In my area moisture is the big winter killer. So to prepare the hives and help reduce condensation I'm adding quilt boxes (aka quilts, moisture box, moisture quilt) and tipping the hives. The quilts will help to absorb water and keep the ceiling warm. Tipping the hives will allow any condensation to run down the inner walls instead of dripping on to the bees.
Building the quilt boxes
Queen Helen mite counts
Video Link
Monday, October 6, 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014
Music Treatment Test - Bee Vlog - Sep 13, 2014
This is only a test. Had this been an actual treatment, the music you heard would have been followed by loud proclamations from beekeepers that this could never work. This is only a test.
But won't it be really cool if there is a measurable effect?
Video Link
Outtakes:
Video Link
But won't it be really cool if there is a measurable effect?
Video Link
Outtakes:
Video Link
Sunday, September 7, 2014
To Treat or Not to Treat - Bee Vlog - Sep 6, 2014
I took mite samples of the remaining hives and they all look really good, except for Queen Helen who is showing a very high mite load. In this video I point out the things I'm doing as part of my treatment-free approach to beekeeping and why I don't use treatments to control mites.
Leave a comment and tell me what classical music song I should play for the beehives that I'll be "treating" in my placebo trials.
Video Link
Leave a comment and tell me what classical music song I should play for the beehives that I'll be "treating" in my placebo trials.
Video Link
Monday, August 25, 2014
More Mite Counts - Bee Vlog - Aug 23, 2014
Dr Dewey Caron is joining me today to demonstrate how to do 2 other methods for counting mites: an alcohol wash, and a sugar roll.
Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping by Dewey M Caron & Lawrence John Connor can be purchased at Amazon.com.
Unlike the sticky boards, these other 2 methods give you a percent mite load. This is a more meaningful number, as hive population can affect mite drop counts. But a sugar roll or alcohol wash is independent from population size.
However, it is important to get the bees from inside the hive and off brood frames. Taking samples from outside bearding bees, or from bees in a honey super will not be an accurate indicator because the mites hang out in the brood nest and are more likely to be found on the nurse bees tending the brood.
You'll notice that we got 2 different results from 2 different frames within the same hive. Both frames were side-by-side in the brood nest, but the first was capped brood while the second had open brood and eggs. In the sugar roll we got 52 mites out of 304 bees (or 17%) but on the alcohol wash we got 26 out of 346 bees (or 8%). Could this be simply a difference of the brood frames, or is it due to differences in the 2 methods?
Personally, I think I prefer the sugar roll method. This doesn't kill bees, so it suits me better. It also looks much easier to do with more simple, and easy to make equipment.
Video Link
Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping by Dewey M Caron & Lawrence John Connor can be purchased at Amazon.com.
Unlike the sticky boards, these other 2 methods give you a percent mite load. This is a more meaningful number, as hive population can affect mite drop counts. But a sugar roll or alcohol wash is independent from population size.
However, it is important to get the bees from inside the hive and off brood frames. Taking samples from outside bearding bees, or from bees in a honey super will not be an accurate indicator because the mites hang out in the brood nest and are more likely to be found on the nurse bees tending the brood.
You'll notice that we got 2 different results from 2 different frames within the same hive. Both frames were side-by-side in the brood nest, but the first was capped brood while the second had open brood and eggs. In the sugar roll we got 52 mites out of 304 bees (or 17%) but on the alcohol wash we got 26 out of 346 bees (or 8%). Could this be simply a difference of the brood frames, or is it due to differences in the 2 methods?
Personally, I think I prefer the sugar roll method. This doesn't kill bees, so it suits me better. It also looks much easier to do with more simple, and easy to make equipment.
Video Link
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Varroa Mite Counts - Bee Vlog - Aug 15, 2014
Getting some mite counts on 6 of my hives: 3 survivors from last year and 3 new swarms from this year. I'll be joining other beekeepers in my local community on a "citizen science experiment/survey" to try to better understand how to help the bees in our area. It's a long term study that will take the next 6-8 months to complete, since winter survival is the final judging criteria for success.
In this video I show the first stage of getting a baseline mite reading with a sticky board. I coated the corrugated plastic boards with petroleum jelly then let them sit under the screen for 24 hours.
Mite count results:
Elizabeth: 14
Helen: 69 (50 is considered to be the treatment threshold here)
Jezebel: 21
Karma: 7
Louise: 3
Natalia: 0
Queen Helen origin video
Finding Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus
Video Link
In this video I show the first stage of getting a baseline mite reading with a sticky board. I coated the corrugated plastic boards with petroleum jelly then let them sit under the screen for 24 hours.
Mite count results:
Elizabeth: 14
Helen: 69 (50 is considered to be the treatment threshold here)
Jezebel: 21
Karma: 7
Louise: 3
Natalia: 0
Queen Helen origin video
Finding Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus
Video Link
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| Varroa Destructor |
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| Immature Varroa mite |
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| Bee compound eye |
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| Bee ocelli (simple eye) |
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Laying workers - Bee Vlog - Aug 2, 2014
When I was reviewing video footage I found a segment where we actually get to see a worker entering a cell to lay an egg.
Video Link
There are a few ways of dealing with laying workers. Due to the season it's too late to have them try to raise another queen. There just isn't enough time remaining where drones will be available to mate. So, it seems the only other option is to shake them out. Most of the bees will reintegrate into one or both of the other hives.
Video Link
Video Link
There are a few ways of dealing with laying workers. Due to the season it's too late to have them try to raise another queen. There just isn't enough time remaining where drones will be available to mate. So, it seems the only other option is to shake them out. Most of the bees will reintegrate into one or both of the other hives.
Video Link
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Small Honey Harvest - Bee Vlog - Aug 2, 2014
Queen Elizabeth swarmed during the peak of the nectar flow, so the harvest wasn't very great. I reduced the hive in preparation for winter. They were left with plenty of honey and the new queen looked like she was doing great.
Queen Elizabeth's Origin
Video Link
Queen Elizabeth's Origin
Video Link
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