Removing Honey Bees from Downed Trees - Failure and Success
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- Within a week I had two opportunities to remove bees from tree hollows. Things didn't always go as planned, though.
If you find value in my videos would you partner with me and provide support as a Patron? I appreciate your monthly commitment at any of the 3 Patreon levels:
$2 - Supporting Sodbuster
$5 - Official Sodbuster
$10 - VIP Sodbuster
See my Patreon page for the exclusive benefits available to members at each level.
Thanks, in advance, for your support!
/ suburbansodbuster
Facebook: / ssodbuster
Instagram: / suburban_sodbuster
I grew up on a farm on the edge of the Nebraska sandhills. A cattle ranch that bears our family name, founded in the late 1800s by my ancestors, is still owned and worked by my cousin. Life events have put me in the suburbs of a major metropolitan area in middle America, where my wife and I have raised our two kids. It's in this environment that I work to make as sustainable a life as I can, converting much of our backyard to grow food, including a garden, fruit trees and bee hives.
I attempt to use natural methods, as much as is possible, in my gardening and beekeeping. I garden organically and continue to learn to work with the soil and the plants, without the use of chemical supplements, herbicides or pesticides, to improve our harvest. Our honey bees are sourced from local colonies through swarms, trap-outs and cut-outs, and are kept, using treatment-free, natural methods, in Layens horizontal hives.
Patreon: / suburbansodbuster
Facebook: / ssodbuster
Instagram: / suburban_sodbuster
The initial impact of the tree falling usually causes absconding from all the damage and resulting robbing and beetles within a few days. Very common.
I expect you're right; sometimes I fall victim to foolish optimism. Seeing the bees still coming and going from the hive gave me hope, even though I could see - when I moved the hive - that at least some of the comb was detached.
"the bees are angry now..." Then the log rolls over! ha ha ha.
Fascinating how you got the bees out of the 2nd log. I'm glad it worked! I've got 4 hives now (my 2nd year keeping bees). I've learned so much from your channel so I appreciate you sharing, both the good and the bad
Thank you. I keep learning, myself, and glad that my experience can help others.
Good to see ya, I had been wondering how things were going.👍Best of Luck with the new hive.
I watch a beekeeper here in the NW that specializes in log hives, I want to build me one.
You look like you have lost weight your health been ok, haven't seen ya for a while?
If intentional.👍
Prayers if you have been ill🙏Hope you feeling better. Blessed Days...
I'm good, just busy and trying to get back into the rhythm of making and posting videos. Thanks for noticing the weight - I'm down about 25 lbs from the beginning of this year and working on another 25. Moving from a desk job has been a positive thing in that regard.
@@SuburbanSodbuster good for you!
I initially bought three Nucs this year. One Nuc I brushed off and cut their comb and screwed those pieces onto my layens frames. The second Nuc I just turned the langstroth frame on its side and screwed those frames onto adapter jigs. The third Nuc I placed the langstroth frames sideways and used some layens frames to hold them up (no cutting and no jig used). Out of all three hives the one that is just booming and doing the best is the colony that I brushed off and cut their comb and screwed them onto my layens frames. The other two are limping along. Very interesting, not at all what I thought was going to happen!
That's an interesting comparison. Although I often say one case doesn't make a proof, I do think that it's better to add the comb in it's original orientation and parallel to the other frames, as you did for the first nuc. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing the successes and the not-so-successes - the true heart of a teacher.
If the queen is laying and not prepared for flying condition as in preparing for swarming, how does she get from the log to the nuc box? Can she travel a short distance?
She may have crawled in between while the bees were moving as I applied smoke. Or, when I was removing comb from the log I was looking for her and then shaking remaining bees off in front of the log. Although I didn't see her she might have been one of those shaken off. You're right that she was not likely in condition to fly, but it also may be possible that she was able to make a short flight to the box (or in front of it to crawl up). In the end I don't know exactly how she made it across but was glad she did.
@@SuburbanSodbuster Either way, it was a great save.
Congats on saving the feral bee's.