I love the wood hive upgrade kit. It can really update and wooden box. Glad your bees are doing well! Now all you need is livestock tags to label the hives. 😊 I seen you have livestock so that should be easy. Thanks for sharing your video, I gave it a thumbs up.

Hey Darren, Good to see you here this morning! Yesterday we reached nearly 60°F but it rained most of the day. So now the snow is gone and we have layers of mud. I'm really for frozen ground again or snow, mud makes everything messy. I hate destroying pastures just to feed hay bales but I have no choice. Then I use a wood dolly to bring in firewood, now that's leaving tracks I have to clean up. At least the snow tracks were clean! 🤣 I actually haven't wore my shorts in a few years. Ticks are a serious issue up here in the summer. I could switch to shorts after morning farm chores but I'm getting to where that is too much work. lol Most of my short pants are cut off jeans. lol

I hope they had enough for the cold spell! I am sure they will be glad to see you bring more patties. 😊

I really appreciate the support! Thanks for cheering me on!!

I'm glad to be back too, and thanks for the kind words! 😊

Thanks

Thanks for the support, William! It means a lot that I have followers that care so much. 🙏

I do both single 5 framers and 5 over 5's. I don't really notice much difference in overwinter either one except one goes through more food. My success rate varies but it averages around 75%. I'm so ready for spring so I can work on making splits. We don't have too long!

Fred, I really appreciate the support! Thank you! ❤️🙏

That's an idea 😮

I'd be concerned about the cornstarch in the powder sugar it can cause issue for bees. Usually powder sugar is only used to dust bees and in that case they aren't consuming large amounts. Cornstarch can cause digestive issues. I double checked with Google before replying back to you so I know it is a concern. Be cautious my friend! I like the fondant patties cause they are easy and save me steps. Plus they have Hive Alive in them which really does keep the bees in good health.

Hey Ted, Pretty cool, huh? Bees are tough! 💪Them ladies probably just cycled out of the cluster or fondant bag looking for some fresh air. Did you notice the frost on the lower corners of the feeding shim? Warmer days are here! ☀️ Take care!!

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the super chat, much appreciated! 😊

I'm looking forward to it too! 😊

I'm glad you enjoy them!

Hey Dean, I'm trying to keep after it on the videos! 😊 Glad to hear your out checking yards and seeing the ladies fly. You have a great day, too!

Sounds like your right on track with beekeeping duties, good job!! I couldn't believe how much my bees ate during that cold spell, wow! Have fun extracting!!

Hello Ruth, I thought I better remind everyone to go check them. Never know when the next cold blast could be here.

Thanks!

I would say 5, maybe 6 years I've been using Hive Alive. I tend to lean more on the fondant than candy boards. They are super easy to work with, the bees love them, and well sugar isn't cheap.

Hey David, I wouldn't after dark unless your are well suited up. I've heard a lot of bad stories about doing it after dark. I would just do it first thing in the morning or as late in the day as you can.

I wouldn't see why not. As long as there is room they would work.

That's a good one! 🤣

Glad to hear I create a buzz! I appreciate the kind words!

Central Ohio. About 50 miles northeast of Columbus.

Its an OA strip. I made a bunch last fall and never got them all removed before it got cold here.

Ive used my own version for the last 2 years. It’s literally changed my bee world! I’ve gone from about 20 percent winter loss with another 20 percent week hives to almost zero. I run about 100 hives and have more bees than I know what to do with! I also treat with formic in late summer. I live in northern Michigan. Some of my hives chew and remove them completely others chew and put propolis around them. What’s your experience?

Thanks for sticking with me. I've been off the grid for a bit but I'm back now.

Thanks, Brian! It feels good to be back in action!

I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me! Sorry, I dropped off right after you subbed my channel. I hope to make up for that! I'm sorry to hear you struggle with the same issue, it's can be overwhelming at times. I'm trying to push past my issues and all this encouraging comments are very helpful. I hope your able to achieve your goals this year. Best of luck!!

Yeah, I seen the print file on Thingiverse. I'm curious who copied who's design? Did Hive Alive make it 1st or did the print file creator make it 1st?

Nah, I haven't made any videos for awhile. Sorry, hoping to be back on track now. I don't like putting the fondant too far from the cluster, otherwise they can have a hard time moving to food when it's cold. Best of luck with your bees!

It's nice to be back, thanks!

I'm glad to be back too! I appreciate your support.

Thanks for the support! I'm happy to be sharing my beekeeping journey again.

It's a pretty cool little gadget for sure. I did see someone already copied it and made a 3D print file. Crazy how fast stuff gets copied and posted for others. I'm excited about the 5 pounders, less checking, less worrying about being late feeding, just all good stuff. The insulation does help a lot but it's crazy expensive. Thanks for stopping in!!

I appreciate the words of encouragement. I love helping others find their path and all the positivity here in the comments is surely helping me get back on mine. It's amazing all the great people that have entered our lives all because of sharing bee videos. Thanks, for being one of them!

Hello. 1. Putting the food away from the cluster of bees would be useless when it's cold because the bees stay clustered and take turns moving from the inside of the cluster (where it's warm) to the outside (where it's cold). They will not move several inches to eat sadly if they did I wouldn't have lost hives over the years. 2. Personally, I believe the few bees that die inside the bag are old bees that just happen to be in the bag when the time comes. I've never seen more than 15, maybe 20 get stuck and half if not more are still alive. I just use scissors to slice the bag open and free them. One thing you don't want to do is remove the plastic before they eat the fondant because it will dry out very fast. Hope this is helpful!

Thanks! It feels good to be back in action. I love all of their products and the bees do seem to thrive when they have them. Could we switch the horse for a cow though, I don't do horses! 🤣😂

They have no clue! 🤣 Goods kids they are.

We aren't too far away from spring. Usually mid to late February the Maples are blooming and pollen is entering the hives. Best of luck with your bees!

@JCsBees yes sir! You too buddy! Springs coming!!!

Yeah, the idea struck me when I was on the last colony.....of course! 🤣

Have you tried the varroxsan acid strip's to kill mites . ??. Could be a winner 🥇.

I really appreciate that, your support means a lot! I'm glad the book is helpful to so many people and that you will be following it on your journey!

Awesome!! Are you noticing any differences?

@JCsBees they love this patty, they appear healthy and filling out nicely. I am trying to keep feed until mid Feb when start my brood buildup for the Apr flow start here in East Central Alabama

Yes sir! I spent a couple hours yesterday preparing for the cold. I went ahead and placed 9 round bales where I will feed them. That way, I don't need to mess with starting the tractor. I also placed 500 gallons worth of water tanks to manually fill a few times a day for the herd. With 70 head counting last years calves, they drink a lot. Not looking forward to manually filling them but it is what it is. Thanks for thinking about me during the extreme cold! You keep warm & be safe too!!

I appreciate the words of encouragement, Jim. All of the kind comments have done me wonders. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful following. Thank you!

It’s a game changer!

I have only one hive that made it this year. I am going to order up with your link. Thanks for sharing JC

Glad to see your video at 6 am Sunday morning. I hope this cold is short lived.