How To Know In ONE SECOND If Your Hive Is QUEENLESS /
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2022
- POV: you pop the lid to your hive to find all of the bees walking over the comb buzzing their wings and you hear this load roar coming from the colony...You pull out some frames but, you don't see any brood in fact you notice the bees are filling the brood chamber with bee bread and nectar. Yep! You are queen-less. Today I show you what that roar looks and sounds like annnnnnnnd I do some newspaper combines of some queens on to some of the nucs that did not come back mated successfully. Thanks for watching :)
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beekeeping, beekeeping tips and tricks, beekeeper, how to do a newspaper combine, how to add queen to colony, how to know if you are queenless, nucleus colonies, Michigan beekeeping, BeeFit - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
As far as your smoker goes , just make sure your hinge has plenty of play and keep the rim clean as possible and when you are using your smoker get a good hot fire going and then pack it , then pump it up good after you stuff it and while you are using your smoker never push the lid on tight , just push it on enough to be able to use it , if you barely, gently push the lid on it will be fine to use , what happens is moisture in the form of wet creosote forms within minutes while using your smoker and when the smoker changes temperature the creosote will act as a glue and the thin metal will contract and it will make the lid hard to pop off , so if you gently put the lid halfway on it will seal within 15 minutes to be good enough to use , bottom line is gently put your lid halfway down and your troubles will be few , I’ve been doing this for over 50 years without a problem.😬
I love your comments about learning from your mistakes. I’ve made so many mistakes and learned some valuable lessons. Your doing great and your attitude is very refreshing.
Thank you ☺️ it’s the only way to learn! Thanks for watching ♥️♥️
Good video, and agree you need to punch some slits into the paper. Also, I would spray some 1:1 syrup to get the bees interested and make it easier to open up between boxes. I did notice that the resources seemed to be very low before the combine. I agree, adding a feeder would likely have improved the process. I also have the same issue with my cheap smoker... Going to pick up a better one soon. :)
This has to be your calling if you had that rough beginning and kept going!! Good for you! I appreciate the tips so much.
♥️☺️ thank you for being here! I appreciate you!
At the beginning of the video you were talking about being born to do certain things in life, totally agree!! I feel like this is all I want to do the rest of my life. Great video! Keep up the great work and keep learning and going!!
For the smoker, use your hive tool and leverage it against the lip of the smoker top and the top edge of the bellows. Good luck!
When my smoker gets like that, I use my hive tool to pry it open. Since I use pine needles, mine gets gunked up real fast. So, I clean the inside of the smoker lid and the rim with a drill driver with a wire brush attachment. It just takes a few minutes to clean!
Done well all looking good. Mistakes is how we all learn even bad mistakes. Keep up the great information and work TrickyTrev 🇦🇺👍🐝🍯
Good video, it's great to see all your experiments and experiences! Let's us all think of different things to do. I only have one hive but will probably be getting two more soon so I will have 3 going next spring. Keep up the good work!
Just started beekeeping this year and you have been very helpful. Thank you 👍
So happy to help! Thank YOU for being here! And I hope you had a great first year ♥️
@@beefitbeekeeping I did! Went from 1 hive to 3 but still learning. I like your take on creating better genetics opposed to constant treatments. Are there any other genetic traits worth breading for?
In the fall, I like to use top super feeders with floats, or jars on top, or a top container feeder placed over an inner cover. We have a lot of robbing in the fall in my area, so community feeding wastes syrup to yellow jackets.
Smoker tip, its hard to open fron creosote build up on the lid and the body of the smoker, scrape it off with your hive tool or, burn it clean with a torch. Also bee careful with your generalizations, colonies roar for more reasons than being queenless.
You need to explain or at least say the reason/reasons why hives roar... Sorry for not being clear.
@@MKIV2JZGT You weren't specific but, creosote builds up on the mating surfaces of the lid and body of the smoker, makes for a tight fit. If you remove this buildup it opens easier. As for roaring bees, I've had many instances when they roar and have a queen, sometimes they're pissy, maybe it's hot, colder day, maybe they're defensive of the stores they have. My point is roaring on it's own doesn't mean the colony is queenless.
Truly outstanding video. I find that the creosote from the smoke hardens as it cools and makes the lid difficult to open. I solved that problem by leaving the lid open after each use. I do have a metal smoker box that I store my smoker in. My exact procedure is to open the smoker lid, place the smoker (still lit) inside my near airtight smoker box, close the smoker box lid and let the lack of oxygen suffocate the fire. As a side benefit, that charcoaled fuel makes excellent starter fuel for the next use.
When I lost my first queen, the sound was ten times louder than normal for that hive when I opened the hive up for inspection. My bees were "roaring" is the best way I could describe it.
Hi, im a new beekeeper too and i had exactly the same problem with my smoker, it was ok when it was new but was so difficult to pop the lid, i cleaned all the gunk off with acetone and when it was clean, i smeared a little copper grease around the rim, its so much easier to pop the lid off now, love your channel
Heat makes metal expand so when the smoker gets hot the base swells inside the lid. You can't really do anything to prevent that. You either have to wait till it cools down a bit or use the hive tool to pry it open.
To get that smoker open, take your hive tool and put it against the rolled edge. Your tool should be pointing toward the top of the smoker. Then wack it with your second hive tool. Flip it over and give the other side a little wack. Once you get it open, I use a little wire brush and alcohol to clean up that tar before I close it up again. The wire brush I use is the kind you clean copper joints before you soldier. They work great cleaning up my hive tools each time I visit my apiary. Good habit to get into.
IMHO those colonies are way too close together. They all appear to be starving. For combines of weak colonies, I just place the queenright box in position and shake the queenless bees out. They will return to the location they know and merge peacefully without all the extra box space. All that extra space burns up calories patrolling and keeping warm which is probably contributing to the low stores. Might be too late to turn alot of this around.
You exactly right, in way over her head at the moment for this time of year. She needs to be taken boxes off not trying to draw out more. I have yet to see a really full box of bees.
Great video! I just started with bees this year and it certainly in a learning curve! My main goal is to not kill my first hives lol
I did see a hive being united with another hive with no top entrance and a lot of bees suficated before they got through the paper. They were strong hives and he used two sheets of paper, saying that if he had slit the paper it would have been ok. Another thing when using paper it is good to keep drawing pins to hold paper in place on windy days. Thanks from Ireland.
Thank you for sharing this! ☺️ this is great info!
Ha good video U did a wonderful video with the paper the way I do it is I also spray sugar water on the paper sometimes with honey be healthy when combining then go for the paper faster. works great
Have a blessed week
Put the end of your hive tool under the bottom lip of the top and the other end across the bellows. Press down on the end to pop the top off.
if you use green wood or pellets with high saps in the smoker it will build resin in the top of the smoker that acts as glue. I also taped in the top edges of the wood chamber as the extreme heat expands the housing. the lid dont expand as much and then wont shut, after tapping in the rim it closes again very nicely.
I've made all these mistakes. Nice to know the slits in the newspaper are important. Thanks!
We all start somewhere ☺️
put your hive tool flat across the bellows and to tip of the tool up against the top off the smoker under the lip and press the back of the hive tool down. the leverage forces the top of the smoker to open and flip up
Sometimes when you think a colony is queenless they are not , they can exhibit being queenless when in fact the unmated queen is out on a mating flight , it’s happened to me over the last 50 years of being keeping
Wow! Thank you for answering my question about how did you get into beekeeping. Anyway, officially I am your biggest fan. Looking forward for all your new videos. Especially I am interested in your inspiration on achieving a treatment free bees. This will be amazing. So, keep going girl. Bees are amazing. One more thing. Are you inspiring to become a professional beekeeper? How many hives you aim to manage? Are you doing it alone or have a partner? Big fan of your channel from now on. Cheerios.
Get the Dadant smoker when you get a new one. I use a map gas torch with a self ignition button from Menards or anywhere (like a propane torch but the tank is yellow and much hotter) to light my smoker and is so handy and have had for years. If lid is stuck just heat the mating surface for a few seconds with your torch and it’ll pop right now 😁
I like your contribution for beekeepers. I have one question: Your bee colony are very closer to each other even one is on the top of another. No robbing and fighting. Let me know from your experience!!
Ur an Amazing human bean Emily💛Ur outlook is So Positive and Motivates Me to be a better person and Always try to find the silver lining in Any situation and for that I Thank u😊Sorry things have been a little rough lately, I am Always here for u if u ever need anything or need to talk u know that and it's the least I can do so I mean it anytime anything my Favorite Keeper😊Super cool to hear how u got into Beekeeping and of Course U wouldn't shy away from a challenge and not only that that u wouldn't give up either and hearing that it's something u feel u were Meant to do is just Beautiful and I couldn't agree more💛Most ppl would either get bored or frustrated and just walk away but not u, u make mistakes bc ur human but u take every Ounce of knowledge from those mistakes and become Wiser and stronger every time and I respect that So much, again, ur just Amazing bc ur perfectly imperfect👍Super cool about the newspaper too I am fascinated by that, Incredible creatures ur little winged friends, RIP to those that didn't make it that made me sad but again another learning experience👍Well Thank U for putting in all the hard work into another Enlightening and Informative video and u take care of urself and ur winged friends, Hope the fur babies r doing well and I will see U in the next one😊#emilyisthebeesknees #beefitbeekeeping #beefithoney #myfavoritekeeper #holysmokes☁️🤍
☺️♥️ THANK YOU Steven! Hope all is well with you! Winter is coming quick here in Michigan. I’m jealous of your warmer weather!
@@beefitbeekeeping You are Very welcome my friend😊If I could I'd box up some CA sunshine and overnight it to U☺️🌞📦Happy ur winged friends have U to help get them through another Michigan winter, you guys Got this😊🐝❄️👏#staywarm #staycool😎
One of may ancestors from Poland in the 1700's was a famous beekeeper, and my father kept bees when I was a teenager. I wish I paid more attention to what he was doing with them, but I also feel like this is what I am suppose to be doing. I also have that cheep suit from Amazon.
Hint
Trickle , pour some honey at the entrance to the Bee Hive as a distraction , rather than having the Bees stinging you
Thanks for reading
Boxes look great, I made a few 2 and 4 frame nuc’s with 1in. Thick cedar planks. See how they work. I spent over 2 years watching videos on beekeeping so please take a look at my liked videos list for the biggest stockpile of bee videos. All the greats. Weed through all the tree and plant videos, I’m trying to start a nursery of tree and flowering plants too. For the bees. Skip all the newspapers, bees don’t read eeee. I just take the frames out and put them in a empty box for 2ish hours, then put the bees together with new hive on top with a second box. I’ve never used paper. You can also spray sugar water on the bottom main hive first to calm them.
I would think if the bottom box is empty and the top box has all the resources, they would begin to use the hole in the top box as an entrance.
The numbers and food supply and temperature at night would have a lot to do with cutting the paper. Heat in numbers. Great video. You got a job feeding those 😆
I most definitely have a job feeding them 😅 I pushed my bees hard and am seeing it for sure.
I just found your channel and I'm already loving the way you do things and present your information! I'm curious, where did you get your bee suit?
Clean the rim and lid edge of your smoker with steel wool. Or fine grade sandpaper
I'm liking the videos, keep on keeping. 🐝
amazon has 71 mm drill bits that a quart canning jar will fit perfectly .
If you want to combine 2 hives but they each have a queen do you dispatch one a few days before the combine?
I would do it a few days before yes and then pinch any queens cell you might see. That way you give time for that queen’s pheromone to leave the hive
18:00 The newspaper material might be the reason as well. Paper towels are easier to chew than coffee filters. Ask me how I know.
I'm still waiting for "Bee-Fit Beekeeping" merch!
It is coming!! I promise ☺️
Enjoying you're videos. Just being down here in Australia just have to figure out what month it would be here as our spring your fall. Haha
I have hive top feeders with wooden slats that float. What I actually do now is set one on a table about 50 feet from the hives. I feed 2 gallons each day through October, and yes they take it all. You will get some wasps etc., but not that big of a deal..
Thank you for sharing! ☺️ 2 gallons a day sounds about right
Very good video and information. Love the philosophical view. Pls be careful using the tablesaw.
Buy a Dadant smoker with a ring on top. They are a lot better smoker. You can heat the lid with a lighter also to help you get it off.
Right on
LOVE YOUR VIDEOS!!! TRY NORTHWEST PELLET COMPANY FOR SMOKER FUEL, THEY HAVE A BEEKEEPER PELLET THAT DOES NOT CAUSE CREOSOTE AND IT WILL BURN FOR HOURS. KEEP UP THE VIDEOS AND GOOD LUCK.
We love you. ❤❤❤. Thanks. 😊.
Beekeeper here. Only a minute and a half in and I have to say. You’ve got some balls lmao.
Did you make all those nuc boxes? That looks like a design I could DIY together in my garage and not go broke buying.
scotchbrite clean the lip of smoker and inner lip of the top, then use a pair of pliers to gently bend the smoker lip inwards just a little all the way round then try lid fit, repeat till happy. if you make it to lose just tweak it back out.
Dadent, Mann Lake and Hillco all offer quality smokers that are durable and last.
I’ll check them out thank you!
Love the candidness and your spirit. At 8:31 time stamp the box looks like it has bee poop. the bees may be sick. So how well did that one do?
I'm not a bee keeper but I have noticed very large bees scouting around fences and hedges the size of 50 pence piece bees
May be a swarm looking for a home!
@@beefitbeekeeping individual bees unusually larger than small bees buzz
😃
I smack the lid until it pops off every ones smoker does that when u get finished remove the lid asap do not let it burn out they always stick good luck.
I would like to know where you got the boxes you had in your car. Thanks
It is really loud. Once you hear it in person you will not forget it.
Hi Emily, Just found your channel and this video. I've been beekeeping for 7 yrs and should know this answer but... can a hive make a supercedure cell with no queen? I have a hive that I caught with an old queen from another hive (she was marked). Now, I can't find her in the swarm hive but am finding supercedure cells. I could not find any eggs before but am thinking maybe they were there and that's ho they made the supercedure cells. Checked yesterday and one looked open but another was not. I can't tell if the bees chewed it or it hatched. Any suggestions?
If they are just making queen cups without an egg or larva in it the it is possible they can make those without the Queen. But they can’t make a Queen without another queen so if it is capped with a developing queen inside then there has to be a queen in there somewhere. Checking for eggs will be your best bet to tell whether she’s in there or not
I use alcohol wipes regularly on the inside lip edge and the body lip. Keeps the creosote off and from building up.
I will try that thank you!!
Smoker, Clean it. use a green pad and some cooking oil.
Could you give us the dimentions of those blue nucleus boxes.
My understanding slits just speed it up a little, they may have gotten to hot, did you have some hot days? The lower the temp the more brood you want to keep together, at my current low temps I wouldn't take brood smaller then 3 or 4 frames. Their natural brood levels for my area atm in SW appear to be 4 to 8. My colonies norm seems to be between 4 smallest and 5 or 6 atm. Ty for sharing your time, I was wondering how things were going. Blessed Days...
It’s been getting cold here so I’m thinking the cold days got to them. Wow 4 to 8 frames of brood. Some do my 10 framers only have 1-4 frames of brood right now
As always thank you for being here ♥️ I hope you close out your bee season strong!!
@@beefitbeekeeping Ya you are colder at night then I am so you brood is retracting faster. It's interesting to see how/when the bees react in the different weather regions of the country.
@@beefitbeekeeping You too I really enjoyed seeing your gurney this season. I think with everything that you have learnt and set up this season will be a good take off point for Spring.👍
Put your give tool under the lip of the top and over the bellows. Pry down against the bellows and the top will pop right open.
Thank you I’ll try that!
How long does it start before you hear the roar
That black bee is just an older forager bee. If you ask someone, "What color is a honey bee?" the correct answer is. "Black with brown and yellow fuzz." That being the case any bee with all her fuzz gone will be balck like that.
Good to know thank you!!
Is there a reason you guys don't use inner covers?
I have some pieces of advice for You. Usually I don't do that but it seems You can use some help.
Firstly your nucs are too close and when You have virgin queens accidents might happen, even if as I saw You tried to use some paint to differentiate the boxes
.
I used usually some geometrical figures - triangle, shape of a flower and so - and vivid coloured and so the queens can be able to recognize much easier their nucs when they are turning back from their mateing flights.
Secondly, when I combined bees ,I use a piece of plywood which has a slit in the center covered with a piece of net wire. In this way the bees don't make contact but the air is free to circulate between the hive and the super. The ideea is for the bees to share the same smell. One night is usually enough ,then the net wire can be removed.
With this method very rarely I had problems with the unification process. You can use a sheet of cardboard as well instead of plywood.
Thirdly, I am confused so why do You smoke the entrance of the hive when You want to work in that hive?!
One more thing, even if You have bees in every nucs, not all of them are winter bees.
So in fact be careful of with how many frames of bees - winter bees - that hive will enter the winter. Too weak and will be in danger to not make it to the spring.
Thank you for typing this all out! I’ve been moving away from using smoke. My bees at the moment are pretty aggressive so that is why I’ve been smoking the entrance. I like that idea with using plywood to combine hives. Thank you for that! Yes indeed the nucs are too close
@@beefitbeekeeping I use smoke but not at the entrance bcz is upsetting all the hive.
I use smoke just locally on the frames with which I work and as little as possible.
Only on those genetically aggressive families I use more smoke.
Good luck 🍀 to You.
Hi. Have seen a few of your video's and love them good job. 👍🏻
I'm relatively new to bee 🐝 keeping "2nd" year now and have 3 hives Here in Germany 🇩🇪 for now 😀
I have a question if you would be so kind as to share your advice please. One of my hives definitely has a queen "very small" compared to the other two hives but in this one hive they don't have any egs nor brood. We are also in fall now getting colder days 15°c to say 20°c and dropping rapidly. She did lay egs before but just stopped. This hive also didn't grow at all they stayed for the hole spring and summer tge same. What can I do before its to late." Winter is coming "
Hmmmm I’m afraid it would be too late to replace her. How much food do they have? Bc if they don’t have a lot of stores the Queen will also not lay as much as they won’t be able to feed the brood. My queens are slowing down on laying right now, some only have 1/4 of a frame laid out. I would say this time of year your best bet is to overwinter with her bc I’m not sure a colony with a new queen would over winter well. I have heard by many professional beekeepers that a colony that goes into the winter all under the same genetic line as the queen seem to do better. And the first month of laying for a queen is crucial for her development so to put a new queen in now when they already aren’t laying as much would would prevent her from fully developing. If it were me I would let them keep doing their thing for now but make sure they have lots of food
@@beefitbeekeeping
Thank you for your reply. I understand exactly what you mean. I'll just have to wing it and see then 👀 what they will do. They have allot of food. +-80% of all the frames are full of honey. I had a look yesterday again and there are not even one eg to be seen. And no brood at all their numbers seems to be ok. Allot on the frames. And also found the queen again. Regarding my other 2 hives. They are and still laying egs and new brood are emerging as i was inspecting them. Very much stronger than this hive. I can only hope for the best for the winter coming. I also have installed a few months ago "5" Digital Thermometer's 🌡 in all 3 hives just as an experiment all the hives are 1 or 2 °c from one another say 23 to 25 °c at 7:00am in the morning today 4°c outside temperature. And then as the day progresses goes up ofcourse to +-33°c
On All hives.
I will just leave them for now and hope this hive pulls through. Thank you again 💓 for you information and keep up the good work 👏🏻 Respekt.
Hello just started viewing your channel. How many times per month do you go into your hives.
It depends on the hive. When I first started beekeeping I went in once a week sometimes twice per week. Now I only go in each hive probably 2-3 times per month. If they have a Queen and I know the colony then I just keep on adding boxes as needed. And crack the bottom box up off the bottom board to look for swarm cells. You can go into your hives as much or as little as you’d prefer. Your bees will adapt to they way you beekeep
Oh and welcome!! Happy to have ya here ☺️
Can you make a video on making a 5 frame nuc box
Hint
Trickle , pour some honey at the entrance to the Bee Hive
They will be more distracted with the honey rather than you and stinging you
Thanks for reading
I use a propane torch to light my smoker. If you have one you can use your torch to heat the lid of the smoker where it comes in contact with the base. The problem is creosote and ash that hardens when the smoker cools. When done with your smoker you can open the smoker and dump out the material (in a safe manner) and using the torch you can clean the rims of the lid and can/base with heat and a rag you have daubed in mineral oil. The oil will help remove the heated creosote but do not allow the creosote to burn as it can turn into hard carbon and only high heat torching or a lot of elbow grease will get it off. High heat torching the smoker may warp the thin metal so be advised. Since you wear bee gloves you may find just heating the smoker lid is easier that the mineral oil routine.
Thank you so much for these tips!!! My smoker has been driving me insane 😅
When you finsh with the smoker and while it is still hot just leave it opened to the next time that you are going to use again, do not close it tight , this is my way
I like you so much
And you have ready Guardians for dates .
Keep a Mike in the car with a release handle up front .
Date gets iffy release the Girls .
If you already have a steady or a husbando , never mind !
I use a bucket to feed good luck
You took out a frame and leaned it up against a different hive? And then forgot to put it back in?
Nope it went back in ☺️ just didn’t put that part in the video ♥️
hard to spot a young queen always check the hive in a couple week you may see eggs
YOU ARE HAVING QUEEN PROBLEMS BECAUSE BECAUSE YOUR NUKES A WAY TO CLOSE TOGETHER THEY DONT KNOW WHERE TO COME BACK TO
This is correct!
You should NEVER decide a brood nest. Especially with a frame of undrawn foundation.
My bees are nasty lil girls when they are queenless 😝
looks like the bees had a new queen they where faning to show we are here you must of touched the queen because they where all over your gloves finger
30 min video on how to tell in a minute if the hive isn’t queen right lol
Why just 5 frame hives ?
Bc these little nucs become little bee factories for built comb, brood, bees. And in the spring they explode! Bees perform better in spaces just a little bit small for their colony
Should of been pouring the syrup to them a month ago. Way behind the game girl. Experiments are fun and all but not at the expense of your bees. 🤷♂️🤷♂️
Just smash it slightly with your foot. Just be careful they crush very easy.Your smoker
Just shared your video with a dozen different friends of mine. I salvage lumber from Barnes in the winter. Looking forward to building a lot of new bee boxes out of hardwood this winter getting ready for next spring 👌
I will be doing the same this winter! Planning to build a minimum of 200 deeps plus some nucs and supers. Salvaging lumber from barns is a good idea!! Thanks for sharing my video ♥️☺️
Please use metric system and Celsius for temperature. The old measures are so foreign for Europeans. Thanks.
Great work u have fb??
Mine sticks sometimes but only when i use Pine Needles - i switched to Rolled up corrugated Cardboard Box material, i cut it however high the Smoker is inside and cut and roll enough to make a tight fit into the hole. I light it with a blowtorch on the outside bottom side of the Smoker while pumping it.. lights up in no time :)