Harvesting Honey Part 2 - Bee Vlog - Sep 5, 2016

Now in Part 2 I show how I extract the honey from the combs with inexpensive (less than $40 USD) equipment. In Part 1 I showed how to remove honey supers from a hive easily and without disturbing the bees.


Video Link

For more information about the expense of wax production.

Harvesting Honey Part 1 - Bee Vlog - Aug 29, 2016

In Part 1 I show how to remove honey supers from a hive easily and without disturbing the bees. Come back for Part 2 where I extract the honey from the combs with inexpensive (less than $40 USD) equipment.


Video Link

Wasp Nest In My Trap - Bee Vlog - May 18, 2016

I was refreshing the bait in one of my swarm traps and found a wasp nest. After some slo-mo inspection of the video footage (and discussion with others in the YouTube comments), it look like this was a yellowjacket nest.


Video Link

Supers, Splits, & Starvation - Bee Vlog - May 9, 2016

So much going on in this video! I got to meet Michael Bush! I give a quick rundown on my winter successes and failures. The plan today was to just run to all my out-yards and add supers, but found queen cells in one and split them to make 2 new resource hives (more on what a resource hive is in a future video). I also go through a dead-out to see what done them in.


Video Link

How To Install A Nuc - Bee Vlog - Apr 25, 2016

Installing nucs at Zenger Farm. Also, taking a look at the monitoring system donated by Bee-Certain.com. (This donation was a gift to the Portland Urban Beekeepers club for use at their club apiary at Zenger Farm.)


Video Link

Flow Hive - Up Close - Apr 18, 2016

I finally got my hands on a Flow hive. In this video I cover the concerns I think are most important to address.


Video Link

Overwintered Nuc - March 2016

I had 2 nucs going into winter, trying out a new way to insulate and protect the hive. It seemed to work okay. One hive died. I think it was due to a problem with the queen, so insulation wouldn't have helped there. The other hive did great and came out really strong. However, the insulation provided a nice space for ants to create a little nest of their own under the top. Ants everywhere! Even with Tanglefoot on the posts. Apparently Tanglefoot requires re-application from time to time.

Ready for a bigger hive

Nuc Winter Insulation

Winter is coming (it had to be said), and I'm trying a little test on overwintering a couple 5-frame nucs. I don't normally insulate my hives because I don't think it's necessary in my area. Bees can maintain their heat within a cluster just fine. However, things might be different in these small nucs. The cluster is much closer to the walls of the hive. My hypothesis is that the cluster loses more heat due to the proximity to the cold walls in a nuc than they would in a 10-frame hive. (Think: standing against an uninsulated window on a cold day vs standing a few feet away.) So the test here is to decrease heat loss through the side walls (the ones they are most likely in contact with) and see how it improves things.

The features here are, double-thick foam insulation on the roof (like last year). 1-inch thick foam insulation on the sides. A corrugated plastic rain roof with a drip edge on the front. The hive is tilted forward to promote water runoff on the inside ceiling, so it doesn't drip on the bees. Ventilation holes in the bottom and top box. Everything is taped together with white duct tape (not very pretty, but that's not the point).

Of course there are many factors that go into hive winter survival, so if these 2 hives die it may be hard to know if the insulation helped or not. But I'll let you know how things turn out next spring.

Honey Extraction - Bee Vlog - Aug 20, 2015

One of the criticisms and downsides of not using foundation is the difficulty in extracting the honey without destroying the comb. I decided to see how well my comb holds up in a radial extractor. Will it explode?

I was also interviewed on the Kiwimana Buzz show. I had a great time talking about beekeeping in Portland and how I create my videos. You can listen to the show here.

More on crush & strain harvesting.

The t-shirt: "We are all batpeople"


Video Link

Disneyland Edition - Bee Vlog - July 25, 2015

We went to VidCon in Anaheim, CA and had a fun time. We also visited Disneyland, because I'm a Disney Freak, and I tried to find as many bee references as I could.


Video Link

The YouTube creators shown in this video:
Michael Aranda - SciShow
Chris & Jessica Ballinger
Felicia Day -  Geek & Sundry
Matt, Leila, Coco & Shephard - Convos With My 2-Year-Old
Michael Stevens - VSauce
Kevin Lieber - VSauce2
Jake Roper - VSauce3

All of the YouTube creators were really great, and it was a pleasure to meet them.

Washboarding - Bee Vlog - July 18, 2015

This is a very fascinating behavior called "washboarding." Nobody really knows why bees do it. I've mostly seen it during warmer seasons. Are they cleaning? Cooling off? Marking the hive? Or just bored? All we can do is guess.


Video Link

Honey Bee Dissection - Bee Vlog - Apr 4, 2015

As part of the Journey program offered by the Oregon State University Master Beekeeping course, I got to spend some time with their instructors dissecting bees under a microscope. This was an excellent opportunity to see, first hand, some of the organs and anatomy of the honey bee.


Video Link

Honey Bee	Head	Front Leg
Back Leg	Wings	Mouth Parts
Hypopharyngeal Gland	Drone Penis	Stinger
Spermatheca

Balance - Bee Vlog - Mar 14, 2015

Video Link

“The major work of the world is not done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people, with balance in their lives, who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner.” 
~Gordon B. Hinckley

“Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.” 
~Epicurus

“Even nectar is poison if taken to excess.” 
~Hindu Proverb

“My God, give me neither poverty nor riches; but whatsoever it may be Thy will to give, give me with it a heart which knows humbly to acquiesce in what is Thy will.” 
~Gotthold

Hive Placement - Bee Vlog - Mar 7, 2015

Where are you going to put your hives? Do you need sunlight or shade? What about access? Water?


Video Link

Foundationless Frames - Bee Vlog - Feb 28, 2015

In this video I show 2 methods I use to create a comb guide to help the bees build straight comb. I also give the reasons I choose not to use foundation and show what is meant by "bee space."


Video Link

Checking on winter survivors - Bee Vlog - Feb 14, 2015

Is spring here already? Not quite, but the bees are doing great and bringing in lots of pollen. I had a good winter, with a 64% survivor rate. In this video I take a look at the survivors and deadouts and report on the results.


Video Link

Honey On Tap? - Bee Vlog Review

Have you been seeing this advertisement for the Flow Hive all over the internet like I have? I'll give you my thoughts on the product in this video.

Check it out for yourself:
http://www.honeyflow.com/

Here's the patent.


Video Link

What type of bees? - Q&A #2 - Bee Vlog - Feb 16, 2015

Beginner beekeepers can often feel overwhelmed with choices when it comes to buying bees. In this Q&A I attempt to answer the question about the differences between the variety of bees on the market in the US and which ones a beginner should buy.


Video Link

Related video: Winterizing Beehives with quilt boxes.
I also suggest watching Deborah Delaney's presentation. More information about the different bee races and hybrids can be found at Michael Bush's website.

Bee Thinking - Top Bar & Warre Hives

I visited my friends at Bee Thinking in SE Portland to show you their show room and introduce you to their top bar and Warre hives. Quality craftsmanship and materials make their hives a top product.

Visit them at BeeThinking.com.


Video Link

Visiting Ruhl Bee Supply

I needed to pick up some beekeeping supplies at Ruhl Bee. While I was there I shot a short video tour. You can visit them in Gladstone, Oregon, or online.

In this video I also do a short introduction to a "long hive" and show how robbing screens are used.


Video Link