Beekeeping For Beginners - My Best Chemical-free Strategy Against Varroa Mites (PART 1)

[@captainwinky]

I like watching you and your father's videos about be keeping. He's a very wise man and knows a lot about bee keeping. I also enjoy watching you two communicate in his native language which is Russian of course nd shows how close you two are. Keep up the good work with your video's. I look forward to the next one. Happy beekeeping.

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you. We appreciate your feedback. :)

[@mark-wn5ek]

Ana, thank you and dad for this treat today. As usual, just the best. I like his apiary....much larger than I thought...very neat. Ha! The switch to Russian when the bee got hateful....just wish I understood it! Beautiful daughter, great dad. Thank you for sharing and God bless.

[@AnnaKra]

You’re very welcome! Thank you for watching! My dad has two places where he keeps bees. This is one of them.

[@brianstierwalt347]

I dont know why but I love this guy

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks for watching!

[@villainousssb533]

Interesting video Anna. So the idea is to remove all frames loaded with mites and bugs from use and replace with clean wax. This keeps mite load down. You mentioned you pop the old contaminated frames with brood in another hive with an excluder. Once full hatch could you cut out the contaminated wax leaving the honey there. Then let the bees rebuild clean wax.

[@AnnaKra]

You could, but we don't do that. It can still contain bacteria. Great question. Thank you for watching and commenting. :)

[@weavinghedonist]

Just came across your channel recently and love it!!i particularly love this video. However i am unclear where he put the brood frames. Did he moved them to another colony or does he just add to same colony as a second deep?? Thank you.

[@AnnaKra]

@@weavinghedonist Nice! Thank you for watching! We explain more about where the brood frames go and why in part 2. Here is a link to Part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXLJZWRvbNFoaac

[@subjob]

WOW, what a great class. He is a smart man.

[@donbearden1953]

Hello Anna, happy that you and Pavel are able to make a new video. Please ask your dad what he thinks about just freezing the frames for 24 hours and then reusing them. This would kill any mites in the comb. That way the Queen could keep laying to have a stronger hive for the winter. By caging the Queen for 10 to 14 days that’s a lot of new bees that the hives won’t have and the old foragers are continuing to die while the Queen is caged. In my opinion, caging the Queen could weaken the hive by 10k bees or more.

[@AnnaKra]

We do not freeze our frames. The problem with that method the bacteria can still survive and can create a welcoming environment for more pathogens. We don't take that risk. I wonder if it works for varroa mites tho. Let me know if there is information out there that proves freezing frames actually kills varroa mites and the residue left behind doesn't welcome them back. That would be interesting to know. Thank you for watching and your suggestion.

[@donbearden1953]

Anna, Google it. There’s plenty of info to back it up.

[@AnnaKra]

@@donbearden1953Yes, I also googled the bacteria part, and the bacteria still survives the freezing temps.

[@donbearden1953]

It will kill the mites! If the bacteria is that bad I would burn the hive.

[@donbearden1953]

@Anna Kra once y’all take the old frame out of the hive, do you remove the old comb and add a new foundation to the frame and recycle for bees to build new comb? If you recycle the old frames, what are you doing to kill the bacteria on the old frames before installing a new foundation?

[@davidestoppey23]

As usual, I find listening to you and Pavel, both informative and quite frankly, a little humorous too. As a beginner in the field I look forward to all the information I can get, in this case 30 plus years of knowledge is a bonus. My only drawback is that I am in Victoria Australia and have to mentally do a quick count back (or forward) when Pavel mentions a month by name, such as February instead of using the term Late, early or mid Spring. Learning, learning, learning. Thank you and God Bless you all.

[@AnnaKra]

You're very welcome! We are happy to help. We will try to be more clear in future videos. Thank you for your feedback we appreciate that!

[@jacadaxray]

Anna, I very much enjoy you and your father's videos. I am a 70 year old man and I can relate to your father's knowledge by experience example. I have watched your videos so much that I don't have trouble anymore understanding him. LOL I wished we lived closer so he and I could chat. Of course a good translator close by would help :)

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you! We are happy to hear that.

[@timb4002]

Anna, I love these videos with Pavel! I look forward to seeing videos when Pavel prepares those hives for winter!

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you Tim. We are happy to hear that! We were just talking about making a video like that.

[@jimallen1176]

Anna, I like these videos with you and Pavel. Keep them coming. Pavel is very knowledgeable about the bees & you're a good assistant & pretty. You can take a 4" paint roller & crockpot to melt the wax & roll the hot wax on the plastic foundation. The bees will pull perfect comb in a day or two.

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!

[@rogerbarnes7093]

I always enjoy your videos. He is a wise beekeeper and I appreciate his imparting that wisdom to others. And being a Texas boy I love the hat. He really rocks it.

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you! :) We appreciate your feedback. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@pnwrendezvous3751]

I love your ideas. They make total sense for Varroa control. Thank you both so much. I will forward your video.

[@AnnaKra]

You’re welcome! Part 2 will be published soon. Thank you for watching and leaving your feedback.

[@tlberg1]

can you tell me what they use for the varroa mites due to I can't understand him

[@AnnaKra]

@@tlberg1 We did not use any chemical treatment or any other natural oils here. but you can if you like. We temporarily restricted brood to reduce mites, due to 95% of varroa mites live in brood. This helps slow down the reproduction of varroa mites, with an added benefit of building new combs, the only reason they are building comb in this time of the year because we are feeding them with sugar syrup. New combs help get rid of microbes and help prevent other diseases. Also, please watch part 2 and read all the questions and answers in the comment section to understand him better. Thanks for stopping by.

[@rangersmitti4386]

RUN ANNA RUN!!! LOL Again, thank you so much with sharing your father's experience in beekeeping!

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you for watching! We are happy to hear that.

[@blurtmenow]

Would like to see your dad set up the strips on plastic foundation to see how its done.. Would also like to see his setup for extraction . Thanks i enjoy your/his videos and leech from his years of trial and error.

[@AnnaKra]

The strips are very easy to set up, we do not use any glue or anything, we cut them up about two fingers wide and press them into the plastic with fingers. My dad said doing horizontal strips versus vertical is better. It's up to you how many strips you want to experiment with. There are no hard rules. Thank you for your suggestions, we will try to include that info in future videos. Thank you for watching and commenting. I hope this helps.

[@kproautojameskirkham591]

I agree with Timothy A little hard to under stand at times but realy like what your Father has to say.

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks for watching and the suggestion. We are doing our best with the time we have.

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you for watching everyone! Explained in more detail in part 2. WATCH PART 2 HERE: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXLJZWRvbNFoaac - Subtitles coming soon in the future.

[@youknowwho5709]

👌🏼

[@AnnaKra]

@@youknowwho5709 +++

[@chuckroast7053]

Anna, your dad is doing just fine with his explanation. I could listen to him all day!

[@AnnaKra]

@@chuckroast7053 Thanks! He is trying lol. Thank you for watching!

[@balee2887]

Nice.. I like the idea. Have to try this. Treatment free is the way.

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you for watching! :) Part 2 is coming soon with more details.

[@djguta24]

I still looking for my queen ,good tip thanks grandpa. 💐💐💐💐

[@lindaquimby5469]

Another great video Anna and Pavel! Thank you

[@AnnaKra]

You’re very welcome! :) Thank you for watching!

[@docash2107]

Very interesting video. I can't understand half of what Pavel is saying. Where is his apiary located? If I start swapping out brood frames this time of year I'll have no bees come spring. We experience the cold winters here. I like how he refers to the colonoies as "family"!

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you! We are located in SC. We are working on subtitles with full meanings. Hopefully, this will help clear up some confusion. Yes, this must be done in warm weather.

[@jimmcdougall3750]

Hi when the brood is born will the new bee's not have mites on them

[@AnnaKra]

Yes, if they are hygenic they have time to clean themselves and shake the varroa mites off. Our bees are very hygienic for the most part, so we can get away with no chemical treatments and even natural treatments. But you can also treat them naturally in this period, to reduce the remaining mites. We don't like using chemicals on bees we believe this can make them weak, less hygienic, and depended on chemicals. We made part 2 to clear some things up. I hope this helps. Thank you for watching and stopping by. We will be doing a series on varroa mites and going in more detail. Stay tuned.

[@summitapiary7867]

Very interesting, Pavel! Thank you!

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you for watching! You're very welcome!

[@Ghedi1965]

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us. My question is how long can you cage the queen? Thank you

[@AnnaKra]

You can have her caged up to a month. 15-30 days, depending on the whether. The warmer it is the longer you can keep her there. They may start a new cell tho and kill the old one. Sometimes the queen drops an egg through the cage and the bees transport it and make a new queen. I hope this helps! Thank you for watching! :)

[@Ghedi1965]

Thank you

[@johnboyle4062]

Ireland calling zone 8 if you do not cage the queen and you put on new. Wax and feed sugar syrup will they still build comb as fast

[@adrianhoughton7801]

Hi Parvel I have used your method of treating Varroa mite very successfully, Can you recommend a natural treatment for Wax moth in a hive please. Thank you for all the video's.

[@AnnaKra]

Nice! :) if you have moth wax, usually that means you have a weak hive. A strong hive doesn’t let the moths take over a hive. Many times the moths set in when the hive gets robbed, badly. The real solution is to strengthen your hive! We don’t use anything for moths, the bees take care of that, we do work on strengthening the hive as much as we can. I hope that makes sense. Thank you for watching! If you have empty hives that just sit there, and afraid the moths will take over the comb you can put the empty hives on top of other hives and a few bees will clean out the moth issue and keep it clean. That’s what we do. We don’t use any harsh chemicals for that.

[@BonsaiJCan]

Fantastic video with a lot of great formation !

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you for watching!

[@bamaoutdoorsofficial]

Great video! Glad you got away Anna.

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks! I’v been so busy, I didn’t have a chance to check your channel. But I will, soon. Thanks for watching. :)

[@kimpettit2703]

Do you ever do a mite assessment to know what % your mite levels are? What do you treat the mites with that are on the young bees in your hive after you separate them like you showed?

[@AnnaKra]

We only do a visual assessment. My dad said there is a dramatic difference. Previously my dad has used the mite medication sold in beekeeping stores. Now we are switching to more natural and effective methods. Here is some info on our natural methods. I hope this helps. Thank you for watching and commenting! kit.com/annakra/decent-beginner-beekeeping-supplies-for-dirt-cheap/1803085-treating-varroa-mite

[@kimpettit2703]

@@AnnaKraThe mites that we don’t see cause the most damage to a bee colony as you know. Treatments and beekeeping has taken big leaps and bounds in the last few years for sure. I would still love to see what your mite assessment% are though.That will tell the big story of your mite load. on the bees not just your eyes with a visual. Scientific Beekeeping by Randy Oliver has data to prove that. Thanks for your reply.

[@AnnaKra]

@@kimpettit2703 The % doesn't really matter, due to our own research, my dad came to the conclusion what matters most is how healthy and strong the bees are and if they can handle the mite load. There is tons of information out there on mites. It was documented that strong and healthy colonies can hive a high mite load but because they are healthy and hygienic they are able to fight them off and survive just fine without any chemical treatment. Also, how many hives are lost due to mites is what really matters to us. As far as scientific research on this topic, there are always two sides. More conclusive research needs to be done in our opinion. The research is very un-conclusive.

[@kimpettit2703]

@@AnnaKra Sounds like like you got a great plan, good luck and happy beekeeping.

[@СергейМуха-н1ю]

Замечательное классное видео, много всего интересного и полезного.

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you! :)

[@vaclav2062]

I am little confused, I understand the idea that you remove at this time of year all brood frames because most of mites are in that brood, but what do you do with those brood frames after that ? Melt them ?

[@AnnaKra]

We put it on top of another hive. We let the last brood come out and save the rest of the honey/syrup in those frames for winter for that family. We put the queen in a cage or a queen excluder. In springtime when they eat all the honey or syrup we throw the old frames out then. Get rid of them completely. We treat that hive for varroa mites until all old comb is switched out for new. Does that make sense? Thanks for watching.

[@foundersprogeny1546]

I've heard that mites live on brood and when you break the brood cycle they die.

[@AnnaKra]

@@foundersprogeny1546 Yes! Thank you for watching! :) That's the idea.

[@hasanshadid7009]

Anna thanks for you and your dad very nice video it's very helpful iam from Jordan

[@AnnaKra]

You're very welcome! Thank you for watching!

[@creatorediillusioni]

nice video, just a question, have the queen caged too long may now cause here some issue? stop laying or reducing pheromon, risk to get killed or creating a laying worker? thanks

[@AnnaKra]

No, it shouldn't cause any issues. You can cage her up to 30 days if you have warm weather as we do in SC. We want her to stop laying for a while, this can help reduce varroa mites dramatically. Due to 95% of varroa mites live and reproduce in the brood. In fact, my dad cages queens on purpose to reduce varroa mites. More videos are coming soon on varroa mites! I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.

[@weavinghedonist]

ANNA, where in SC arw you located? Im located in Horry County

[@AnnaKra]

@@weavinghedonist We are in Spartanburg county!

[@SunriseObomsawin]

Thank you, very useful information. Where does he get his queen cages?

[@AnnaKra]

You're very welcome! We got them from Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B07D6R4936?tag=kitco079-20

[@paulromanowski4703]

Now; I understand your father's point about moving out frames that are brood laden and hold most of the Varroa mites. But he is then saying he adds them to another hive? What does he do to the frames to discourage or defeat the mites? They are still there, live on the brood. Please ask him to explain this more, you asked him but it wasn't clear how moving them fixes the problem, rather than moving the problem to another hive. Thank you, your videos are great and your dad is awesome! Paul.

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you! We do explain it in the video. We throw them away in spring, we move them on top of another hive temporarily, with a queen excluder, preferable the hive that has old comb still, until the rest of the brood comes out and the honey is used up, this gives them a little extra honey for the winter, so that nothing goes to waste. In early spring when the comb is empty we throw it away. We don't treat the comb with anything, just throw it away and replace it with new comb. Let me know if this makes sense. Thank you for watching and commenting. :)

[@paulromanowski4703]

@@AnnaKra You're missing my question- you have brood frames with mites in the larvae. You move them directly to a new hive...... with no treatment, what happens to the mites? They are now let loose in the new hive, unless your dad missed part of it in interpretation, which is what I am guessing. Thanks!

[@AnnaKra]

@@paulromanowski4703 Yeah, if the hive looks very bad it's a good idea to treat them. We prefer natural methods, not chemicals. Until it's switched out to new comb completely. We have part 2 coming out very soon. We answer questions in more detail. I know the first video is a bit confusing for many, so we filmed part two. Hopefully not as confusing lol.

[@AnnaKra]

@@paulromanowski4703 Also, we move old frames to a hive that still has old comb. Yes, if that hive looks very bad it needs to be treated. More details, in part 2.

[@anabelaramos8399]

It is very confusing. The problems go to another hive. You are right.

[@HONEYBEEHIGHWAY]

Nice videos Anna. Thanks for sharing.👍✅

[@AnnaKra]

You're very welcome! Thank you for watching. :)

[@LikodsaPayag]

Hello madam Anna & to you sir...thankz for sharing some good tips & for educating us' happy weekends : )

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@LikodsaPayag]

@@AnnaKra you're always welcome ...my pleasure : )

[@ongjiilahoi4532]

Nice video Anna must try this. though.. By the way i have a question to ask you... I have started beekeeping a few months ago and doing foundation less and the main problem is that one frame will get stuck with each other can you give and suggestions to solve this problem And by the way can you tell when is it the time to put a super chamber is it after the brood chamber is full or.. ??

[@AnnaKra]

That is common with foundation less, for new beekeepers we recommend starting with 100% natural beeswax foundation. I’m not sure what to suggest, because I can’t actually see how it’s stuck. Will you post a link to a photo of it? Do not put the second chamber yet. Have you seen our video on expanding? Search for it on our channel, we explain it in more detail in that video, like when to expand. I hope this helps. If you have more questions let me know. Thank you for watching!

[@vaclav2062]

seems Anna is good runner :D

[@AnnaKra]

lol. I think we all are when a bee is chasing.

[@jodyreeder4820]

Any advice on wax moths?

[@AnnaKra]

Moths often take over a weak hive, especially after a hive was robbed. Pavel suggests keeping a close eye on hives to prevent robbing and to develop strong and healthy hives, which should be the number one goal of every beekeeper so that they can fight off the moths and other preditors. I hope this helps. Thank you for watching.

[@dianastephenson3919]

I love your videos! After 15 days or so when the queen is released and the frames are drawn, what does he do with that colony? Since it doesn’t have a full box of frames, does he add frames of comb or more undrawn frames? With no brood, how will it survive winter?

[@AnnaKra]

He makes them build enough comb for one 10 frame box. He releases the queen after the comb is built/drawn and she starts laying eggs right away. When they are fed for 10-15 days during the building comb period they put the sugar syrup inside the comb and use that to make honey for winter, they also use this syrup/honey for brood and to feed themselves. When spring comes around they use whatever is left of that syrup/honey for early spring brood, after that the comb is then ready for nectar and real honey! I hope this helps and makes sense. Thank you for watching! :)

[@dianastephenson3919]

Anna Kra I see. So there’s still enough time for the bees to store nectar and make brood to last through the winter?

[@AnnaKra]

@@dianastephenson3919 Yes, it also depends where you live. We live in SC, it's still warm here for a while before winter.

[@salahmed7273]

Many thanks,,

[@Beekeeping_Bro]

I really enjoy your videos, I am still confused how is this work. Is your dad bee hives located in Columbia SC ? I love to come over and get better understanding on this process if is possible. Please let me know

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you! :) No, we are not in Columbia. Sorry, we don't give out our personal information online due to safety reasons. Have you read the comments? A lot of times its much easier to understand him when reading all the answers to the questions in the comment section. I hope this helps. Thank you for watching.

[@Beekeeping_Bro]

@@AnnaKra When you start to remove bees from brood frames and honey in in separate hive box ? What do you do with separate hive box when all this new bees emerge from brood frame ? Is going to have high mites count? After 15-20 days are you install back brood frames and honey and release queen from cage in new box ? Some mites is going to hang up on nurse bees, When you start to remove bees from brood frames are you use anything to get those mites kill ? Thank you

[@AnnaKra]

@@Beekeeping_Bro We just made another video about his, part two, answering those questions. Part 2 coming soon! Release the queen from cage in new box in 10-15 days, when most comb is built. I hope this helps.

[@Beekeeping_Bro]

@@AnnaKra Thank you, I'm really looking forward to see that video. Did you start with this in August to remove bees from brood frames ?

[@AnnaKra]

@@Beekeeping_Bro You're welcome! No, I will be trying thyme oil on my hives, if my dad tells me I need it, If I do, I will be filming my progress. I herd it has 99% success rate. Switching out old comb for new is my dad's favorite method especially if you have a lot of old combs.

[@youknowwho5709]

👌🏼

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@Biopaseka]

Интересный метод, но, допустим к средней широте России, он не подходит. Другие климатические условия. Более короткий сезон. Мы с папой уже обсуждали эту проблему у него на канале

[@IbrahimBerisha-xc3cq]

Thenk

[@honeybees2945]

Thank you

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks you for watching!!

[@BradGrassforest]

That is some good entertainment:D

[@AnnaKra]

lol. I'm glad you see it that way. Thank you for watching!

[@CryptoGangz]

Had you running. Lol great video.

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you. Thank you for watching!

[@georgegoertzen4723]

Were you wearing black?

[@darrellwestphal4265]

I didn't understand a word he was saying. The only thing I got from his video is that he is doing it the natural way and it seems to be successful other than that I don't know what he was talkin about. Either you get someone else to do the talking or forget making videos.

[@AnnaKra]

Thanks for stopping by anyway. We are doing our best with the time and money we have for this channel. I understand my dad has a thick accent and this video may have confused some people. For that reason, we made part 2 to clear up some confusion. Hopefully, that helps. We are open to questions. Also, there is a lot of great info in the comment section. We are looking to hire someone to do the subtitles in the near future, which should help clear up some things for those you have a hard time understanding him.

[@darrellwestphal4265]

@@AnnaKra dear lady I meant no disrespect. It's just that what your dad is doing is very important. And it sounds like he has a good idea to combat the mites. You could have subtitles but I would suggest that you get someone that speaks English with no accent or very little. Most phones are equipped with translation. God bless you and your father for the safety of the wonderful honey bees. All over the world people are working on a solution. I lean towards use a more natural solutions to the problem. I don't like chemicals and pesticides most of the time they make them matters worse. Will you do me a favor because I could not understand your dad the first video and you said you have a second one that is easier to understand will you send me the information to that video? So that I can download it and watch it. Thank you and you and your dad have a wonderful day.

[@AnnaKra]

@@darrellwestphal4265 Translating everything word for word takes a long time, the same thing with subtitles, which is costing us a lot of time and money. We both work full-time jobs and have side jobs. This is the best we can do right now. Whatever is hard to understand we try to address it in the comment section. Part 2 is on our channel, should be the 1st vid. If you had a really hard time understanding the first video, I doubt you will the 2nd part. I'm sure there are channels out there that are easier to understand. Good luck and happy beekeeping!

[@darrellwestphal4265]

@@AnnaKra dear lady you misunderstood me again. I was not suggesting that you get translation or subtitles I was saying that you can speak in your own language and our phone can translate to English. It cost you nothing you could speak your own language in the videos. Then our phone can translate it. The reason we are having trouble understanding each other is because of the language barrier. When you text me your phone is translating it from your language to mine. All you need to do is make a video speak your own language in the video then the viewers whether they be Russian English Chinese Korean or Spanish will be able to understand your videos because their phone have a translator built into the computer. Good luck with your videos in the future. Just tell your dad to speak his language loudly and clearly and our phone computers will do the rest. God bless both of you

[@AnnaKra]

@@darrellwestphal4265 well, he has a channel full of videos in Russian. Pavelbee.

[@villainousssb533]

The pesky bees chased you again.

[@AnnaKra]

Yes, they did, they like me. lol. Thank you for watching! :)

[@denverjnpierre7228]

It look like he knows a lot, but his foreign accent is confusing. Have to try to understand what he is really saying.

[@dark.is.dark.is.5263]

:)

[@AnnaKra]

Thank you for watching!

[@banoufree2467]

the buck is not a good bee, it does not resist varroa !

[@AnnaKra]

I'm not sure what the "buck" is.

[@PavelBee]

+++

[@AnnaKra]

+

[@rob_does...]

-?

[@richardbryan7620]

How long does the queen cage for ?

[@AnnaKra]

@@richardbryan7620 With the new foundation beehive 10-15 days until the new comb is built. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@richardbryan7620]

@@AnnaKra give thanks for the info appreciated very much we continue to watch and learn your dad is very knowledgeable give thanks again

[@waltercarlton2618]

I'm

[@johnoliver9885]

;