Beekeeping Questions

Impromptu Beekeeping Questions and Answers 0n Mites, Feeding, Queens and more with the Macon County Beekeepers in Franklin, North Carolina.
references:
Propolis: A Wonder Bees Product and Its Pharmacological Potentials www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Dave Cushman's Beekeeping Website www.dave-cushman.net/bee/newho...
Ramesh Sagili, Oregon State University
honeybeelab.oregonstate.edu/h...
BeeAware beeaware.org.au/archive-pest/...
Green Deane- Jam/Jelly, Medicinal Plant Uses, Plants, Sugar/Sweetener, Trees/Shrubs www.eattheweeds.com/sourwood/
Small Hive Beetle, University of Florida entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/m...
The Benefits of Propolis www.beelab.umn.edu/sites/beel...
Varroa Easy Check www.mannlakeltd.com/varroa-ea...
Apiguard www.dadant.com/catalog/m01481...

[@Brewmaster721]

Bob Binnie, the Kenny Rogers of the beekeeping world

[@ddshoneybees7220]

Oe

[@SimonCoates]

I'm hoping to meet the Dolly Parton of the beekeeping world 😉

[@Larry.Luciano]

Double screen boards came in! You and your company are a man of your words! Thank you Mr. Binnie!

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

Chef Rick Stein (BBC Fruits of the Sea) said reducing the sauce-broth to concentrate is always more flavorful. We accidentally reduced our wildflower fall crop's moisture down to 12+%. One neighbor described it as "buttery". Struck me as odd but now it makes sense? A very deep rich flavor. Thank you sir.

[@KennethD8557]

Greatly enjoy the videos you put out to help folks! Thanks Mr. Binnie.

[@geffivey6414]

I appreciate you making this video. I'm just a hobbyist with 15 hives. I found the information helpful and interesting. Thanks Bob!

[@Amutaba]

Thanks for the information. As a new beekeeper I find it very useful.

[@IceBug1337]

Hi Bob, you talked about very dark honey being the worst winter feed and i agree. Back in the day in german blackwood forest, before cars, we had beekeepers operating only in this forest, harvesting louse honey as dark as the Blackwood Forest and they had bees that could Winter on it. A good louse crop could go on for two or three month, yielding unholy amounts of honey. But it also usually lasted long enough to wear out the winter bees, so they had to unite a lot of colonys. Actually so many, that they regulary bought swarms from the heather beekeepers in the north of Germany. Also not every colonie could survive on that honey, so the Heather beekeepers had a steady income through this, using their swarming apiarys.

[@TheFamilyFarmHomestead]

I used to use a powered sugar shake to test for mites It works well enough however I have switched to an Alcohol wash (easier) when I get a 2% or higher I treat with a "foggier" I use a mixture of 1-pint Mineral oil and 20 drops of Wintergreen Oil Spray twice a week for four weeks. This works quite well for me I know a lot of people disagree with this method but fogging twice a week for 4 weeks works but doing the same treatment once a week for three or four weeks doesn't work.

[@richardwatchingfromhalifax2122]

Suggestion on setting up my hive? The type of hive I have is a Polystyrene Hive. Suppose to be mold resistance. Would my bees survive without a screen bottom board or top ventilation during the summer and winter? Nova Scotia has some very humid months and above average humidity throughout the year. The least humid month is April (64.6% relative humidity), and the most humid month is September (75.9%). Wind in Nova Scotia is usually moderate. The annual temperatures are: Spring from 1 °C (34 °F) to 17 °C (63 °F) Summer from 14 °C (57 °F) to 25 °C (77 °F) ... Winter about −9 °C (16 °F) to 0 °C (32 °F) Winter: Cold temperatures and snow occur in this season, which runs from December to March. This is a time for ice skating, cross-country or downhill skiing, sledding, snowboarding, snowshoeing, or cheering on a favorite hockey team. Spring: In April and May, the temperature starts to become milder. Snowfall is abundant: generally, 1 and a half meters (59 in) of snowfall per year on the southern coast, 2 and a half meters (98 in) on the northern one, and up to 4 meters (157 in) in the north of Cape Breton Island (see Ingonish). Usually, it snows from late November to early April. Toronto gets way far colder than Halifax in winter. In Halifax, it usually rains after snow, and that clears the snow away. ... If you look at average daytime high temperatures in the downtown area, Toronto is a touch colder. Summer. Mid-June to mid-September: 20 to 25 °C (70 to 80 °F) though temperatures can reach 30 to 32 °C (86 to 90F) with humidity.

[@ronblack2404]

Hi Bob, wish I could attend a lecture , maybe you’ll get to Southwest WA. State sometime. I have a question, I have a dozen hives , when I vaporize my hives with oxalic acid I first remove all my honey supers because I use the honey for eating. After I have treated my hives can I replace the honey supers right away or is there a waiting period I should observe? ............. Your the best teacher out there, Thank You so much for the KZbin videos and written articles, Ron in Pacific County WA.

[@IceBug1337]

Dear Bob, around 24:00 you talk about the carniolans. I have the same effect here but with a twist. Strong brooding bees overwinred way stronger than my carniolans AND had two or three frames of brood more than the carniolans. still the carniolans make the same amount of honey or more. Here is my current idea of explaining this: the carniolans evolved in the mountains. A short season. You better be good with your ressources there and harvest everything you can, if the short and rare opportunity occurs. Now my take is, that good carniolans may produce longer living bees since it’s hard and risky to produce bees in that environment and each bee may make more flights per day, to seize those short and rare opportunitys.

[@bobbinnie9872]

You could be right and that may be a part of how they can build so fast in spring.

[@IceBug1337]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you, Bob.

[@RyanMcDonnough]

I like that you quoted Dr Sagili from OSU in regards to mites re-entering cells. I have found that 5 day OAV intervals are effective at controlling mites with brood present. BUT...the label dose (1g/deep) is not enough. 2g/deep provides good control. In fact, Dr Sagili performed a study last season comparing formic pro (10-day x2 dose) and OAV (1g & 2g with 3x7 interval each). 2g/deep provided control NEARLY equivalent to formic pro. 1g/deep was inadequate. I took screenshots of the presentation (study is not yet published) that he gave to the OSBA Fall Conference. I can email them to you, if you like. 4-5 applications @ 5-day intervals with 2g/deep has been very effective for me. I check drop counts on debris trays.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you, yes I would like to see those screenshots. I'm about to put a video out on studies done at UGA on this subject. The more info the better. Email: [e-mail]

[@RyanMcDonnough]

@@bobbinnie9872 Sent. 🍻

[@doncomer1216]

Mr Binnie can you do a video on how many holes you put in lids? And what you are trying to achieve with few holes or many holes. Enjoy your videos thanks

[@diarmuidcullen1865]

Its always a pleasure to listen to you bob Thanks

[@taddrienstra7247]

Can you do a separate video on all the trickery you do with feeding? Looking for a chart perhaps with some explanation. And hey, what up with the exploding barrels? Ever get the moisture removing contraption figured out?

[@bobbinnie9872]

The dryer is sort of working. It pulls moisture but not like we were led to believe it would. This video has some info on feeding. There is a chart on the different feed blends. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3-upHqEmN1of5I

[@willardsimpson7971]

Bob You are doing great helping me it’s informative at my fingertips thanks ! I am having fermentation problem can I mix crystallized honey with fermented will it benefit me on either side

[@bobbinnie9872]

Mixing any thick, liquid honey with thin honey that is fermenting can help stop the process in the future but I would still heat the fermenting honey to kill the yeast and stop the existing problem immediately. Of course the mixture will be better tasting than the fermented and worse tasting than the good stuff you mixed with. Crystalized honey will not blend properly to fix your problem.

[@allsmilz7234]

Great Video , Thanks for sharing Bob 👍

[@mc4ndr3]

Dosage is sensitive in terms of building resistance. Ubiquitous usage is just as bad as insufficient application. In either case, eventually super bugs emerge accustomed to the drug.

[@toprakanaciftligi8037]

Great video Bob. Thanks for sharing

[@lotop4424]

Hello Bob, Your videos are very informative. I want to know from where the below heavy metals can come in honey. a. Lead (ppm) b. Copper (ppm) c. Arsenic (ppm) d. Tin (ppm) e. Cadmium (ppm) f. Mercury (ppm) g. Methyl Mercury (ppm)

[@bobbinnie9872]

I know that copper comes in nectar but I'm not sure about the rest.

[@trichard5106]

Thanks !!

[@louiseibbotson588]

Thank you for all your helpful information 👍🇬🇧

[@dontannery1805]

Thanks for your videos .my season here in Az has been the worst never experienced this before I've lost half my hives just couldn't get good queens Any such estans on where to buy queens for next year here and Az can't depend on hatch queens they're always mean

[@bobbinnie9872]

I buy queens from these folks every year. www.indiansummerhoneyfarm.com/florida/queens/

[@dontannery1805]

@@bobbinnie9872 thank you so much

[@lahcenajar7489]

Hi Mr Bob, i am a beekeeper from Morocco, and i really like your videos. We pratically have the same weather and the same brood start in early december or mid december. We start with 4 to 5 frames colonies in december , but what is best , adding comb frames or frame of foundation to make them grow fast? Thank you.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Drawn comb would work better to grow fast but foundation will work if you feed them thin sucrose syrup or they have a nectar flow.

[@lahcenajar7489]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you very much.

[@altaylor293]

Good video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@jcvchristianson1161]

Question: If you remove the queen to a top deep with a Snelgrove board and the bottom deep does not make a queen, do you ever get laying workers?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, it takes about a month.

[@noahriding5780]

I wanted to ask if you think cracking the lid but not disturbing the frames is disruptive to the hive? (And is there a way to do a quick peek without disrupting a hive?) Thanks.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Noah. We crack lids to get a quick take on things all the time. We try to lift it as gently as possible if we don't use any smoke.

[@noahriding5780]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you Bob. Love the videos.

[@kitgarvin9253]

Thank you for these extremely informative videos, they are clear, concise, and entertaining.

[@thenewbeejournal]

Hello Bob, I wanted to seek your expertise for this questions 1. I'll be receiving my two packages of bees this week, is it a good idea to install one after the other being only 2-3 feet apart? Would one abscond, merge? Should do it with 1-2 days separation? 2. Mountain Sweet Honey said they treat with OA the night before shipping, being OA treatment recommended to 3 treatments, should I treat 10 days after installing (3 for queen release +7 days before capping) and then 7 days later, knowing that there is no brood to hit the varroa with everything. What do you think?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Packages should be installed soon after receiving them because they deteriorate quickly. Two to three feet apart is OK but drifting can be a problem. If you can install them late in the day when they will fly less it can help. One oxalic vapor treatment on a package would work if done properly because they are brood-less and sealed brood is where the mites hide.

[@thenewbeejournal]

@@bobbinnie9872 much appreciated Bob, I hold your advices on high regard.

[@dadu63]

Great video Bob! I could listen to you all day. Thanks for teaching us your knowledge buddy.

[@dannymitchell9179]

When a hive swarms is it the new or old queen who swarms leaves? I would think it’s the new queen that swarms leaves.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The old queen leaves with the first (prime) swarm and the colony is left with a queen cell or cells that will soon hatch.

[@stevenwimmer5002]

Great information Bob. I always look forward to each video you create and share with everyone. BTW: I am bias, since I live in Pineville, NC.

[@Larry.Luciano]

Bob, I have a weak 10 frame split. Might have 3/4 frames of bees. Found the queen & eggs. No capped brood, I can’t do a mite wash because of low bee populations. Can I do a OA dribble just to be safe? What’s the most successful way to boost the numbers? Take a frame or 2 of capped brood from another hive? Should I condense this 10 frame to a 5 frame nuc? Thanks!

[@bobbinnie9872]

I would boost with a single small frame of hatching brood, wait a few days and do it again. A two frame boost may overwhelm the colony and you may lose the queen. After boosting a couple of times you should be able to do a mite check.

[@Larry.Luciano]

@@bobbinnie9872 ok will do! Thank you. And also do you sell queens? I have a semi hot hive that has a queen but doesn’t appear to be laying eggs or at least haven’t seen any…. In a fairly large hive

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@Larry.Luciano We do sell queens but pick up only. If interested call our store at 706 782 6722.

[@timHclem]

Mr. Binnie, Thanks for the videos. I’m a hobby guy but want to put some bees on the sourwood this coming season (6-8 colonies). My plan is to load them on a trailer and just park it. It’ll be on private property so I’m not worried about thievery. I will have to string a bear fence. I’ve never moved bees like this and I’ve never heard of anyone else letting bees work off of a trailer. Is there a reason I’m not thinking of that I shouldn’t do it this way?

[@bobbinnie9872]

There actually are a number of people in this area that have bees permanently mounted on trailers that they move often. It works fine.

[@timHclem]

@@bobbinnie9872 thanks for taking the time to answer! Happy New Year to you & yours! By the way, your sourwood honey is outstanding.

[@khaldiyoucef5442]

Is using Oxalic acid effective in fighting Varroa mite??

[@bobbinnie9872]

Very effective if used right.

[@khaldiyoucef5442]

Thanks Bob

[@stufarnham]

Hi, Bob, I really like the texts you insert in your videos. The expand upon the video content well and lead to a better educational experience. Stu

[@rubenneufeld9307]

Hi Bob question about isolates Hives. I'm from Germany and main topic is isolates Hives and Brood. We work with Dadant Hives. Why do you need no isolatet hives in your Company? And do you now the Angepasster Brutraum? (We had the bees on 5 or 6 Frame Brood over the season. Harvest honey an so on.)

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hello Ruben. We have isolated apiaries to control the drone stock our queens mate with. I'm not familiar with Angepasster Brutraum but I looked him up on Google and the videos look interesting if only I could speak german.

[@rubenneufeld9307]

@@bobbinnie9872 Hello Bob no problem we can do it in english. But your normal beehive is not isolated?

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@rubenneufeld9307 Our individual hives are not isolated from each other.

[@rubenneufeld9307]

@@bobbinnie9872 Why do you dont use isolated roofs in your apiary? It is not important for you?

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@rubenneufeld9307 It is not important in our area. We don't get really cold and it's easier to move hives on trucks with a flat lid.

[@sylviabrown3793]

I live in south MS. What is your opinion on the Russian queen here? & is it OK to let bees rob beetle infested honey?BTW thx for vids, very informative & knowledable!!!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Sylvia. Although I don't care for the Russian bees I recognize that a lot of people do. I had several hundred for a few years a grew to dislike them because of their high swarming impulse and they're a little more aggressive than I like. But again, that's just me. Many people like them for a variety of reasons.

[@johnoliver9885]

I am a Canadian backyard beekeeper and I very grateful for your tremendous knowledge base thank you Bob!

[@johnniecarter3013]

I enjoy all the first hand information I can get on propolis. You were the first person that I heard talk about it in a positive way. That got my attention and I started digging into the subject some. Thank you Bob I gotta say it’s kind of a shame that you won’t get to see the fruits of the knowledge you share first hand on a large scale. That doesn’t mean that it’s not appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to help us beginners brother! Hope y’all have a mild winter in those beautiful mountains.

[@18Bees]

Do you know if honeybees only mix propolis components with their mandibles or is something additional going on? I’m having a hard time getting answers.

[@dandahlberg4452]

So helpful Bob. As a new bee keeper, I was very intrigued by the information you shared on different feeding applications for different objectives. Every time I listen to you I feel like a school kid with box of 5 primary crayons who just sat down by a older kid with the big box of 64 crayons with color names I never knew existed! Love it!!

[@ECP]

Bob, Great Q & A really appreciate your thoughts and direction

[@kmtischer]

Appreciate your knowledge, Bob

[@lances8872]

Thanks Bob for the video.. Thank you for making time for me a couple weeks ago you are a good man. Much appreciated.

[@437AlBig]

Enjoyed your video. Well as a beekeeper I did come down with COVID 19. This is probably due to the fact that I work in the healthcare industry. Thanks again for the question and answer time.

[@beeman1246]

Did you use any propolis?

[@harrisjoubertwithsleepycre1924]

thanks Bob. I started OAV this fall. as soon as I started, and started thinking, this has to be done every 3 days to work. thats my plan on all my hives involved with my queen rearing

[@zadhusainy8537]

what do you mean by uva

[@zadhusainy8537]

uav sorry

[@harrisjoubertwithsleepycre1924]

sorry, ocalic acid vapor

[@harrisjoubertwithsleepycre1924]

@@zadhusainy8537 fixed the typo

[@bobbinnie9872]

With 3 days you're sure not to miss any.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

Great talk Bob thanks so much for sharing. Can you tell me how much you will be charging for you Caucasian Queens this spring?

[@duliboora4089]

Who make artificial Pollen recipe

[@bobbinnie9872]

www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/hive-colony-maintenance/feeds/pollen-substitute

[@calvinkalmon6746]

Great talk...thank you!

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Thank you for the information.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

We as bee keepers are too busy to get around other people much. Thanks Bob.

[@russellkoopman3004]

Another great bunch of knowledge shared. Thanks Bob. I will be watching this again this winter as well as others of yours.

[@leonardohenriquez5041]

Mr. Bob I was wondering how you go about finding new location for bee yards?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Although I don't like knocking on doors, if I see a good spot that I like I will. Also, because I'm very well known in my community many people actually offer spots to me.

[@leonardohenriquez5041]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks

[@duliboora4089]

I am Indian so please who made artificial Pollen recipe

[@bobbinnie9872]

There are many recipes that can be found online. We purchase ours from www.mannlakeltd.com/shop-all-categories/hive-colony-maintenance/feeds/pollen-substitute

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Bob great video, I try to check every day to see if u have made another video, and I was very glad to see u, The honey I got from u is/was great I did not expect to get it so fast your folks did a wonderful job. I have scree bottom no boards the screen I have stapled to the bottom of a deep box, I live in virginia our winters are not real bad , my entrance is a 7/8 or a 5/8 hole drilled in the front of the hive and I have robbing/ moving screen over the hole to prevent robbing on the OA mite treatments do u think it will still work as good with a system like this. How would u treat your hive if u had screen floors. Thanks Keep the videos coming they are great God Bless You have a wonderful week

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Frances. If I was treating with oxalic acid vaporization I would temporarily block the bottom screen so vapors wouldn't escape.

[@downunderfulla6001]

👌👌

[@BlanchardsBees]

Always great advice!

[@RippleAffect]

Great information waiting for the next one

[@pepperellbees]

Hi Bob! Could you please turn the closed captioning on for me? I would appreciate it!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes. It's supposed to always be on but sometimes it changes for some unknown reason.

[@pepperellbees]

@@bobbinnie9872 thank you! I noticed it will shut off on multiple channels that I watch at the same time. I think it's when youtube does an update it defaults back to no CC. Thanks again! I really enjoy your channel.

[@dannycrain3485]

Great video bob. Very good speaker.

[@timothymitchell9956]

Thank you again Bob. This is my third or fifth time watching this one. You we’re saying that your frames go into a drying room with perfect conditions for beetles. Others always recommend freezing the frames to kill pest before extraction. What are your thoughts please.?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Freezing works better if you can't extract within four days. That's when issues can begin with beetles. We try to extract at three days in the drying / warming room which results little trouble.

[@mckeeshoneybees8351]

Hi Bob, what is your thoughts on emergency feeding in winter dry sugar or hard dry sugar cakes on top bars?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Sorry, I don't have a lot of experience feeding dry sugar or sugar cakes.

[@wadebarnes6720]

Where do you get the small plastic cap for the feeding bucket

[@wadebarnes6720]

I know you don't remember but I'll call you first the next month about some bees that's when you said for me to call back hope everything's well

[@RippleAffect]

He sales the buckets not sure about the caps

[@jeremyhuggins8796]

@@wadebarnes6720 Bob sells the buckets and caps, I bought some this past summer.

[@wadebarnes6720]

@@jeremyhuggins8796 thank you for that hope you have a nice night

[@PaulSmith-qu3jq]

Rossman apiarys has them

[@ricksutton2902]

Bob I am introducing Italian Caucasian.mix I am finding that is the best combination for my operation. you are right the Caucasians do produce a lot of propolis.

[@dianetaylor6751]

I run double deeps over winter. Not only does that give me plentiful food stores but also a large enough cluster to endure our brutal winters without moving the hives inside a building (which is not always advantageous in this area). So I have a single 7/8" hole entrance on the top box in case of deep snow and drifting. My northern mutts propolize over that entrance. They glue the lids down and close off the upper screen lid if I do not get it switched to a winter lid by early fall. Its frustrating at times! I stick to everything after working hives. And oh my kitchen floor if I track it in on a shoe. My girls got propolis a plenty. Again it can be frustrating at times!!!

[@bobbinnie9872]

I prefer doubles also. Interesting how the bees don't always agree with us.

[@tommasoolper1440]

Hi Bob I'm Tommaso from Italy, I really appreciate your videos. I want to ask you your opinion on treating for mites with formic acid in summer Tanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

Formic acid works, you just have to be careful how you use it when it's hot. In my opinion it is best used under 80 degrees f.

[@18Bees]

Does anybody know if honeybees only mix propolis components with their mandibles or is something additional going on?

[@kelitagedifarm4893]

Another good and informative video from BB, but I'll be honest with you brother, the sun / shade hive beetle control method has never worked for me. Seems that every evening when beetles tend to get very active and head to my hives, the sun goes down and I get the next 12 hours or so of full shade every day no matter I place them. I made the mistake of letting too many swarms escape from here early last spring and take up residence in these big hardwoods behind my place. The must have turned into beetle factories by July. I wasn't battling hundreds this past summer, I was battling thousands.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Sorry to hear of your trouble.

[@kelitagedifarm4893]

Thanks. I didn't loose any hives to them, so as bad as they were here this past summer/fall, I'm counting my blessings...... especially since I won't see them again for about the next 7 months.

[@konstantinamarkopoulou5479]

Hello. What is your opinion about the diaphragm? Does it helps in the spring in the prevention of minig? In the spring I leave 6 frames with brood. Enery week, I control the beehive and I raise their extra broods upstairs. Do you have any related video? Thanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hello. Please explain what you mean by "diaphragm". Thanks.

[@konstantinamarkopoulou5479]

@@bobbinnie9872 excuse me. I mean Queen Excluder, between lower and upper floor of the hive

[@CaliforniaRussianRiverBees]

Great lecture🐝🐝🐝🍾

[@3Beehivesto300]

Have you ever thought about making a book. Perhaps a section dedicated to a sugar syrups uses guide.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Perhaps when I retire.

[@ArbenGashi99]

@@bobbinnie9872 Looking forward to it! 🙇

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

Hey Bob the reason you don't have beetles this year is because i killed them there in Florida.

[@outdoors30rudenko63]

Post videos on the rumble it’s like KZbin

[@honeydropfarm1605]

Thanks, you just taught me that my wax moths are galleria mellonella.

[@frankspataro9714]

You are the man bob

[@richardkuhn4358]

thank you, great info🙂BEE safe😷 N Fl Back Yard BEEK

[@medic5836]

Bob is cool. That’s all I can say.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I'll let my wife know.

[@medic5836]

@@bobbinnie9872 yes sir we learn so much from you keep up the good work.

[@bamabeesqueens]

I like the question answer sessions. Hope you post more.