Under Managed Bee Yard (Part 1)

This little bee yard was under managed for most of the season the summer. Now fall is here and it's time to get the hives ready for winter. Food store, mite treatment are the two main things in my book that need to be done now.

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Please watch: "
Caging A Queen Bee
"
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[constantgardener]

In Europe it is possible to get an organic certification for honey and I have had a certificate for three years now. MAQS is an authorised treatment in organic bee-keeping since formic acid is naturally present in bees (venom) and it leaves no trace whatsoever in the wax or the honey. I have just had a lab analysis done on wax cappings taken just one week after MAQS treatment. Nothing showed up.

[BrueggensBees]

That's why I like doing removals of feral bees. The bees have been on their own forever. Some of the colonies I come across have been in that location for years, with no man intervention. I market the bees as feral, gentle survivor bees. I can't tell you anything else about them. And frankly I don't care what race or breed they are. They're healthy and gentle. What else do you really need? Healthy bees will always make more honey than sick/weak colonies, so I see no real point in focusing on a race that is known for good honey production.

[constantgardener]

I agree with you that it is better to treat for varroa even if there are not very many of them in the hive. It gives the bees a better chance of surviving and also reduces the risk of cross infestation with other hives. We should not forget that varroa are responsible for introducing viral infections into bees.
One day we will have bred bees that need no treatment but which also have all the other qualities we expect from modern bees. Check out the work done with Buckfast, Primorsky and VSH bees.

[honeytreebeeranch]

I don't know. I would have checked them monthly if there were time. As am trying to increase my numbers I will be forced to do three more packages next Spring.

[tumblr]

Great video! Did you do an alcohol wash on the two strong colonies? I'm wondering what the varroa counts were if you did. As gentile as they were, it seems like a couple of great queens for breeding stock.

[paulschaefer]

I want to give your videos Kudos for a couple oif things. 1. that when you print writing on the screen, it's actually on there long enough to read, and 2 that you always make sure to have a mic so we can actually hear what you say. You would be surprised how many times this is not the case.

[onhawaii]

I noticed that you did not check the queen excluder for the queen sitting on it! what if she did and walked into the honey comb? and you put it that way back together? That can suck!

[guitarfend]

Its July 4th. I'm out in Cali. I have checked green drone combs and found no real sign of mites on them. Do you recommend treating regardless? How about sugar sprinkles instead of chemicals? I only have 2 hives this year. One top hive and one Lang. I really want them to get through the year. Then I'll consider myself a beekeeper.

[julieenslow]

Can someone help me please? What are MAQ's?

[kareneaton]

According to the instructions from NOD the maker of MAQS, you should not feed for the 7 days of the treatment
.

[TheItalianGarden]

don't so much agree with the mite treatment when they are already showing survivor qualities. but everything else your doing is great! My big reason for not using plastic or treatment even natural ones is i don't want any of that stuff near my bee's for one especially if i need to wear gloves to touch it. and two chemical free wax sells for alot more.

[YodaAz]

did you find bees MORE AGGRESSIVE? when you went in them...that's my experience...But I live in Arizona

[vinodbaria]

Hi I am vinod and I am commercial Indian beekeeper

[ncbeeguy]

That is a keeper. use her as a breeder quenn.

[Zerkbern]

What's a "MAQ"? Mite treatment?

[bwakel]

The way you use the MAQS are against the instructions.

[Misssssysparkles]

what would happen if u didnt put the feeder in ? - i hate it when that crunchy sound comes and i know i have squashed the bees putting a saupa on