Beekeeping Tips For January

[@jeffharper6624]

new beekeeper here from Ohio. Started last June. it's has been learning so far. started with one and now have four. Swarm catching is fun which most were my own. One wild. still learning! You teach me a lot. You have good teaching tools to help make you think about different things. Love the is it worth it or not. Thanks, Harper Valley BTA, (Bee Training Apiary)

[@577bluegrass]

I once heard " If you could do somthing to make a 50% difference would you do it " what would it be ? Feeding your bee... What a difference it makes ! Thank you Dave !

[@beek]

Thanks!

[@kirkhowes3334]

Negative 35 below zero here I double wrap my hives and I put a deep box on with wood chips in it and they have a big old candy board that I gave them just before freeze-up in November my fingers are crossed

[@garyRt23Bees]

I didn't have batting but I tool black plastic and wrapped each of the hives. Hopefully, that will seal any gaps between the boxes and anywhere they have not propolized. Then I took 6 fence posts all the way around my hives to provide a good windbreak. But I only have 8 hives I am Wintering this year. TY for all the great info as always !!!!

[@beek]

Wind break is huge for sure Gary.

[@jingles1963]

Gee thanks David…I feel so comforted every time I put my ear up to the hive and hear them humming away on a freezing day….I. Didn’t realize they could really be crying out for help! =D Thanks for the tips though. My New Years beekeeping resolution is to do a better job of keeping ahead of varroa and getting more comfortable with inspections. We are going into our third year of beekeeping and inspections still make me nervous. Not because I’m afraid of the bees but because I’m afraid of doing something that will harm them. I bought a couple of your beekeeping classes and looking forward to watching those Jan/Feb. Thanks for all you do!

[@beek]

Wow, thank you so much Teresa!

[@janemartin8269]

I enjoy your videos very much David. I live in NH and currently we are experiencing extremely cold weather. It’s nice to have you live in just about the same weather conditions as I can follow you and how you do things. 😀

[@beek]

Glad you like them!

[@loudimel5068]

Spent the first year not knowing what I was looking at or looking for ,thanks to your direction I feel more confident I will be a better beekeeper this year

[@beek]

Great to hear.

[@mrmet6357]

Happy New Year David! Great video! You bring up many great points...gotta plan now for the spring! Jeff B in NJ

[@beek]

Awesome!

[@russellsamson1828]

Love the videos, keep up the great work. Leaning a lot Thank you

[@jwca35]

Here in jax florida i have 5 hives that is packed out with pollen and 5 frames brood plus honey in each box i have drones already and drone cells about to hatch. Pollen is 2 months early. Mostly pine. After this little cold snap 40s at night its going back up in the 70s. Ive been feeding sugar water for a month now because the hives are getting lite. Yall better be checking your hives with all this heat were having because bees are in high gear here in florida.

[@stanleyschafer4232]

Thank you David for January tips. Time to gather my Christmas money and gift cards and stock up on bee equipment. I noticed that shopping now gives me more time to prepare the new equipment for use this spring. Thank you for sharing your videos with us. As my mentor would say .. I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. 🇺🇸

[@beek]

Thanks Stanley

[@tonyt.1596]

Great video David, thank you. I need to up my level on the inspections. I tend to feel I'm taking too long and being "mean" to the bees, too disturbing.

[@kennethhoward4904]

This year I used the space age Radiant bubble wrap Around the hive twice It's supposed to hold the heat in and then I wanna round it with Black tar paper Check it when it was 10ﾟ out and Sunny it was warm

[@emilandrusko8597]

Happy New Year! Thanks for all the advice. All the Best in 2022!

[@beek]

Same to you!

[@ronslanczka8941]

Great info today. It got me thinking harder on the insulation I have on my colonies. They all have some and some don't have the bottom box covered. So i'm now going to wrap the three with the old batt insulation from top to bottom leaving the entrance open. Thanks David your time and knowledge that you give out is awesome.

[@beek]

Glad to help

[@sophialarson1578]

I use styrofoam to wrap my girls in, then with black garbage bags (keeping appropriate openings open)....at one of the hives, gals have decided they don't like the way I placed them - so they're chewing the parts away they don't approve of. if you get close enough - you can hear those little mouths chewing away - they also don't like the entrance opening to the candy board - so they're now propolizing and redesigning it as well. I have special bees.

[@simplegiftsflowerfarm4779]

Fantastic! Thank you for this. Very timely!

[@beek]

You're so welcome!

[@heavymechanic2]

With the warm weather, I was feeding dry pollen after finding the bees working the birdfeeder for food, put a tray in an empty NUC box as a feeder away from any other colony. In November and December I was building several new boxes and frames for the upcoming season anticipating a price increase and shortages in the new year. The foundation will be added as the season gets closer to spring.. FEED the bees as required, avoid deadouts if possible.

[@donnettehenderson2447]

Thank you! As a new beekeeper I really needed this information!

[@beek]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robertgoodrich9302]

We had -5F this last weekend. I have a couple of 5 frame hives with small colonies that were swarms. They survived. Temps are up to 40+ now in daytime so they have been flying, my other colonies are larger and are doing well.

[@Jaden1673]

Dave your my go to guy for taking care of my bees. Seeing I live in Indiana around the same part of the state as you are in Illinois your advice fits me really well. Thanks for the great videos.

[@beek]

Wow, thanks

[@BlanchardsBees]

I cleaned the snow off the entrances yesterday and realized I still needed to tilt my hives forward a bit. Winter has arrived in Iowa.

[@beek]

Hello winter!

[@4kbentz]

Love your videos Dave! What is the lowest temperature you would open the top to throw on winter patties?

[@beek]

I do not use patties, but I have no minimal temp for replacing my winter-bee-kinds. I'm purposeful in swapping them out and it takes me less that 60 seconds. I try and not to choose a cold, windy, or rainy day.

[@halfcircleworkshop]

I love your vids. Thanks for what you do

[@jonhaskell9630]

Nice! lol It's past 11:00 p.m., and you doing that hive knock made my dawg think there was someone at the door. Other than that, here's to successful overwintering.

[@beek]

Oh that's funny!

[@rstlr01]

We’ve been bouncing between -10 Fahrenheit and 15 Fahrenheit for the last week in northern Iowa. Got some clusters that are pretty dang small but not much I can do about those now. Just looking forward to spring.

[@beek]

Exactly! Battle stations and improvise, adapt, and overcome!

[@XDEEPTHOUGHT]

Thank you Dave. Great advice as always. Happy New Year to You and Sheri. Looking forward to more great content this year.

[@beek]

Same to you!

[@LawsonsCreekApiary]

Solid information as usual, David. We going to see you at the Hive Life Conference?

[@ncut5547]

You made me smile with those really cold Temps-5 mmmmmmm we have had -40 the past couple of weeks so watt I'm asking is I should wrap my hives as soon as the -5 get here u think thks ...

[@beek]

Wow, that's cold. I think I would wrap.

[@stephenluna7932]

One thing I’ve been wondering about feeding during times of dearth is if they use what you’re feeding them instead of using the honey reserves you leave for them causing you to spend excess money on food for them when they actually have plenty. Any thoughts or feedback on that is that the case or do they use their honey stores first?

[@puttyputt5074]

Valuable content Sir Thanks

[@beek]

So nice of you

[@lalchunglurapc4875]

Good and interesting video for beekeeper thanks David 👍

[@beek]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@timothywaldron5308]

Great T-shirt!

[@russellsamson1828]

Thank You, your channel is great, Videos are great!!!!

[@beek]

Glad you like them!

[@DC_PRL]

I got three wrapped hives with a quilt box on top. Not feeding, they're packed full of honey. Last year I lost hives due to verona mites. I'm in a congested area, rather have weaker bees in spring that take some time to ramp up, than a bunch of swarms and dealing with neighbors. Getting honey is nice, but not priority, pollination is for me. I don't want to make splits and doubling every year either

[@howardmcadams3852]

Thanks Sir for all the great information. Keep up the good work man.

[@beek]

Thanks, will do!

[@AlleyCat-1]

How do you feed the bee's this time of the year if you don't have your WBK board or a frame feeder? And should you really inspect the hives in the winter bi-weekly when your temps are below 50*? We're 37*, which is a heat wave for us lately. Can I put out a sugar water feeder? (I don't have any pollen powder or honey b healthy or other substitute right now)

[@beek]

No, as I've said, never inspect a hive below 65 (f). Maybe you can make your own candy board.

[@davelapp8412]

Love that shirt! I need one

[@reck9953]

Great video

[@beek]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@marchitson5757]

Appreciate

[@miroslawswiercz8494]

Good morning, I have a horizontal hive and I did wrap it with 1 inch Styrofoam and threw a bed cover over the hive with opening entrance and vent holes open. Hopefully that will help with the heat? But I really can't feed at this time without exposing them to the cold so what I did is hang a old honey frame with sugar syrup close to the hive so when they come out they can feed and so far it's been working. Any suggestion? Great program! Thanks

[@beek]

When I've worked horizontal hives I've lowered them off their stands onto the ground for winter. Feeding upper candy boards isn't as easy.

[@robertstanley7114]

Do you use Claus domes

[@zineddinejourney]

Nice advices

[@beek]

Glad you think so!

[@diannemiller4754]

So get old candy board off and new one on then close her up. Correct? Do you still suggest smoker be lit and all suited up? Thanks again for sharing.

[@beek]

Smoke is never a bad idea, and yes, a fresh WBK facing some locked down cold weather is a good idea. I'm adding more today.

[@toddr8406]

Hi David What supplements would you add to your sugar bricks this time of year? Thanks. Todd

[@beek]

I don’t make or use sugar bricks but for the winter bee kinds our recipe is on our website under the product description: www.honeybeesonline.com/10f-winter-bee-kind/

[@framcesmoore]

Ha David this was a great video very encouraging to me I have wrapped my hives back in oct put a candy board on all of them ,on the same day.. getting ready with in the next week to add the 3rd one.U were encouraging when u said u cant do anything else Hope and see. I have been watching your videos for a very long time u do a wonderful job with the information u share plus just the video them selves. Question for u if u do not mind we had a storm come yesterday the weather men got it all wrong and we had major flooding I have my bees at several locations and it flooded at 1 of the places getting just 1 on my hives at this place they are in a double deeps, the water went in the bottom deep, they are off the ground on cinder blocks, They are wrapped I can not check them it is 2 cold to open them up so I do not know if they are dead or alive I am hoping they had time to move up but how do u clean the comb or do u just trow it all away...it was salt water. Never had this to happen before If it was u what would u do Thanks again for a wonderful video hope u have a great day

[@beek]

Wait until it warms up enough, say mid 60s to open things up and inspect and decide what to do base on how the bees are doing. You'll be more prone to European foulbrood due to this excess moisture so keep an eye out for this in the spring.

[@markcross3629]

David I have listened to several of your videos and also your classes. I have a question regarding the amount of pollen as protein. Seems the teaspoon of pollen in the Honey Be Kind board would not equate to the amount the hive requires. I am sure there is an explanation but just wondering. Also, I am seeing bees that have left the hive and are on the snow (dead) and wondering about this. In the past seems this indicated the death of the hive.

[@DooleyBFR]

Actually Dave! A Guitar Tuner says different!!!

[@donjohnsen6052]

5 below is warm, should have been here for the 30 below we had to deal with last week.

[@beek]

Wow!

[@wmjengel]

David, how can I keep my # of hives from growing? I'm new but don't want to get too large

[@beek]

Many beekeepers are in the same boat. Swarm prevention, or selling splits is the best ways I can think of.

[@kathiegatien9656]

Thanks for the great info, as always. You don't ship winter bee kind to Canada, is there a way to get the recipe so I can make one myself? Thanks!

[@beek]

Yes, a recent video talked about where you can go on our website and find the recipe. www.honeybeesonline.com/10-frame-winter-bee-kind-with-candy/ Scroll down near the bottom of the page

[@kathiegatien9656]

@@beek thanks very much!

[@shannjill]

If I only have an upper entrance for winter, are the dead bees that are likely piling up in the bottom harmful?

[@beek]

Usually not as there is a significant distance from the cluster to those dead sisters, but cleaning it out occasionally is a good idea.

[@reck9953]

Is there a chance that when we put a candy board on does it make the cluster move up faster than they should be? Hopefully I said that correctly 🤞🏻

[@beek]

Sometimes the cluster is already that high or would have moved up into the hive anyway by the time they reach the WBK, so it is hard to say. I have many hives that have yet to make their way up to the WBK, especially the ones with honey supers above the clusters. Other hives with honey supers are up in the WBK.

[@benjaminclegg7109]

how often would you recommend checking how much candybord is left in winter?

[@beek]

Every 2 weeks

[@AlleyCat-1]

@@beek in the winter? Even if it's not at least 50*?

[@kcyes512]

this is an off the wall question. most honey from local beekeepers the honey is sold as raw. rather then the pasturized you buy at the store. i know honey can carry botulisum. but how do you know? yes i worry about abscure things.

[@beek]

I'll do a video on this one....lots of info...too much for a comment reply.

[@reck9953]

Any book suggestions?

[@beek]

What Do You Know by Clarence Collison: amzn.to/3F01wcX

[@aarondlancaster]

Are all your bees of southern origin?

[@beek]

Our 5 frames nucs are from overwintered Illinois colonies.

[@raleighsistrunk7123]

Love your content! It would be nice to mention what folks in the south should be doing compared to you in the north. Thanks ps. You need to come spend some time in the south, you're losing your accent. Lol

[@beek]

There are a few words I cannot pronounce without a southern accent.

[@rose2525bud]

❄️🐝❄️

[@scottharrison7758]

73 de AC0WD

[@atharvaphalle3745]

I feel noice....

[@KevinCWall-ct5sm]

Be greater than the sum of your parts?? (Tee shirt)

[@beek]

Yup: 𝐵>1𝑛(𝑥1+𝑥2+𝑥3+⋯+𝑥𝑛)

[@patrickconnolly2899]

Hi David just gave you a thumbs down by mistake must of given you a fright ,enjoyed your insight into life it is very much as you described . Non verbal communication, my bees let me know by a change in the sounds they produce and how they populate the hives .I like them and want them thrive the honey is a bonus . We can only second guess why some bee are the way they are I react appropriately the unknown is exciting positive reinforcement my bees are calm are they loosing something by not being more defensive?

[@beek]

That's funny

[@dleaming1]

Your winter be kind boards are always out of stock.

[@beek]

Not always, we've had them online all day and as of the time you posted they were and are still available as of 10pm central time Tuesday night...still available.