The Way To Bee

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 135 with Frederick Dunn

Welcome to another episode of backyard beekeeping questions answers.

This is the audio track from today's youtube video:  https://youtu.be/SFV3LH4ySps

Today's video questions and associated time stamps are generously provided by:

Adam Holmes

1) Could I get a queen from my new hive when spring arrives? 2:54

 

2) Is it safe to put my flow hive out at a robbing station for cleanup, or is there risk of getting disease from other robbers? Would you recommend the CO2 system for mite counts over powdered sugar or alcohol washing? 13:22

 

3) I have a Flow-Hive 2 with the removable tray beneath, there is mold in it. 17:55

 

4) In one of your videos you showed that a Queen Bee put her eggs in the Flow-Supers, but now you say you don't need a queen excluder if there is a honey bridge? 22:58

 

5) My hive was overwhelmed by robbers, I blocked the entrance, but a day later the robbers were back. I'm trying the mesh so I don't have to smother another hive. 44:40

 

6) I have a question about mite treatments. I have 1 mite on one hive and 3 on another, I hear that I should treat prophylactically, others say don't treat if you don't need to. 50:08

 

7) I am using rapid-round feeders to feed my bees dry sugar. When I open them to add new sugar there are bees in the way. How would you suggest that I add more sugar? 1:00:03

 

8) You mentioned that you can spray package bees with OA, can you tell me more about this? 1:04:44

 

9) You will have to check out Premiere Foundation, The Cells are not smaller, the cell walls are thinner more like the construction in wild hives. 1:10:45

 

 

REPLY

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 134 with Frederick Dunn Oxalic Acid and More

This is the audio track from today's YouTube Video:  https://youtu.be/F9X2uLolgJY

Today's topic list and associated video time links are generously provided by  Adam Holmes

1) I was wondering if I can still use the oxalic drip method to treat my bees when it's mid 50's to 60's? 1:54

2) Almost all of my bees died and their bodies were outside the hive. Is it safe to harvest the full medium box of capped honey? 9:03

3) When caging the Queen with the single frame excluder, why must you wait 14 days before releasing her? Isn't is possible that she could have just laid eggs in the open portion? 16:45

4) if I wrap a hive in insulation and achieve complete disappearance of a heat ball with a thermal camera, then they must be warm for winter, right? 23:05

5) Honey bees will use the Hive Alive Fondant packs on the inner cover and consume the fondant right inside the plastic pack. 31:10

6) How do you make your queens, did you graft them? 32:26 7) I noticed that you still have spirulina on the shelf, but haven't heard you mention it this year. Do you continue to use it and if so when? 43:54

 

 

 

Backyard Beekeeping Questions And Answers Episode 133 with Frederick Dunn

This is the audio track from today's YouTube Presentation. Enjoy, and thanks for being here!

 

See the video here:  https://youtu.be/LgWcVKA2r4M

 

Questions and time-stamps are generously provided by:

Adam Holmes

1) Can I use a 12 v Oxalic Vaporizer pan in the Hive-Gate unit? 4:40

2) Can you explain how queen's pheromones permeate through the hive? 5:55

3) I just captured a medium to large swarm yesterday! They are all africanized. What kind of dry feed should I give them? 9:53

4) I have been searching for ways to keep my beekeeping hobby to just two Langstroth hives. 14:10

5) Can I offer Hive Alive Fondant in the rapid round feeders? 21:40

6) I've heard about cycling out old comb and destroying it. How do you go about cycling out old comb? 25:11

7) I'm wondering about heating my hive with an electric heater? 31:42

8) I installed a heating pad under my screened bottom board, what temp should I set for it to turn on? 35:22

9) I was surprised to find my bees clustered in the upper deeps, are my bees in trouble going into winter? 38:08

10) It's November 7th and my bees are still doing orientation flights. I was hoping they would be broodless by now so I could to OAV treatments. 43:44

11) I just bought a Flow Hive 2+ and used your discount coupon. I have a question about your varroa resistant bees? 46:50 12) Help! I have 1000's of yellow jackets in and around my apiary! 50:51

13) Could you have a discussion about bee torpor? 54:55

14) Talking about insulation and condensation and your bees up top. If the total hive is warmer, then shouldn't the condensation be lower? 1:02:10

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 132 with Frederick Dunn

Happy Friday everyone!

Thank you for joining me for another weekly episode of backyard beekeeping.

This is the audio version of today's YouTube video:  https://youtu.be/7_m08vCMERw

Time stamps separated by topic are provided by:

Adam Holmes

1) I'm using a bee cozy and the instructions call for an upper entrance, I'd love your advice on this. 2:24

 

2) Can I treat with Oxalic Acid when sugar cakes are in the hive? 6:47

 

3) Do you remove rolled up screens as entrance reducers for winter with the Flow-Hives? 9:10

 

4) My rapid round feeder gets drowned bees. I've tried different textures and sizes. Still I lose bees in the feeder. 11:02

 

5) I was going to purchase and broadcast a mixed bag of Pollinator Flower seeds around my yard. How many square feet of the same type of flower is necessary? 20:11

 

6) I know you don't like the idea of pesticides, but specific ones like CB-80 is a non residual fogger. 32:46

 

7) When it comes to finding places to put hives, what kind of arrangements are normally made between beekeepers and landowners? 40:20

 

8) Do I have to flip the flowhive 2+ tray for winter the way you recommend with the other Flow Hive units? 43:47

 

9) I'll be using gabled bee hive tops, should I close off their air-vents? Should I insulate them? 49:10

 

10) I would like to know how much ventilation to allow during winter. I know that bottom inserts and bottom entrances provide adequate ventilation in my setup. What do you recommend? 1:00:13

 

11) I have a hive that may have lost its queen and the brood is almost gone. I can't find another nucleus anywhere now. Do I just have to lte all these wonderful bees die? 1:02:33

 

12) I've had a swarm with my flow-hive and I extracted honey. The bees are gathering on the front of the hive and not going back inside. Could this be the reason for the problem? 1:06:26

 

13) I inspected and have no eggs or larvae. I think the queen is gone. I am thinking of combining them with a nucleus. 1:09:50

 

14) What can we do to improve the health of the bees as to prevent dysentery? 1:13:22

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 131 with Frederick Dunn

This is the audio track of today's YouTube Video

https://youtu.be/Mwjk1tRhLUk

Time code links below are provided by:

Adam Holmes

1) Can the aluminum bottom screens on the Flow-Hive 2 base overheat and burn the feet of the bees? 2:31

 

2) Is it harmful to help a honey bee with sugar and water since there are no flowers left for them? 6:21

 

3) I'm wondering why we would need a hive gate in winter? Should we just pull them off? 11:13

 

4) Can you discuss tracheal mites? I had a bad infestation last year. What are the current controls? 18:52

 

5) If I put a mouse guard on in winter, when should I take it off? 27:27

 

6) I have a concern about the hive gate in winter. Won't it direct cold air right under the cluster? Isn't that an undesirable outcome? 32:50

 

7) Do you cover the bottom screen of your flow hive in winter? 39:37

 

8) What about moving your hives from a few feet to maybe 100-200 yards? Do entrance blocking tricks really work? 41:38

 

9) I have questions about the insulated inner cover and the rapid round feeder. Is the insulated inner cover supposed to extend past the edges of the hive box? 47:50

 

10) My RapidRound Feeder has a different sized hole than the insulated inner cover. One is too large. 57:40

 

11) I saw an video about the benefits of apple cider vinegar being used on bees. What about using it in sugar? 58:25

 

12) What's your opinion on mite treatment with heat treatment systems? 1:01:48

 

Thank YOU for listening! :) 

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 130 The Way To Bee

See the video version of this episode here:

 

https://youtu.be/JmkyQOhe8_s

Backyard Bee Keeping Questions and Answers Episode 129 with Frederick Dunn

This is the audio track from today's YouTube video segment:  https://youtu.be/Wmc5INVSjZQ

 

 

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 128 with Frederick Dunn

Welcome!

This is the audio track of today's Youtube presentation:  https://youtu.be/t6qkbZbgDx8

 

The following time codes are generously provided by 

Adam Holmes 

 

 

1:45 1)In the past you were treatment free, would you go over your reasons for changing? The good and the bad?

 

13:38 2)One of my queens fainted when I was marking her. The condition is in the book Queen Bee: Biology, Rearing and Breeding:

16:03

 

3)I didn't find my queen, lots of capped brood. No queen cells. So do I split this hive now if no queen? What is the best way to keep this hive from swarming?

18:42

 

4)I have a flow hive with the super full of honey. I put the flow-super above that and they are not filling it up. Should I move the super?

24:33

 

5)We have rapid round feeders in Norway. The quality is highly variable as you know. Does the sock really work to minimize drowning?

33:44

 

6)I live in Texas, what if anything should I be doing for my hive to insulate the hives or insure they have sufficient resources?

38:50

 

7)Just a quick update on my laying worker nucleus. What you recommended, worked.

40:15

 

8) After JC's Bees was hacked last week, watch for scams.

43:46

 

9) I have a question about the beesmart insulated inner covers. I put one on my 8-frame box, but can't put an 8-fram box on the cover. The intention was to have a feeder shim. 48:15

 

10) I have searched around the web attempting to get specific answers regarding proper filters for respirators/masks for Oxalic Acid Vaporization.

51:50

 

11) Can you go into a little more detail on how you use your resource hives to help build up weak hives? I'm primarily interested in how you introduce a frame of brood.

54:27

 

12) Why use 1:1 syrup at all if they don't have to dry out 2:1 syrup? Here it is fall and I have a couple of hives that need more capped honey.

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers 127

Welcome to another episode of backyard beekeeping questions and answers.

This is the audio track from today's YouTube video:  https://youtu.be/pGnS82WjWhk

 

Today's topics are as follows:

1) Can honey bees know instinctively know the weather is going to be bad and decide to swarm?

2) Do you consider late season swarms to be caused by varroa mites?

3) Is it possible for a hive/colony to survive a major robbing event? Would robbing bees kill the queen?

4) Since the BeeSmart Design insulated inner cover doesn't fit the Flow-Brood Box Dimensions, what do you think of these feeder shim ideas? This is my wintering with flow hives video: https://youtu.be/CZsGV1F8xbQ This is the BeeSmart Designs insulated inner cover: https://www.betterbee.com/wooden-hive-equipment-10-frame/ICBS1-BeeSmart-Insulated-Inner-Cover.asp

5) Can you tell us how to set up for winter and how to prepare for robbing season? Subscribe to the American Bee Journal: https://amzn.to/2WdBuCM BeeSmart Robbing Screen: https://amzn.to/3AGrdhr

6) You can see pollen on the legs of returning bees, but how can you tell if they have nectar?

7) I think I have one colony with a laying queen and another that isn't productive. Should I combine them now, or wait it out? In this video, I demonstrate how to combine colonies: https://youtu.be/Dr8QUVi-15s

8) Will bees cap stored sugar syrup?

9) How do you push frames back after inspection when bees are in the way?

 

Oxalic Acid miticide update: by Randy Oliver of ScientificBeekeeping.com

"unfortunately, the label change does not include using OA Dissolved in glycerin, either for the solution (dribble) method, or the extended release pad method."

Always follow established and approved application methods and dosing.

"The ONLY current registrant of OA is API-Bioxal, so to legally apply OA in any form, you would need to have the API-Bioxal package and label in your possession."

Ref - October 2021 issue of the American Bee Journal, page 1061 (Randy Oliver)

Backyard Beekeeping Question and Answer Episode 126,The Way To Bee

Thank you for listening!

This is the audio track of today's YouTube video presentation with Frederick Dunn

https://youtu.be/0P648k-p17w