Beekeepers and beekeeper hopefuls love to talk bees, our families maybe not so much, your videos fill the void, even one way conversation! Love the videos!
Thanks, Fred. Looking at your intro, I'm so glad I live in TN. The long lang sounds interesting - I'm actually a smaller. 58-yr old woman, so has a beginner beekeeper, lifting those supers is hard. Although I'm routinely carrying hay bales and feed sacks, it's hot heavy work in a Southern summer.
Yes, the density of a honey super is much different from the heft of a hay bail :) Plus, you have to somewhat bend over the hive to get a grip AND, you have to unstick them! I'm also thinking of installing hydraulic lifts for the Long Lang Roof :) Orrrrr counter weights... I'm going to overdo it! Thank you for sharing and also for your questions!
@@FrederickDunn- So funny!!! As you were describing the long Lang, I was trying to figure out if the shock absorber lifts that my canopy uses would hold up the weight of the lid. There are larger ones for the heavier glass canopy window that I think may work nicely! I do like the idea of counter weights though as well...
Frederick Dunn - Indeed!!! Thinking Engineer may be written in your service record. LoL!!! Those amazing hive stands you make would support block and tackle nicely. 🤣
We had a long cold winter and one of our big old hives started to cannibalize their eggs due to dearth until I put pollen substitute on the landing board. It was clean within one minute . They stopped immediately and went back to normal. Oh-they were Italians. I love my Saskatraz. They are my favorite. Unique personality . My second love are beautiful Carnis. Sometimes I have to sell my raw honey. Not why I’m into bees
That's a natural cycle of cutting back for winter. They will also follow the Queen around and consume her eggs. I personally don't stop that natural rhythm of reproduction going into winter. It's just how they adapt to environmental resources coming in or not. Thanks for sharing Lenore!
Yeah those topbar hives are much harder to manage the comb in and all. I have one hive on another farm in a topbar.. next spring i want to move it over to a regular Langstroth. Time definitely flies by in live stream mode.. :) Yeah the paper wasps are always pretty chill with me too. Thanks as always Fred!
Fred I live in similar weather like you, so: Those feeders you mentioned, I got them, hole in the middle for the jar lid, 4 holes on each corner one everything with 1/8" hardwire cloth and on top of that, I got a hole in the front with hardwire cloth also; my bees never propolize any of the vent holes; now mind you, I only use those kind of feeders during warmer weather in dearth, etc. For winter I got something similar with entire bottom having 1/2" hardwire and sugar candy fill about 2", the feeder is about 4" tall, I have a front hole with a similar wheel you have that I can rotate per need, only difference, I made a U shape with a lid that I attached on the inside of the front vent hole where the bees have to come in and go down into the hive before they get access to the sugar on the other side of this U shape cage I made, that also protects the hive from robber bees having access to the sugar, works like a charm, already they penetrate thru that 2" sugar places as it is cold outside and they eat that damp sugar mix that eventually harden solid. Second, I own two long lang's, in my opinion the only thing those are good for is making a lot of brood, not your kind of honey production style of hive, you get some honey but not as normal hive production; but those serve me well for brood parking as I take away capped brood frames from the mating nuts as my queens mate and lay eggs, also that young population as it hatches in the long langstroth, I reuse for starter/finisher on my queen production, works like a charm; that is my 2cent on this subject. Other than that, you are THE man, I still wonder why in the world you only limit yourself to 15 hives, with your potential and knowledge, I always wonder my friend, lol. God Bless and keep it up. Dan.
Thank you for sharing how you're managing and what your bees are doing. That's interesting about the Long Langstroth hives. Definitely an area of interest for me. I hope you have a very successful winter!
can smaller holes/openings into the hives prevent the yellow jackets from entering the colony? Paper wasps clean your garden out of the white cabbage moths, they also eat all the other pests in your garden, they feed them to their babies, an excellent partner!
Dear Mr Fred This is Mohammad Salah from Egypt and I am adding my name to my comments now because you mentioned that somehow the names does not appear on the comments on your side An amazing and beautiful long video and I hope that the winter stays longer so that all of your videos are that long :):):):):) Thank you again and have a nice week end
Thanks for the post summer follow up on the slatted rack. My main observation is the guard bees positioned themselves further back in the hive. I have no idea about bearding and egg laying as I don’t have enough hives to compare reliability. Another advantage I found was I could attach the tabs for my entrance reducer/mouse guard and still rotate boxes and not nail anything into the box. I have a flow hive 2 and they don’t fit traditional entrance reducers. I’ll be watching for a winter follow up report.
Very intresting experiment with the paperwasps! I am suprised that people have problems with Top Bar Hives and Langlongs in your area. As you indicate I think it is a good idea to use thick wood when in use in cooler climate. Good luck with your!
Hi Fred. Love your FAQs. Questions for future episodes: 1. I've recently heard someone claim that bees don't store fondant. They'll either use it as an energy source or ignore it, so it's okay to leave it on any time of the year without risk of the bees storing fondant sugar in the supers. Care to comment? 2. You've covered infrared cameras in part. Could you describe more why you like the model you are using? If it helps, I just bought a Seek Compact (attachment for a smart phone) and I feel like I'm not getting the depth of heat signature I was expecting. Are there limits to using these cameras, and/or what work-arounds have you developed to get maximum results for the purpose of evaluating the size, location and temp of the brood nest? Please advise. 3. All things relative (I'm in Ireland with 99% humidity and temperatures slowly approaching 32° F at night, and 45° during the day) - a. what would you expect to see as a healthy or ideal range of humidity levels and b. during this period (of some activity) and again when the bees go into a tight cluster (no bees flying) what would you expect as a MEASURABLE temperature from a sensor placed on top of the frames (as directly over the brood as possible). 4. I'm saving some honey in reserve (one hive, no sign of chalk brood or other diseases) - I emptied the 1/2-filled Flow Hive frames before storing the frames in the freezer for winter - and I'd like to try vac-packing the honey to lay on top of the frames over the brood nest, with a few small puncture holes (made with a small syringe). There shouldn't be large swings of temperature (or is it atmospheric pressure), that would push syrup out of an upturned jar. I'd love to hear your thoughts, both on the practicality as well as the timing... Thanks "/ Jenny
I shall address at least one of these on Friday :) I do think it's safe to say that Fondant won't find its way into the honey cells, but I'm also not a fan of just leaving it on once the nectar flow comes on. I'd clean it out. Just a personal opinion on this one. Bees will probably try to remove anything that isn't honey and you'd be saving them some time and effort by removing it for them.
Its going down to -25 plus now add wind chill and more like -30ish now. My 3 hives are safe in my shed with a small heater. I will feed them once inside temp of +4ish is reached. It drops bad now, today was +7, funny story I when moving them the hives moved on my quad and come flying out lol I had to go inside and suit up to straighten it all out lol. I added a pollon paddy last month. I plan to go in each hive once the shed warms up cheers
Wow U got a lot of honey from your bees U have more trees and forging land then I do here I live in the city. But I did get 10 gal from 5 hives and I was very happy with it. I did not get any from the sas a tras this came from my carnies and Russian the honey It sold in 2 days. Queen Right colonies sale sa a tras packages as well for 170 per package plus shipping cost I checked with them because mann lake did not tell u much. I did not order any I am getting queens instead and going to switch out queens and do some splits to get my sas a tras bees. I did that this year hope they do good this winter I am so excited about them thanks again for the videos I lost sound so got to check to see if it is on my side take care and have a wonderful week
Thanks Fred! I always appreciate your videos. I'm looking forward to the live chat. While you get your coffee ready, send us a warning please. Did you get rid of the little moth flying around taunting you? Lol Have a great day!
My husband and I are beginning beekeeping this coming spring. We received our Flow Hives about 3 weeks ago. I’m now staining and painting them. We ordered saskatraz bees this weekend. I’m excited mostly and sometimes overwhelmed with all the information needed to know. We joined our local bee Association on Sunday. I very much enjoy your videos. There is so much to learn and know. I have so many questions. Question for you... #1 are the saskatraz bee’s varroa resistant like the BeeWeaver bee’s? #2 How do you get packages of BeeWeaver bee’s without driving to Texas?
Hi Heidi! You really can't get packages from Weaver if you're far from their location. I do splits and buy in their Queens which can be mailed Priority Mail and they have always arrived in great shape! The Saskatraz line is not very varroa resistant and they will require some sort of treatment if they are to make it very long. Their strength is in handling cold climates and being somewhat hygienic. The breeders suggest varroa controls be implemented as they just aren't quite there yet. BeeWeaver bees are much better at co-existing with varroa and keeping their numbers down.
@@heididallapiazza4851 I don't think so, they did a fabulous job for me this summer and we're going to observe them closely through winter... lots to learn about them still.
I plan to have a long lang hive due to my back and it just seems like a good idea, I would like to make a part of the hive hinged top to open separately to the size of a Flow Hive honey super towards the end so I can try it out and still have a long hive with the langstrom frames for the rest
I think you may be frustraded in trying to get the Long-Lang to expand honey in the direction you need it and then to expand up into a flow-super. But I do wish you luck with that. How will you be able to lift off the flow super?
I appreciate your videos and willingness to experiment with different options on beekeeping. You show the hives level from side to side, how should they be from front to back? Looking forward to your work on the long hives. I am old and can't handle the full supers very well. Flow hive looks like a good option for handling honey gathering, but they are way too expensive for me.
Nice to see your comment! Tilting hives front to back is no problem as it really doesn't impact the wax construction the bees do, but side to side can cause them to make some very wonky comb unless you do foundation type. But with foundationless frames, level side to side is pretty critical.
My Saskatraz built up super fast also. However thier built for cold description I am not sure of. When it is 47 degrees out and sunny only the weaver hives are out. The Saskatraz stay in until 60s weather.
We shall see if mine perform the same. I think there is a wide variance in behavior with these Saskatraz rascals. They did definitely outperform my BeeWeaver line...
I have one hive and I would like to add a couple more in the spring. Is it possible to install multiple packages at the same time? Thanks for all of the consistent great info.
Yes, package installs are extremely easy and fast. You could set up any number of hives with packages once they are all prepped and ready for the bees. Back in 2008, I lost all of my hives in a heavy winter storm - the following spring, I replaced all of the colonies at once with packages. ua-cam.com/video/x_HE4DEzLUc/v-deo.html Your only limit is the hives you have and the money you're prepared to spend.
Glad you're back doing these on the regular. I drilled an entrance on my top deep box during this season. Now that winter is coming, should I plug that entrance up?
Mr. Dunn, I am in Middle TN, have three Flow 2 hives. For winter I use a vivaldi board primarily because of supplemental feeding with fondant. Is there a best way to replace fondant? A preferred temperature? Can fondant be placed on top of the screen so as to speed replacement and avoid bees getting in the way? Will bees ignore stored honey in favor of fondant? Is it harmful to provide fondant even though there are tons of stored honey? Have you done a video on vivaldi boards? Thank you.
I don't use Vivaldi Boards Bill, but I shall send you to a channel titled Vino Farm, he uses them faithfully. I don't have a need for them. As for the bees going for fondant over their own sealed honey, that's not a risk as they definitely prefer their own honey first. If you've left plenty of honey on, you'll be removing most of the fondant in spring.
Yes, it's here sitting in my shop, waiting for me to get going :) One of many winter videos I'll be doing. It's supposed to have a higher R-Factor? We shall see how that goes and I have some special artwork planned for that one :)
Hi Fred. I have watched all of your FAQ videos and have learned a lot from you. I am going to start beekeeping next spring and have ordered 2 nucs. I will see how it goes but eventually I would like to expand my apiary to about 6-10 hives. Should I try to do as many splits as possible during my first year or should I let the colonies grow out and then do some splits in the following year if all is well? What would be the best approach? Thanks.
I'd always just wait to see what the bees do. Have the extra equipment handy just in case. Rather than plan to do splits, just be ready if they seem to be headed for a swarm! Thank you for your viewing dedication! Wow, all videos? I can't even imagine that! :)
Hi Fred, I've been lurking on your channel for over a year, as i'm very interested in getting 2 flowhives for my back yard. I've never kept bees before but i did become a member at my local beekeeper organization. My first goal would be having bees for pollination with the hope in the far off future of getting some honey. I have a question that i'm embarrassed to ask in my group as it goes against what everyone wants when it comes to beehives, but i've been unable to find any answers online. I'm hoping you will be able to help. Is there a way to maintain a balance in the bee population? what i mean is this. I live in South Central Fl so we don't really worry about winter (just dearths) and i worry that a beehive would grow faster than im prepared for. i really do not want nor do i have the time for, more than 2 hives. I know most people want their hives to grow and that it is a sign of a healthy hive. and that im worrying about something that likely won't happen right away (especially as an inexperienced bee keeper) and chances are, i'll lose a hive rather than see a bee explosion, but i'm still worried. i know the best prevention is close monitoring and splitting as necessary. if you think this is something that's easily manageable, do you think having a nuc box or 2 would be sufficient to keep the split until i give it to the beekeeper organization?
Thank you for being a long-time viewer! I'm glad that you've shared your problem/concern and I shall be addressing this on Friday for FAQ 39 as I am certain there are many beginning beekeepers who would enjoy keeping their apiary small in scale. There are some "issues" with those large "super colonies" that I will also discuss. I hope you'll use my discount links when you do get your flowhives :)
@@FrederickDunn thank you! 2 more questions: 1. what can you do with extracted honey with a higher than desired moisture content? can it be fixed? and 2. do you think its necessary to remove the suppers in an area that doesn't get winter, like Florida? thanks again.
@@alarcon99 I will share a dehydration method on Friday in FAQ 39, very easy to do. And regarding supers, there is never a requirement to remove them unless you're are condensing the hive to match colony strength. I'll talk about that a little also :)
1st *SNOW!* W0W : |} it's Beautiful ~ Looks as You were ready. 2 - Next Gen. Bees know vents available under propolis? just Clever. 3 - UA-cam Bunker lol hmm - defense against being attacked by YT? 4 - Paper Wasps - Discover them the hard way . . Pruning shrub. You'd think i'd learn, each year, ha ha - or whenever i do, i get 'reminded'. I Bow my head and Apologize, also, i Don't think they like being stared at, but could be Watching that I Don't Prune them out - Again. Wild Colony here put their Nest in Same row of Shrub . . > *On Purpose? : D* GREAT TO KNOW - 'can guard & defend [aid]' Honey Bees. SUPER! 5 - *You are INVALUABLE!!!!!* Glutton Bees - reminds me - working at Milk packaging plant, i'd watch Flies in break room pigging out on spilled milk. They'd take in So Much, i swear their Cheeks & Eyes would bulge while trying to fly away. *THANK YOU!* Your Filming shown and what said, is SO FUNNY! LOL It'l have me Looking for same of Hive in my outer Porch Wall. CHEERS!
Hey frederick , would you mind maybe recommending a good bee suit now that the bees aren't as active .. I've been shopping around but would love you opinions on one.. I only live 35 minutes from Mann lake ,wilkes barre .. it's so nice and so terrible lol
No problem :) The best Vented Bee Suit I've found is from Guardian Bee Apparel - My favorite (into the danger zone suit) is from Natural Apiary: ua-cam.com/video/9sGE0We7C8w/v-deo.html
How do you know when it is a Dearth, I can imagine easily not noticing that their isn't many flowing going on around the neighborhood, how do you know thru your bees that it is happening, besides seeing dead and dying bees around
Most beekeepers weigh their hives with hive scales. You can also notice a lack of foragers coming and going from the landing board during a dearth. Lots of unoccupied workers will cluster up inside, generally up in the top box. General lack of employment for the foragers. You can also see pollen coming in on the landing board when things are good, and an absence of that activity when they aren't.
This will give you some starting points on that glorybee.com/wildflower-bee-pollen-granules?gclid=CjwKCAiA1L_xBRA2EiwAgcLKA5607Vkmy7G-w1BWn-lhNHtVwf5BzX_jsaLVe_wp0FhrDRlHVGGgaRoCaLYQAvD_BwE
Im down to a single beehive.Lost my bees and @ 100 kgs of honney due to absconding because we had 4 months without rain ,there were low nectar sources and the otther beekeepers harvested the honney from their hives turning them to become robbers on a scale i never seen before. My only beehive that survived has red honney in it made from grapes. I wanted to take a picture but i didnt opened the hive so that il not atract robbers to them. Grapes honney its not good for them and shortens their life by a lot because it contains too much fructose instead of glucose. Next year i will cut the wing tip of the queens to catch them back in case they abscond again.
Wow, that's terrible that you've lost so many bees. There are grape vineyards all around to the north of me and I've never heard of the bees working them for any resources so the grape honey is a first. I wonder if it's a specific line of grape? All very interesting...
@@FrederickDunn ive lost 5 beehives and the honney in them except one that i salvaged somme honney from it ,20 kilos. The red honney was a first for me to see also and its probably from my vineyard ,ordinary grapes. Ive seen them on the grapes every year but never seen the red honey. I will take it out if its still there in a week or so and il take pictures of it. Because of the severe drought they didnt had nectar sources and had to collect the sweet juice from grapes.( only the single beehive i have has this type of honney). I fed them sugar a lot and i didnt took any honney from them this year except the honey from the beehive that had no bees in it( except robber bees and yellowjackets). Il start again in spring,il buy more bees and i will be marking and clipping the wings of the queens from now. I also suspect that open bottom beehives atract robbers more because they can smell the honney inside so i will close the bottoms of the hives whenever its a bad season ,except in winter and when the bees have good nectar sources. Another thing i am assuming is that because i grow small size bees ( they live double the lifespan of regualr 5,4 mm cell bees-mein are 4,7mm cell) they are weaker in combat when dealing with bigger robber bees. But i will still grow the small bees because i like the double lifespan and colony development,anti varroa behaviour.
@@mihaiilie8808 I've visited with a local vineyard owner and they have seen the bees on their grapes which they leave on for "ice-wine". Since those grapes are left on much longer than the others, they get visited by bees and wasps. I don't live close enough to witness that in my colonies but it's definitely happening. Thank you for sharing about that!
Great video fred could you tell me if you or any1 else can tell me if this is robbing Its nov 10 UK south 10degrees C Warre hive unopened in 7 years Theres pollen coming in I've corked one of the open entrances so there's only one open now There were a few bees dead in the grass and some but not a lot of fighting
Hi Matthew, that doesn't sound like robbing to me, but rather normal seasonal cool down die offs. 10 c is a 50 degree day for us and that's a cool down that results in late season die offs possibly not getting far from the hive. I think you're ok there.
Hi Fred! I'm a backyard beekeeper as well. There is an online program to become a Master Certified Beekeeper. I was wondering if you think there would be any advantages or disadvantages to becoming certified?
I think education is never wasted. A good Master Beekeeper program will span several years and cause you to perform every honey bee management function. I particularly like the lab-work and queen rearing portions. If you have the time and money, I highly recommend you do that. I was given a 30% discount for being a Vet :) Don't discount the contributions of backyard beekeepers, we often make observations and develop practices that have a wider impact on bee management.
I did not use slatted racks this year... But I definitely understand what Fred meant by the wand tipping up. I burned the bottom of one of my frames... Glad it was not worse. After the second treatment, my OAV wand melted into aluminum slag... Think I'm going to get the OAV 110 gun. seems less sketchy... Time will tell. I do like the idea of drilling a hole in the slatted rack to use the OAV gun instead of drilling the hive itself. That's the plan for next year I think.
in my area of central washington state, my bees do not make it over the winter without a top vent. My bees are forest swarms. So in summer and winter my bees are maximum vented without a screened bottom board. I don't feel screened bottoms are so hot and my bees do well because they are from this area. How many generations? unknown
Thank you for sharing about what's working in your neck of the woods. When you find feral colonies in trees and buildings, have you determined if they have any upper entrances? Thanks so much, for taking the time to comment.
@@FrederickDunn It is a mix. Some have upper entrances, and I can't tell if something down below is open or not, or some go in up high and the brood nest can be down from the opening a considerable distance. Where the bees fly in seems 20 80 whether lower that the brooding area or above. Usually in the forest we have black bears everywhere, and if they can they will open even a hard apple tree to get to the honey and brood. Usually the brood is above the entry a slight amount. Not sure why but it may be keeping precipitation off the brood. I am sure with their electorial process of finding a new location that is favored. But I have seen hives with no upper opening that I can spot. Usually the tree is dense and needs a chain saw to open enough to take the colony home. I do not trap out hives as that results in disaster for the bees. When a child in the 50's our bees down in oregon stayed in the same tree for many years. Not so with hornets or yellow jacket wasps who were continually digging new holes. I know where a bee tree is now and just set boxs by it so it will get new swarms off it as it seems to be in a pesticide free area and if dealing with mites successfully by staying alive I will continue with this queen selection rearing process. I use oxalic acid so as to get more honey but I think it shortens a queens lifetime.
@@FrederickDunn things have changed quit a bit since my childhood. In the 50's the grasshoppers were very prolific. Walking across a weedy field the colors of the hoppers flying wings were red orange green flourescent green black and yellow. Just grasshoppers. We even had nightime glowing insects. Almost none of that is around here now. They are re-introducing both wolves and Grizzly bears. I am not hot about the grizzlys. The amount of wildlife is still fairly high. Like skunks, porcupines, few foxes, almost no lynx but the mule deer are dead all along the highway. They had a huge process of chasing the mountain lions with dogs, and that was stopped about 15 years ago, and now near me they treed a cat with dogs and shot it near an elementary school. A big cat will almost run over you to get your small children so that is not tolerated. We have a lot of immigrants that have moved in and they do not have conservation ethics and will kill animals even eagles if not watched carefully. Clear out all your california quail if not watched. Just different ethics. Our blue grouse has recovered, and did you know a grizzly has footprints like a human on the rear?
It rather dogmatic to say adult bees do not eat pollen. The truth is we simply do not know for certain. They could eat a tiny amount or mix with water or nectar. There are so many things we don’t truly understand about bees and I think it safe to say we could study bees for the next hundreds years and still not be able understand them completely
Craig Maybe so but you have to start with a theory and then gather evidence to support or disprove. If there is any proof to say bees do eat pollen, I would like to hear it too.
Some of the bees do ingest the pollen particles, I thought I mentioned that? They go through many stages of development even as adults where they use and do not use various materials/substances. Through dissection and microscopic observation, there is definitely pollen in the stomachs and fat layers of younger nurse bees. The pollen particles are absent from the digestive system of the older workers. That's why I suggested that for the foragers, it's best to offer pollen subs outside the hive and that mixing it with the sugar may simply be adding a material that could result in spoilage. Sorry if I was a little muddy about that.
Mr. Dunn you have done it again sir. Another awesome video !
Thank you so much, and I appreciate that you took the time to watch :)
Thank you sir really enjoy your knowledge
You're welcome Cliffton!
Thank You Sir..Have a Great weekend..🇱🇨👊👍🖤
You're welcome Robert! The same to you!
Beekeepers and beekeeper hopefuls love to talk bees, our families maybe not so much, your videos fill the void, even one way conversation! Love the videos!
Thank you LC!
Thank you Fred always Rich
Thanks, Fred. Looking at your intro, I'm so glad I live in TN. The long lang sounds interesting - I'm actually a smaller. 58-yr old woman, so has a beginner beekeeper, lifting those supers is hard. Although I'm routinely carrying hay bales and feed sacks, it's hot heavy work in a Southern summer.
Yes, the density of a honey super is much different from the heft of a hay bail :) Plus, you have to somewhat bend over the hive to get a grip AND, you have to unstick them! I'm also thinking of installing hydraulic lifts for the Long Lang Roof :) Orrrrr counter weights... I'm going to overdo it! Thank you for sharing and also for your questions!
@@FrederickDunn- So funny!!! As you were describing the long Lang, I was trying to figure out if the shock absorber lifts that my canopy uses would hold up the weight of the lid. There are larger ones for the heavier glass canopy window that I think may work nicely! I do like the idea of counter weights though as well...
@@LarryLeesBees I like to make simple things complicated at times, block and tackle may be a nice feature :)
Frederick Dunn - Indeed!!! Thinking Engineer may be written in your service record. LoL!!!
Those amazing hive stands you make would support block and tackle nicely. 🤣
We had a long cold winter and one of our big old hives started to cannibalize their eggs due to dearth until I put pollen substitute on the landing board. It was clean within one minute . They stopped immediately and went back to normal. Oh-they were Italians. I love my Saskatraz. They are my favorite. Unique personality . My second love are beautiful Carnis. Sometimes I have to sell my raw honey. Not why I’m into bees
That's a natural cycle of cutting back for winter. They will also follow the Queen around and consume her eggs. I personally don't stop that natural rhythm of reproduction going into winter. It's just how they adapt to environmental resources coming in or not. Thanks for sharing Lenore!
Yeah those topbar hives are much harder to manage the comb in and all. I have one hive on another farm in a topbar.. next spring i want to move it over to a regular Langstroth. Time definitely flies by in live stream mode.. :) Yeah the paper wasps are always pretty chill with me too. Thanks as always Fred!
Fred
I live in similar weather like you, so:
Those feeders you mentioned, I got them, hole in the middle for the jar lid, 4 holes on each corner one everything with 1/8" hardwire cloth and on top of that, I got a hole in the front with hardwire cloth also; my bees never propolize any of the vent holes; now mind you, I only use those kind of feeders during warmer weather in dearth, etc.
For winter I got something similar with entire bottom having 1/2" hardwire and sugar candy fill about 2", the feeder is about 4" tall, I have a front hole with a similar wheel you have that I can rotate per need, only difference, I made a U shape with a lid that I attached on the inside of the front vent hole where the bees have to come in and go down into the hive before they get access to the sugar on the other side of this U shape cage I made, that also protects the hive from robber bees having access to the sugar, works like a charm, already they penetrate thru that 2" sugar places as it is cold outside and they eat that damp sugar mix that eventually harden solid.
Second, I own two long lang's, in my opinion the only thing those are good for is making a lot of brood, not your kind of honey production style of hive, you get some honey but not as normal hive production; but those serve me well for brood parking as I take away capped brood frames from the mating nuts as my queens mate and lay eggs, also that young population as it hatches in the long langstroth, I reuse for starter/finisher on my queen production, works like a charm; that is my 2cent on this subject.
Other than that, you are THE man, I still wonder why in the world you only limit yourself to 15 hives, with your potential and knowledge, I always wonder my friend, lol.
God Bless and keep it up.
Dan.
Thank you for sharing how you're managing and what your bees are doing. That's interesting about the Long Langstroth hives. Definitely an area of interest for me. I hope you have a very successful winter!
Please feel free to show some photos of your setup on the FB page! I'm sure many beekeepers would enjoy seeing that!
@onelove I once served with a man who was on his third set of three wives (';')... I shall leave that practice to those in the Middle East ; )
@@FrederickDunn you do the same Fred
@@FrederickDunn you do the same Fred
can smaller holes/openings into the hives prevent the yellow jackets from entering the colony? Paper wasps clean your garden out of the white cabbage moths, they also eat all the other pests in your garden, they feed them to their babies, an excellent partner!
Nope.... the reason smaller holes don't work is that the honey bees also wouldn't be able to get in or out.
Dear Mr Fred This is Mohammad Salah from Egypt and I am adding my name to my comments now because you mentioned that somehow the names does not appear on the comments on your side
An amazing and beautiful long video and I hope that the winter stays longer so that all of your videos are that long :):):):):)
Thank you again and have a nice week end
Thank you Mohammad! I am so glad that you enjoy the lenghty discussions and it's always great to see your comments!
Thanks for your efforts and time
Thank you for watching and taking time to comment :)
Thanks for the post summer follow up on the slatted rack. My main observation is the guard bees positioned themselves further back in the hive. I have no idea about bearding and egg laying as I don’t have enough hives to compare reliability.
Another advantage I found was I could attach the tabs for my entrance reducer/mouse guard and still rotate boxes and not nail anything into the box. I have a flow hive 2 and they don’t fit traditional entrance reducers.
I’ll be watching for a winter follow up report.
Oh! Good point about the mouse guard also!
My bees loved the upper shims / venting. They did not use the upper entrance on returning flights though. They did beard out the hole though.
Very intresting experiment with the paperwasps! I am suprised that people have problems with Top Bar Hives and Langlongs in your area. As you indicate I think it is a good idea to use thick wood when in use in cooler climate. Good luck with your!
Thank you for sharing
Hi Fred. Love your FAQs. Questions for future episodes:
1. I've recently heard someone claim that bees don't store fondant. They'll either use it as an energy source or ignore it, so it's okay to leave it on any time of the year without risk of the bees storing fondant sugar in the supers. Care to comment?
2. You've covered infrared cameras in part. Could you describe more why you like the model you are using? If it helps, I just bought a Seek Compact (attachment for a smart phone) and I feel like I'm not getting the depth of heat signature I was expecting. Are there limits to using these cameras, and/or what work-arounds have you developed to get maximum results for the purpose of evaluating the size, location and temp of the brood nest? Please advise.
3. All things relative (I'm in Ireland with 99% humidity and temperatures slowly approaching 32° F at night, and 45° during the day) - a. what would you expect to see as a healthy or ideal range of humidity levels and b. during this period (of some activity) and again when the bees go into a tight cluster (no bees flying) what would you expect as a MEASURABLE temperature from a sensor placed on top of the frames (as directly over the brood as possible).
4. I'm saving some honey in reserve (one hive, no sign of chalk brood or other diseases) - I emptied the 1/2-filled Flow Hive frames before storing the frames in the freezer for winter - and I'd like to try vac-packing the honey to lay on top of the frames over the brood nest, with a few small puncture holes (made with a small syringe). There shouldn't be large swings of temperature (or is it atmospheric pressure), that would push syrup out of an upturned jar. I'd love to hear your thoughts, both on the practicality as well as the timing...
Thanks "/ Jenny
I shall address at least one of these on Friday :) I do think it's safe to say that Fondant won't find its way into the honey cells, but I'm also not a fan of just leaving it on once the nectar flow comes on. I'd clean it out. Just a personal opinion on this one. Bees will probably try to remove anything that isn't honey and you'd be saving them some time and effort by removing it for them.
Its going down to -25 plus now add wind chill and more like -30ish now. My 3 hives are safe in my shed with a small heater. I will feed them once inside temp of +4ish is reached. It drops bad now, today was +7, funny story I when moving them the hives moved on my quad and come flying out lol I had to go inside and suit up to straighten it all out lol. I added a pollon paddy last month. I plan to go in each hive once the shed warms up cheers
Ray, you are definitely in an extreme situation there. Wow... that's all I can say.
@@FrederickDunn its Canada most here put away there bees in a building if they want them to live the winter
Thanks again Fred, I always learn something new with all your videos. U Tube bunker? Your tent? Ha Ha!
:)
Wow U got a lot of honey from your bees U have more trees and forging land then I do here I live in the city. But I did get 10 gal from 5 hives and I was very happy with it. I did not get any from the sas a tras this came from my carnies and Russian the honey It sold in 2 days. Queen Right colonies sale sa a tras packages as well for 170 per package plus shipping cost I checked with them because mann lake did not tell u much. I did not order any I am getting queens instead and going to switch out queens and do some splits to get my sas a tras bees. I did that this year hope they do good this winter I am so excited about them thanks again for the videos I lost sound so got to check to see if it is on my side take care and have a wonderful week
Thanks Fred! I always appreciate your videos.
I'm looking forward to the live chat. While you get your coffee ready, send us a warning please.
Did you get rid of the little moth flying around taunting you? Lol
Have a great day!
That moth was very strange... I should have staged a zapper... at least it didn't land on my nose!
My husband and I are beginning beekeeping this coming spring. We received our Flow Hives about 3 weeks ago. I’m now staining and painting them. We ordered saskatraz bees this weekend. I’m excited mostly and sometimes overwhelmed with all the information needed to know. We joined our local bee Association on Sunday. I very much enjoy your videos. There is so much to learn and know. I have so many questions. Question for you... #1 are the saskatraz bee’s varroa resistant like the BeeWeaver bee’s? #2 How do you get packages of BeeWeaver bee’s without driving to Texas?
Hi Heidi! You really can't get packages from Weaver if you're far from their location. I do splits and buy in their Queens which can be mailed Priority Mail and they have always arrived in great shape! The Saskatraz line is not very varroa resistant and they will require some sort of treatment if they are to make it very long. Their strength is in handling cold climates and being somewhat hygienic. The breeders suggest varroa controls be implemented as they just aren't quite there yet. BeeWeaver bees are much better at co-existing with varroa and keeping their numbers down.
Frederick Dunn did I make a mistake getting saskatraz bee’s as my first bee’s?
@@heididallapiazza4851 I don't think so, they did a fabulous job for me this summer and we're going to observe them closely through winter... lots to learn about them still.
I plan to have a long lang hive due to my back and it just seems like a good idea, I would like to make a part of the hive hinged top to open separately to the size of a Flow Hive honey super towards the end so I can try it out and still have a long hive with the langstrom frames for the rest
I think you may be frustraded in trying to get the Long-Lang to expand honey in the direction you need it and then to expand up into a flow-super. But I do wish you luck with that. How will you be able to lift off the flow super?
I appreciate your videos and willingness to experiment with different options on beekeeping. You show the hives level from side to side, how should they be from front to back? Looking forward to your work on the long hives. I am old and can't handle the full supers very well. Flow hive looks like a good option for handling honey gathering, but they are way too expensive for me.
Nice to see your comment! Tilting hives front to back is no problem as it really doesn't impact the wax construction the bees do, but side to side can cause them to make some very wonky comb unless you do foundation type. But with foundationless frames, level side to side is pretty critical.
My Saskatraz built up super fast also. However thier built for cold description I am not sure of. When it is 47 degrees out and sunny only the weaver hives are out. The Saskatraz stay in until 60s weather.
We shall see if mine perform the same. I think there is a wide variance in behavior with these Saskatraz rascals. They did definitely outperform my BeeWeaver line...
39 degrees right now. Beeweavers are performing undertaker and cleansing flights. Saskatraz no activity.
Innnnteressssting..... (';')... ( ';')...
@@FrederickDunn Yeah. They forage for pollen at 45 to 47. I am really impressed to see them out below 50.
I have one hive and I would like to add a couple more in the spring. Is it possible to install multiple packages at the same time? Thanks for all of the consistent great info.
Multiple packages to multiple hives sure. Or you can split your one hive in the spring and save money.
Yes, package installs are extremely easy and fast. You could set up any number of hives with packages once they are all prepped and ready for the bees. Back in 2008, I lost all of my hives in a heavy winter storm - the following spring, I replaced all of the colonies at once with packages. ua-cam.com/video/x_HE4DEzLUc/v-deo.html Your only limit is the hives you have and the money you're prepared to spend.
Glad you're back doing these on the regular. I drilled an entrance on my top deep box during this season. Now that winter is coming, should I plug that entrance up?
Thanks Robert, yes, I'd put a cork in it. :)
I think this is the only context in which being told to "put a cork in it" is useful.
@@robertraatz2030 See Robert, you get it! :)
Mr. Dunn, I am in Middle TN, have three Flow 2 hives. For winter I use a vivaldi board primarily because of supplemental feeding with fondant.
Is there a best way to replace fondant? A preferred temperature? Can fondant be placed on top of the screen so as to speed replacement and avoid bees getting in the way?
Will bees ignore stored honey in favor of fondant? Is it harmful to provide fondant even though there are tons of stored honey?
Have you done a video on vivaldi boards?
Thank you.
I don't use Vivaldi Boards Bill, but I shall send you to a channel titled Vino Farm, he uses them faithfully. I don't have a need for them. As for the bees going for fondant over their own sealed honey, that's not a risk as they definitely prefer their own honey first. If you've left plenty of honey on, you'll be removing most of the fondant in spring.
Hey Fred, Are you planning on reviewing the new Flow Hive Paulownia wood released recently?
Yes, it's here sitting in my shop, waiting for me to get going :) One of many winter videos I'll be doing. It's supposed to have a higher R-Factor? We shall see how that goes and I have some special artwork planned for that one :)
@@FrederickDunn Great I am Mohammad Salah from Egypt and I will be waiting for this video
Thank you for that question Mr Walter
But, once you see that your hive is at that moment having fighting and robbing inside your hive...what Do you Do??
Put the robbing screen on asap in that instance. A complete robbing can take place in a very short amount of time.
Hi Fred. I have watched all of your FAQ videos and have learned a lot from you. I am going to start beekeeping next spring and have ordered 2 nucs. I will see how it goes but eventually I would like to expand my apiary to about 6-10 hives. Should I try to do as many splits as possible during my first year or should I let the colonies grow out and then do some splits in the following year if all is well? What would be the best approach? Thanks.
I'd always just wait to see what the bees do. Have the extra equipment handy just in case. Rather than plan to do splits, just be ready if they seem to be headed for a swarm! Thank you for your viewing dedication! Wow, all videos? I can't even imagine that! :)
Hi Fred, I've been lurking on your channel for over a year, as i'm very interested in getting 2 flowhives for my back yard. I've never kept bees before but i did become a member at my local beekeeper organization. My first goal would be having bees for pollination with the hope in the far off future of getting some honey. I have a question that i'm embarrassed to ask in my group as it goes against what everyone wants when it comes to beehives, but i've been unable to find any answers online. I'm hoping you will be able to help. Is there a way to maintain a balance in the bee population? what i mean is this. I live in South Central Fl so we don't really worry about winter (just dearths) and i worry that a beehive would grow faster than im prepared for. i really do not want nor do i have the time for, more than 2 hives. I know most people want their hives to grow and that it is a sign of a healthy hive. and that im worrying about something that likely won't happen right away (especially as an inexperienced bee keeper) and chances are, i'll lose a hive rather than see a bee explosion, but i'm still worried. i know the best prevention is close monitoring and splitting as necessary. if you think this is something that's easily manageable, do you think having a nuc box or 2 would be sufficient to keep the split until i give it to the beekeeper organization?
Thank you for being a long-time viewer! I'm glad that you've shared your problem/concern and I shall be addressing this on Friday for FAQ 39 as I am certain there are many beginning beekeepers who would enjoy keeping their apiary small in scale. There are some "issues" with those large "super colonies" that I will also discuss. I hope you'll use my discount links when you do get your flowhives :)
@@FrederickDunn thank you! 2 more questions: 1. what can you do with extracted honey with a higher than desired moisture content? can it be fixed? and 2. do you think its necessary to remove the suppers in an area that doesn't get winter, like Florida?
thanks again.
@@alarcon99 I will share a dehydration method on Friday in FAQ 39, very easy to do. And regarding supers, there is never a requirement to remove them unless you're are condensing the hive to match colony strength. I'll talk about that a little also :)
Can I put a slatted rack and the pollen trap you talked about a few videos ago on my hive or is it either or only?
Those two items can be used together. :)
1st *SNOW!* W0W : |} it's Beautiful ~ Looks as You were ready. 2 - Next Gen. Bees know vents available under propolis? just Clever.
3 - UA-cam Bunker lol hmm - defense against being attacked by YT?
4 - Paper Wasps - Discover them the hard way . . Pruning shrub. You'd think i'd learn, each year, ha ha - or whenever i do, i get 'reminded'.
I Bow my head and Apologize, also, i Don't think they like being stared at, but could be Watching that I Don't Prune them out - Again.
Wild Colony here put their Nest in Same row of Shrub . . > *On Purpose? : D* GREAT TO KNOW - 'can guard & defend [aid]' Honey Bees. SUPER!
5 - *You are INVALUABLE!!!!!* Glutton Bees - reminds me - working at Milk packaging plant, i'd watch Flies in break room pigging out on spilled milk.
They'd take in So Much, i swear their Cheeks & Eyes would bulge while trying to fly away.
*THANK YOU!* Your Filming shown and what said, is SO FUNNY! LOL It'l have me Looking for same of Hive in my outer Porch Wall. CHEERS!
Hey frederick , would you mind maybe recommending a good bee suit now that the bees aren't as active .. I've been shopping around but would love you opinions on one.. I only live 35 minutes from Mann lake ,wilkes barre .. it's so nice and so terrible lol
No problem :) The best Vented Bee Suit I've found is from Guardian Bee Apparel - My favorite (into the danger zone suit) is from Natural Apiary: ua-cam.com/video/9sGE0We7C8w/v-deo.html
here is the vented suit: you can always wear layers under it if things really heat up with the bees: ua-cam.com/video/L2IIOj9fSKE/v-deo.html
This lousy snow could have at least waited until after Thanksgiving!
Looking at you bee yard in #38 why is there different amount of boxes stacked up for the winter.
It all depends on the colony population as to how many boxes I can remove. The taller hives simply had too many bees in them.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you I can't imagine how many bees that could be in boxes that tall .
How do you know when it is a Dearth, I can imagine easily not noticing that their isn't many flowing going on around the neighborhood, how do you know thru your bees that it is happening, besides seeing dead and dying bees around
Most beekeepers weigh their hives with hive scales. You can also notice a lack of foragers coming and going from the landing board during a dearth. Lots of unoccupied workers will cluster up inside, generally up in the top box. General lack of employment for the foragers. You can also see pollen coming in on the landing board when things are good, and an absence of that activity when they aren't.
Hi Fred. How much can I sell pollen for? Weight?
This will give you some starting points on that glorybee.com/wildflower-bee-pollen-granules?gclid=CjwKCAiA1L_xBRA2EiwAgcLKA5607Vkmy7G-w1BWn-lhNHtVwf5BzX_jsaLVe_wp0FhrDRlHVGGgaRoCaLYQAvD_BwE
Im down to a single beehive.Lost my bees and @ 100 kgs of honney due to absconding because we had 4 months without rain ,there were low nectar sources and the otther beekeepers harvested the honney from their hives turning them to become robbers on a scale i never seen before.
My only beehive that survived has red honney in it made from grapes.
I wanted to take a picture but i didnt opened the hive so that il not atract robbers to them.
Grapes honney its not good for them and shortens their life by a lot because it contains too much fructose instead of glucose.
Next year i will cut the wing tip of the queens to catch them back in case they abscond again.
We had just the opposite in my area. Too much rain. My friends hives were drowned in feet of water.
Sorry to hear that man.
Wow, that's terrible that you've lost so many bees. There are grape vineyards all around to the north of me and I've never heard of the bees working them for any resources so the grape honey is a first. I wonder if it's a specific line of grape? All very interesting...
@@FrederickDunn ive lost 5 beehives and the honney in them except one that i salvaged somme honney from it ,20 kilos.
The red honney was a first for me to see also and its probably from my vineyard ,ordinary grapes.
Ive seen them on the grapes every year but never seen the red honey.
I will take it out if its still there in a week or so and il take pictures of it.
Because of the severe drought they didnt had nectar sources and had to collect the sweet juice from grapes.( only the single beehive i have has this type of honney).
I fed them sugar a lot and i didnt took any honney from them this year except the honey from the beehive that had no bees in it( except robber bees and yellowjackets).
Il start again in spring,il buy more bees and i will be marking and clipping the wings of the queens from now.
I also suspect that open bottom beehives atract robbers more because they can smell the honney inside so i will close the bottoms of the hives whenever its a bad season ,except in winter and when the bees have good nectar sources.
Another thing i am assuming is that because i grow small size bees ( they live double the lifespan of regualr 5,4 mm cell bees-mein are 4,7mm cell) they are weaker in combat when dealing with bigger robber bees.
But i will still grow the small bees because i like the double lifespan and colony development,anti varroa behaviour.
@@mihaiilie8808 I've visited with a local vineyard owner and they have seen the bees on their grapes which they leave on for "ice-wine". Since those grapes are left on much longer than the others, they get visited by bees and wasps. I don't live close enough to witness that in my colonies but it's definitely happening. Thank you for sharing about that!
How high should you hang a swarm trap
Statistically speaking, 12 feet is the most selected height.
Using a pollen box does it hurt the bees
I only use pollen traps for a very limited amount of time. Doesn't physically hurt the bees, but it puts a dent in their nutrition gathering. :)
Is it good to do candy board with sugar and pollen substitute?
I would hold any pollen subs until spring, Candy can be added anytime.
Great video fred could you tell me if you or any1 else can tell me if this is robbing
Its nov 10 UK south 10degrees C
Warre hive unopened in 7 years
Theres pollen coming in
I've corked one of the open entrances so there's only one open now
There were a few bees dead in the grass and some but not a lot of fighting
Hi Matthew, that doesn't sound like robbing to me, but rather normal seasonal cool down die offs. 10 c is a 50 degree day for us and that's a cool down that results in late season die offs possibly not getting far from the hive. I think you're ok there.
@@FrederickDunn Thanks for the reply I meant to link a clip here it is but I feel better now
ua-cam.com/video/Coi8iYwL3RA/v-deo.html
Kind regards
Matt
Hi Fred! I'm a backyard beekeeper as well. There is an online program to become a Master Certified Beekeeper. I was wondering if you think there would be any advantages or disadvantages to becoming certified?
Tons of advantages. Only really cost is disadvantage. Never stop learning. Do it.
I think education is never wasted. A good Master Beekeeper program will span several years and cause you to perform every honey bee management function. I particularly like the lab-work and queen rearing portions. If you have the time and money, I highly recommend you do that. I was given a 30% discount for being a Vet :) Don't discount the contributions of backyard beekeepers, we often make observations and develop practices that have a wider impact on bee management.
Fred was it your state that gave you the 30% Veterans discount or a specific class?
@@LarryLeesBees Cornell gave me that tuition discount :) You have to physically go there for some exams and lessons/labs.
Frederick Dunn - Good info. Thank you Sir.
My bees bearded out the slatted racks also.
Annnnd there you have it :) What do you like about them Carlos?
@@FrederickDunn I do not know yet to be honest. I did not get to test them enough.
I did not use slatted racks this year... But I definitely understand what Fred meant by the wand tipping up. I burned the bottom of one of my frames... Glad it was not worse. After the second treatment, my OAV wand melted into aluminum slag... Think I'm going to get the OAV 110 gun. seems less sketchy... Time will tell. I do like the idea of drilling a hole in the slatted rack to use the OAV gun instead of drilling the hive itself. That's the plan for next year I think.
@@LarryLeesBees Yep, I've really come to appreciate that Provap110 unit... "melted into slag"? (';')( ';') wow!
Frederick Dunn - Yessir, completely melted the “spoon” part off the wand part. It was a treat. LoL!!!
in my area of central washington state, my bees do not make it over the winter without a top vent. My bees are forest swarms. So in summer and winter my bees are maximum vented without a screened bottom board. I don't feel screened bottoms are so hot and my bees do well because they are from this area. How many generations? unknown
Thank you for sharing about what's working in your neck of the woods. When you find feral colonies in trees and buildings, have you determined if they have any upper entrances? Thanks so much, for taking the time to comment.
@@FrederickDunn It is a mix. Some have upper entrances, and I can't tell if something down below is open or not, or some go in up high and the brood nest can be down from the opening a considerable distance. Where the bees fly in seems 20 80 whether lower that the brooding area or above. Usually in the forest we have black bears everywhere, and if they can they will open even a hard apple tree to get to the honey and brood. Usually the brood is above the entry a slight amount. Not sure why but it may be keeping precipitation off the brood. I am sure with their electorial process of finding a new location that is favored. But I have seen hives with no upper opening that I can spot. Usually the tree is dense and needs a chain saw to open enough to take the colony home. I do not trap out hives as that results in disaster for the bees. When a child in the 50's our bees down in oregon stayed in the same tree for many years. Not so with hornets or yellow jacket wasps who were continually digging new holes. I know where a bee tree is now and just set boxs by it so it will get new swarms off it as it seems to be in a pesticide free area and if dealing with mites successfully by staying alive I will continue with this queen selection rearing process. I use oxalic acid so as to get more honey but I think it shortens a queens lifetime.
@@PaulHigginbothamSr Sounds like a fantastic environment you're living in!
@@FrederickDunn things have changed quit a bit since my childhood. In the 50's the grasshoppers were very prolific. Walking across a weedy field the colors of the hoppers flying wings were red orange green flourescent green black and yellow. Just grasshoppers. We even had nightime glowing insects. Almost none of that is around here now. They are re-introducing both wolves and Grizzly bears. I am not hot about the grizzlys. The amount of wildlife is still fairly high. Like skunks, porcupines, few foxes, almost no lynx but the mule deer are dead all along the highway. They had a huge process of chasing the mountain lions with dogs, and that was stopped about 15 years ago, and now near me they treed a cat with dogs and shot it near an elementary school. A big cat will almost run over you to get your small children so that is not tolerated. We have a lot of immigrants that have moved in and they do not have conservation ethics and will kill animals even eagles if not watched carefully. Clear out all your california quail if not watched. Just different ethics. Our blue grouse has recovered, and did you know a grizzly has footprints like a human on the rear?
@@PaulHigginbothamSr Wow, that's all extremely interesting and neat fact about the Grizzly print!
It rather dogmatic to say adult bees do not eat pollen. The truth is we simply do not know for certain. They could eat a tiny amount or mix with water or nectar. There are so many things we don’t truly understand about bees and I think it safe to say we could study bees for the next hundreds years and still not be able understand them completely
Craig Maybe so but you have to start with a theory and then gather evidence to support or disprove. If there is any proof to say bees do eat pollen, I would like to hear it too.
Some of the bees do ingest the pollen particles, I thought I mentioned that? They go through many stages of development even as adults where they use and do not use various materials/substances. Through dissection and microscopic observation, there is definitely pollen in the stomachs and fat layers of younger nurse bees. The pollen particles are absent from the digestive system of the older workers. That's why I suggested that for the foragers, it's best to offer pollen subs outside the hive and that mixing it with the sugar may simply be adding a material that could result in spoilage. Sorry if I was a little muddy about that.
youm can find plans for the horizontal lang hive on horizontalhive.com
Thanks Gareth! I'm sure many will enjoy that link! De Leo is a widely respected natural beekeeper! I hope others do this project also.
If it wasn't for Bees we wouldn't have food ...
We would still have food, but life would certainly be dull...