Know the feeling... missing bee inspections is a lot like the winter blues and a double wammy! Yippie on the honey house pass! Cleaning off those inserts between different types of treatments will let you know how many "new mites" dropped. I tend to clean before treating, during the treatment (how effective is it still) and after. Looks like you will be on the road again a lot in the new year as well. Still there is plenty to do to prepare for next season, the Expo and the reason for the Christmas season. I believe preventative measures help with mite bombs... try never to let them get to that point but it still happens. I've found bees will always take down fondant first over liquid feed. Don't even want to think about the $$$ I poured into sugar syrup this fall and I left a lot of honey on the hives to start with. Price paid for dry weather and lack of nectar in the fall bloomers. Still have a few I'd like to have had heavier but hard freezes are here and time has run out. Plenty of stored capped frames in the freezer to give back if they run short so not problem and fondant as a back up. Smoker battles... lucky kids!
Nice work on the video. Yup, we went down to 23 last night and expect the same tonight. If you follow the southern Tennessee line until it becomes the NC, GA, SC line you'll find me. Bob Bennie is about 20 miles south of me but, has bee yards all around me. Bee season is pretty much over. Time to do all the winter chores so, we will be ready for 2024, just 2 months away. Looks like the kids were having fun.
cool closer clip, as a gardener first, I am a fan of the matis. They can truly help the gardener fight our pests. The question is who is the praying mantis of the hive, sadly I do not think it is the bees of today. Maybe tomorrow?
Good luck with inspection this Friday. U going to do a video on it. It's a proud Moment when that's done with. 😊 congratulations on honey house are you going to bee expo in Kentucky. Thanks for the video
Very nice video Nathan. Good luck on your elk hunt. I want to do that someday. Here in my area it is archery whitetail season. So with the bees buttoned down and crops harvested I will be spending most of my time searching for that big buck and hopefully a doe for the freezer.
Wow, your honey house came out very very nice. I tried building a garage/ shop from a shipping container but it was just too small with all the extra clutter. Maybe once my real garages built I'll copy you with the shipping container for a honey house
Funny tho, my mind put it another way: look their clean suits, it's obvious, who's a hard worker here. I've realised that too, but interpreted another way :)
Collecting well established ferals and tinkering as i am, I have seen various colonies reactions to hornets and wasps (Security at the entrance) and how these colonies are very hostile to non colony bees. This is possibly an overlooked part of genetics for the reduction of drift and therefore varroa.
Weird, I was in Orlando for a family get together the same weekend as you were there. Nice weather compared to MN. I drove through Nashville and sat in traffic for a long time. Man that place has grown. I used Apivar this year again and I have two hives where I can check mite drop. I pulled the strips and did an OAV the next week and saw a fairly heavy mite drop. It is getting to late to do much but hope they make it until spring. I'm hoping to do one more OAV if we get a decent day in early Nov. Anyhow, thanks for the video and I'm so glad your honey house passed inspection. Is that an annual inspection?
I have heard about mite shedding before the colony collapsing as well. This does not make any sense in relation Zach’s research. The mites prefer very young drones. The young drones can’t fly, so how would they spread mites? It makes sense that the workers could spread them during the dearth when drones are not being made anymore.
I understand You have addressed the question to Nathan not me, but Counting mites from pans may lead to a wrong conclusions. If - for example - You ran OAV, they will drop dead on the pan. But does these dead mites correspond to a current infestation of the colony after treatment? Not really... I assume alcohol wash samples is the most accurate method. That's just a loose indicator, I don't clean my trays either. I just use them to visually compare with a hives next to the one.
Feed and more feed. Fondant doing well. Your honey house turned out well. Great job. Enjoyed the videos. Thanks and take care.
Those are some really beautiful family photos.
Memories made and captured! Well done!
👍
Congratulations one the honey house inspection.
Know the feeling... missing bee inspections is a lot like the winter blues and a double wammy! Yippie on the honey house pass! Cleaning off those inserts between different types of treatments will let you know how many "new mites" dropped. I tend to clean before treating, during the treatment (how effective is it still) and after. Looks like you will be on the road again a lot in the new year as well. Still there is plenty to do to prepare for next season, the Expo and the reason for the Christmas season. I believe preventative measures help with mite bombs... try never to let them get to that point but it still happens. I've found bees will always take down fondant first over liquid feed. Don't even want to think about the $$$ I poured into sugar syrup this fall and I left a lot of honey on the hives to start with. Price paid for dry weather and lack of nectar in the fall bloomers. Still have a few I'd like to have had heavier but hard freezes are here and time has run out. Plenty of stored capped frames in the freezer to give back if they run short so not problem and fondant as a back up. Smoker battles... lucky kids!
nice looking facility, love the cleanliness
Thanks Ian. My next one will be built like yours so I can pressure wash everything inside. Would be a lot easier to clean.
Nice work on the video. Yup, we went down to 23 last night and expect the same tonight. If you follow the southern Tennessee line until it becomes the NC, GA, SC line you'll find me. Bob Bennie is about 20 miles south of me but, has bee yards all around me. Bee season is pretty much over. Time to do all the winter chores so, we will be ready for 2024, just 2 months away. Looks like the kids were having fun.
Thanks Richard! Cool country that you live in, I like it over there.
cool closer clip, as a gardener first, I am a fan of the matis. They can truly help the gardener fight our pests. The question is who is the praying mantis of the hive, sadly I do not think it is the bees of today. Maybe tomorrow?
1st time I have seen one of those eating. 🤔Looks like Yellow Jacket for dinner.
Yeah that was cool
Good luck with inspection this Friday. U going to do a video on it. It's a proud Moment when that's done with. 😊 congratulations on honey house are you going to bee expo in Kentucky. Thanks for the video
Liked the kid's smoker fight, hope nobody got burned by the hot sides but hey, that's part of learning when you're young. Great video Nathan.
They did well, nobody got hurt.
Continue with the great videos!!
Thanks!
This has been a good series Nathan, good content man!
Very nice video Nathan. Good luck on your elk hunt. I want to do that someday. Here in my area it is archery whitetail season. So with the bees buttoned down and crops harvested I will be spending most of my time searching for that big buck and hopefully a doe for the freezer.
Good luck, my hunt starts tomorrow.
Well done on the inspection, must feel good after all the effort.
It’s a relief, thanks Aidan
shifting gears into Winter work
Wow, your honey house came out very very nice. I tried building a garage/ shop from a shipping container but it was just too small with all the extra clutter. Maybe once my real garages built I'll copy you with the shipping container for a honey house
You need a clean bee suit for family pictures!😂
I did wash it, but yeah, I need a new one.
Funny tho, my mind put it another way: look their clean suits, it's obvious, who's a hard worker here.
I've realised that too, but interpreted another way :)
You are inspiration to me man! Keep it up!
Thanks
Yes, we are getting the Fall colors too on in about five years or so
Collecting well established ferals and tinkering as i am, I have seen various colonies reactions to hornets and wasps (Security at the entrance) and how these colonies are very hostile to non colony bees.
This is possibly an overlooked part of genetics for the reduction of drift and therefore varroa.
Congrats
Thanks Harold!
Weird, I was in Orlando for a family get together the same weekend as you were there. Nice weather compared to MN. I drove through Nashville and sat in traffic for a long time. Man that place has grown.
I used Apivar this year again and I have two hives where I can check mite drop. I pulled the strips and did an OAV the next week and saw a fairly heavy mite drop. It is getting to late to do much but hope they make it until spring. I'm hoping to do one more OAV if we get a decent day in early Nov. Anyhow, thanks for the video and I'm so glad your honey house passed inspection. Is that an annual inspection?
Small world Russell! Inspection is every 18 months since honey is relatively low risk.
I have heard about mite shedding before the colony collapsing as well. This does not make any sense in relation Zach’s research. The mites prefer very young drones. The young drones can’t fly, so how would they spread mites? It makes sense that the workers could spread them during the dearth when drones are not being made anymore.
Where do you buy your glass jars.
What is your cost on 1 gallon of syrup you have been feeding?
Not cost to get it into the hive but just to make the syrup?
Put on a video about money end of bee keeping please.
What did the mantis say to the bee 🐝? Lunch 🥙
Munch, crunch....hmmm, tasty🙂
🤣
if you're not cleaning off the pans. then how are you keeping mite counts? I wipe off mine each time I look.
I understand You have addressed the question to Nathan not me, but
Counting mites from pans may lead to a wrong conclusions. If - for example - You ran OAV, they will drop dead on the pan. But does these dead mites correspond to a current infestation of the colony after treatment? Not really... I assume alcohol wash samples is the most accurate method. That's just a loose indicator, I don't clean my trays either. I just use them to visually compare with a hives next to the one.
Dogs lick their butt then lick ? Yuck