Backyard Beekeeping Q&A Episode 285 Blizzard is over, snow is still falling

[@Adam.Holmes.]

1) What happened to the self-extinguishing smoker from the Conference? 4:40 2) If wild bees carry the varroa destructor mite, why doesn't it wipe them out if we are not there to treat them? 7:20 3) Any advice on an observation hive inside your home? I read that a lack of moisture can be an issue. 34:51 4) Will the bees take dried out fondant? What keeps it from freezing? 43:55 5) How can you accurately weigh a bee hive? 48:16

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

Thanks Adam, you are the man!

[@nancyoffenhiser4916]

Thank You Fred! Glad I am in Iowa right now, but it has been very cold. You got our high winds from the other day. Happy Holidays to all watching and Merry Christmas!

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks so much, and you too! Merry Christmas!

[@yasminnilima2366]

Thank you for beeing you! Love to lissen to you! I can applicate much of what you say to my beekeeping here in Sweden.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! :)

[@marobroski2286]

Dziękujemy.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much :) You're always very generous.

[@RobFisher-ij9pr]

Hello from South Australia. On Friday 6th Dec we struggled through 43C and the bees are also struggling. We had a VERY dry spring and here we are, the first week of our summer and already in a dearth as most of our native trees haven’t flowered. It will be feed,feed, feed for the foreseeable future. VDM haven’t reached us here as yet but they’re on the way thanks to the spring almond pollination. Keep warm.

[@FrederickDunn]

What a great beekeeping environment it is not to contend with Varroa, but then as you've described, nature can also impact apiary success. I'm glad you've decided to feed your bees and keep them ready for those flowers when they do finally arrive. Thanks for sharing.

[@wpankey57]

Thanks Fred. Good stuff as always

[@FrederickDunn]

You're very welcome, thanks for taking a moment to comment :)

[@russellaymond312]

Thank you Fred. Always enjoy the videos

[@FrederickDunn]

You're very welcome, and thank you for taking a moment of your time to leave a comment :)

[@kennith.]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Glad the blizzard is over. Stay safe.

[@FrederickDunn]

You are always welcome, Kennith :) the Big Melt-off is coming in a couple of days... we'll see how that goes :)

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

If we had x2.8 Inches of Snow here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 everything would Stop ! Wow x28 Inches of accumulated Snow in PA is something ! Amazing captured Footage at beginning of this Weekends Q&A ! OK these Q&A were released on Fri, but here: we are Experiencing another Awful Full On Storm ! 🌨💨🌨💨🌨 Storm Darragh is really battering us all today and thru the night. Its Wild out there. 🥴 Hope the well Strapped down Hives stay upright. Have heard things 'blowing and banging out there.' Guess our Location got off lightly. Down South and West, the UK other Country called 'Wales' has had Power Failures and lots of Tree Damage. And Cars (Autos) really Mashed by the associated falling Lumber. Or Tidal Surge, Mud Slips etc Yikes ! At least the Snow looks pretty over that of Mass Flooding and all that Mud (and gross after stuff) that will be the next Mop Up effect, having just Flooded in another Storm only x3 Weeks ago ! Global Weather has gone Ape recently. . . Saw another Comment (here earlier) stated South Australia (Sunmer there) had hit a "Shade Temp of 43C" Thats a Sorching 109 F 🥵 When I was visting there you could add another 10 to 15C more to Full Sun. Weather on OZ Telly 📺 did 'Shade Temp' Recordings. Hot enough to melt Roads & Highways. . . Think Fred could cool them down with some Sent 'Snow' and I could offer up all this "Cold/ Wet /Wind" courtesy of Darragh ! 🤭

[@Steele_Wings]

I enjoy seeing the snow. Somewhere else!!!!😂😂😂

[@robinmartin4464]

Glad you are staying warm. Please beware of the shrews!

[@FrederickDunn]

Oh trust me... == I'm award and use shoe-standoffs to keep my feet out of munching range! (';')( ';')....

[@aaronparis4714]

I keep bees for the love of bees I don’t care if I ever get any honey I just like bees I don’t know what I would do with my summers if I never had bees 😅❤

[@kushytooshybees]

You're not alone. I hardy use the honey. I do like collecting and eating fresh pollen though.

[@rodkirt9273]

I can relate and appreciate your intentions ; “ many of us “ recognize the importance of the values of what honeybees provide for the ecosystem : most people are oblivious , ignorant , uninformed and take for granted how much the “ simple honeybee “ means for their lives . I have been involved for the last 8 years ( without any success after spending thousands of dollars ) with no success . However I , this year , have invested another $3,000.00 in honeybee equipment and; going into this winter , seemingly , might finally have gained enough experience that this coming spring , I might have obtained successfully obtained the possibility that I could finally be able to propagate a successful yard of honeybee colonies . ?

[@aaronparis4714]

@@kushytooshybees lol right I use it a bit and give more away to fam then anything I can always make sure to leave them lots lol never need to feed my bees that’s really the only thing I don’t like about beekeeping is pulling honey lol I think it’s a pain in the ass I don’t even like to be sticky 😂

[@aaronparis4714]

@@rodkirt9273 hey my friends I’m sorry to hear this if you ever need help with something reach out I’ll be glade to help you you should not bee losing bees like that we’re are you located I’m in Canada

[@keithcarey6016]

I'm just getting started, but the bees in my little suburban backyard are for the garden, not the honey. I'm going with a Layens hive along with a swarm trap. Support the locals!

[@johngardner1898]

Thank you for reading my question Fred! $239/hive is too expensive for me. My goals - I want accurate (not anecdotal "tipping") data going into fall about how much honey each colony has as the flow ends, after syrup feeding ends, and as winter progresses. I challenge myself to lose NO hives over winter either to mites or to starvation. Plus, I want to correlate fall/winter temperatures to weight loss, over time, for my area. I think it's time for me to develop my own weighing system.

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi John, if you do come up with a good hive-weight measuring system, please let me know how that goes and what you learn. The current systems are highly variable. Penn State Students and researchers weren't very happy with their units overall. Definitely room for improvement there.

[@bigbrickwall]

I think this would be obvious but the weight tells you when the major nectar flows are. If you know when the exact dayes are you can correlate the nectar flow with what is blooming and add and subtract frames in such a way that you can isolate honey from different plant sources. It has different flavors.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@highlandhoneybee]

Sadly no snow to help insulate here in Mid-MO, just cold (woke up to 10°F on Friday), and bitter wind.

[@nigelmoore9657]

Thank you for answering my mite question! Nigel Moore.

[@FrederickDunn]

You're very welcome, Nigel :) I think many others would also be interested in that topic.

[@tedANDfredAPIARY]

Jelly, send some of that snow over to NEPA

[@BrianCooper901]

I really like our Broodminder sensors. I have the one that just weighs half the hive and doubles it, but the new ones weigh all 4 corners. If you want more precise measurements with the one that weights one side you can put the scale along the side instead of the front or back (if the cantilevering is a concern, the scales are square not a triangle, in some of their images they block the front up with a triangle piece metal). It's cool to see the weight fluctuate as the bees leave and also as the bees dry the honey down at night. I do like the swarm alert because it sends me a text and usually gives me time to get to them and find them in a bivouac nearby so I can capture them before they fly away to a new location. We live in the city so this is helpful in keeping our neighbors happy. When there is a flow on you can judge by the overall hive weight if they may need another box. There are times when they gain about 10lbs a day here and even if they don't have time to cap it they can run out of room so if I can put supers with drawn comb on then I can help them capture the flow. Most of our hives gain weight at a similar rate and if they don't the hive that's not bringing it in at the higher rate may have some other underlying issues that need more attention. I know how much weight it takes for our hives to get through our winters so I don't have to spend money on "emergency" feeding supplements if their weight is already where it needs to be. I get a daily email telling me their weight change and can also quickly monitor it on the website to see if any feeding may be required (which if it happens is in late winter mid-February to March in our location.) It is nice to know just by the temperature sensor if the bees are alive even if you can't inspect them. When I first start buying them they were much cheaper but the improvements they continue to make on the software side I feel is worth the investment. I usually try to buy them during a black friday sale through betterbee or directly from broodminder. I share all of our info on Beecounted dot org so anyone can see it at anytime (We are the hives with scales in West TN.) I share it with our club too so they can see when the flow is happening in our area. It is not a substitute for inspections but I find it helpful. I could see in a commercial setup where one scale could be in an out apiary location with a hub to help the beekeeper know when the flow is happening and when to get more supers on the hives to help them stay ahead of the flow. Thanks as always for your videos Fred, I appreciate it.

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Brian, thanks for sharing and providing all of those details. I appreciate that you mentioned the four-corner version, I wasn't a fan of getting an accurate weight from one side as they load inside a hive is dynamic. Happy Holidays!

[@kushytooshybees]

I sometimes do some light work on my hives in their winter cellar. I've been thinking about the smokeless smoker for safety reasons, but the price point is just way too high. I would much rather have a real smoker for summer work, so I just can't justify the high cost.

[@FrederickDunn]

Cost is a factor in many of our equipment decisions. If what you have is working out well for you then no need for change :)

[@rodkirt9273]

It seems as tough the more productive an environment might be , the more productive are present for the “ nemesis “ to propagate that can overwhelm their colonies . ? 🤷‍♂️

[@Peter-od7op]

Wow what weather my word

[@aaronparis4714]

Come to Canada 😅

[@brianbennett4374]

Can you talk more about the state of Pennsylvania and the reimbursement program. Where do I look that up. Thanks Fred I appreciate all your videos 😊.

[@FrederickDunn]

It's through the Dept. of Agriculture - Pennsylvania, has its own programs or initiatives to support beekeepers and provide assistance in case of losses. It is important to note that eligibility for these programs varies based on specific criteria, such as the type of loss, the location of the beekeeping operation, and documentation requirements. Beekeepers in Pennsylvania should contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office or the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for more information on available programs and how to apply. Additionally, beekeepers can take steps to mitigate losses by practicing good beekeeping practices, such as disease prevention, pest management, and proper hive maintenance.

[@Huntnlady7]

Hive tipping- is that as big a sport as cow tipping?

[@FrederickDunn]

Teens who engage in Hive Tipping at Night find that the entertainment value goes away faster than they can run.... (';')( ';')....

[@mattmitchell9912]

Lol it's more exciting!

[@djberesford]

For the scale question, I have a half and double it scale from broodminder and take the absolute weight values with a pinch of salt, what is useful is the relative changes. I have one in my home apiary, and it acts as an indicator for the whole apiary for things like nectar flow in spring/autumn/summer, and for resource use over winter. Individually on the hive you can see how many swarms left, and an idea of their relative size (interesting… but not super useful), that tallied with the internal sensors is helpful. We have had primary swarms leave and come back during the work day, and can see it in the app and do a split. Also useful to correlate laying starting in winter and resource use, so you can top up feed if required (low temps outside here are usually above 5 degrees C.). I’ve found their app to be good enough to not need to extract data and graph it. It is definitely too expensive to go for one per hive, but gives a much fuller picture of what is happening in a hive with one.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much for sharing, all great information.

[@MickeyCarvalho]

have a good day and stay safe winter is still coming here in VT

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much :)

[@Huntnlady7]

Yes, the weather speculators are always right; and I have a bridge to sell you

[@FrederickDunn]

:) I like bridges :)

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

Mug up from central NH. You certainly are getting some winter...it will be not much but wind and cold will be left when that weather makes it to here... as much as I like innovation, in my case, where fire danger is most often low, I like to keep it simple and not use more batteries or plastic wherever possible. Well, I have been as treatment free as I thought possible... this fall (I'm in my 5th season) and this fall I had a vetting experience... did not monitor enough...my fault, I lost 9 out of 16 colonies, mostly in one crowded apiary. Fortunately, I have bees spread around in 5 locations and I believe I can recover in the spring...monitor, monitor, monitor.

[@FrederickDunn]

I'm not at all pushing the electric self-extinguishing smoker, but I do present equipment and technology so that people like you will have some knowledge of it :) Most treatment free beekeepers are able to recover their losses with swarm captures, and splitting from those colonies that do make it. I think it's very important to monitor the colonies so you know where they are headed. Just keep learning :)

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

@FrederickDunn Indeed, Fred I value your channel for exactly what you do. You investigate new and different things that most certainly work for different people in their own situations. My comments are from my point of view and don't necessarily apply to other folks. Thanks for all you do, knowledge is power.

[@FrederickDunn]

@@lambbrookfarm4528 Absolutely :) could not agree more :)

[@candlelightbeesgardening]

Hi Fred, I wanted to ask you how much is chemicals in food, and crops playing a factor in winter survival deaths of colonies? Specifically, with regard to ... is the chemicals, chemical sprays interfering with vitellogenin / Bee fat forming and preventing the bee fat to be up to snuff enough for overwintering?

[@FrederickDunn]

That's a largely regional issue. The big study last year was focused on neonic systemic pesticides. Pollen and plant samples were sent to the study coordinator and here where I live, very low evidence. In Vermont, the results were much more concerning with much higher levels. We get stuck with having to determine the source of a specific pesticide that's in use and registered with the Dept. of Ag. Here's an abstract for you to read a little more: setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.4383

[@fredshoney6458]

I have used broodminder temp sensors for a few years now. They primarily let me know how hives are doing in the winter. You can learn to some extent how strong or weak colonies going into winter fare in the spring, helping me to get better at analyzing colonies to better prepare them in the fall. It falls under the premise of the more you observe, the more you learn. So, there is no single direct benefit. There are some foibles like when the bees avoid the sensor all winter so you think the colony is weak, only to find you have a strong colony that loves one or two corners or a side of the hive. They definitely tell you that you are going to end up with a deadout. This only helps in planning your spring buildup. Do I need to buy bees, or will I there be enough colonies to split or raise queens. I could not see the advantage of knowing the weight since lifting one side of a hive in the fall will quickly tell you which colonies need attention. Knowing a colony has swarmed would not help me , and i would rather invest in swarm traps placed.100-200 yards away. Knock on wood, but I have never had a colony swarm. I find that if you are doing regular inspections in the spring, you can catch the colonies that are about to swarm and deal with it. Broodminder sensors are like observation hives. They make us feel better.

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Fred, you've definitely got your bees dialed in. I can't make the claim that I've never had a colony swarm, I think you may have a record there! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on tech and how useful it may be to you. Ross Conrad wrote an article regarding tech/electronics and the nagative impact on bees in the hive. I look forward to talking more with him about that when he comes to Pennsylvania.

[@fredshoney6458]

@@FrederickDunn I also meant to add that like observation hives they can be used as a teaching tool as well as for research. I always questioned why Formic Pro pads could kill queens when the outside temperature is high, even though the bees keep the hive and brood at 94-96 Deg F. What I discovered, for myself, after this had been pointed out by other Broodminder users, was that the bees try and vent the formic acid fumes, and in doing so raise the temperature to the ambient outside air temperature which could exceed the specs of the treatment.

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

​@@FrederickDunn Hi Fred. . . Just checking in after Storm Darragh has battered Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 with x24hrs of Awful High Winds & non Stop Rain ! Boy it has been Super Wild out there. (Hope all the Weight added to tops of Hives. And the Coop-ed in Chickens & Ducks are Safe (!) 🙄 Won't know until Sun when Storm blows itself out... 🌬 Anyhow : This last Summer of '24 I had "Zero" Swarms off my own Hives. 👍 But I did make x10 Artificial Swarms aka "Splits" ! All doing Great. Yet weirdly I had an "Incoming" Swarm (from Countryside outside, of my Location on 1st Sept ! 😮) Turned out a Wonderful Elder Beek "Passed" that Day. Must of been him telling me he was happy that I had purchased his Bee Equipment in a 'Bee Sale'. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2024 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Ps. My Folks live in K W. And the local Cemetery has a very old Grave Stone Circa 1830's saying 'I knew I was Sick.' Makes the Tourist 'stop in their Tracks' as they take "Photos" !

[@anitasetter7641]

I thought it was said that Ricky was not going to be at the expo🤔

[@FrederickDunn]

What?! That is terrible news! I always look forward to visiting with he and Ruth! Thanks for letting me know.

[@vytbbb7146]

Just a minor, but would be nice to hear wind speed instead of km/h to m/s 😊

[@sonofthunder.]

Im working on my truck,fluid changes,and other stuff,I did have some desdouts, but ill bounce back.... learning still

[@FrederickDunn]

I envy people who have their own vehicle lifts in their pole-barns that are heated by used motor oil furnaces :) I'm glad you're still learning, we all are :)

[@sonofthunder.]

@FrederickDunn oh im still dreaming of that,ive seen others do it,wish I had a hoist, woodstove,I used to have a 40' highcube connex,considering doing that again,maybe even a 20 ft,

[@peteGbee]

Treatment free can be successfully done but your right it's not easy and it's not what people think. Only way I am successful and again the word success is very different for me, is by having a rigorous breeding program. Grafting from survivors , numerous mating nucs, constantly getting rid of genetics that show signs of southern commercial bees. It's a struggle, and especially, like again your 100% right is fighting my mating yards against drones from the 10s of thousands of packages coming into my state. I try to give out queens and bees around my yards but people don't understand and would rather take package bees as that's what they are told in class by a commercial beekeepers who brings up trailers full of packages every year. If we all had breeding programs (doesn't need to be big or complicated) i think we could be over the varroa issue. This is a complicated topic and most people may not understand it's a total mindset shift. Success is different in TF. Survival numbers is a flawed stat as colony death is sometimes what I would try for with bad genetics. And again like you said I keep smaller than normal colony size , and don't rely on honey production (though i always get plenty and too much ) as I produce bees. This is such a complicated and very misunderstood topic for what someone like me does and many others like me. But it does work and sustainable, I have way too many bees every year and end up giving some away, if i had more survival than I do, I'd be overflowing every year more than I am. Any way, Thank your for bringing awareness to the massive issue we all have with commercial packages and nucs coming in and battling mating. it's a HUGE issue here.

[@FrederickDunn]

There is a big divide there. You're right, treatment free can be done and is being done on various levels. There is a fantastic documentary titled More Than Honey. Our agricultural practices demonstrate that our mindsent as a nation isn't geared toward tomorrow's generations. Thanks for sharing what you're doing and the successes you've had as well as the frustrating challenges you face.

[@aaronparis4714]

And we don’t want losing them from chemicals I heard more people taking there bee for pollination and they come back not in good shape I also have mutts 😅

[@FrederickDunn]

Trucking them around and pollinating mono-culture zones can be a huge challenge to the pollinator bees. Requires lots of additional nutrition and management to keep them going.

[@aaronparis4714]

@ feel bad for them bees I feel bad for guys that use bees for income there true focus is profit that’s what I see

[@lester3836]

This video says closed caption is not available.

[@FrederickDunn]

Sorry about the delay, it always takes a little while to show up :)

[@KodavistaKommuneApiaries]

Hi Fred, I recently proposed a project for an observation hive for one of the therapy rooms at the Hospital I work at in Rochester,NY. The project was approved this Friday. I even used some of your videos of your observation hives in my presentation. Do you have plans for the one you built or know of somewhere to get one that is similar. You mentioned that Ricky at horizontal hives built yours. I like the fact that yours has 3 frames deep. I want one that is mounted to the wall and can swing 180 degrees. The grant from the auxiliary has also allowed me to get 2 support hives on the property to keep it sustainable if something happens to the observation hive. Along with involving some residents we are planning on using yo The hive also needs to be able to be removed to work on outside as well. I will be the one managing the hives and teaching classes to our long term residents. They approved me for 5K to get the project started. Any suggestions would help. Thank you and as always love the show and we watch every single episode each week. Thank you, Matt

[@FrederickDunn]

What a great project. I suggest looking into the Bonterra Bees hives that rotate on a base. Sounds like what you are describing, and you can shim it out on one side to accomodate that third frame for each level. It's a very good design and ideal for inside installations. I like that you're planning ahead for resource hives that can keep your observation hive going in case you lose a queen etc... Thanks for sharing.

[@gigihenderson8567]

So for my uneducated California brain, what makes it a blizzard, vs “just a snow storm”?

[@FrederickDunn]

The combination of high winds and low temperatures... this is the national weather service definition: " Large amounts of snow or blowing snow Winds exceeding 35 mph Visibility of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period (at least 3 hours) Blizzards can be extremely dangerous, making travel hazardous and causing power outages. It's crucial to stay informed about weather conditions and take necessary precautions during a blizzard."

[@maureenjais-mick8114]

Betterbee video on testing the packable bee jacket is fun to watch. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pl6qk2x6qclleJY

[@FrederickDunn]

I had a lot of fun demonstrating them at a beekeeper breakfast last month. They are very handy. Thanks for sharing :)

[@aaronparis4714]

VHS dont pass the genetics to there sisters queens i was told ?

[@FrederickDunn]

VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygiene) traits are passed on through the queen bee. Here's how it works: Genetic Inheritance: VSH is a complex trait controlled by multiple genes. These genes are inherited from the queen bee, who passes them on to her offspring. Worker Bees: Worker bees, being female, inherit a combination of genes from the queen, including those related to VSH. However, they don't reproduce, so they don't directly pass on these traits. Drone Bees: Drone bees, being male, only inherit genes from the queen. They can carry VSH genes, but they don't directly contribute to the next generation of worker bees. Breeding for VSH: Beekeepers can select queens from colonies that exhibit strong VSH behaviors. By breeding these queens, they can increase the frequency of VSH genes in the next generation of bees. Key Points: VSH is a heritable trait passed on through the queen bee. It's a complex trait influenced by multiple genes. Beekeepers can select for VSH by breeding queens from colonies with strong hygienic behaviors.

[@aaronparis4714]

@ so when I read it it sounds to me it’s passed down to the workers but not the new queens that are developed ?