Beekeeping: Is It Too Late To Do These Things In The Fall?

[@beek]

Leave a comment if you are struggling with needing to add more space and if you've treated for mites this year.

[@paulgroth5414]

The bees seem to cleanup the apigard wirhin a week, temp is a factor for apigard

[@beek]

True but if you use apiguard in the container then it's a good idea to remove the aluminum container before winter, and your spacer if used.

[@JamesRunyon-r8e]

Those of us lucky to be in Florida almost always add supers in fall. A major fall flow is on thru the first week of November. Mite treatment then with Apivar or Formic pro.

[@beek]

You are lucky! Except during hurricane season. Hope you are safe!

[@JamesRunyon-r8e]

@@beek We are not just safe but extremely blessed. Living in Pinellas County is wonderful EXCEPT for hurricane season. Few big limbs, power on! BLESSED!

[@aaronparis4714]

Not to late to treat but I would say if your not treating by now damage is already done

[@beek]

Exactly!

[@philippine_phin]

If I treat now can I still collect the honey they are still making?? Or is it no longer good for human consumption?

[@stuartfarms]

Are you going to tell us how to treat the virus?

[@beek]

No one has figured that out yet. So we can only prevent the viruses.

[@aaronparis4714]

😂😂😂😂😂 your funny when you talk about the mite when you said maybe you never cared until now 😂😂😂

[@beek]

People have their reasons for just now taking it serious. I get it. Some people maybe have just realized the impact mites have on a hive.

[@MickeyCarvalho]

David I just put in mediums on 2weeks ago and they built it out with comb and filling it up with nectar here in VT and it's my fist year with these amazing insects 😊

[@beek]

Isn't it great! Glad you are loving keeping bees.

[@jamesmay3812]

As a newer beekeeper - 5 years now this was the best explanation why hives that looked so strong in the fall just died early in the spring. I have been guilty of not checking the hives through out the summer and treating for hives in August. That will change now !!! Thanks for explanation.

[@beek]

Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@eves8611]

It's funny you mentioned lyme disease - I'm watching you kneel in the grass and keep thinking, "He better check himself for ticks!" Ticks can carry diseases other than lyme and also carry and transmit parasites. Please take care, I know too many people who have suffered from tick borne illnesses. We're in the northeast, big problem here. Thanks for your awesome videos. 👍🐝

[@beek]

Oh my gosh...my grass is so full of wolf spiders!!! Filming yesterday even my gloves had wolf spiders on them. There were so many grass and wolf spiders. But good tips on the ticks too. I laid my burlap down on the grass and Pat noticed a big female wolf spider on it with babies on her back.

[@eves8611]

@@beek I got a bite from a wolf spider weeding my garden a few years back - my arm swelled up to double for a few days! Good times 😂

[@abeillemajor7330]

Hello David, I want to thank you for this wonderful channel, rich in knowledge and science. I love all your work and efforts, which help every beekeeper, whether amateur or professional. I admire all your work, even though my level of English is weak. Your friend is a simple beekeeper from Morocco. My regards.

[@beek]

Thank you. You might also enjoy my livestream. Hope to see you at my livestream tonight. Here's the link: kzbin.infoYHm00xW046Y

[@abeillemajor7330]

Thank you also and excuse me, I rarely use the direct bet, my internet connection is very weak, I may enjoy your videos on KZbin, thank you my dear professor

[@JenniferRobinson-t2i]

When do I stop feeding 1:1 sugar water in the fall? I am in Western Pa and it is starting to get below freezing overnight and up to low 60's during the day.

[@alyb731]

Great advice. I put my Apivar strips in after drawing the last of the honey, they are due to be removed next week, I’ve been feeding my bees up with syrup to hopefully build them up to winter physiology, ALL because of the advice you have given. 🇬🇧

[@beek]

Thanks for watching.

[@pamtewes5276]

What if i have drawn out super franes? Still to late to add to avoid a crowd in my single deep?

[@beek]

Great question for my livestream tonight: Hope to see you there tonight. Here's the link: kzbin.infoYHm00xW046Y

[@OGMageFire]

In northern NM. I did recently replace a super that I’d taken a few weeks before. I should have put it back on much sooner I think. The frames were already drawn out and lots of residual honey from extraction. Figured the bees would enjoy cleaning it up. My reason for doing this is because the bees were starting to put a lot of nectar in the brood boxes. I had a concern of them becoming honey bound. So there are two supers including this one. One was completely full.

[@philippine_phin]

Dave! I get confused on the timing of things like honey harvest, mite treatments, when to feed…because, here in Central California its still summer-high 90’s to low 100’s! Bees are working overtime and are still coming in loaded with pollen. Honey is still filling up!

[@beek]

Beekeeping can be very different geographically speaking. Sounds like you are picking up the clues of beekeeping in your specific area.

[@christies4963]

I used an apaguard (?) strip and it fell into the hive and now I cant find it. am I going to need to tear it apart to get it out?

[@beek]

Great question for my livestream tonight. Hope to see you at my livestream tonight. Here's the link: kzbin.infoYHm00xW046Y

[@mlm1hopeify]

I have a silly question. Have you tried to experiment on saving the drones in their own hive with some honey frames?

[@mlm1hopeify]

I guess they can't protect themselves without stingers.

[@pamtewes5276]

@@mlm1hopeify I am watching today as they are being kicked out of my hive. I get really sad! I wish there was a way to save them 🤔

[@ravingdog24]

I read they can't feed themselves. The workers feed them like babies and the queen

[@beek]

Drones are simply rejected by their own hive in the fall. Even developing drone brood will be dragged out of cells. However, every year I do see a few drones in the colony in the winter when I change out my Winter-Bee-Kind Feeding Boards. So I guess the girls like having a few guys around for winter 😀

[@drewlermondphd6806]

David, You mentioned Australia... going into Fall... Remember they are opposite of us... They are going into Spring... right now... And when I mean opposite... even their water goes counter clockwise.... I am Australian.. here in the States... so I can say that.. Great information as always.. Sadly for me... I lost 3 hives out of 4 this year... they just go weaker and weaker.. and then wax moths got in.... Two were started as nucs the other as packages... I was treating for mits ... the queens just dropped off their laying overtime... Really wish I could figure out what's really happening? I take care of bees for a friend... both her hives are going gang busters... Anyway... just got a laugh about the going into Fall for Australia.... Down there Santa 🎅 ... Suffers 🌊

[@beek]

What I said was it doesn't matter where you live, if you are in your first week of fall this video applies. So in other words, fall is fall no matter where you live but it just occurs at different times.

[@BoitumeloErnest-sf3vc]

Hello sir,can I please 🙏 ask,What to use to kill mites?what is mites?

[@kassandramcpherson2839]

Help! New beek. I started an apivar treatment a few weeks ago. I still had a full honey super on because I had intended to let the bees use their own honey. (You know, following the advice not to take their honey the first year?). So now I realized I have to remove that full super because when it’s cold, they can’t go up to get their honey. Can I spin out the honey and put it in a feeder for the next month or so? Will they take that honey and store it in their normal frames? I’m in CT.

[@beek]

My question is why can’t your bees go up into the honey super this winter? Is it because you have a queen excluder on? If I treated with Apivar with a honey super on I would never harvest and consume that honey.

[@kassandramcpherson2839]

@@beekthank you so much. To clarify, I don’t intend to consume the honey that was in there when I started the apivar. I thought the bees won’t or shouldn’t use the honey up top with winter coming because they would get too cold. I can totally put that full super back on if the bees would be able to access it, and if they would still be able to keep the hive warm enough with the extra space.

[@naturalwitchery]

“Drone!” Some people say “squirrel!” But not you 😅

[@beek]

🤣 I said "squirrel" in my last green answer chair video! But drones tell me so much about what my bees are doing this time of the year.

[@klaviary]

Well that was uplifting! 😂😂😂

[@beek]

Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you at my livestream tonight. Here's the link: kzbin.infoYHm00xW046Y

[@lonnieh7777]

Are all Honeybees mutts? I see other beekeepers making the comment all Honeybees are mutts when someone ask what type of bees should they should get. I want to introduce mite resistant queens, is it worth the effort?

[@beek]

Great question for my livestream tonight. Hope to see you at my livestream tonight. Here's the link: kzbin.infoYHm00xW046Y

[@charliegioe3158]

David is it also time of the year to take all the honey supers off just leave your brood box is on Charlie

[@beek]

Yes, unless you want to overwinter with a super on

[@charliegioe3158]

@@beek yes I do. I’m leaving one on each one thank you David. You’re a great help. Can’t wait to this evening for the green chair.👍

[@Swarmstead]

No. And no, never.

[@captainprice5875]

Just curious why you have a ratchet strap on the hive ?

[@beek]

Good question. Hope to see you at my livestream tonight. Here's the link: kzbin.infoYHm00xW046Y

[@Bowhunters6go8xz6x]

Great video David, i've seen some Beekeepers that had winter die outs and when they looked inside the hives there were frames full of honey but the bees all still died, IMO that goes back to the likely hood of diseases inside the hive from mites that kept the bees from vibrating to make body heat to stay warm.

[@beek]

Possibly but usually it's too low of a population of winter bees for the cluster to be able to move as a collective cluster into more honey.

[@slava790]

David, thank you for another good, informative video. You mentioned that it is too late for some mite treatments because they would require going into the hives when it is too cold. I asked the manufacturer of VarroxSan whether it is too late to treat with VarroxSann, which requires removal of the product after 56 days and this is what he said: "Yes, you should remove the strips after 56 days to avoid the development of resistance. Even if is an organic product, resistance can be developed by varroa. Open hives in cold condition for a few minutes to remove the strips will not harm the hives." What are your thoughts about this?

[@beek]

I agree that opening a hive briefly will not harm the bees PROVIDED you do not remove frames with brood.

[@slava790]

@@beek Wow! What a quick reply. Thank you.

[@danijohnson4284]

Hello. New Beek, here! I just inherited 2 neglected hives from a family member that passed away. They haven't been tended well for the past couple of years due to his decline in health. I've done one full inspection, both had queens, brood, honey, pollen, and bee bread but I also discovered tons of hive beetles! I have implemented both swiffer sheets and oil traps. After that inspection both colonies did a major clean out and removed most, if not all of the brood. 😱 What can I do at this point to increase their chances of survival or just help them recover from the trauma/infestation? I'm community feeding (using the supplements you recommend) away from the bee yard, have hive beetle reduction tactics in operration, and have screen entrance reducers on. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and just want to take really good care of these gals. My uncle really loved beekeeping. Located in actual Southern Illinois, not Effingham. 😅

[@danijohnson4284]

Oh goodness. Pardon the typos, please.

[@beek]

It is very odd that your bees cleaned out and removed most if not all of their brood. It sounds like you may have spilled the oil onto the brood. This would kill the brood and bees. Is that what happened perhaps without you even knowing it. Otherwise, brood just doesn't die like this??

[@danijohnson4284]

@@beek they did the clean out of brood before I installed the oil traps.

[@Ambees_Honey]

Thanks David! I do have a "is it too late to..." question. In Oklahoma, I have a resource hive, double stack four frames, They are doing fantastic. Is it too late to put them in a single deep 10 frame hive if i have the resources (drawn frames)? I also have drawn out honey supers in the freezer i could add to that 10 frame for possible stores.

[@beek]

I don't think it's too late for that as long as you top 65 degrees or higher.

[@Ambees_Honey]

@@beek TY!

[@jayglosser2014]

GREAT ADVICE DAVID, I have one question - I bought a bottle of Fischer's Bee-Quick to use on the top super of a hive to drive the bees down into the nukes to get ready for winter, any advice?

[@beek]

Here's a video I made using it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6mxiqaGZ7-DecUsi=jbjKq2rVAymuFVc4

[@TimSanders-v7m]

David, would a hot box (a box with a bulb in it) on top of the hive work over winter?

[@beek]

Hot boxes, to me, could help but only in the right situation. Otherwise, it could cause the bees to become confused and maybe fly when it's too cold.

[@TimSanders-v7m]

@@beek that’s my concern, I was thinking to keep sugar water from freezing.

[@rairequena8981]

I switched my hive from 8 frame hive to a 10 frame hive due to overcrowding. Or what I thought was overcrowding. In hindsight I should have left them alone.

[@beek]

Beekeeping isn't an exact science. There's a bit of art and a whole lot of luck 😀

[@KateInTheCity]

I had a bad situation happen a couple of weeks ago. A bear got to my hive and just demolished everything. When I saw, it was a cold and rainy day. I found a pile of my bees cold and wet on a clump on the ground. So I was left with frames in splinters but needed to get my bees in a hive to be warm and dry. I only had a dry deep frame and undrawn super frames. I just put the frames in and scooped up all of the bees I could (took me over an hour) and hoped for the best. Miraculously, they have drawn most of the frames in 2 weeks plus comb off the bottom. Just got more deep frames so I'm going to see if I can get them to draw them out because here in zone 5a, we really need 2 deeps to have a strong colony in spring. But,........ at least my mite count was only 1 just days before "the incident" so should be good in that respect. ha

[@beek]

Sorry to hear about your bear attack. Do you have an electric fence now?

[@kassandramcpherson2839]

That stinks! Same thing happened to my one and only hive last spring. Cold drizzly day, and my poor lil bees were on the ground. I put everything back together but they did not survive

[@KateInTheCity]

@@beek Thanks for the concern David. Yes, I do now. Luckily, I am part of a local beekeeping club and one of the members offered to let me borrow an extra solar powered fence for the year. I've been beekeeping for years now and have never had a problem but this hive is in a new area. The colony is especially docile so I use it to get kids interested in bees so it it extra special to me.

[@stuartfarms]

Great succinct & informative show. Thanks!

[@beek]

Thank you.

[@pastormickallen]

I wish I heard this earlier! I hope and pray my bees make it now.

[@beek]

Good luck.

[@kassandramcpherson2839]

Agree, I swear every time I watch these videos I discover a mistake I just finished making!!

[@-Dwight-Schrute]

Good advice David

[@beek]

Thank you

[@brianbennett4374]

Thanks for the video David 😊 looking forward to Thursday's livestream 😊

[@beek]

Thanks Brian! I'm looking forward to Thursday too.

[@59trek]

I put varroa treatment in the 15th of August, apivar, removed all suppers, put back 1 empty supper to feed them fondant, , they just have the brood box ,

[@Jimflawless927]

In New Jersey end of sept. I remember you did a video on feeding 1 To 1 sugar water. How much room should the bees have in a double deep. I was repairing a screen that came loose and noticed almost all the frames in the upper deep was almost full. What space should they have at this time of the year.

[@beek]

Most frames will be filled with a combination of resources and brood.

[@Jimflawless927]

@@beek this Thursday will you begetting onto this in more detail thanks