FIVE Years Untouched - How Did These Bees Survive Against The Odds!?

[@Pracrorrim]

This just popped up as a suggestion. Any update link?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnWqk4mspNWlodU

[@jeremytaylor3532]

It seems a shame that there are so many abandoned hives in your area. Perhaps some of the old beekeepers passed away. Glad you are stepping up.

[@pambrown6260]

I would hope to see a "brotherhood" of bee keepers that would work together to support the bees if not the keepers.

[@Jan6750]

In the 70's/ 80's, my dad owned the biggest private apiary in the West Mids, rows of them in the garden and more dotted about Worcestershire, Malvern & Ludlow. I helped out a lot as a kid. When he died, the garden hives were sold, but we didn't have much idea of the other locations! I'm 55 now, and your channel has got me thinking about getting a hive or two. I miss the work, the smells and the different honeys!!😋😋

[@marcoamadasi4294]

Lazy British you sold the the hives yeah

[@Jan6750]

@MARCO AMADASI two of us were serving abroad in the armed forces and the girls were married with children and no interest in becoming beekeepers! So taking on the work of 30+ hives was impractical at the time.

[@johnstockburn6396]

@@Jan6750 you don't have to justify your self to an inconsiderate to55er

[@hugoalvord2779]

I love how clearly this man respects the bees

[@donegal1983]

Great video for Christmas morning viewing. Really enjoyed it and would love to hear an update in the spring.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Cheers Chris. Glad you enjoyed it. Happy Christmas 🎄

[@patrick_laslett_allotment]

Great stuff. Throws up so many questions. Like it!

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Cheers Patrick. Hope you are well.

[@gypsygem9395]

Fabulous video! How exciting to find these hives, I'm really looking forward to the future updates!

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Thanks for watching GG. I am excited by these as well. They seem very resilient

[@jack00scarecrow]

loved this video, i could feel the passion coming through. You're showing a wealth of knowledge working around this apiary. looking forward to you checking back on them in the future, and of course a merry Christmas to you :)

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Hey thanks Jack! 😊 Happy Christmas mate 🎄

[@bluelab5019]

Brilliant video. So interesting 👍👍

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Cheers Bluelab. A little Christmas eve episode 😀 Glad you enjoyed it

[@eastsussexbeesandwildlife5801]

That was a great video, thanks. With all that moisture at the top, would that suggest they needed more ventilation? Have a great new year. Peter

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Hi Peter. It just indicates where the coldest surface is. Insulate the top and the condensation falls down the sides

[@fishmanfairclough7530]

@@BlackMountainHoney Yeah I have some wild tree hives and bees can survive with quite high levels of moisture around them, it appears to me that as long as they can have a decent main working space they will be fine.

[@DocMartin54]

Given there is a risk of foulbrood with any colony from such deserted colonies or ones from swarm traps. What would be the best location for a quarantine apiary given the distance bees can travel ? Sorry if this is a basic question but I am very new to beekeeping

[@gypsygem9395]

I was wondering the same. My smallholding is a quarter mile end to end (it's very narrow), with my bees at one end near the hub of smallholding activity and nearer the other houses in the hamlet. The other end is open countryside, away from the hamlet. I do know I'm not the only beekeeper in the hamlet but the other beekeeper is a quarter mile from the activity end of mine (i.e. half a mile from the end of my smallholding). Would this be sufficient, or are my neighbour's bees too close, let alone mine?

[@ruedigysin2898]

@@gypsygem9395 Here in Switzerland we have an unwritten rule that a beekeeper should be at least 300m (~ 330 yards) away from the next beekeeper. I know, Bees are flying a longer distance. One of my apiaries has 5 other beekeepers nearby. The distances are between 300m and 750m (~ 330-820 yards). With no major problems in the past 20 years.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

My opinion is the best quarantine apiary is the one they are in. The less they are moved or disturbed the better. If you cant leave them in situ, then somewhere high up and exposed. It limits flight and other colonies tend to forage downwards for most of the year.

[@BrooklandsHoneyBees]

Amazing video man! Love watching these videos. Hope you are well and had a great Christmas :)

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Cheers Andy. Happy Christmas

[@DawnDBoyerPhD]

Question: I am in Virginia and was told when setting up a bee box to put it in full sun because they like the heat but other beekeepers say keep the beehive in a shady place and/or sheltered in the winter. What’s your best advice for placement - full sun or half-shade?

[@stgermain1074]

I'm in TN. In the Southeast, hive beetles like the shade, so sunny locations are better. You might follow Kamon Reynolds (also in TN) for hints on Southern beekeeping. He and his wife put on the annual Hive Life conference.

[@heavymechanic2]

I'm also in Virginia and prefer to have hives in morning sun and possibly dappled shade in the afternoon heat. A wind break really helps in the winter but a shady location in the winter is not ideal. I run a lot of hives and nuc boxes, some shade is OK but not preferred. I also advocate top insulation for winter. I'm experimenting with insulated hives for improved winter success.

[@staynalive660]

I find this fascinating! Thank you so much. Bees are some of the most amazing creatures!

[@annebruecks7381]

Landowner left them for 5 years but can't wait 3-4 more months lol.

[@edmartin875]

He likely has a Karen screaming in his ear because she saw a bee that was not on a blossom.

[@Jake.44Mag]

Land could have been bought and sold and the new owner could have allergies or something

[@JOSIANGREENVLOGS]

Wonderful video.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rose2525bud]

Really enjoyed this video, very exciting and educational Thank you! 🧡🐝🧡

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Thanks Terri. Glad you enjoyed it 😀

[@beekeepinggarden165]

Great video thank you Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Thank you! Happy Christmas to you too ☺️ 🎄

[@Blake_Stone]

Wasn't expecting this to become a crime scene investigation of the beehive Mary Celeste!

[@davidhenderson3400]

That last one. SO they moved into the basement. Good thing that one came with a basement

[@MyAlbertC]

Wow, amazing, a bucket 🪣 full of bees 🐝 😅😂 . What a job and the bee, chip was saying, hey Larry, Mo what in the bucket is this guy doing. 😅😂😊

[@bradwamsley3465]

Great video

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Thanks for watching Brad

[@southswedishhighland3618]

A really good vid, pls do an update or five over the next year. Love thoseblack bees...

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Certainly will. Thanks for watching :D

[@greentoad6729]

The moisture billowing out of that hive, and you trapped it to within the hive on re- closure, I feel it needed some roof ventilation.

[@Amanda-wt8hb]

Hi, a badger wouldn’t have been able to get in the last hive and eat the honey without making a huge hole in the side or by pushing it over so I would have thought all the sawdust is from wax moth larvae or woodworm eating the frames.

[@temijinkahn511]

No treatment for varroa mites in years. Are we creating more problems by not leaving them alone?

[@pricklypear7516]

Honestly? I think our meddling creates a system in which the bees cannot build a natural resistance to disease.

[@johnkennedy1242]

Can you measure the gap between the combs on the last "wild" hive ?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

I will have a go next time I am there

[@reneallen6405]

What kind of hives are there where you are? Your frames are much deeper then frames from a langstroff hive that I have.

[@johncombs3270]

Another great video but I swear you remind me so much of Steve Irwin and his passion for animals the way you talk about honey bees

[@BlackMountainHoney]

High praise indeed. I absolutely love Steve Irwin!! 😀

[@vytbbb7146]

How do they manage that good without varoa treatment?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

They have either adapted to live with varroa, or much more likely, the colonies die/swarm and new swarms take their place. Its only after 2-3 years of a colony staying put do you see the colonies fail from varroa.

[@fishmanfairclough7530]

@@BlackMountainHoney I would say this is a possible normality but I do have hives that have remained occupied with swarming breaks (I check visually every week or so, so I would be aware if they died in either Autumn or Spring) and one will be 6 years old this year, 3 will be 3 years old and lots of 2nd years. The original hive they are descended from was in a tree stump but the tree became too damaged so they left. Maybe a swarm break allows the bees to weather the mites better or they have adapted but they are doing very well and I will be swarm trapping off them again this year :)

[@edmartin875]

@@fishmanfairclough7530 I wish you good luck at trapping a large and adapted swarm colony. May their adaption spread far and wide.

[@seamus33cork]

Is there a follow up video to this

[@boatlady5]

Where do wild bees live?? Anywhere they want. I have wild honey bees that are living under my shed. They just started living there this yr. Sadly I have to kill them. I dont want to, but people want to charge too much to remove and they have to cut the floor out of my shed. If anyone knows of anyone that will rescue this hive, please let me know and TY

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Are you sure they are honey bees? If so, put in on a local FB and someone will come and get them. Maybe well be bumbles bees in which case they die off in the winter

[@won2winit]

Been there 5 years and now the land owner wants them gone asap.... Hope the late inspections and move don't cause too much stress

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Yep. That's the way of the world unfortunately. Its near a shoot and it's been mild in Nov/Dec and apparently they are causing a nuisance

[@gypsygem9395]

@@BlackMountainHoney that seems hard to believe. More like someone's panicking and causing a fuss (i.e. a human being a nuisance!)!

[@fishmanfairclough7530]

@@BlackMountainHoney I think you might be fine I had a wild tree hive when one of the attachments broke had to cut it down as it was almost horizontal and the roof was damaged (worried that the rain would ingress). When I cut it down I hadn't reattached the main lowering rope 10m straight to planet earth bottom and roof fully broken instead of a rudimentary cutout I just strapped the roof with new bottom. We then had that really cold night and rain pretty much ever since and they are okay with new insulation and water proofing on the roof. The new few months with be the decider good luck with your bees, in the UK we have this nasty habit of mild Autumns and then possibly very cold Winter / Spring like last year when our first really good weather days were in May in the NW.

[@Lunas2525]

How did they survive? As they have for millions of years without humans stealing their honey.

[@reneallen6405]

Can I buy some of those deep frames somewhere?

[@Fred-ff6bv]

what kind of gloves are you wearing? where can they be ordered from?

[@rogerwilson6367]

Great video. How many people were waiting for the bee in the last shot to go down your bee suit? Be honest people.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

haha! Well.. If you like seeing me get stung in the face, the video I filmed yesterday will bring you lots of Christmas joy!

[@rogerwilson6367]

@@BlackMountainHoney I often wonder if people like yourself suffer swelling in the face area after being stung ,considering the amount of times you must get stung. I have only been keeping bees for about 3 years and I am now getting some resistance to stings, but my face still swells badly, especially around my eyes. Hope it's not too bad. My other half laughed like hell at me about a week ago. Was feeding my bees without a suit and a bee must have crawled up my jumper and stung me right in my belly button.😄😄

[@BlackMountainHoney]

@@rogerwilson6367 Oh dear. I'm lucky that I get pretty much no reaction at all 😀 Even if they are closed to the eyes

[@tinahamburg77]

@@rogerwilson6367 Have the same problem. Got tested and I am allergic to bee stings, luckily still only mildly after 3 years of beekeeping. Resorted to carry around an epi pen and a fluid antihistamine bottle. I recommend getting tested if you react to stings over more than 2 seasons.

[@rogerwilson6367]

@@tinahamburg77 Will do that.

[@rwdkai]

Did you hit them with the gas-vap when there and all bloodless?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

They are not mine so I left the interaction to a minimum. Would have been idea though!

[@cluelessbeekeeping1322]

You can't say it's a bad queen JUST because she's small! It's Winter, they shouldn't have brood. Jeez dude.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

I'd say 75% of colonies have brood at the moment. Its been a very mild winter. Fair comment on the queen. I like to see big, elongated abdomens but just because they are small doesn't necessarily indicate its a poor queen.

[@carolinemaja2199]

I hope the owner lets them stay til spring. I mean what does it hurt him!

[@headbangingzuluuk5058]

Great vid i wonder how many more abandoned bee hives out there.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Cheers HBZUK. There must be so many!

[@joannsns]

Is there an update?

[@conortube]

Are you using too much smoke? What are others thoughts?

[@wildwaysfarm]

Great video. What are the symptoms of foulbrood?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Will cover it on a separate video but much easier to see it than have if described

[@wolfeye2717]

Man Idk if I should be happy or unhappy I can't find colonies of any kind human or wild , anywhere xD idk if the swarm I have even had a queen considering how dark the bees are and the biggest bees are 2

[@2centsworth766]

Where do wild bees live? In the wild?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Or under a beehive?

[@edmartin875]

Anyplace they can find suitable shelter. Back in the late 50's I found a swarm that was unable to find such shelter and set up to reside on a horizonal limb of an apple tree. They did not survive. I was about 11 years old and watched them from a hanging swarm until after their last comb fell to the ground. That was the start of my fascination with honeybees.

[@aneiropa]

Did the landowner decide to wait until April???

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Unfortunately not. Wanted them gone and my friend had to move them

[@MsBrylant1982]

Dzięki za subscribe pozdrawiam Tęczowa pasieka Dominik z Polski udanego sezonu 2022r

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Thanks... I think 😉

[@amandablacksmith998]

Upvote if you yourself are a queen bee

[@ExcelInstructor]

but if the bees went wild, fully wild even in human made-beehive - why move them? Whats the point? isnt it better to leave them wild?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Farmer wanted them moved as they were repurposing the land... But also, no - wild hives with no management are a disease risk. If they contract AFB/EFB and then fail whilst unmanaged, they could infect hundreds of localised hives through robbing and be the cause of a major disease outbreak and the culling of LOTS of beehives :(

[@Mamoru128]

If there's no brood in the winter as you said, and you can't inspect them properly - so you can't move them anyway... What was the sense of inspection itself? Pointless...

[@NolaSpiersMitchell-gu5iu]

Why carnt you do one frame at a time

[@davidhefner5668]

They survived because they were left alone.

[@Knappa22]

Gawd this guy can talk.

[@BarracudaBoy]

Really overthinking it. Pick those bees up and take them home.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Nope. Stand by decision. It's not the time for cut outs. What happens if the queen is killed in the process? No access to mated queens. Best to be left until the spring.

[@BarracudaBoy]

@@BlackMountainHoney What? Didn't say anything about cutouts.🤔

[@BlackMountainHoney]

@@BarracudaBoy Sorry! I was responding to your comment but thought it was on another video. Slowly losing my mind!

[@robingraham6820]

Hi. Thanks for the video. A couple of things puzzle me. You Say john found this apiary in the woods. Surely some basic enquiries with the land owner or asking at the local Bee Keepers Club would track down the owner. Perhaps, he/she is sick or perhaps died. But whatever, it makes me uncomfortable that you are looking into the hives of another beekeeper without their knowledge. Misunderstandings can be the start of some very unpleasant occurrences. Secondly, why do we beekeepers always assume we know what is best for the bees welfare, when we are the very super organism that has systematically destroyed their natural habitat. I think that in our enthusiasm, we sometimes forget that bees coped very well before the humans and will thrive again when we are gone. No offence meant.🥴 There were 2 famous beehives above the Roslin Chapel that survived in stone hives for hundreds of years before the chapel was restored, now they are gone.

[@petrafischer6599]

The real question is “ who was treating these hives for the last 5 years”.? Treatment free beekeeping at its best

[@BlackMountainHoney]

True, but it's almost impossible to prove they aren't swarms that turned up last year into abandoned beehives. I like to think its the original colonies that are surviving. Be great if they marked the queens! Pray for a yellow mark!

[@mcfishyfirst253]

#HoneyHighway

[@cluelessbeekeeping1322]

I hate to burst your bubble, but every hive 'has EFB & AFB.' Not so bad you have a problem, but both are caused by spores and both spores are all over the place, all of your hives included. So...that precious sterilized hive tool, when you're done with it, is covered in EFB & AFB spores when you used it in the 1st hive.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Who told you that??? So AFB and EFB exist in a dormant state in every hive?? What triggers to come out of dormancy then? Not having any of that!

[@cluelessbeekeeping1322]

@@BlackMountainHoney It's spores, they are everywhere. You probably have some on your skin. I've read it and it's also logical. Small numbers of spores, but it's not as catastrophic as many think. The propolis is the 1st defense against spores. When the spore number gets too high is when it's a problem. Some bees can deal with it better than others too....but it is everywhere. Ever clean the hell out of something (of mold) then it returns...it(mold) will always return.

[@JM-nd4kt]

@@BlackMountainHoney it's a fact though even if you doubt it just like varroa mites are in every hive.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

@@JM-nd4kt I agree with the varroa mites in every hive but have never seen a study say EFB and AFB exist in ever hive. Do you have any links to confirm this?

[@martinmuldoon603]

@Black Mountain Honey I sure hope these guys are just scaremongering about AFB EFB lingering dormant in every hive. I can relate, though not as serious, I've had a problem with chalkbrood for over a year in 2 buckfast colonies, I've requeened (late August?) vented floors, banana treatment etc. but it's still a problem, I now swap out floors about once a week to get rid of mummified carcasses, clean and wash inspection boards most every day but the disease is still transferring even onto new drawn comb. At one stage last summer (June peak) brood was up to 90% dead, at this present time I'd say down to 40% and 10% . I am really (instincts) wanting to burn them and start again. 3 weeks ago I have captured a new small (2-3 frames) swarm of black bees in the same apiary so far looks clear from disease though its early days just starting to cap brood, building strong and fast, I'm considering taking a frame of eggs from the swarm and placing it into the Chalkbrood infected buckfast hives, removing existing queen's as the were emergency late supersedures anyway last year and probably not well mated??, I'll give them another week or 2 then make the decision to split or replace the buckfast bloodline completely. I'm in Armagh, N. IRE most locals beeks are black bee preservers, they don't want buckfast here, maybe they have a point as its much cooler/damp than southern U.K. I love your channel and dedication to bees.

[@bridgeovertroubledwater6716]

just goes to show that if left to their own devises, bees survive better, and I would guess it is mainly due to the build up of the antibiotic containing propolis, which medicates them from the diseases and pests. Beekeepers dont like this sticky resin, but it is so important for health and vitality for the colony. For us, it is a pain, and many scrape it off for ease of management. Big mistake. My belief is leaving a wild colony on your land strengthens the population of all bees because they have much stronger immune systems to combat pathogens and infestations. As usual, our problems arise from greed and sloth, wanting more honey from less work.

[@johnfleming7879]

this guy is paranoid about foul brood- a strong colony is not going to be sick- European-style frames. Where is he?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Yep. I'm definitely paranoid about foulbrood on wild colonies. Not so much AFB but EFB. Some of the colonies here were far from strong. There are lots of feral colonies in the UK that contain foulbrood. We are a heavily populated country with lots beehives for a small area.

[@TheBaconWizard]

If you aren’t paranoid about foulbrood, do NOT keep bees.

[@CRA1G1978]

I like your videos but God do you repeat everything 4/5 times, maybe you should be a lot more harsher on your video editing

[@BlackMountainHoney]

We take the feedback on board. Thanks for watching :D

[@moosibou]

A badger? In a closed hive? Really? That's what you're going with?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

I was surmising at that point. Think I settled on failed queen/colony which was then robbed out.

[@jjbarajas5341]

Bloke really likes repeating himself.

[@NolaSpiersMitchell-gu5iu]

You never even cleaned envy thing sorry I’m out thanks

[@curtisbacon7856]

How did the bees survive well it's really quite simple bees don't need people to survive