The Way To Bee

Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 95 are you ready for spring? Get your watering stations ready to go!

This is the audio track from The Way To Bee on YouTube

Backyard Beekeeping Questions Episode 95 you can view the entire episode here: https://youtu.be/txkVNKiqI4k

Do you have a question? Here is the form:  http://www.fredsfinefowl.com/thewaytobee.html

Time stamps generously provided by Adam Holmes

 

1) Could you place drone combs to hyper produce them and mate with Saskatraz queens as they make new ones? 1:34

 

2) Does the variety of honey bee change the flavor of the honey they produce? 11:28

 

3) How important is the space you leave above the frames and below the cover boards or inner cover? 18:13

 

4) How do you keep a queen bee alive when you remove her from the hive and want to replace her? 26:58

 

5) When is a good time to replace a deep with a medium super, and also replace the spacer boards with frames? 29:58

 

6) When you catch a queen from the swarm, can that queen bee worked in the same bee yard? 35:02

 

7) I live in South Australia and our summers are hot, suggestions for what I can do to help my bees with watering? 38:10

 

8) What's your opinion on feeding Direct Feed Microbials (DFM)? when do you feed it? 46:40

 

 

Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 94 are you ready for spring? Don't feed everything at once.

This is the audio track from Friday January 22nd on YouTube episode 94 

Better Comb Synthetic Beeswax by BetterBee, is it good or bad? Should anyone use it?

Welcome! This is the audio from a YouTube video that was published on January 21st of 2021

See the video here:  https://youtu.be/DbEe_Rr6YRU

 

Further evaluation of BetterComb is necessary as there are many unanswered questions still. 

 

If you use it, clearly identify frames and keep track of any hives with synthetic comb.

Thanks for listening.

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 93 Should you feed pollen going into winter? And lots more!

This is the audio version of my Backyard Beekeeping Question and Answer video on YouTube at Frederick Dunn

Time links courtesy of Adam Holmes

 

1) You've mentioned in the past that some bees are slow to take to the flow-hive supers. Do you think that some behavior/breed traits would also be responsible for bees not taking to Better-Comb for brood production? 2:17

 

2) This is a suggested method for deterring bears from entering your honey bee Apiary. It's a good concept, but I can't vouch for the effectiveness... yet! 16:28

 

3) I have two hives, one is strong, the other weak. Can I combine a package of bees with the weak colony in spring? 23:45

 

4) My Question is about winter emergency feeding. I spilled some dry sugar down onto my bees, did this cause any damage? Best time to put pollen patties on? 31:17

 

5) Can you tell me about the pros and cons of swarms? 47:02

 

6) Should I treat my bees for mites in the spring? When is the earliest to treat for mites? 53:04

 

7) Can the bees dispose of moldy honeycomb, or should I dispose of them? 59:20

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 92

The topic time stamps for each topic have been provided by  Adam Holmes 

 

1) My bees are flying out and dying in the snow, should I close up my entrance temporarily to stop this from happening? 2:20

 

2) Can I let the sugar syrup run down in my rapid round feeder and just add dry sugar to it? It will be slushy. 8:15

 

3) I was stung on the nose tending my feeder! What is the Best Pain Remedy?! 11:48

 

4) Do bees guard against pests better with entrance reducers? What about copper mesh? 15:47

 

5) I have a Layens Hive from Dr. Leo. I know I need to feed, but how? 22:10

 

6) Viewer from Wroclaw Poland recommends using cell phone to take dictations instead of filling out a log when tending bees. 29:20

 

7) Is there a pattern regarding how bees make vent holes in comb, and is it the same for all frames? 31:10

 

8) Do different sized landing boards make a difference? 34:50

 

9) Did you manage to test Permacomb? 42:36

 

10) How does the Queen Know to lay a Queen Egg in a Queen Cell, and a Drone Egg in a Drone Cell? 45:30

 

11) Why don't your bees clog screened bottom boards? Does that mean they want an open bottom? 48:53

 

12) I have six colonies in Chile, one of them is far more aggressive. What might be the cause? 54:20

 

13) What are your thoughts on using a cage to break the brood cycle? 1:04:20

 

14) One of my hives is being robbed every time the weather warms up, I don't seem to be able to stop it. 1:13:02

 

15) What is the best line of bees for a new beekeeper in Rhode Island? 1:17:38

Backyard Beekeeping Question and Answers Episode 83 with Frederick Dunn

This is just the audio track from The Way To Bee Question and Answer YouTube Beekeeping Video Series with Frederick Dunn

All rights are reserved.

Time codes compliments of Kay and Tylor's Bees

 

3:46 1) How can we mitigate nosema?

17:30 2) What if there is a swarm after a walk away split?

26:35 3) Does a rapid round fit inside a flow hive?

31:26 4) Where does Mr. Dunn get standard Langstroth equipment?

34:34 5) Do winter bees stay "winter bees" through warm weather?

40:29 6) If there is a void in my nuc box, will bees build comb in that space?

43:52 7) What was the book by Dr. Thomas Seeley regarding your winter configuration?

1:02:35 8a) What scientific journals do you recommend?

1:04:15 8b)Will worker bees move an egg into a queen cup?

1:10:32 9) What is the best way to treat for varroa mites with only one hive? 1:18:38 10) Are there any major repercussions to letting a hive swarm?

1:26:08 11) What do you place on the entrance during winter?

1:28:40 New product worth mention!

Backyard Beekeeping Episode 84

This is just the audio track from The Way To Bee Question and Answer YouTube Beekeeping Video Series with Frederick Dunn

All rights are reserved.

Backyard Beekeeping Episode 85 Oxalic Acid things to consider and more.

This is just the audio track from The Way To Bee Question and Answer YouTube Beekeeping Video Series with Frederick Dunn

All rights are reserved.

Question time stamps provided by Kay and Tylor's Bees

The Way to Bee 85

3:55 1) Does it matter what kind of oxalic acid we use to treat for varroa?

14:06 2) Do you find BeeWeaver bees to be as mite-resistant as they are supposed to be?

30:15 3) How did you grease the joints in your boxes?

33:32 4) I plan to use rigid insulation for inside hive insulation to take place of two frames.

38:18 5) Can you give us an update to the Horizontal Hive? How much honey did you get? Will it overwinter better than the vertical hives?

45:11 6) I have a Flow Hive 2 and am getting a long langstroth in the spring and using the one to populate the other. Should I use a nuc box first?

47:52 7) Is it healthy to build a hive out of Styrofoam insulation board? If so what is the safest to use?

51:55 8) I am using an insulation wrap on my hive. Is this overkill?

55:48 9) What is the chain of command within the hive?

1:00:21 10) Does the queen choose to lay in drone frames, or is there a specific trigger?

1:05:32 11) As we are past the time for liquid feed, how would I go about using HiveAlive in my hives? Should I wait for spring? ______________

1:08:57 12) Did my honey crystallize because I fed 2:1 sugar syrup in winter? Or is there another reason it crystalized so fast? ______________

1:19:18 13) I bought some land with woodchucks, skunks, and raccoons. Will they bother my bees?

1:22:11 The "Fluff" end

Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 91 Happy New Year

Timeline courtesy of Adam Holmes

1) Could you please talk a little bit about your painting methods and your wax dipping process? 3:32

2) I went to check on a hive for winter feeding and was stung, why do you think that happened? 9:55

3) My bees are bringing in pollen, but nothing is blooming. Where do you think it may be coming from? 15:30

4) It's in the 40's and sunny, I've noticed bees digging in the dirt next to my home at the southern exposure. I put the same dirt next to the hives and they ignored it. Do they need something? 21:05

5) I'm building two Long Langstroth hives for spring. I plan on using wood frames with plastic foundation. Can I snap off the corners and invert the foundation so the openings are at the top? Do you think the bees will use the holes? 28:20

6) I can't see the dead bees in the hive, should I just clear them out blindly? How often should I clear the bottom board? 34:52

Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 90

This is the audio version of Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 90.

All rights reserved by Frederick Dunn.

Time stamps are compliments of

Adam Holmes

1) Treatment free is the only way to go if we want to resolve the varroa mite problem, do you agree? 3:57

 

2) What information do you put in your log book when conducting hive inspections? 19:48

 

3) We have discovered a bee tree that swarmed at least 3 times last year. We were able to capture and hive 2 of them. Would you recommend removing the bees from the tree, or would you leave them alone? 28:24

 

4) Please explain the Saskatraz VS BeeWeaver bee line varroa resistance comparison. 33:24

 

5) I purchased a Ross Round super to try out next year. Would I be able to add a regular super on top of that after the bees have worked it? 41:00

 

6) Should I buy in a queen if I have only a fist sized colony of bees with drone brood hatching? 45:20

 

7) Are honey bees only instinctive? How can they survive without conscious reasoning? What about emotions like feeling satisfied, happiness, sad, or in pain? 51:05

 

8) Fred, what are you goals for 2021? More packages? New Flow-Hives? Anything? 1:02:16

 

9) I am wanting to build my own beekeeping equipment collection. what are some things beyond the basics that you recommend a new beekeeper add to their collection? 1:04:55

 

10) If you were starting from scratch, would you get packages or nucs? if you start with a package and better-comb, how long does it take the bees to start laying brood? 1:09:58

 

11) it looks like your flow-hive (in the recent winter video) is tilted back instead of forward. Is there a reason for that? 1:12:44

 

12) I am looking for different bee hives like the Layens, but the Langstroth is more common. I'm thinking of a custom Langstroth horizontal hive that has two deep frames. Do you think that would be a worthwhile adventure? I plan to crush and strain for honey collection. 1:14:45