where are you located?
Greetings from Utah Brother Bruce! I know this is an older video but still wanted stop in and say thanks for the content. I'm a second year noobie with only one backyard hive and was lucky enough to get my hive through the ridiculous winter here in Utah. So now I'm here trying to figure out what to do next. I've signed up for the Apprentice program through the University of Montana Beekeeping program and roam my favorite UA-camrs as much as I can. I'm trying to learn as much as I can.
I had a video idea and I apologize if you've already done a video like this but I think it would be cool the next time you want to make a video regarding splits to record a different way of doing a split with each hive in the same video. It would be a logistical nightmare as far as recording/editing maybe but life is always more interesting with a little challenge.
I don't even know how many different techniques are out there to split a hive but I know there's a lot. Could a person make a video of doing 10 or 20 different split techniques (is there that many ways or more?).
Best of luck to you and your family this year and honey season. Thank you for all your time and energy you put into your awesome channel.
-Rojo
Hey you should reach out to Jonathan Maclee. He lives in Goshen, Utah. I did a video at his place last summer. Great guy. You could reach out to him on FB. As far as splits go there are several techniques and every technique has variations. I do have a playlist on the channel about splitting bees where I have tried different things. ua-cam.com/video/-fq5wOPJ6PU/v-deo.html
Those little rascal bees are always changing our plans.
For sure. Overall was a great weekend. Thanks for checking in!
Ever have to open a hive up from a log? We took a big tree down last year and saved the hive within a large secondary trunk. 10-12" in diameter. They made it through winter. They are actively foraging now. Southern Indiana here. Thanks! Love your videos!
Hey that is cool. Glad they are doing well. Haven’t really done much removing bees from logs or tees. One of the coolest things about beekeeping is that every experience is different and anyone who gets involved will have great adventures and stories to tell.
Hope the queens do good for you Bruce
Me too! I used this technique last year and it worked well. Thanks!
Great work Bruce! Looks to me like you’re almost a full-time beekeeper now, not just a sideliner!
Question: after shaking all the bees down into the bottom box and putting the brood frames above the queen excluder, how long do you wait for nurse bees to go up and cover the frames? Can you take those boxes off a couple hours later? The next morning?
I like to wait until the next day but as soon as they move up it is ok. I actually split and moved the Ozark bees the same day. Set them up that morning and split them that evening.
I’m so psyched..yesterday I order an apimaye hive and today someone was removing a hive out of a neighbors place. ...hopeing the bees will move in the cardboard box I put them and comb in till the
hive arrives!!
I hope so too. Good luck!
I would highly suggest using orange cell protectors when placing cells inbetween frames.
Not a bad idea. Thanks for the suggestion. I did it last year like this and it worked well but I like the idea of the protectors.
I'm excited to do some splits this year. Probably just be walk away splits tho
Hopefully it will go well for you. Good luck!
Well you need to let the nurse bees recover up the brood after shaking off the bees to make sure there is no queen. If you leave over the hive box with the queen, then her pheromones will prevent the top box from making a queen. If you move the top box before the nurse bees cover the brood then you will lose the brood and they will not be able to make a queen.
I waited to let the bees cover the brood. That is the principle behind this type of split. Shake the bees down. Put brood above the queen excluder. Let the bees move up onto the brood and cover it up. Then take the bees away in a nuc and introduce a cell or queen the next day. Works well in my experience. Thanks for checking in.
That is a slick way of splitting. Hope the new queens are not as hot as some of your hives. How many splits are you planning on for 2021? Oh, and another easy swarm catch. A box of bees is a box of bees worth $150 in 3 weeks. Do you plan on selling any nucs or you still expanding? Thanks for the update, it was still a very interesting video.
Yes I plan on selling some nucs this year. The number I sell will depend on how many strong splits I am able to make and the number of splits I make depends on the strength of the bees as the year progresses and available equipment. I really don’t have an exact plan. I kind of grow at the rate I am able to grow and am constantly changing my plans as my skills and ideas grow and adapt. My only real commitment is to try and have at least 80 hives ready to go to California for pollination. I try to be super flexible so that I can learn and expand as opportunities present themselves. And yes the swarms have been fun. I wish I was doing a better job preventing the swarms but am glad i have been able to catch the ones I have.
I never bought queen cells. How do they ship them and keep the temperature around 90 degrees F ?
We have a supplier close by. We go pick them up and transport them in and incubator.
I’m a new subscriber. I love bees but I can’t keep them myself. When bring up the frames can you be a little slower? You know what they look like but there are some of us out here that don’t. Love watching your videos ‼️ 🍯 👵🏻
Looks Good Bruce Sir. 1 thing i didnt like about jacket was hood cant be removed and replaced? I always have to replace hood 1 or 2 times a year lol. Why is i never use it and hood gets demolished in truck LOL or i just set hood over head because i hate face stings. Way i always do my splits. Fast and easy. Ever see the RED Cell protectors? They are nice and also protect the cell from bee cutting into side as they do every so often
Yeah I hear ya. This jacket is pretty affordable and the mesh is tougher than most but it still can get damaged or worn out.
Great and informative video 👍🏼:Question won’t the bees reject that strange Queen cell if they have 4 day old larvae on a frame
It’s possible if they start making their own emergency cells. But usually they take pretty well if the cells are introduced fairly quickly after giving them a chance realize they are queenless.
another good video. I expect things will get stranger as time goes on.
Yes I agree. Always something...
Great video Bruce. What you feeding at the end when you were putting the queen cells into the splits?
I think it was probably 1:1 sugar water with Beekeepers Choice supplement and Amino B
The Amino B is a protein supplement you can mix with sugar water
Bruce what is the feed that you were using? Did not look like pure 1-1.
It has Amino-B in it and probably Beekeepers Choice supplement as well. Otherwise 1:1 if I remember correctly.
@@brucesbees thanks for the quick reply
What are the queens like from Chipolee Florida? I mean mite wise and temperament. It looks very easy to damage the queen cell but with those ears you can even stick it down further in the frame and let the ears hold it in the wax. That might be better for me not sure. 5 dollars per cell? Wonder if they ship nationwide. Hate to fly down there and pick up a box of cells.
The queens for Chipley, Florida come from Sleeping Bear Apiaries. I think they also have a location in Michigan but I am not sure if they do cells up there. The queen cells from last year did well overall. Not sure if they are able to ship the cells. Some may do that. But they are pretty fragile. Yes $5 per cell. There may be a few that don’t work out but for $5 you can’t go wrong. Some of my strongest hives now are from the splits I made with them last year.
Bruce
What are you feeding those splits? Great video.
1:1 sugar water, Beekeepers Choice, Amino -B
My favorite method of making splits. I'm jealous that you're dropping cells in late March. Bruce, what camera and microphone are you using? Are you happy with them?
iPhone XS and SmartMike+. The iPhone has worked to this point but am thinking about upgrading. Not really sure what I am going to do. The iPhone works well most of the tome but I have tried some shorts recently and they seem a little blurred. Not sure why.
@@brucesbees I've got my eye on a Cannon M50 but my wallet disagrees. Thanks, Bruce!
I hear ya. I need to do some research. I like the iPhone because I am familiar with it and it has done ok for me. I also do all my editing and uploads on it. If I upgrade to something else I will have to learn a whole new system and change how I do things. But eventually I am going to have to do something.
What are your thoughts on using those black gloves? We recommend not using black gloves. We use orange mechanics plastic gloves. They work really well.
I have never really had issues with them, but the orange gloves might be better.
Nice jacket. I like the idea of no zipper.
Me too!
@@brucesbees bees seem to find a gap in the 3 way zipper area. Making the jacket seem useless.
Yes you have to be very careful and make sure it is zipped up good.
are bees come to the swam traps from other people s bee yards ？
It’s possible but I doubt it. I don’t know if anyone else that has bees in the area and I have a lot. It is possible they are wild bees from the surrounding area but they are probably mine.
Very good videos. How fare away from the original hive do you take the splits before installing new queens? What is your percentage of success on your un mated queens.
They say at least two or three miles. But I have left them in the same area before. The problem is that the forager bees will return to the original hive even though the nurse bees will stay with the split. Do you have to make sure you have plenty of brood and nurse bed in the split. I am not sure if the success rate yet. I have not been through them all. It’s best to leave them alone for 3 to 4 weeks. But I plan to go through them soon. Thanks!
@@brucesbees
Thank you. I’ve just gotten into beekeeping the last year and a half. I have a friend who’s been doing it since we were kids, 65 years old now, finally got me interested in it. I’m about the 3 thousand ft level in the Sierra’s in Northern California. Only have 9 hives but have struggled keeping them alive through winter. 5 out of 9 died. I candy board them, wrap the hives and treat with Oxalic. Hopefully this year will be better. My friend offered to combine my bees with his for the almonds but I didn’t have enough frames of bees in the hives.
Hang in there. Sounds like you have a mentor there who knows what he is doing. Maybe he can help you navigate these first few years. It can be very challenging and at times discouraging.
@@brucesbees
He’s been a great help and has given me four of the hives to get me started. I try to help him when I can get away, he lives in Roseburg, Oregon, about 6 hours north of me. In these trying times it’s been a great social distancing hobby.
Absolutely. Has helped me keep my sanity this past year for sure.
So where do you get all your equipment?
I get it from all over the place. I either build my own nucs or have them built for me.
Just curious and sorry if you said and I just missed but I noticed you didn't scan your splits for emergency queen cells prior to introducing your cells. Is the thought process that your cell will hatch first and she/colony will eliminate any emergency cells?
Yes that is the thinking but these splits were only about a day or less old so hopefully the timing will be perfect.
Hey Bruce,
Great to see you shake bees off the frames with a vigorous sideways shake, and just a little downwards vector.
Too many UA-cam beekeepers lift their frames high in the air, and then launch it downwards with a violent jerk or flick at the end. That just spears the bees downwards, straight into whatever is solid below and they hit with a sickening thud.
It's not good. So, thanks Bruce for shaking your bees and not spearing them.
Thanks for the comment. I’m sure I am not always perfect with this but just try to shake them hard enough to dislodge the bees.
Hey Bruce how are you,, how'd you make out with that swarm with the cut Wing Queen??
I caught them and haven’t really checked back with them yet.
@@brucesbees please Bruce let me know how you make out
good deal
Thanks.
I’m a new subscriber. I’m getting very interested in bees. I won’t be able to keep bees myself but I love to watch them and taking care of them. But if you could please when you take the frames out could you be a little slower. Thank you. 🍯 👵🏻
Bruce, what incubator are you using?
I’m pretty sure this is it: www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/little-giant-still-air-incubator-2167379?store=1314&cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-2167379&gclid=CjwKCAjw9MuCBhBUEiwAbDZ-7qi_0hUmVXzX3s_yYtOP0Z53VLz2MM1dG3ZRZsaQx1MfZFOcnwRpnRoCusYQAvD_BwE
It’s a little giant....egg incubator....sold at Tractor Supply cheap....
What time of day is this? Late morning? How much time were you involved in this hive when opening to closing?
I actually worked on them for 3 days total but they are spread out over quite a distance. Time in each hive varied depending on situation and because I was trying to get some good video. But it can be pretty fast if things go well.
@@brucesbees what time of day did you look at them? Were you in there for 10 minutes, 20 minutes?
I was looking at hives throughout the day. If you mean the actual hives in the video the first one was probably mid morning. The second I would say was early to mid afternoon. And the queens were introduced early afternoon. But just know that I was working these bees pretty much all day in three different locations over a two day period and introduced the cells the third day.
Time in the hives. The first hive was probably around 10 minutes or so because I was trying to do a video. Usually probably 5 minutes or so but time will vary according to situation and hive size. The second part with the nucs peobably took 10 minutes or so due to trying t explain things for the video. The next split after that probably took 3 or 4 minutes. Maybe even less. The queen cell introductions probably take a minute or two at the most.
Good content Bruce....I was wondering ...with so many hives you have....why do you purchase Queen cells...and destroy the ones in your hives...seems you would have plenty in your hives to do your splits....into the Nucs....is there a better genetic bee that you are trying to introduce....
A little bit of both. I do use some of mine but also am trying to introduce new genetics. Sleeping Bear is a reputable queen breeder and I had good luck with them last year. Having said this. I do have some queen cells of my own and have made a few splits using them but as many splits as I was trying to do I had to try to be quick and really didn’t want to have to use the brain power or time to try to mix and match queen cells with splits etc. Great input though. Thanks!
Bruce, some of the folks want to purchase the $5 Queen cells, some realize that they need to stay 93 - 95 degrees so that eliminates getting them shipped, even if you could get them shipped they would need to be shipped over night so they would no longer be five dollars each and if they were shipped the rough handling they could go through might damage all of them and they may not ever emerge. Can you take a few minutes and explain some of these things that I’ve mentioned on a video?
Good point. Road trip to Florida!!
Yes! Not a bad idea lol.
Thanks for the input Don. Good points. I do try to keep the cells a little cooler than that though. I will try to remember to ádrese those issues on a future video!
I think there may be some that ship cells but it seems like that would be tricky.
@@brucesbees what temperature range do you keep them at? Also, do you try to keep the humidity up or maybe keep a moist cloth in the incubator? I’ve never seen Queen cells offered for shipping although there may be a few that offers that. Do you know who does ship them?
best luck on them getting mated,your way ahead,try sugar water squirt bottle for pissy bees,
Thanks for the suggestion!
Hi can you let me know where I can buy queen cell thanks
Where do you live?
Jacksonville Florida
I learned it from walls bee man as well. I like his videos. Is he still around?
I don’t know if he is. But I have used this technique many times and I first heard about it from him.
Requeen all of those mean colonies. I think you will enjoy being with them more if you deal with them. The sooner the better since the hives are only getting bigger.
The bees have actually calmed down a lot over the past week or two. I think we have a nice flow going. They are more like their normal selves. It was a little crazy there for awhile and I began to wonder about them...but now I think all is well.
We shall see...
Where did the cells come from?
Sleeping Bear Apiaries in Chipley, Florida
@@brucesbees thanks Bruce 👍 I appreciate your videos.
Awesome. Thanks for watching!
I could definitely use that vaporizer
Yes! Stay tuned for the giveaway. When I hit that 10,000 subs mark will be announcing rules and giving it away. Thanks for watching!
@@brucesbees always something interesting and to learn how another does things
I agree. I am always learning from other beekeepers and from the bees. Just when I think I have it figured out they surprise me. Never a dull moment.
Jacksonville Florida
I don’t know anyone who would have cells over there. My supplier is in Chipley
Hope you have a high percentage of mated queens.
I hope so too. I think it will work out well.
@@brucesbees I have 6 cells coming in early May and I plan to graft 30 cells on my own in mid to late April. Sell about 20 to my friend beekeeper. Just now our maples are blooming. Southwest Ohio area.
Sounds like a good plan. Good luck to you!
I make splits with queen cells. Stop looking for the queen. Don’t shake off the bees. Make 4-5 splits off one hive. Leave a queen cell in every hive unless you see the queen. Done in 5 min.
That’s one approach. I really don’t want to weaken my hives that much. Many of these will be my production hives.
I does make sense to put queen cells in every hive though as the cells are very affordable. I do like the technique I used here though, but I completely understand your point. Thanks for your input. So many ways to do things.
200 likes and only one Hater,Not Bad ,😂🤣😂
No doubt. There always has to be someone.
@@brucesbees they say judge your success by them so more is better lol kinda irritating when one person has to dirty up a perfect record though
Well if that’s the case I am doing well!
@@brucesbees I think you're going to really grow this year I see your numbers are coming up! 👍
So far so good thanks to viewers like you!
hi bruce show us the 150 hives you claim to have....
ua-cam.com/video/6UxKXLlxZKg/v-deo.html
If you watch this video to the end you will see all but about 12 of them. Many of them are near the end. Hope you have a nice life man. Not sure why you think you know everything about me and my operation by watching a single video from 3 years ago. Goodness…
ua-cam.com/video/YXSl4kFigVg/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/_AUS9NmFgLE/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/No_wYCp7RFg/v-deo.html
Yo have you seen stappler drink through his veil he could probably eat through it too he’s a freak!
Yes he is a legend for sure!
Never win
Thanks for watching. You should enter when the time is right. Who knows?
Just bought the pullover jacket to be able to drink and stop dealing with zippers. They should give you a commission.
Yes I really like it. I’m sure you will too. Thanks for checking in and Terry at Guardian has been good to me.
So the 10000 subscriber get the vaporizer?
No. Going to announce the rules the first video after we hit 10,000 subs. Probably give it away the video after that.
I don't understand why you guys stack all those 5 frame boxes up . Rob.
It works really well. The bees explode up into them and it makes splitting them very easy. I wish I had done more that way this year. Nucs are brood building factories and actually I think easier to manage. Just not practical for production hives or pollination.
"Don't you have enough bees?"
No
Ha! True. I keep telling myself I have enough. Then I make more splits!🤷🏻♂️🐝😎
I see why you use the camera now it keeps the bees busy while you work. LOL
No doubt lol. Sometimes they just seem to hate it. Strange.
5 $ queen cell ????what is that ?
The queen cells I introduced to the splits cost me $5. If not familiar with queen cells I show you how I put them in the hives during the video.
@@brucesbees I wanted to buy some 5$ queens.....doing first splits next week
Yes you won’t find any mated queens for that price. These are cells before they emerge. You put them in the splits, they emerge and mate with your drones. So it is a little bit of a risk but way cheaper than mated queens. I use both but it is tough to find mated queens this time of year and I had great luck with the cells last year so o am excited to see how they do this year!
@@brucesbees yes thank you
@@hopecafeanew9623 be sure you have adequate drones in your area before doing cells.
After 5 years of keeping bees I quit making plans.
No doubt lol.
Rough hives that are crazy all the time... why don’t you requeen with calm genetics.
I have some that are somewhat gentle and most are somewhat defensive. I don’t mind. They seem to be pretty tough for the most part. If they become unworkable then I will take care of the problem. Awhile back I decided to introduce several queens with known gentle genetics from a reputable queen breeder. Some of them did ok but they did not seem to be as durable as many of my local mutts. I am always trying to improve things. Maybe I need to see if I can find some queens with gentle but tough genetics to add to my stock. Do you have any suggestions on a queen breeder? I may give them a try.
As the flow kicks in my bees will probably calm down a lot as a general rule. Some are already beginning to do that. Some of my other beekeeping friends hav told me many of their bees have been a little crazy too. This time of the year I think they are usually like this.
hard to follow what frames are what...next time name content of each frame ..what you are taking out and why? .good try
Hmm ok. I was trying to do that.