Beekeeping - Splitting an Angry Hive (Africanized Bees?)

I'm a terrible beekeeper. That's a thought that keeps coming to mind when I struggle keeping up with the bees. The truth is I like to take care of the bees but often just don't have the time it takes to do it well. In spite of all that... I have 6 hives this year. Mostly doing ok, except for these few surprises every now and then.
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[@MrJackwork]

Do your part. Eliminate those genetics.

[@stanholloway8774]

Son, I don't usually say anything on here but I do know about AFB's....I live in Central Florida and they are a real problem here. I've kept bees for most of my life, and I'm old. If you find a swarm of AFB's, don't split them, kill them. All of them. Bee genetics are regressive...you think you got em, then in a year or so, they're gonna tear your ass up. Or one of the neighbors kids. People screwed this up because we've tried to improve a wild thing for money. Our first case in Florida was a few years ago down in Labelle. A horse was tied to a fence next to a beeyard and was stung to death. After autopsy, the horse had over 6 pounds of bees in his mouth, throat and lungs. The entire beeyard was destroyed. Don't take the chance. And watch for small swarms...the AFB bees are usually much smaller and swarm a lot more often...thats why they are so prolific. Kill all of them you find. This is all from an old beekeeper. We created this problem and we have to fix it. Good video, but kill them all.

[@michaelglindmyer3336]

Stan Holloway correct I would bag the hive at night leave it for a few days. Once they all suffocate put docile bees and a queen in a hive with resources

[@princenephron7546]

"don't split them, kill them. All of them. " That is terrible advice and a waste of the GOOD genetics of AFB's.

[@NZ92673]

We can thank a dimwhit substitute beekeeper for removing the queen excluders, which was enabled by Warwick Kerr. So much of rhe invasive species of any animals we have are due to carelessness and incompetence.

[@tylerhartley5031]

Ok boomer

[@stanholloway8774]

Talk to me after you deal with a hive full of them. Incompetent little pricks. Reckon you gotta learn on your own.

[@sm4942]

Thank you for being so truthful about beekeeping commitment. I think you did a fine job.

[@gerrywilliams124]

So hard to watch you do the wrong thing so much of the time.where are you getting your info.

[@walterkersting9922]

Bee experts really do know it all, don’t they?

[@michiadjeelise9562]

thank you for sharing Blake. I am happy all went well today. .wow , I was scared for you

[@daddykirbs]

Thanks :)

[@highstandards6226]

We had Russians, wicked stingers on those, but thank goodness, the patience of Job, and I can very honestly say, in 5 years, I never ONCE had to deal with a hive *that* angry! Worst incident - ever, was we kept the same hive covers they arrived with(shiney aluminum) and had placed *one* right under a small fruit tree. As that tree got heavy with leaves, blooms and the beginnings of some tiny fruit, one branch was brought down low enough that the wind was rapping and scraping it across the top of *that* hive about every 2 seconds. Coupled with the shiny aluminum getting so hot, bees would often touch down on the top to orient before actually going to the front and inside the hive, made for some VERY angry bees! Scorched feet, constant disturbances on the roof.. That particular hive was a nightmare to deal with until I, accompanied by my faithful troupe of hens and roo, sat down for a long looksee and think. Then pulled the pallet the hive was set upon about 3' forward. Solved the entire problem 1 cup of tea, some observation, and then with 30 seconds of straining leg muscles! I also live far enough north that killer bees aren't in the equation. One of my largest concerns, so VERY thoroughly checked out! Helps that our Ministry of Agriculture has some expert science programs working on exactly that thought pattern too, and they are available to us(beeks across Canada) via a tap of the phone keys, or a simple email.😉🤝 Hot hive no more...and not a single sting out of the *entire* day! Record for a newb like me who made the cardinal sin of FIRST tending hives in black track pants!🤦‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧨found out quickly, I'm NOT allergic to bee stings!😁 truly, never been stung; go out get 4 hives of bees to start a new hobby!🤯🦄🤷‍♀️😎 I actually wore shorts around my ladies for the rest of the year!😁🤷‍♀️💞

[@umustbbornagainActs2-38]

@@highstandards6226 Hey I am a new beekeeper as of April this year and currently have 2 hives. I'm considering getting some russian bees from Oakley apiaries in Texas. A local beekeeping friend of mine cautioned me about getting russian bees. How many hives do you have and have they been aggressive at all? How well do the resist the hive bettle and wax moth?

[@toadamine]

Split? Eradicate! Get new bees for that hive... those bees are insanely aggressive.

[@elemarmb]

Don't work because you never kill ALL!

[@GoldenLegionHoney]

@@elemarmb a bucket of soapy water and kill 90% including queen and scrape any drone brood. use the rest (3-4 frames) and some resources to make a new colony with a gentle mated queen. it may take a while for them to accept as angry hives dont readily accept queens and make queen cells like crazy.

[@highstandards6226]

@@elemarmb wrong. Take a jumbo black garbage bag, over the hive with all bees still in it. Seal.leave for 2 weeks. If really want, stick a can of hornet spray in the bag and empty it.

[@highstandards6226]

When they're that hot, don't bother. Just bag 'em. New nucs with fresh queens aren't THAT expensive!

[@highstandards6226]

No way. Those bees are no longer honeybees.

[@RobsAquaponics]

Thanks for the look Blake. Was wondering if you were going to get new calmer queens in. Looks like a bit to learn to keep on top of it all. Cheers mate.

[@daddykirbs]

+Rob Bob's Backyard Farming is all part of the plan... now if I can only keep up with my own plan!

[@felathar1985]

@@daddykirbs My advice would be that. Wait for winter and replace the queen with an italian queen from a calmer hive. Come spring the agresive bees will all be replaced.

[@lucianfranetovic6267]

We take for granted going to the local shop and buying some honey in a jar. seems there is alot to learn about bee keeping and how it all works. I praise you for your efforts even when you admit your still a novice. thanks for sharing with us all. and hope the split goes well

[@daddykirbs]

+Lucian Franetovic I have loads of respect for beekeepers now :)

[@joshuarichards8065]

Try growing mint around your boxes. The smell of mint (especially peppermint varieties) deters moths because their olfactory sense is overwelmed by the mint oils, leaving them unable to find food near mint. Plus bees actually like mint.

[@daddykirbs]

+Joshua Richards alright, good idea. I'll see what I can do about that.

[@joshuarichards8065]

Blake Kirby​​ If you try this then keep them in pots because they spread via roots. And there are lots of "cultivars" of peppermint to select from. I know of peppermint, chocolate mint, orange mint, ginger mint, basil mint, and lavender mint.

[@daddykirbs]

Joshua Richards Do you have a favorite for this purpose?

[@joshuarichards8065]

Blake Kirby​ Likely Chocolate Mint and Basil Mint, they both have the strongest scents among the Peppermints. The others are simply unique vatieties.

[@joshuarichards8065]

Blake Kirby Mints are also good at repelling rodants and other animals too, but thats off topic info.

[@got2kittys]

Every time I split AHB's I get 2 hives of s***head bees.

[@mattdlmn]

That looks intense man! I’m glad I’ve only had to deal with mellow bees. Like that you said “don’t let this discourage you” because beekeeping is very enjoyable

[@wadescott6859]

I wouldn't have a hive like that I'd get rid of all of those bees one way or another

[@paulsmith4632]

You did what you think/thought was the best thing for the bees. Keep working towards being a better keeper, it takes time, one thing we can't purchase. Good vid.

[@wiredog771]

Really amazing honest beekeeping. I gave it up two years ago when both of mine got overrun by wax moth. I was tired of losing bees. But then this spring, a swarm got in one of my hives so I guess the universe wants me to keep bees so I’m back at it, like you just trying to figure it out as I go. It’s tough learning with live creatures - you feel so responsible for them. Thanks again. I will sub. :)

[@wtglb]

Very interesting, it's got to be tough trying to keep up with all the things going on at the farm. Thanks for sharing!

[@daddykirbs]

+wtglb it is a lot, but it's worth the effort. :)

[@fredfrond6148]

Great video showing your thinking while doing the work. Teaches us all how a craftsman learns.

[@nightangel7239]

Something about this guy is seriously, seriously likable.

[@daddykirbs]

Aww shucks... I'm blushing :) Thanks!

[@L0j1k]

Yes, he has a kind of charisma that somehow comes off as "This guy is a nice, cool, friendly beekeeper" which lends some credence to what he's doing. Jeff Horchoff is another guy like that. Just a great charisma that makes the videos funner to watch.

[@theprofessional5932]

This blake kid is a tomato farmer. He doesn't have that good knowledge about beekeeping.

[@deathvalleycutthroatgang2049]

The Professional anyone ask u anything?

[@AmericanMetalhead100]

He's just a dude. A dude doing his job.

[@maryannward7771]

ty for sharing this video..lot more to Bee hives than I knew

[@daddykirbs]

+Mary Ann Ward yep... someday I'll be a real beekeeper :)

[@suzanneburns6130]

So many aspects of farming, whether bees, goats crops or all others aspects are strictly trial and error. I admire and respect your efforts in learning as you go and not giving up, or giving in to negative feedback. You're doing your best and that's all anybody can ask of you. I'm eager to see how the new queens will positively affect your hives and also, I can't wait to see your family and the garden. Stay positive and keep going, you're doing great!!

[@impagain]

You're doing your best, and I admire that a lot. You're not a terrible bee keeper. Keep up all your good, hard work!

[@daddykirbs]

Thank you! I'll keep working on it :)

[@cameronalexander775]

good job recording this in stereo....I have in headphones and now feel like I'm covered in bees.

[@cella718]

Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to be a beekeeper myself. Experiencing success, and failures will just make us more knowledgeable. I was scared for you, I really thought the bees would come out and attack you. It wasn't so bad. It's not about knowing what to do, just doing the best with what you have.

[@whitestunna5773]

Ive been attacked two different occasions by africanized bees. The first time i was in a bucket lift 30 ft up trimming a cabbage palm and they nearly killed me. The second time i was in a small oak tree and i was able to escape with only 7 or 8 stings. They are no joke. They literally feel like a baseball bat hitting your head, its hard to explain but they are badasses

[@srper2]

Thanks for putting up this video, it was helpful to see how you managed this

[@daddykirbs]

I'm glad you liked it :)

[@Flatfoot2282]

Very informative. Thanks for sharing

[@floriebrown2089]

Weldone Blake, my Dad did bee keeping in Africa, he often came home with various swollen parts of his face although he wore Protective clothing. He harvested lots of honey of various grade. Love the art work on the hive.

[@daddykirbs]

+florie Brown my kids painted the boxes! Do you beekeep now?

[@floriebrown2089]

+Blake “Daddykirbs” Kirby No sadly I do not I wish I had learned how to

[@alslov5008]

Thanks for making this video it’s always a learning curve every situation is different you did a good job splitting the hives. There are a lot of individuals that have plenty of experience that are willing to share there knowledge just keep working them. Good luck

[@AlexTheMary]

Did anyone else get itchy watching this?

[@daddykirbs]

I get itchy when I get stung LOL

[@MissesWitch]

I didd ~

[@byxtremez1831]

Alexandria Ingram I'm itching rn

[@sexicanag8299]

I got the chills!

[@cathiez9131]

You are a braver person than I am, Blake! Very interesting vid!!

[@daddykirbs]

+Cathie Z brave or just crazy? Lol

[@cathiez9131]

LOL -- definitely not crazy! Brave! I love bees, BUT, I've been stung many times so I have a tendency to stay WAY far away from them!

[@TheeInjun]

5:20 "When the bees come out in thousands, my main concern is just not getting killed."

[@mohammedx45]

Extremely interesting!

[@Lisatfitness]

You definitely don't want drones from mean hives mating. Make some nucs and put in some purchased queens. Kill the other bees. Nice bees are so much easier and safer. Some kid finds the bees and messes wth them and he could be in serious trouble.

[@Konradbie]

Lisa Thibodeau the safety of hacing calmed bees im fine with, but the africanized bees are more resistant to deseases, varoa etc. i keep africanized only bees and i dont medicate for anything they are very resilient bees.

[@jasminejo2424]

aren't yo just adding to the Africanised bee population doing that? what if they swarm or your drones mate with wild queens in the area?

[@2outta3aintbad96]

I absolutely agree they can become monsters going after all other farm animals just nasty !!

[@TheeInjun]

@@Konradbie I'm with you on keeping them based upon resilience and productivity over temperament, but I can also see the argument that for certain areas, it's just not feasible. If a wife or kid gets annihilated one day, or in my case, a retired professor and master gardener who graciously hosts my bees, it will not be good for anybody involved. I work with Russian bees, which have been great. Evidently, cold winters are a protective mechanism to prevent the spread of africanised bees up north, where they do not overwinter well.

[@franfinne9673]

Totally agree!

[@stevenstocker2131]

thank you for sharing! going through this exact same thing,i have a hot hive I need to split and they are VERY aggressive. I'm in South Florida so wild bees are pretty much hostile and paying for a new queen would be expensive seeing that most wild bees swarm often. I build my own boxes and also have 2 Flowhives that I like due to the fact I don't have to interact with those mean suckers when I harvest the honey.

[@daddykirbs]

I'm glad your beekeeping is going well! Thanks for the tips :)

[@txholeyrocks]

Requeening is the only thing you can do. Requeening requires finding the queen, killing her and placing a queen cage inside with a new queen and good DNA. Do not let the bees manually chew the candy plug. I cover the candy plug with tape. 4 days later I release the queen and your fine.

[@theprofessional5932]

Exactly that is the rule number one. "Good Queen"

[@donaldrabon6007]

Zak Whitewater

[@oldschool86chev]

Actually genitics come from the male. Putting European drones in with a African queen will result in European bee's.

[@TheeInjun]

@@oldschool86chev but what if A frican drone done go and mate wit' yer "European" queen? 😵 Then what will happen. 🤷 Day gun git ya! 🤺

[@robertmurawsky6404]

Really enjoyed your latest video on splitting an angry hive. Love the way you show what’s happening what your plans are and how you follow thru. Your position with the aggressive hive is a mirror image of an aggressive hive the other day, and I split them to one nuke and never new were the queen was. Got bit in the leg just like you and the bees followed me for a long way. Now I cannot go back their right now, without face protection.

[@txholeyrocks]

I have had Africanized bees. I can pretty much tell an aggressive hive VS that of Africanized due to the different behavior. Africanized bees will follow you and it doesn't matter. So you can open and do work on an Africanized hive and they will try and kill you literally. You can smell the pheromone. You can close up the bee hive and walk away and they will follow you. A non Africanized hive will just fly around in numbers after you open up the hive. When you close up the bee hive the bees typically don't follow you. Big difference is that the bees get pretty excited immediately being Africanized and want to kill you. Non they just are putting up a pretend fight. The only way I could get the Africanized off of me after I was done was to turn on the faucet and simulate rain overmyself, then run inside the house.

[@IloveSPIDERZ]

Do you harvest from the Africanized hives anyway? People should start finding a way because they could very well be the solution to Colony Collapse Disorder!

[@Darkwatchbot]

How is splitting them going to make them less aggressive won’t it make more hives of aggressive bees ?

[@LifeWithATableFull]

@@Darkwatchbot The only way to reduce aggressive bees is to bring in a new queen. Africanized bees are produced by allowing feral Drones to mate with your feral queen. If you purchase a queen, she is likely already fertilized and she will not swarm to mate. This is why you add new queens to split hives and not allow them to make new queens. They almost always produce an angry colony.

[@christianpaul3303]

@@Darkwatchbot YES - it will - and will produce yet more AFB. It's very irresponsible. A keeper has a duty to kill AFB queens at minimum. Possibly the entire hive.

[@estarnan]

Awesone, HONEST, video. enjoyed it a lot. I'm a newbie watcher.

[@MGB-learning]

Great video. Thanks

[@mrd.6594]

I love the video but I love your analogy with the train wreck...awesome vids we'd like more....oh and yea Blake at the 7:00 min mark those bees went after you like white on rice...they ganged up on you like crazy...anyways thanks again Blake I enjoyed it...

[@freakygeaktwo]

I think your doing just fine with the exception of the wax moth problem, I look at it this way just like gardening no two years are the same and there will always be something to keep you on your toes. thanks for sharing I look forward to when the new queens show up.

[@daddykirbs]

+freakygeaktwo my wife is picking the Queens up tomorrow while I'm at work. I hope to get the hives taken care of when I get home. Hopefully the weather cooperates :)

[@joncotn]

I could see your anxiety but I take my hat off to you!!! I know EXACTLY where you're coming from

[@kurgan322]

Good job Blake! Unless there was something off camera, those larvae look more like hive beetle than wax moth. Wax moth larvae is usually much bigger. I also thought I noticed the tell tale slime that hive beetle larvae leave behind. Letting the chickens clean those frames, then freeze them should take care of it.

[@daddykirbs]

+justlivin really? Hmmm... maybe I'm wrong about it being moths then.

[@h44riki]

Just left a comment up there. I agree about the identification of the worms. Moth larvae don't give the hive that greasy looking, and you'd see lots of silk forming a mass between patches of torn comb.

[@daddykirbs]

Henrique Cardoso Ribeiro I learn more every day :)

[@christinespierling5952]

You had a ton of one liners. Funny, likeable guy.

[@gapey]

Thanks for sharing your bee journey. I was worried it would go badly but you did a good job. Sorry to hear about the one you lost but sounds like it was for the best anyway. Was thinking maybe you could have shaken the bees off into a new box but I know that would have taken more time and you may not have had the equipment to do that. I haven't done a split yet but if either of my hives makes it through this winter I might do one next year. I did raise my first queen though and luckily the new queen seems to have good genetics. The hive seems to be doing pretty well since she has emerged and she got mated pretty quickly too.

[@daddykirbs]

+Gapeys Grub I'm so glad to hear that your new queen is a good one. Just always stay aware. It takes 6 weeks or so to turn over the population of the hive. They can be gentle one day then NOT the next. If you are in the south I strongly recommend suiting up every time.

[@gapey]

I'm in the North and I suit up every time anyway. I even wear gloves every time. I'm a scaredy cat. I only don't wear a suit/gloves if all I'm doing is feeding them. :) I also don't wear jeans with holes in them anymore. Learned that lesson.

[@daddykirbs]

Gapeys Grub Ouch! holes in the jeans would make for a bad day!

[@robertmurawsky6404]

Love this guy, he shows us as it is.

[@connor6142]

I am very impressed with your editing. keep it up

[@daddykirbs]

Thank you! I love it when I have time for that. Many of my videos are simpler due to lack of time, but recording the journey is a true pleasure.

[@shirleyellinger]

HE SOUNDS JUST LIKE DALE FROM KING OF THE HILL!

[@daddykirbs]

Never heard of him ;)

[@shirleyellinger]

Hah! Love your videos!

[@daddykirbs]

Shirley Succubus Thank you for sharing them with me :)

[@LifeOfTheParty323]

I can't stop hearing Dale.

[@wheeln24-79]

One of my best friends is a bee farmer. He takes care of orange groves in Florida and I don't think he ever has to deal with killer bee genetics but I don't know how he does it all by himself. Idk how many hives he has but he makes 55 gallon barrels of honey by himself. Im not really a honey lover but that orange honey is good stuff.

[@larrytornetta9764]

my suggestions. 1. put the hives in full sun. i find shaded hives are meaner and have more problems. 2. use more smoke. got to show the bees your the boss 3.looks like hive beetles not wax moths. put the hives on concrete or stone

[@daddykirbs]

Are you in Texas or somewhere with the intense sun? I'm asking because many times when someone says "full sun" they live in Minnesota or somewhere like that where "full sun" has a different result than in the south. I have been concerned about the hives getting too hot so all my hives are in the shade from late afternoon to evening. That Western Texas sun is very intense. Yes, I agree now after looking it up that the problem is SHB not moths.

[@barrystuartroyphillips3529]

definatelyhive beetles

[@theTORTUGAZUL]

I actually really liked the different camera angles and they made your video that much more interesting, seeing it from different perspectives You cannot expect to do homesteading alone, it's a family adventure. Even self-reliance requires help from others and is impossible to be achieved in a vacuum.

[@daddykirbs]

+SELF-RELIANCE and a STRONG COMMUNITY I love the idea of a strong community :)

[@happytsetse9749]

@@daddykirbs Everyone's self-reliance is what makes a strong community.

[@notsheeple2019]

should order new queen and pinched old queen. the eggs and larva are the aggressive queen genetics. now you get multiple queens with aggressive genetics

[@sethp3319]

The bees: that's my secret, I'm always angry

[@bergennicholson9560]

15:20 is just terrifying with headphones. Omg Feels like they're inside your ears. Gaah

[@daddykirbs]

Did you have nightmares after that? LOL

[@bergennicholson9560]

Blake Kirby lol, almost

[@LUXRAY_97]

Bergen Nicholson now you got PTSD?

[@highstandards6226]

@@LUXRAY_97 post traumatic STING disorder?🤣🤣

[@discomfort5760]

@@highstandards6226 It's not funny. I have nightmares where I get swarmed and I can feel pain within my night terrors. But I have nightmares of wasps though, literally being locked inside a house of them. Because no one can help, I had to teach myself to lucid dream so I can go all FLAME ON when they happen. But I still get stung before I master the dream and remove pain at will. Nightmares can be a serious issue for people, and may cause phobias where there was none before.

[@oysteinholand]

Well, that looked fun! Let's hope they calm down in time :)

[@daddykirbs]

It takes 6 weeks for the population of a hive to turn over once a new queen is introduced. I'll be putting new queens today. :)

[@oysteinholand]

oh wow, that's quite some time! Let's hope the problem get's solved with this! ;)

[@daddykirbs]

Yep, fingers crossed.

[@jmichaelsbees8857]

Interesting video Blake. I have a hive just like this that I'm about to split two deeps into multiple nucs and will hopefully find my queen. The bigger the hive got, the meaner they got...ha! Tired of being stung. I swap drone comb every three weeks so the drones are taken care of for the most part. After the dog got nailed I was considering taking the whole hive out but letting the bees build new colonies with new queens is a better solution.

[@thuffman44]

Great video Blake!

[@daddykirbs]

+Tim Huffman did I do on Tim? ;)

[@daddykirbs]

+Blake “Daddykirbs” Kirby ok not on

[@thuffman44]

Yeah Blake. I was actually pretty amazed & I didn't want the video to come to an end. LOL.

[@thuffman44]

I'm still new at this too. Don't be so hard on yourself and feel you are bad at it, because you are not. I have never attempted doing splits by myself before, so was watching closely. This video proves that you had an instinct to react. What a great decision!! Thank you so very much for choosing to pickup the camera and bring it with you on your journey. Last year, All 4 of my hives collapsed, but we must prevail just as we do when gardening... Thank you again my friend. I hope everything around your farm comes to peace & you can get caught up... You know I'll be waiting for the update to see how those splits turned out (fingers crossed)

[@daddykirbs]

+Tim Huffman you watched the entire 22 minutes? That's dedication my friend :)

[@JeremyConnor]

Good idea requeening, I've got two hives like that and I hate working them.. with the infested hive you could try taking off the super and shaking out the bees into the brood box, reducing the hive size gives the bees a good chance to fight off the moth. The infested frames can be frozen to cure them I believe, or you can just melt them down as wax and reset them with foundation. I know what you mean about cost, I'm moving from two deep supers to one deep with more regular harvesting to reduce per hive cost and increase number of operating hives. keep on kicking ass dude

[@daddykirbs]

That was very encouraging Jeremy! I will let the chickens pick those moths clean if there are any still there today when I go out.

[@wbrian]

Any updates? Great video! How did the requeening go?

[@Ungovernable74]

New sub from J&J. Diggin what you're doing.

[@daddykirbs]

Thank you for checking out my little channel :)

[@benstacy6226]

Great video, when you find that queen you need to squish her! The bees are really pelting your veil, I usually get this behavior when a hive is way to strong. I just split that hive today by moving the original hive 15 feet away and putting a box at the old location, all the foragers will end back at the original location and I will give them a frame of eggs in 2 days to make their own queen. The donor frame will come out of my gentile hive and the new queen should be awesome!

[@ilse3887]

Thank you for being so respectable towards other beekeepers!! Hot bees make for a good yield...but it will(might) effect other hives... and have seen a guy just indifferent to that fact...if it is not adressed they might grow more agressive..and even attack livestock . .i have seen a video on that..and it happend in a very short time!!

[@georgegibson707]

Agree totally about that veil design flaw. I was just stung twice on the nose by my hot hive bees. I couldn't remove the stingers immediately and my nose and eyes swelled up badly. And I have been stung on the nose before too. Will have to wear a cap like you.

[@daddykirbs]

OUCH!! I'm so sorry to hear that you got hit on the nose!

[@dekelchile]

Sorry for the hive. It's strange but I love the angry bee sound :D

[@daddykirbs]

I kinda like the sounds too :)

[@shashakeeleh5468]

Beekeeping does take lots of time. My grandmother tended the garden/livestock, and grandfather took care of the bees; and that's all he did. It was very time-consuming.

[@daddykirbs]

I'm finding that it is more work than I anticipated LOL

[@jaycotty]

Just one thing at a time my friend. You can do it!

[@daddykirbs]

Thank you :)

[@SoulHarvester666]

I saw this video on flow hives it is basically a bee hive but, it makes getting honey alot easier

[@larrytornetta9764]

yes full sun. i live in philly area and its been over 90 with 90 percent humidity with no rain for the summer. my hives are also on blacktop no shade. just make sure there is water nearby. try setting up one of those in the sun.

[@daddykirbs]

Thank you. I'll consider moving them.

[@sarapuran6946]

I love this video

[@clilbear11]

I have a question, Is there actually a difference between organic bee versus bees that are retrieving from non-organic flowers?

[@reginarowe1455]

We can only do one thing at a time some days, so at least you are still getting something done. Keep up the good work.

[@nicolevlogs5801]

good job blake! brave one..

[@pcdubya]

Nice job there showing a real world regular kind of guy beekeeper and how nervous you are and all. That's kind of like me and my bees are NOTHING like those. I thought one hive I caught from a swarm was aggressive but after watching that, they're great. Luckily I have a knowledgeable guy helping me or I would be winging it like you. Also I had wax moths in a neglected hive one time and they were much bigger, almost an inch long with lots of webs in the comb.

[@robertturner4225]

often been stung on the nose as you described!, ought to get myself a baseball cap!

[@Casey_Ezaziel]

You did really well mate. No one knows what to do 100% of the time. Trust your judgement well done

[@aaronengland8736]

I really think that the hive got angry because of all the wax moths. I had a hive that was failing, and the queen absconded, because of wax moths. I moved the remaining frames to a strong hive after removing all the larva from the wax moths. They cleaned up the frame and are now storing honey in it. If the bees don't calm down, I would pinch the queen and destroy the hive to get rid of the possible Africanized bees. When my bees got hot from the moths, they would only follow me about 10 feet away from the hive.

[@pitbullsandcalicos]

Will the bees from the moth ridden hive be allowed to join the other hives ?

[@petercampbell1478]

I suspect the infested hive had the SBH problem earlier and this suppressed production of brood thus small population of bees. I had a 2 box hive under perform even after requeening. I eventually discovered a rotten section of bottom board housing heaps of SHB's. After rectifying this the hive went beautifully. Further I would probably have split using 1 nuc and replaced the 4 frames back into the original hive. And yes re queen at earliest opportunity.

[@kickinitwithkaren]

That's a LOT of bees! Scary! That's a nightmare for me. Goodness. You are brave.

[@jessabeebees956]

What kind of bee's, do you have? I've heard Buckfast can become more aggressive after superseding the queen

[@sdbigguy]

Great video... How many stings do you normally get each time you work the hives... Heard you get one. On Bee Works they give the following for a wax moth trap. Take a 2 litre plastic pop bottle and drill a 1 inch hole just below the slope on the neck, then add 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 half cup vinegar and finally 1 banana peel. Wait a few days till it starts to ferment, then tie it into a tree close to the hives. This trap will draw the wax moth, they enter the hole can't get out and drown in the liquid, this will even draw in and kill the bald faced hornet. San Diego has rules that won't allow me bees, lot size and such, but I love getting to live vicariously through your projects. The bees really seem to hate you phone. Remember, if things were easy everyone would do them.

[@daddykirbs]

I'll have to try that moth trap. Good idea. Normally I get 1 or 2 stings per visit. Most of them aren't bad.

[@alanhiggins299]

"San Diego has rules that won't allow me bees, lot size and such", If it were up to me, I would build a shed on my lot and keep a few hives inside it (slovenian bee house), what the authorities can't see can't harm them and nobody else is any wiser. :)

[@Cohowarren]

Add a drop or two of unscented dish soap. Breaks up the surface tension.

[@Rastarunt]

I built a hive and looking to get a nuc next spring to start beekeeping so I'm doing a ton of research. this video just intimidated me :( hahaha. I didn't even know about Africanized bees or worms(wax moths). shows how much I know :/

[@daddykirbs]

Don't be intimidated, but don't go in blind either. You CAN do this! Take caution, but have fun :)

[@machscga6238]

Christina Gutierrez im also trying to get into this... where do you live cuz where I live there are no africanized bees if you live in northern states or Canada (like me from Alberta) you have nothing to worry about the climate will be too cold

[@Rastarunt]

Mach SCGA I live in Socal

[@machscga6238]

***** ok so yes your right in their line of fire... I know yoy can still keep africanized bees but you need to suit up more... Not sure how you would keep them european and harmless

[@laurabunyard8562]

Where did you get your boxes from? I helped my dad back in the 70s. I would like to get back into beekeeping again.

[@gordonwybo898]

Go to Mann Lake

[@ivanphillips4399]

I wish you would have used the queen from the wax moth box in one of the splits you made!

[@AwesomeFish12]

Definitely beetle larvae. Wax moths create silk webbing that they hide under and rarely venture out into the open where the bees can get them, but beetle grubs exude a slime that repels bees instead of making webs. If you look closely you can see the thin layer of yellow-brown slime in the corners where the larvae are hanging out, the combs also looked "shiny" in places where they were wet with slime. The infestation could explain why they were so bad tempered. I'd consider putting beetle traps in all of your hives as prevention if you have a lot of beetles in your area, that's how I manage it anyway. It was an interesting video and well edited, keep it up dude. I hope those nucs work out.

[@daddykirbs]

Yep SHB I'm sure. I keep learning :)

[@coriewheeler]

how did this end up turning out for you? looking at doing similar split soon

[@daddykirbs]

So far so good :)

[@coriewheeler]

that's great news mate good stuff.. hope mine works out for my first time

[@l.k.b545]

Are you buying queens to install in each box? Are you hoping there are eggs and they will raise new queens? The genetics of those eggs will likely be "hot" as well. Please update us on how it goes. I recently did the same thing by splitting into 3 hives but I installed 3 new queens

[@l.k.b545]

Oops - you answered the question at the end. Your doing great - exactly what I would have done

[@daddykirbs]

+L.K. B I'm glad I'm doing something right!

[@dkelban]

Definitely africanized...those aren't normal bees

[@highstandards6226]

Given that he's in Texas...can't DISagree

[@myjamaicanchef5605]

so racist

[@dkelban]

My Jamaican Chef : LOL , thanks

[@highstandards6226]

@@dkelban hardly. Its merely a fact of life. Africanized bees are moving *north* from the *south*. Its *geographical.* Not *racial*. Kirby, you're starting to make enemies. Get some EDUCATION before getting new livestock. PLEASE! WITH THE HORSE; YOU REALLY PISSED *ME* OFF!(thats actually, a difficult thing to do, we've all btdt, learning starts somewhere... THERES NO EXCUSE FOR IGNORANCE IN THIS DAY AND AGE! AN ANIMAL SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THAT IS BEYOND *INEXCUSABLE!*!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🍼

[@jozuasmit7358]

Spray some insect detergent(e.g. mosquito repellent) on your suite around areas where the bees tend to get easier access and crawl into you suite e.g. around feet, the zip of your hood and around your gloves. Our bees in South Africa normally are quite aggressive.

[@LariatLady150]

I can SO RELATE to "not feeling" like messing with the bees. Wearing all the precautionary gear in summer heat is MISERABLE!! Back in September, I extracted 7 frames of honey from my main hive. I'm guessing the queen didn't survive that event, because when I went to do a hive inspection in early November, they were GONE!!!! Brood, remaining honey, and bees.... all gone. It was s ghost town! To be honest, I wasn't all that sad. My husband didn't care for them and wanted nothing to do with them, and its too difficult to do alone. So this spring, I'll be selling all my equipment. It was an interesting and very educational experience though. Also, I didn't get stung at all... not once!!! Even after finding a bee in my hood and one in my pants!!!

[@Unclejake]

Was it easier to split the hot hive then just killing the Queen?

[@Ganesh-qg8ju]

I think the smoke calms them down. They go back to the hive to save it thinking it's being burnt

[@luckyshow98]

Hey I'm very much interested in beekeeping I was wondering do the wax moths, hive beetles get stung by the bees? If they're pests surely the bees would defend themselves. Thank you from London! x

[@daddykirbs]

They do defend themselves. I haven't seen them sting beetles or moths, but they do try to round them up and push them out of the hive.

[@jandejong5307]

With African bees I would reccommend working early morning or evening. Also, work with a friend. This warm was not really as bad as some that we work in S A.

[@bobbiemooser5946]

You are a very brave man. I am terrified of bees. Don’t understand a word of your strategy about the queen tho. I enjoyed your video so much. Will the dying hive infect the other hives❓will those worker bees die? This was great to watch. Thank you‼️

[@DavesTreeFarm]

By now you have probably requeened that hive. How is it now?

[@corneliualdea5385]

Do u know why the bees are aggressive ??? Is thei fill when the weather is changing .

[@h.l.westlake6083]

Great audio, bee safe good god those suckers are not normal

[@Uncle_deadly08]

What are wax moths and what do they do?

[@mikecox9389]

No need to kill your bees like someone suggested, or even split your hive. You just need to requeen and wait for one life cycle and your bees will be calm again. Put a queen excluder between your boxes and wait a few days then whichever box has larvae in it has the queen, that narrows your search time so you can get that queen out and kill her. It keeps you from making unnecessary splits....

[@daddykirbs]

Thank you for that advice!

[@mizsterious]

OMGoodness . . . I was freakin' out! I was scared to death, but it went very well I think!!! Good Job! So what happens to the bees that you put out to pasture, will they go to one of the other hives or. . . . you said put out to die? You're right, it's never EZ, but you do the best that you can, and that's all that's is expected. Living ones dream is always a work in progress, you're all growing in/with your DREAM. Much love to your family, take care of each other. . .thank you for the tense share, BUT was worth it! What a GREAT JOURNEY, thanks for the ride, see you all SOON!!! :)

[@daddykirbs]

+miz sterious there is a small chance that the hive that was put out will swarm up and leave (I hope they do), but most likely will disperse and die.

[@shashakeeleh5468]

Blake, where did you get your smoke box? Forgot the actually name for it; I call them smoke boxes.

[@daddykirbs]

Most of my basic supplies came in a kit that I ordered from Mann Lake online the first year I did beekeeping.

[@shashakeeleh5468]

Thanks Blake. I don't think I'm going to take this one. My Grandfather might have had the touch, but I don't.