I love your videos! I agree 100% One thing I have learned over the years is that just adding a box with undrawn frames will not prevent swarming. They need immediate space too lay to prevent swarming so you need drawn comb. Drawn Comb will usually prevent swarming because it gives queen immediate space. If the bees are already in swarm mode they will not draw comb for the queen to lay unless they are being fed heavily but even then chances are they will swarm. Also this is not an exact science sometimes the bees just do what they want.
You’re one of the UA-cam beeks that likes the vented pants/ jacket combo! So much better than the one piece, in my opinion, since you can judge by the day whether or not you need the pants!
@gypsygem, Sometimes a hive is just so congested especially with 2 big double deep boxes for a brood nest. Usually 1 large primary swarm will happen taking half of the bees and the laying mated older queen with them. So with bad weather and still many bees hatching, virgins will not fight and leave just one to resume the colony. Then on the next clear sunny day, newly opened swarm cells with multiple virgins after swarm, fly out one by one, with 6 to 10 more smaller even softball size clusters of bees to light everywhere in your yard. That impulse is still there if your hive is still crowded and no queen has been accepted to take over and go out to be mated. I've seen on rare occasions they swarm themselves to death, not having enough bees to last and start over again. So splitting, pulling frames of brood, adding all drawn out frames into a box might help to keep them at home. Putting up bait hives to catch those ones that got away can help too. Good Luck! 🐝
It's not just you, I've had the same problem here on the Lincolnshire coast in the UK... A couple of weeks ago my one (WBC) hive swarmed every day for 5 days! Including the very next day after I made a split and thought I'd got rid of all the remaining queen cells! I've watched so many beeks on yt in the last few weeks many of whom have reported similar, so at least I know I'm not the only one!
Emily, I can't believe how your videos and problems are the same as what I have in central IN! I got two beautiful hives through winter and building unbelievably into April. On the 10th, perfect. On the 18th, no queens, huge amount of brood, capped queen cells, and looking like this video exactly. On May 11, no brood at any level, or eggs. I'm now buying new queens. Have lots of bees but backfilling brood boxes with nectar and no work on supers. Why won't they do what we want them to???
This has been a crazy year for swarming with the early spring flow we have had. This is just their timing. We have to be quick with splitting them or moving about frames for the queen so she doesn’t feel crowded. I’ve been having a problem with hives that I won’t let swarm just end up superseding their queen. Unless they sent out a small swarm….very odd. Lots of virgin swarms this year too! Central IN isn’t too far off from me. It’s sounds like we have a similar climate!
You can store them off the ground.... for example some people use bread racks or even utility shelving with the bars spaced the right distance. Or store them in the boxes, but make sure the boxes are flush to the ground so the mice can't get into the stack. Then you can put moth crystals on that stack as well.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that and I pray you find relief soon! It’s seems to be this is the year of losing some and catching some, that’s awesome you were able to catch them all’
@ohio1970 I feel your pain... I have a terrible back thus the username that I have lol! I have figured out some tips and tricks to work around a bad back though.... some of which is always bring a chair with you to the hive, bring a table to the hive for you to place stuff (less bending down etc), and always bring an empty box to the hive. That way if you need to lift a heavy hive box off the top to get to the one below it, instead of lifting a 50+ pound box all at once, you move all the frames from that box one at a time to the empty box. Then once you are done you simply reverse the process. That way you have lifted an entire box off without having to lift anything heavier than a single frame! I hope that tip saves your back one day.
I love your videos! I agree 100% One thing I have learned over the years is that just adding a box with undrawn frames will not prevent swarming. They need immediate space too lay to prevent swarming so you need drawn comb. Drawn Comb will usually prevent swarming because it gives queen immediate space. If the bees are already in swarm mode they will not draw comb for the queen to lay unless they are being fed heavily but even then chances are they will swarm. Also this is not an exact science sometimes the bees just do what they want.
You’re one of the UA-cam beeks that likes the vented pants/ jacket combo! So much better than the one piece, in my opinion, since you can judge by the day whether or not you need the pants!
@gypsygem, Sometimes a hive is just so congested especially with 2 big double deep boxes for a brood nest. Usually 1 large primary swarm will happen taking half of the bees and the laying mated older queen with them. So with bad weather and still many bees hatching, virgins will not fight and leave just one to resume the colony. Then on the next clear sunny day, newly opened swarm cells with multiple virgins after swarm, fly out one by one, with 6 to 10 more smaller even softball size clusters of bees to light everywhere in your yard. That impulse is still there if your hive is still crowded and no queen has been accepted to take over and go out to be mated. I've seen on rare occasions they swarm themselves to death, not having enough bees to last and start over again. So splitting, pulling frames of brood, adding all drawn out frames into a box might help to keep them at home. Putting up bait hives to catch those ones that got away can help too. Good Luck! 🐝
It's not just you, I've had the same problem here on the Lincolnshire coast in the UK... A couple of weeks ago my one (WBC) hive swarmed every day for 5 days! Including the very next day after I made a split and thought I'd got rid of all the remaining queen cells! I've watched so many beeks on yt in the last few weeks many of whom have reported similar, so at least I know I'm not the only one!
Emily, I can't believe how your videos and problems are the same as what I have in central IN! I got two beautiful hives through winter and building unbelievably into April. On the 10th, perfect. On the 18th, no queens, huge amount of brood, capped queen cells, and looking like this video exactly. On May 11, no brood at any level, or eggs. I'm now buying new queens. Have lots of bees but backfilling brood boxes with nectar and no work on supers. Why won't they do what we want them to???
This has been a crazy year for swarming with the early spring flow we have had. This is just their timing. We have to be quick with splitting them or moving about frames for the queen so she doesn’t feel crowded. I’ve been having a problem with hives that I won’t let swarm just end up superseding their queen. Unless they sent out a small swarm….very odd. Lots of virgin swarms this year too! Central IN isn’t too far off from me. It’s sounds like we have a similar climate!
Hi! Just getting into beekeeping this year. My mom and I love your channel! I need to get a suit asap and was wondering what brand you have? Thanks!
For a mice problem just put some moth balls in your storage and no more mice .
Hey i had a stored super that had a mouse move in over the winter what do you do with your frames afterwards
Honestly…I just let the bees rebuild them. We have a ton of frames that the mice got into but the bees will rework those frames and fix them.
You can store them off the ground.... for example some people use bread racks or even utility shelving with the bars spaced the right distance. Or store them in the boxes, but make sure the boxes are flush to the ground so the mice can't get into the stack. Then you can put moth crystals on that stack as well.
well how do you stimulate their wax glands?
A honey flow, or feeding 1:1 or even lighter syrup can stimulate wax production
Great.
Hurt my back doing hive inspections.Could`nt work with hives ,ended up with six swarms .We caught all of them so we have that going for us.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that and I pray you find relief soon! It’s seems to be this is the year of losing some and catching some, that’s awesome you were able to catch them all’
@ohio1970 I feel your pain... I have a terrible back thus the username that I have lol! I have figured out some tips and tricks to work around a bad back though.... some of which is always bring a chair with you to the hive, bring a table to the hive for you to place stuff (less bending down etc), and always bring an empty box to the hive. That way if you need to lift a heavy hive box off the top to get to the one below it, instead of lifting a 50+ pound box all at once, you move all the frames from that box one at a time to the empty box. Then once you are done you simply reverse the process. That way you have lifted an entire box off without having to lift anything heavier than a single frame! I hope that tip saves your back one day.
@@BackBeeBrokenBeekeeping Thanks for that tip.Sounds like that may be the way to go.
@@ohio1970 Hope it helps, us folks with bad backs gotta stick together.
Sounds like your season has 😉Taken Off Emily.😁Blessed Days...
I pray you have an amazing year! Black locust is about to hit here so the fun is just about to start ☺️🙏🏼♥️