Beekeeping Secret: How to Raise Bees To Flourish in Winter

[@davethekiwibloke]

As a farm boy, what we are always doing is planning our activities and resources 2 seasons ahead, this is exactly what you are describing with the bee winter prep. Beekeeping is, ultimately, just another type of farming and many similar principles apply. Thanks for a great vid making this very clear.

[@WillieSams]

I want that sugar board for winter

[@dinobernardi170]

Thank you David makes all the sense in the world. Question...when do mite treatments stop for winter or do they not. If so when do we restart. Thank you again for all you sharing!!

[@adkfoothills1973]

Another great video that's loaded with good information. You have helped thousands of beekeepers, both new and old and I "Thank You". 😊

[@beek]

Wow, thank you! You are very inspiring.

[@annaseregina1107]

Thank you for thorough explanations!!! 5th year beekeeper, learning a lot from you!

[@kylefrench7985]

Thank you David. Excellent video great tips for us to help our bees to survive winter.

[@paulgroth5414]

I think your spot on , I have also had bees since the 90s, I never treated in late July early August until the last few years. Gonna be feeding my colonies, stripping honey and adding mite treatment now! Love your videos and have learned so much!

[@JR-kk6ce]

I'm new to bee keeping, S. Florida, and I have been following your advice with success so far. I have been mixing commercialy sold bee pollen with 1 to 1 sugar water. About once a month I add home made bee be healthy mix. Is the pollen I mix in with the sugar water sufficient for the bees? Each hive consumes two quarts of the sugar water, pollen mix a day.

[@sigurjonhelgason8943]

It's all the time something new I learn from your video's

[@beek]

Glad to hear that Sigurjon

[@deanreichert6535]

Love your content, long time fan. First time hearing of a dearth pause. Feeding now to assist with building comb on new frames. Will this prevent the trigger to winter physiology if i keep feeding thru the start of the dearth. Also around 1 Aug here in Idaho.

[@DoraineMorris]

This is a big help for beginners. I just started back in May.

[@stephaniewarren9285]

Hey Dave forgive me if I missed it in the description, where do you get the Queen (mite) boxes you showed in the video? Also, all my hives are hanging outside the boxes at night, does that indicate too full or too hot, or both generally speaking? Thank you! I know that's what Thursday is for. I fear it may be too late if I wait. Thanks for any help!

[@lindasullivan77]

Thank you for the great information! This gives me great information on how to help my bees.

[@timblatt4851]

Thanks for the tips

[@beek]

You bet

[@journeytheoutdoorshuntinfi4155]

Just lost a double deep brood box to swarming. Im in Indiana, found 7 or 8 emerged queen cells. Yes emerged, not killed by another queen. On the brightside they left me the honey in the honey super. I was not watching the brood box. Just the honey super. Lesson learned!! Question: how do you build up hives right now???!!!

[@jeffperry9900]

Thanks again David. Great video to help us at being better beekeepers.

[@patriciadavis7444]

GREAT INFORMATION,,, MANY BLESSINGS ❤❤❤❤

[@cindydivorne5447]

Thank you David Burn. I love your educational videos!!!!

[@whachamacollit]

Hello David, thanks for this video I do exactly the same in my apiary with very good results. I live in the netherlands and a lot of our beekeepers lost their hives last winter and i think because they did exactly what is written in the old beekeeper books that are 40 or 50 years old. The world isn’t the same anymore… what do you feed in winter? Just syrup and protein patty’s? Thanks again for your great video’s!

[@teresacooper2158]

We are having trouble with European hornets. Killing our bees! Do you have suggestions for how to get rid of the hornets? We live in the country, lots of woods around, and have no idea where the nest(s) are.

[@aggreyshakespeare]

Great video David ❤❤❤

[@JohnShanley-m4h]

Hi David hope you read this I have watched and enjoy your videos and I have learnt so much thank you. I am in the Uk I use thyme and coconut oils to treat my bees. I also feed sugar water in the hard times of summer and add thyme oil and lemongrass in very small amount oils to the mix. both these at least for my bees anyway has been good in keeping mites to less than 3% I am planing to coat plastic frames with melted wax with thyme oil mixed in as veroa defiantly hate thyme doing this in the brood box frames only would this be away for reducing veroa stopping them going into the cells as my bees don’t seem to have any issues with the oils in the sugar water or treating the hive with it. So thought it may stop them from the outset. May be well off the mark with this. But be great just to get your view on this. Many blessing to your family John

[@beek]

Hi John from the UK, thanks for watching!

[@vytbbb7146]

My bee traffic is reduced for a few weeks now. I wonder what all those foragers do in the hive then?

[@johnjuzbasich6115]

Feeding is key, sugar water. On Xmas is give them a candy box-16 pounds if sugar. They enjoy the holidays until spring!!!

[@donjohnsen6052]

I have a question do honey bee queens mate with Bees of different species like wasps?

[@CelticMountainDigs]

Won’t the bees get food from the stores in the hive to feed the larvae after the nectar flow stops ?

[@angelalott9370]

I am leaving a lot of my honey for then our coldest is usually 20 degrees we may have 2 week during winter that it's below 0 that is off and on. I usually fee inside the interest gaurd but it will freeze during winter won't it?

[@paulrobbo216]

Great info

[@RF33MUSIC]

Hey David Have you ever used a Fogger with OA For Mite Eradication in the fall?

[@naturalwitchery]

❤❤❤ another great vodeo!

[@gta_3037]

We are new at beekeeping and getting ready for winter here in mid-MO...how many quarts of sugar water do you provide inside a single hive daily?

[@beek]

Not sure, I just keep feeding as long as they take it. Now they are taking about a half gallon a week or less even.

[@brucecummings3238]

Great information

[@beek]

Thanks

[@weirhauch1002]

Thanks a lot sir for your sincere efforts

[@bryanvyse3333]

Winter b kind still wont be available to ship to Ontario Canada again this year?

[@sharonc.2207]

David do you harvest honey in July and start feeding in August in Illinois?

[@lt35phila]

Japanese knotweed is blooming now. Honey is nutritionally abundant and Japanese knotweed honey is no exception. Japanese knotweed honey has already been extremely popular in its native Japan for generations and has more recently been used all over the world. With a dark rich colour, antioxidant content is exceptionally high in Japanese knotweed honey.

[@paulgroth5414]

Well David I think a climate controlled room may be the way to keep the bees under 40 , I am considering this ,I am on southeast Michigan and have several hundred colonies and have been making more , I think the controlled environment will allow 5 frame nucs to survive with less stress...your thoughts?

[@patrickclvn]

Mid Minnesota.. been to u of m classes.. and learned they essentially run a chemical free, resources rich, hippy/spoiled version of bee keeping class. This year I’ve been struggling with constant rain & extremely limited resources! (Still feeding with your suggested ingredients due to two neighboring farmer changing from alfalfa, clover, and soy bean field turned into possible new properties) As you called it a nectar dearth has been all spring long.. Mite tested with really limited to zero mites. But still have treated with oxi acid vapor strictly due to claims (such as yourself) its still necessary. Bees seem to be eating last years honey of which I provided with last years frames that I kept in freezer. Lost one outa 7 hives of which I combined successfully with another hive. Now at this point all hives seem to be just barely surviving & definitely not thriving! Meaning all hives have only one box of brood that seems to be recycling. Not one frame of brood in 5 outa 7 hives. I have a second deep box on any & all boxes.. no boxes are near each other.. we have 20 acres with 3 hives & 4 on another property/mother in laws property. But all all hives are reacting similar. Any/all suggestions appreciated!

[@lynelledehlbom9542]

How about using colloidal silver in the syrup to combat viruses?

[@diannemiller4754]

When should I treat my hive after a robbing within the past two weeks? I put the robber screen on as soon as it arrived. The robbing finally stopped.

[@robertvanderhoof6082]

My bees have been split and swarmed throughout the spring. I’ve been treating with oxalic acid since July 1 and I’m getting a little to no mic drop. What do you think about that?

[@NevadaBeeMan-nq3po]

David I live in a terrible winter location(Ely Nevada 6500’elivation ) .. I got 80 hives this spring and I’m terrified for how there going to survive the upcoming winter

[@mindythierolf2045]

I always wondered how bees survived the winter.

[@user00404]

a beekeper of 45 years here on youtube who does massive farms, and has his own stats to back it up, says you will lose 15-30% of hives to mites every year, whether you treat them or not. and the best way to minimize losses is natural selection

[@bobbybraddock7530]

We have mite Beatles and colony calapse all year long here! I know there is an answer because beekeepers around here grow their hive population every year, BUT THEY WONT TELL YOU THE SECRET!! If you want to ask me about plants around here, I can coach you, bees, Im struggling!! Also, they are drinking sugar water like crazy right now!! Didn't take any honey from them either!! They seem to be packed in the hive!!

[@robertreynolds2524]

Why do bees washboard?

[@beek]

There no certain answer just speculation that they are crowded and hot.

[@rmore935]

You make good sense but you said some things that didn't make sense. First, you said feed them during the last 2 to 3 weeks into nectar flow then you have to take your honey supers off. Because that's not honey if they are feeding sugar water. Then you talk about feeding and razing bees clear into November and December. We get to the teens and single digits by November, so they can barely move. So do you think that works here? I can't imagine it even works there? Please explain.

[@beek]

No you mis-heard me. Wait two to three weeks after the nectar flow. Remove your supers, then feed. I do to, but I feed hard candy not liquid once it's below 50ish.

[@rmore935]

Oh yes you are right. We always feed 2 to 1 not 1to 1. Why do you prefer 1 to 1? Thanks for answering. You have great information. @@beek

[@beek]

Most of us agree that a thinner syrup will cause the queen to lay more.

[@rmore935]

Take a look at your video and just after 19:30 it sure seems like you say 2 to 3 weeks after the nectar flow starts feed 1 to 1. Thanks for getting back with me.

[@beek]

I don't try and go back, nothing I can do. But if I have been known not to say exactly what I meant. 😀

[@bobbybraddock7530]

What if you live in a climate where it doesn't really have 4 seasons? What I'm asking is this, we have heat and cold all year around, just like today, it only got to 75 degrees, and tomorrow may be 100 or higher, how do you predict what the bees are going to do? It may freeze in November or may not, it may not freeze until late January, or may freeze in early November or December and be 90 degrees the next day or so??? I'm so confused, my bees beard all year long from day to day!!! Come and see this for yourself!! The weather around here is so bad, it tricks the blueberry bushes and every other bush that only flowers once a year, I know this because I have 250 acres of blueberries, and thousands of acres of gallberry bushes around my farm!! It's very tricky around here, I would love to have you here for a different approach to bees!!