Last year I decided to stop all treatments. I began with eighteen hives and lost eight since late fall of 2022 . I have four overwintered nucleus colonies double stackers and six double stacked ten frame hives . Those hives are bringing in pollen as I speak . If all goes well over the next three weeks I should be able to pull one split from those six survivor hives . As soon as I see drones flying I will pull the splits . If I have the time this year I will try to graft a few queens from one hive that was an exceptional swarm I caught in early June of last year. That swarm built up very fast and actually made a surplus of twenty pounds of honey . I was able to place two frames of wax foundation in that hive and then stole those frames once they had been laid out completely with eggs . I placed those frames of eggs inside two different five frame splits. I checked a week later and was please to see they had drawn out queen cells on those freshly drawn wax combs . Those queens were mated and laid out solid brood patterns . Prince George,Va
Little known fact: The population in the Arnot Forrest has recovered despite Tom Seeley killing most of the colonies during his research. Great video so far. Still watching.
Very good video! I got my start in beekeeping last year with two swarms I caught in two of the four swarm traps I built. I put up six swarm traps this year and caught two swarms. I also use a French cleat similar to your and I agree with you it’s easier to level the bracket. I also collected a swarm this year from a swarm call. I successfully split my Layens hive this year and tried to split my Langstroth but failed. I plan to continue stocking my hives with swarms and splits and not buy bees. I’m thinking about purchasing some VSH queens from Cory Stevens in southeast Missouri for a few splits.
I've just started bee keeping thanks to having a couple of old hives sitting around. I got the old hives because I'd planned on starting bee keeping, I just wasn't sure when. However, the bees made up my mind for me. So now I'm the proud posessor of two hives. Needless to say it's a steep learning curve, but thanks to your excellent YT channel my task is a little easier. Many thanks 👍
Damn, that was well done, my friend. Tom and Leo could not have done it better. Respect. Also, congrats on 1k subs. you deserve it. :) I sent you a message on your youtube email asking if you would like to do some live streams. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Wonderful video, very informative, compelling and easy to understand! And thanks for the shout-out 🙂as you know, we could not agree with you more on going towards a more sustainable approach... using natural comb and horizontal beekeeping, a solid beekeeping education, good genetics and a respect of the natural cycles also matters to improve honey bee health... Les Crowder and I do it with horizontal top-bar hives because it's cheap and there are no frames, but I love any horizontal hive better than vertical beekeeping in Langstroth!
Awesome video and whatever possessed you to do your video like this is a winner for me. For me this is your best informative video! I know it’s a lot of work but come next season you should do a removal or cut out in the same fashion or style this is really great to watch and listen to.
Thank you so much! I'm still learning but continue to try to improve my preparation, presentation and video editing. Your feedback made my day and I'm glad to know this is helpful. I'll keep your suggestion in mind when I have opportunities to record a removal in the future.
You have some great ideas . I’m a person who prefers to use standard equipment. Lamans’ hive or anything such as top bar or long hives just don’t work for me . I’m not just about having beehives, I want to be able to use standard equipment for honey extraction and be able to move the standard Langstroth equipment and frames from one hive to another. I would not have enough room to have three different hive types . This year I plan on keeping five or more empty hives setup right in each apiary . I might stack two single deep complete hives with a frame of drawn comb on top of each other. A swarm has to end up using one of those setups.
I live in town. There have been bees move into houses in a 10 to 12 block of my house almost every year. I am thinking of getting a 8 frame box and some frames, hope to get a used frame from someone and put it out in my back yard and hope to get some. 2 doors down had bees move in twice. next door the man had some move into a hole in a block wall along his back yard last year. I live in Florida and there are a lot of bees around. If I can get some to move in, then it will only cost me for the box and frames. When I get some I will get the other things I need.
Great video I have not bought bees and currently have four hives , three Layens a Langstroth hive. I use Dr Leo’s plans to build my hives and have caught swarms the last two seasons. I also use a hanger that demented in a short I posted last year.
Hi an interesting Video on a controversial subject. Have you seen videos about using powdered sugar to encourage the bees to remove the mites as part of their grooming ? Icing sugar can work but it has drying agents added. If you grind sugar into a powder and cover the bees with it it helps get the mites off. You can simply pour the powder onto the top of the frames and get it to fall down between the gap between frames. Otherwise you can take out one frame at a tome and blow the powder over the bees on the fram and then put it back, doing all frames one by one. The sugar does not harm the bees, the mites the mites do not become resistant because it is not a chemical treatment. you do need to have a grill at the bottom of the hive for the mites to fall through and a sticky board underneath to trap the mites. The bees will eat the sugar so win win. there are videos out their showing this.Probably too much work for the commercial beekeper but not to much for the back yard keper. Another method is the use of heat. Taking advantage of the maximumum heat the varroa can stand is less than the bee can stand. The hive is heated and held at a maximum temperature for about an hour then brought back down to normal. Varroa die the bees will be put under some strain but they survive. Hope this helps
Thanks for your comment and question. My perspective is that the only sustainable mite control is to keep and propogate bees able to manage bees on their own. Beyond that I avoid any artificial interventions. Researchers working with Tom Seeley have done mite counts on honeybees living in the wild - populations which have recovered since originally being decimated by mites. Those colonies tested all had mites - sometimes with counts higher than would be considered "acceptable". Besides that, the colonies were otherwise thriving. Through natural selection, bees without intervention have developed resistance and/or tolerance to mites. If we keep bees with these traits then our actions to remove the mites are, at best, unnecessary and, by putting unnatural stress on the bees, could be detrimental.
I'm assuming you're asking about doing the move and keeping as many foragers as possible; for this I've tried some different methods. One is putting branches in front of the entrance after the box is moved, but that's had varying results for me. Sometimes I'll put another box up at the original location and then, after dusk, go shake the remaining foragers in front of the new location. That helps some but there's always still a number which go back. Sometimes, especially if it seems to be a strong swarm, I just accept that some foragers will be lost and do the move. I still think the best way, though, is to move the swarm trap to another location a few miles away for a week or two, then back to the yard.
Yes, but climate is more than a function of latitude. Apis mellifera ligustica, the Italian honeybee, is native to the temperate Mediterranean climate of the southern Italian peninsula and has a reputation for being less winter hardy. These were introduced in the US in the 19th century; prior to that the more winter hardy dark European bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) was more commonly kept in the US.
LOL - I've never been a news reporter or a narrator for educational TV, although some have suggested radio or voiceover work. Some have told me they find my voice soothing - I hope that's not just another way of saying my videos put them to sleep. 😆
That's a good question and I don't really have a definitive answer for you. I don't recall if Dr. Seeley has written or talked about this or not. My impression (for what it's worth) is that a swarm contains a cross-section of the hive, young bees to old, often including drones. But I have no studies or statistics to back that up.
I like to use one frame of old comb (brood comb, no honey) and the rest empty. I use starter strips on the empty frames, just to provide some guidance for the new comb.
I don't have a specific answer as it's often subjective and up to the bees. In nature they will try to space themselves apart from other bees with only a few colonies per spare mile, which suggests they might be reluctant to move into a swarm trap that's right next to other colonies. As a rule of thumb I'll often recommend placing swarm traps about 100 yards from a known hive, when possible. Having said that, I've caught bees in a swarm trap in front of my house when my backyard hives are only 50-80 feet away. In fact, I've seen my own colonies swarm from one hive into another just across the yard.
Last year I decided to stop all treatments. I began with eighteen hives and lost eight since late fall of 2022 . I have four overwintered nucleus colonies double stackers and six double stacked ten frame hives . Those hives are bringing in pollen as I speak . If all goes well over the next three weeks I should be able to pull one split from those six survivor hives . As soon as I see drones flying I will pull the splits . If I have the time this year I will try to graft a few queens from one hive that was an exceptional swarm I caught in early June of last year. That swarm built up very fast and actually made a surplus of twenty pounds of honey . I was able to place two frames of wax foundation in that hive and then stole those frames once they had been laid out completely with eggs . I placed those frames of eggs inside two different five frame splits. I checked a week later and was please to see they had drawn out queen cells on those freshly drawn wax combs . Those queens were mated and laid out solid brood patterns . Prince George,Va
Little known fact: The population in the Arnot Forrest has recovered despite Tom Seeley killing most of the colonies during his research. Great video so far. Still watching.
Are you suggesting that, by natural selection, the bees have developed resistance or tolerance to Tom Seeley? 😁
@@SuburbanSodbuster I don't know about the bees, but I'm Tom Seeley resistant. 😁
@Swarmstead Bees & Gardening I appreciate you watching. I trust you'll let me know if you found anything off base.
@@SuburbanSodbuster it was a very good video overall. I just always like throwing shade on the good doctor. 😆
Very good video! I got my start in beekeeping last year with two swarms I caught in two of the four swarm traps I built. I put up six swarm traps this year and caught two swarms. I also use a French cleat similar to your and I agree with you it’s easier to level the bracket. I also collected a swarm this year from a swarm call. I successfully split my Layens hive this year and tried to split my Langstroth but failed. I plan to continue stocking my hives with swarms and splits and not buy bees. I’m thinking about purchasing some VSH queens from Cory Stevens in southeast Missouri for a few splits.
I put up 10 traps this spring and have caught 5 swarms of which 2 are quite large. Good video, I am gonna watch it again tomorrow, thanks for sharing.
I've just started bee keeping thanks to having a couple of old hives sitting around. I got the old hives because I'd planned on starting bee keeping, I just wasn't sure when. However, the bees made up my mind for me. So now I'm the proud posessor of two hives. Needless to say it's a steep learning curve, but thanks to your excellent YT channel my task is a little easier. Many thanks 👍
Damn, that was well done, my friend. Tom and Leo could not have done it better. Respect. Also, congrats on 1k subs. you deserve it. :) I sent you a message on your youtube email asking if you would like to do some live streams.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Wonderful video, very informative, compelling and easy to understand! And thanks for the shout-out 🙂as you know, we could not agree with you more on going towards a more sustainable approach... using natural comb and horizontal beekeeping, a solid beekeeping education, good genetics and a respect of the natural cycles also matters to improve honey bee health... Les Crowder and I do it with horizontal top-bar hives because it's cheap and there are no frames, but I love any horizontal hive better than vertical beekeeping in Langstroth!
Awesome video and whatever possessed you to do your video like this is a winner for me. For me this is your best informative video! I know it’s a lot of work but come next season you should do a removal or cut out in the same fashion or style this is really great to watch and listen to.
Thank you so much! I'm still learning but continue to try to improve my preparation, presentation and video editing. Your feedback made my day and I'm glad to know this is helpful. I'll keep your suggestion in mind when I have opportunities to record a removal in the future.
Good information.
I like how direct and clear your descriptions and instructions are.
Thank you for watching and for your kind feedback!
You have some great ideas . I’m a person who prefers to use standard equipment. Lamans’ hive or anything such as top bar or long hives just don’t work for me . I’m not just about having beehives, I want to be able to use standard equipment for honey extraction and be able to move the standard Langstroth equipment and frames from one hive to another. I would not have enough room to have three different hive types . This year I plan on keeping five or more empty hives setup right in each apiary . I might stack two single deep complete hives with a frame of drawn comb on top of each other. A swarm has to end up using one of those setups.
Very informatice video. Well done. I look forward to swarm catching someday myself.
I live in town. There have been bees move into houses in a 10 to 12 block of my house almost every year. I am thinking of getting a 8 frame box and some frames, hope to get a used frame from someone and put it out in my back yard and hope to get some. 2 doors down had bees move in twice. next door the man had some move into a hole in a block wall along his back yard last year. I live in Florida and there are a lot of bees around. If I can get some to move in, then it will only cost me for the box and frames. When I get some I will get the other things I need.
I'd say you have a great chance! While looking for a home the bees would likely select your hive over a block wall.
Great video I have not bought bees and currently have four hives , three Layens a Langstroth hive. I use Dr Leo’s plans to build my hives and have caught swarms the last two seasons. I also use a hanger that demented in a short I posted last year.
Hi an interesting Video on a controversial subject. Have you seen videos about using powdered sugar to encourage the bees to remove the mites as part of their grooming ? Icing sugar can work but it has drying agents added.
If you grind sugar into a powder and cover the bees with it it helps get the mites off. You can simply pour the powder onto the top of the frames and get it to fall down between the gap between frames. Otherwise you can take out one frame at a tome and blow the powder over the bees on the fram and then put it back, doing all frames one by one. The sugar does not harm the bees, the mites the mites do not become resistant because it is not a chemical treatment. you do need to have a grill at the bottom of the hive for the mites to fall through and a sticky board underneath to trap the mites. The bees will eat the sugar so win win. there are videos out their showing this.Probably too much work for the commercial beekeper but not to much for the back yard keper.
Another method is the use of heat. Taking advantage of the maximumum heat the varroa can stand is less than the bee can stand. The hive is heated and held at a maximum temperature for about an hour then brought back down to normal. Varroa die the bees will be put under some strain but they survive. Hope this helps
Thanks for your comment and question. My perspective is that the only sustainable mite control is to keep and propogate bees able to manage bees on their own. Beyond that I avoid any artificial interventions. Researchers working with Tom Seeley have done mite counts on honeybees living in the wild - populations which have recovered since originally being decimated by mites. Those colonies tested all had mites - sometimes with counts higher than would be considered "acceptable". Besides that, the colonies were otherwise thriving. Through natural selection, bees without intervention have developed resistance and/or tolerance to mites. If we keep bees with these traits then our actions to remove the mites are, at best, unnecessary and, by putting unnatural stress on the bees, could be detrimental.
When you catch a swarm in your bait hive in the yard what do you do to relocate them to a new location in your yard?
I'm assuming you're asking about doing the move and keeping as many foragers as possible; for this I've tried some different methods. One is putting branches in front of the entrance after the box is moved, but that's had varying results for me. Sometimes I'll put another box up at the original location and then, after dusk, go shake the remaining foragers in front of the new location. That helps some but there's always still a number which go back. Sometimes, especially if it seems to be a strong swarm, I just accept that some foragers will be lost and do the move. I still think the best way, though, is to move the swarm trap to another location a few miles away for a week or two, then back to the yard.
italy has a very close latitude to New york but nice points overall. Europe is a northern climate
Yes, but climate is more than a function of latitude. Apis mellifera ligustica, the Italian honeybee, is native to the temperate Mediterranean climate of the southern Italian peninsula and has a reputation for being less winter hardy. These were introduced in the US in the 19th century; prior to that the more winter hardy dark European bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) was more commonly kept in the US.
That voice! Your speaking style is so familiar. I just can't place it. Like a news reporter or educational TV.
LOL - I've never been a news reporter or a narrator for educational TV, although some have suggested radio or voiceover work. Some have told me they find my voice soothing - I hope that's not just another way of saying my videos put them to sleep. 😆
How old would you say are the bees that swarm?
Is it the youngest bees that swarm or older bees?
That's a good question and I don't really have a definitive answer for you. I don't recall if Dr. Seeley has written or talked about this or not. My impression (for what it's worth) is that a swarm contains a cross-section of the hive, young bees to old, often including drones. But I have no studies or statistics to back that up.
So for catching a swarm starting from nothing can I use an open wired frame without foundation or old comb?
I like to use one frame of old comb (brood comb, no honey) and the rest empty. I use starter strips on the empty frames, just to provide some guidance for the new comb.
What’s “too close to other hives”?
I don't have a specific answer as it's often subjective and up to the bees. In nature they will try to space themselves apart from other bees with only a few colonies per spare mile, which suggests they might be reluctant to move into a swarm trap that's right next to other colonies. As a rule of thumb I'll often recommend placing swarm traps about 100 yards from a known hive, when possible. Having said that, I've caught bees in a swarm trap in front of my house when my backyard hives are only 50-80 feet away. In fact, I've seen my own colonies swarm from one hive into another just across the yard.
@ Thanks! That’s very helpful.
🐝🍯