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.


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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.


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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"


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Balance - Bee Vlog - Mar 14, 2015

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“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?


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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."


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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.


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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.


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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.


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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.


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Portable Bench - Bee Vlog - Jan 24, 2015

A few years ago, very early in the history of this vlog, I showed my portable bench made from the plans found in the Jan 2012 issue of Bee Culture magazine. I've been using the bench consistently since then, I just never really talked about it again. To make up for that, here's a video showing more about the bench designed by Katharina Davitt.


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You can download the plans here.
Additional photos are available here.

I recommend making the following dimensional changes.

Recommended dimensional changes

Viewer Q&A #1 - Bee Vlog - Jan 11, 2015

Got any questions or video suggestions? Comment below and I'll answer your questions in a future video.


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Books & websites mentioned in this video:

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beekeeping

The Practical Beekeeper
BushFarms.com

Inspecting Deadouts - Bee Vlog #122 - Jan 25, 2014

Candle Give-away - Bee Vlog - Dec 14, 2014

Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their favorite Christmas/family tradition. I had a great time reading them. I hope you did too. Now it's time to draw names to see who gets a candle...


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Candle Shrinkage Trick - Bee Vlog - Dec 9, 2014

If you're making large candles you will experience shrinkage as the wax cools. There's an easy trick to fixing it without making a mess or a blobby bottom.


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Beeswax Candles - Bee Vlog - Dec 6, 2014

Making 100% beeswax candles from the wax harvested this year.

As a thank you to all my viewers for their part in making this a very fun year and helping the channel grow I'm giving away candles to 3 lucky people. I've also got a few extra candles available for sale at a discount in my shop. See video for details.



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Inside a Bee Tree - Bee Vlog - Nov 12, 2014

How do bees cope with freezing temperatures? What advantages do trees have over our man-made hive boxes? In this video we get to take a peek inside a bee tree and see if I can mimic the conditions of a tree.

Paper by Marla Spivak showing benefits of propolis to bees.


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Vlogging in the Rain - Bee Vlog - Oct 25, 2014

I got a few questions asking why I would install rain protection for my hives. Well, it rains a lot here. We basically live in a perpetual state of wetness for about 6 months. So anything I can do to reduce water in and on the hives might help with overwintering.


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Hive Entrance Follow-up - Bee Vlog - Oct 18, 2014

I'm really liking the alternative entrances I've been adding to the beehives this year, and it looks like the bees like them as well. The 1" holes seem to give plenty of room for bees to come and go, even in heavy traffic, but remain easy to guard. I'm going to be modifying more hives next year to use this same method.

But there's still more to be learned from this design. This year it's only been used on 1st year hives that are still relatively small. I don't know what to expect on larger hives and during a major nectar flow. I'm interested to see if holes in every box have an effect on how the bees organize the interior of the hive. So those are some of the observations to be made next year.


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If you want to re-watch or catch how this started, here's the start of the modified hive entrance experiment.