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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@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 :)

[@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.

[@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. :)

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@fredfrond6148]

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

[@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!*!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🍼

[@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!

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@JosephLorentzen]

I am not even a novice, but have I missed something in genetics? Won't the drones fertilize the new queen with "angry"" genes?

[@daddykirbs]

If I let them raise queens yes. If I introduce virgin queens yes. However in the next couple beekeeping videos you will see that I'm introducing mated queens. They will get nothing from the surrounding drones.

[@graemecorbett7408]

@@daddykirbs Very smart, it's important to remember the aggressive genes are passed through the paternal side

[@machscga6238]

could they be so agressive because of the wax moths??? can the other bees smell the other hive being in trouble??

[@daddykirbs]

It's possible. I'm still learning.

[@srper2]

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

[@daddykirbs]

I'm glad you liked it :)

[@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 :)

[@Unclejake]

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

[@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!

[@ivanphillips4399]

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

[@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.

[@Uncle_deadly08]

What are wax moths and what do they do?

[@corneliualdea5385]

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

[@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.

[@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!!

[@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.

[@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!

[@jason1mcgoff]

The larvae you saw I believe where small hive Beatles. Normally with waxmoth the larvae would be much bigger and a lot more Cocoon Like webbing On The frames. I would dispatch The current Queen and Buy a couple other Queens. That may change the bees attitude. And put in those traps. It's probably too late to do any of this not knowing when this was taped. It's a great hobby!!

[@daddykirbs]

There are two newer beekeeping videos since this one that shows my process for introducing new queens. Thanks! :)

[@DavesTreeFarm]

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

[@mohammedx45]

Extremely interesting!

[@pitbullsandcalicos]

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

[@christinespierling5952]

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

[@marlonmendez5176]

What is it that you burn to make that pacifying smoke?

[@daddykirbs]

We use mostly wood shavings. Sometimes I'll put in some dead grass.

[@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.

[@terrysaunders8948]

fezz r frames and box it will kill the wax larvae.and yes i'm a bee keeper in maine and hi from maine

[@daddykirbs]

+terry saunders I have no freezer space :(

[@lizspencer605]

I have the same problem. My daughter opens the freezer and gives me this look...(complete with eye roll) frames in the freezer. Someday I'll have a dedicated bee freezer. Someday...

[@daddykirbs]

Liz Spencer That would be nice to have a larger dedicated space to the beekeeping activities :)

[@clawhammer704]

Do not smoke the entrance since it will run the bees to the top of the box. Set the smoke up wind from the hive...

[@breakpointsniper]

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

[@CZpersi]

Do the Africanized bees at least have a higher honey production?

[@daddykirbs]

I have found, and other beekeepers report, that the aggressive hives are more productive. This is probably not enough of a difference to "want" aggressive hives however.

[@lizcoffey5538]

Why don't you try the flow hive?

[@daddykirbs]

I'm gonna wait another season or two so I can hear some real life reviews about how it works... and money. :)

[@Ganesh-qg8ju]

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

[@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‼️

[@t-a9402]

I think those worms are SHB larvae and not wax moth larvae. Am I wrong?

[@daddykirbs]

+Tim Allen you are not wrong.

[@t-a9402]

Thanks. I am a newbeek. I have seen wax moths (very nasty) and SHB larvae. I can handle the latter, but the former is the source of night terrors! 😜

[@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. There appeared to be very few brood in 2nd nuc.

[@JandjacresNet]

I hate when I get all dressed up and then remember the smoker... I've done that before... More than once. Man, you were so worked up. Guess I can't blame you after those past videos. You may be on to something with the re-queening. I've seen mine be super grouchy but a few weeks later be just fine... turned out they had a new queen. I hope your split goes well. Those wax moths... man... I wonder if being in the sun will kill off the moth larva or what. I know they say you should freeze those frames before giving them back to bees. Good for you for taking action. If the larva is still alive in the sun you might consider giving the frames to the chickens? I feel the same way about buying more hive boxes... I mean really - there has to be a stopping point, right?

[@daddykirbs]

Indeed there does need to be a stopping point! I can't afford to keep adding boxes. I'll be out to the hive today to add those new queens. If there are still moth larva on those frames I'll take them to the chickens :)

[@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.

[@MissFunkyH]

What did you mean when you said if you place back your glasses they'll go for your face?

[@daddykirbs]

If I push on my glasses to adjust them on my face the screen gets pushed up against my face too. They can sting me on the face through the screen where it is touching my face. So I try not to touch my face while they are all stirred up.

[@MissFunkyH]

HA! I get it now, they are pretty quick. I wanted to say thanks for these videos, I'm quite scared of bees but you are making it easier to understand those little creatures :)

[@h.l.westlake6083]

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

[@MissesWitch]

I kept saying to myself "ahh he should put some tape on the gloves too! Or some kind of strap!!" I was really worried the bees were going to get in there!

[@daddykirbs]

I think about bees getting into my suit every time! LOL

[@MissesWitch]

Oh gosh that's so scary! I don't know how you do it! I would wear a double layer! have they actually gone inside before?

[@daddykirbs]

Misses Witch Haha! Yes if you don't get the zippers tight they do. I've had them up my pants legs too LOL

[@MissesWitch]

aaaa! that sounds like a nightmare!! i hope you will be more careful in the future!

[@daddykirbs]

Misses Witch I'm getting better at it ;)

[@kickinitwithkaren]

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

[@hiphoppi86]

Couldn't you have taken the queen from the moth infested hive and relocated her into one of the three split ones? (no beekeeper here, just very interested)

[@daddykirbs]

That may have worked. I'm still learning too ;)

[@NullaNulla]

You have the moth and we have bloody veroa mite ... poor bees. Whilst I'm highly allergic to them, I realise just how much we REALLY need and depend on them for even our breakfast cereal crops.

[@vladanpavlovic5718]

you could just buy new queens to neutralize agressivnes - do you have some honey harvesting there?

[@daddykirbs]

We did well with the honey this year. 2 of the 6 hives produced a enough to help me cover the cost of beekeeping for this season.

[@vladanpavlovic5718]

what type of honey do you have there and at which perod during a year - during harvesting bees should not be agressive..

[@scotthall1923]

If I'm correct, the honey bee dies after stinging, so are all those bees that are attacking your suit are they actually stinging the suit and causing their own death? If so, how many bees roughly do you lose each time working on a hive and does it greatly effect the pollination process?

[@daddykirbs]

Only if they lose the stinger do they perish. Many of them that are stinging my suit are not losing the stingers. I suspect that the numbers lost are a very small percentage.

[@scotthall1923]

I see, I was under the impression that when they stung, that the barbs on their stingers always locked the stinger in place and as they tried to fly away it caused the stinger to pull out their venom sack and lower stomach. I didn't know they could sting without the barb lodging into what ever it stung. Ty for answering my question, especially so quickly

[@ZeoViolet]

It isn't the fact that they sting; it is _what_ they sting that can be the deciding factor. Human skin is very tough for such bees, so if they sting you and the stinger rips out with their stomach...yes, they will die.

[@stanschleusener6444]

Looks to me more like hive beetles have taken over and the hive has been queenless for a while.

[@patrickmartin5468]

What causes a beehive to become Africanized?

[@daddykirbs]

There are genetics of the Africanized bees in our local feral (wild) colonies. When a hive creates a new queen she has to fly out to mate with the local drones. It's possible for her to bring those genetics back to the hive by mating with the drones of hives from these wild colonies. When she lays eggs they hatch and grow to be the "Africanized" bees.

[@llMurcielagoll]

13:49 bee trying to sting his hand and trying to get off

[@Ungovernable74]

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

[@daddykirbs]

Thank you for checking out my little channel :)

[@AntPDC]

You look like you are going to war Blake! By all accounts, experienced beekeepers see honeybees as one half of a mutually beneficial relationship: they talk to their bees, see them as partners, ease off on the smoke and the personal body-armour. Ask any (often elderly) country beekeeper: they will tell you that bees can smell anxious pheromones, see it in one's movements. As you candidly noted in your Description, you need more experience, and acknowledge the mistake of trying to be a Jack of all trades. I'm not sitting here in judgement either because I've always been a dilettante - ever will be... Best wishes, I'm greatly enjoying your Channel.

[@TheTnoutlaw]

hate to tell you that you were wrong bud... but, those larve were small hive bettle larve.

[@daddykirbs]

Stick around... you'll find that I'm wrong often :)

[@jorgeherrera1074]

What does the smoke do?

[@TheLordDerrick]

It makes the bees think that the hive is on fire, so they try to eat all the honey to save it and become lethargic and docile.

[@daddykirbs]

Smoke is used to cover the pheromone smells that they communicate with. If they can't communicate "danger/attack" it keeps them happier and me safer.

[@jorgeherrera1074]

wait, so which of the two is it??? or both?

[@daddykirbs]

JorgeAlberto Herrera The truth is that it's all theories based on observation. I just tend to think it's covering the smells, but the other may be true too.

[@TheLordDerrick]

Looks like it's both en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_smoker

[@robertturner4225]

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

[@jennapicard6892]

How much acres do you own

[@daddykirbs]

five and a half.

[@jennapicard6892]

+Blake “Daddykirbs” Kirby I own 31 I think but most of it is woods that I didn't explore yet

[@daddykirbs]

ANIMAL EXTRA FUN Very nice. :)

[@thecynic807]

Maybe the bad hive bees were invading the mad hive and they didn't like that queen.

[@daddykirbs]

bad vs. mad ... they all lose.

[@scottH18370]

Something that may help you with the hive beetles they have bottom boards with hive beetle traps just look online

[@southernbuzz7934]

Where are your bees! Florida?

[@daddykirbs]

Texas

[@KayNolte]

you talk about brood and honey? what is the difference. what is it? I'm gonna have to go back through all your videos now

[@daddykirbs]

+Kay Nolte brood is baby bees.

[@KayNolte]

+Blake “Daddykirbs” Kirby. thanks! love your videos

[@daddykirbs]

Kay Nolte thanks :)

[@schwozluv8364]

If these things come to Indiana, I’m moving to Antarctica.

[@ApiaryManager]

I truly hope you have some help. These are undoubtedly aggressive bees, but, splitting an aggressive hive will only give you two aggressive colonies as they raise emergency queens from any larvae they have available. However, if you find (and kill) the current queen, you can introduce a queen from better stock under a push-in cage to each nuc. I think this is your best course of action under these circumstances. Alternatively, unite them with some of your other colonies and allow them to live out their lives productively. Although, this would also make your other hives less manageable for a couple of months.

[@Jordan-qc7rx]

This guy's the Casey Neistat of bee keeping

[@daddykirbs]

Maybe sometime when Casey is visiting Texas he can come over and experience the bees for himself :)

[@daddykirbs]

I wouldn't mind giving his KZbin channel a boost by giving him time on my channel ;)

[@laurabunyard8562]

Wax moths or foulbrood are the things we dealt with in the 70s.

[@paulblackman3936]

The bees in there are probably robbing. I agree with Stan, best throw the frames into the freezer man. Collapse the hive with a CO2 extinguisher to chill them to death. Burn the frames with wax moth.

[@NealAggarwal]

Very nice video Blake; closer to what we have to contend with here in Kenya. ALL our bees are Africans just as we are ;-). And the aggression you're seeing in this video is still not as intense as what we face here. The peaked cap to keep the veil of your face is spot on, really routine for us but we tuck our pant legs INto our boots and take 3-4 turns of duct tape around the tops. I also tape up my knees as I used to get stung on the back of the knees every time I harvested. Now though we have these fine-weave nomex things that the World Bank subsidizes for us ($50 for a box - brood and super, c/w with cover, queen excluder, cover and base + 1 suit, 1 veil and a smoker!) so bee stings are rarer. Glad to see you double-checked the zippers on your veil. I've suffered ~200 stings when my zipper came apart mid-harvest. That was fun!

[@NealAggarwal]

In addition I NEVER harvest in daylight as my neighbours for a 1/2 Km or so around would know what I'm up to as the hordes attack them too. That said though I hear from several relatives in the US that our bees here are much more productive than theirs.

[@daddykirbs]

Tucking pants in and using the duct tape is a good idea. I've had them crawl up my pants before. That's why I'm using the tape to pinch the pants closed in this video. ... and OUCH! 200 stings!?! I'm glad you recovered ok.

[@theonepugonepug4707]

Life is work

[@TheUndulyNoted]

would be cool to take up beekeeping but I'd be scared of getting stung to shit

[@daddykirbs]

Getting stung is part of it. Hopefully not to any extreme! :)

[@mrbuck5059]

Luckily I live in Minnesota where we don't have those monsters. Africanized 🐝.

[@lizspencer605]

I think your doing a great job! Splitting the hive will just make 3 mean hives instead of one. My answer to that (like yours) is just to re-queen the 3 new hives. Or you can find which box has the queen, kill her and then give each new hive a frame of eggs from a nicer hive. This has some draw backs though as the new queen they make might mate with africanized drones and your right back to where you started. Answer... Re-queen. As for the hive that is dying, it happens. You have a very good success rate!

[@daddykirbs]

+Liz Spencer thank you! Did you see the video that I released today about installing the queens? I'm hoping all goes as planned! Lol

[@lizspencer605]

Watching it right now :). Good job! I have to go move two hives to a new bee yard tomorrow before dawn. Wish me luck! They are feisty bees too.

[@daddykirbs]

+Liz Spencer oh boy! I'll send up a prayer fir your safety and success ;)

[@joansmith3492]

Would Dipel or BT (bacillus therengensis) kill the moth larva and not harm the bees? I must admit, I was a little scared for you.

[@daddykirbs]

+Joan Smith I'm not sure, but for now I'm committed to no chemicals. We'll see how it works ;)

[@joansmith3492]

BT is a bacteria (organic pesticide for caterpillars). It is in the relatively nontoxic pesticide group according to Purdue extension dept of entomology article "protecting honeybees from pesticides". Not exactly "permaculture" style. I'm not a chemical person, but I also have issue's with some permaculture and organic practices as well. For example, I think it is unethical not to treat a cow for mastitis with antibiotics and make her suffer unnecessarily because you can't sell the milk as "organic" if you do (give her the antibiotics). It's not the same thing as pumping a cow full of antibiotics regularly because living conditions are so bad you can't keep her alive otherwise (feed lot). Also I think it is a really bad idea to get your chickens to clean up your vegetable bed and then plant new vegetables in it the next day(permaculture style). I think your asking for e coli and salmonella poisoning.

[@daddykirbs]

Joan Smith I hear ya. I wouldn't mind looking into it, but right now I'm not ready to dive in. In this particular case it was ok, I think, to just let that one hive go. I'm certainly no purist... on either side ;)

[@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 :)

[@Mindmaid1]

I am glad for your perseverance in your endeavor with the bees. I would hope that the moth worms will all die out. Pray for success.

[@daddykirbs]

+Mindmaid1 lots of prayers here! :)

[@paulblackman3936]

Hives need moving further apart in that yard, and with aggressive strains of bees the drones my well mate with the new queens and give you no benefit. Use a strong colony if you feel you must split it. You are learning, however painful it may be. Honey is good to have as an income stream, but a hell of a burden if you have more profitable parts to the farm. Honey is so good on toast when it's your own right?

[@quicktubeacct]

He kinda sounds like the cucumber from Veggie Tales. That isn't a bad thing, just something I noticed.

[@daddykirbs]

+Jwrap Jwrap I love Larry the Cucumber :)

[@quicktubeacct]

Blake Kirby Oh, good. I was hesitant to post it, I didn't want it to sound like a 'hate comment. Larry is the best character.

[@daddykirbs]

Jwrap Jwrap Being compared to Larry the Cucumber is a pretty nice "hate comment" LOL

[@909busa]

3yr old video but couldn't you have saved the queen from the wax moth hive to put in one of the nucs you split?

[@realrudereid]

Can someone explain to me WTF "Africanization" is?

[@charlesbyrneShowComments4all]

RealRudeReid bees imported from Africa to South America. They are more Agressive than the milder European honey bees. The SA beekeepers liked them because they were a little more hardier for the climate. Like fire ants they have slowly migrated to North America. They can easily take over European bee hives. The solution is to kill the queen as well as any queen eggs.

[@nicolevlogs5801]

good job blake! brave one..

[@seanjordan3870]

Compared to videos that were Africanized bees, these bees weren't as aggressive as true Africanized bees...

[@MrRagnew5]

The old queen cells needed destruction. They are happy now. Kinda like a new wife in the old one's house, needs to be 'theirs.'

[@daddykirbs]

Yep LOL

[@baddie1shoe]

Person Place - Happy Queen:Happy Hive

[@kuanyin8475]

Your bees are very aggressive. Are they africanized bees?

[@pitbullsandcalicos]

Wow those are angry bees.

[@twistedcrazytrucker4250]

I would get rid of that queen to calm them down

[@FeralHydra75]

The infernal B U Z Z I N G

[@Pestoglass]

Make sure that the splited ones do not grow their ownes queens, give them after a week frame with new eggs from another, friendly bee hives, and all shall be ok. They will produce queens with less aggressive genetics. It would also help to get from time to time a queen from other far located bee keeper to avoid incest, which leads to aggressive genetics.

[@Tj-ot4jp]

You talked about brood but not eggs, without eggs in the splits they will not be able to re queen

[@myhandlehasbeenmishandled]

Why not get a better suite?

[@thechariotcard]

To my understanding, the drones and queens are the genetic elements. You did nothing to destroy either. I would conclude by splitting the hive you just expanded the possibility of Africanization. What don’t I understand?