Florida Beekeepers Part 1: Queen Production with Chris Werner

Our visit with Chris Werner and his crew at Indian Summer Honey Farm was all about queen production. This video is number 1 in a series and shows how they set their breeder queens up to produce larvae for grafting into queen cells. Part 2 will be on cell quality and culling.
Nature’s Image Farm -Greg Burns. www.naturesimag...

[@NaturesImageFarmGregBurns]

Thankyou Bob, Chris Werner, Pete Ellis and the entire Werner family for this collaboration, for welcoming us and cameras into your lives and for graciously sharing the knowledge, wisdom and art of beekeeping.

[@ricksutton107]

Don't let Don find out you been with other commercial beekeepercias he will disown you

[@dandorosheff256]

Hi Greg. Been listening to your podcast and feel like I’m getting to know you guys. Look forward to meeting one day.

[@NaturesImageFarmGregBurns]

@@dandorosheff256 thanks for listening! Maybe we’ll see you on down the road:)

[@salvadorcoyquix9936]

@@dandorosheff256 lpñ0

[@jonathanlehr9206]

I look forward to this video as I buy my cells from Indian Summer when I can't produce my own.

[@johnrhoton2094]

good to see men of faith working together.

[@scratchbuilder5952]

You’re a very authentic person … appreciate you making these videos

[@boldger13]

Bob, thank you for speaking at our beekeeping meeting tonight. We greatly appreciate your wisdom and sharing your personal opinions.

[@irvincereynolds6540]

I am a beekeeper who lives in Jamaica. Thank you very much for doing this series videos in Florida. It will be very helpful to me as we have somewhat similar climate.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

I’ve been looking forward to this video series. Do what Netflix does and upload it all so we can binge watch LOL Good job on the sound quality, Wow Bob you are a natural at this. This is cable TV quality production

[@ricksutton2902]

Hey you you Canadian Iceberg beekeeper Bob doesn't get stuck. 😆 🤣 lol

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Ha ha! Oh I bet he does

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog More than anyone knows.

[@EverybodysSenator4US]

yes, I am anxiously waiting for the next Part, hurry hurry hurry. :)

[@randallcarter-carterhillho2277]

Thank you so much bob for sharing with us.

[@2kings3queens]

Cant wait for the rest of the videos, thank you Bob!!

[@badbee4690]

Hi Bob thanks for the tour of Chris Werner honey farm very interresting to see how the big queen breeders work thanks again for your time on your beekeepers holiday regards Roland from WEST w

[@PhotoGuyOmaha]

As always, awesome videos. This year I am converting from "To big to quit now" to "small scale commercial" and you videos have helped immensely in my decision making. Many of my processes are modeled after yours.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Great video Bob. Thanks for taking us along.

[@billc3405]

Thank you for sharing. Your video have a way to teach with out a lot of confusing talk.

[@bobschreiner9911]

Bob you make great videos! Thank you for all the information that you share!

[@gregoryburnssr.8503]

Pins and needles for the rest of the videos. Thanks for all of your effort.

[@joer5627]

Well Bob, It seems you are becoming one of those social media influencers! If so it is well deserved. I always appreciate your talks at the Forsyth Club & GBA. Have some Nucs on order so will see your store for the first time. A sincere Thank You for all you and your team do.

[@tomkingsley4398]

Awesome video and information. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to this series.

[@calvinkalmon6746]

Excellent, really looking forward to this!

[@russellkoopman3004]

I always want to meet bee people like that and now you are sharing that with us all. Thanks Bob.

[@blain2484]

Thanks again. This has got to be my favorite KZbin channel. So much quality information every time.

[@dadu63]

Good video Bob. It was nice to finally get to meet you yesterday at blue ridge. Thanks for your help with these videos. Bought alot of honey from ya yesterday. I love coming to your place in Georgia. You are awesome Bob binnie! Thanks again.

[@noway423]

Thank you,God Bless all.

[@toprakanaciftligi8037]

Perfect Thanks for sharing Bob👍👍

[@dustinproffitt4392]

I learned from the same guy Chris did. Garry, an unimaginable mind for the bees. I run my owns queens now and do the exact same things Chris does here and sell exceptional queens!!!

[@keithfaithful3989]

Looking forward to the rest of the videos 👍

[@shawnniciu2785]

Thank you again for another interesting video I’ve not been disappointed with any of your videos your a very interesting man along with your videos and I do hope at some point our paths will cross and we can talk keep doing what you’re doing I’m very impressed. Thank you

[@bamabeesqueens]

Good one Bob look forward to see more.

[@wayneshoneybees5439]

Great video on grafting. Learning alot on everyone.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Jamie Ellis is a favorite of mine for research and knowledge, along with that Binnie guy from Georgia...I like hearing from commercial beekeepers. So much to learn and I would have loved to be one in my younger days...

[@dannycrain3485]

Love the queen stuff. Thanks bob

[@altaylor293]

Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge in an easily understood manner. I learn a lot from you.

[@tonyc44]

Great video bob look forward to more videos in this series

[@sheldonreimer8432]

Thanks Bob . It’s great to get insight on how beekeeping is done in your region and others around you . I find it very informative and it helps us Manitoba beekeepers pass the time waiting for our spring to arrive ( 2-3 weeks until our girls move out of the shed). I’ve been watching your videos since day one . Please keep them coming. Thanks for your efforts and sharing your knowledge. I always learn something from your content .

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you.

[@frankspataro9714]

Thanks Bob anyone you can learn from and improve something has to help 95 percent of all the rest of us lol

[@jorlinmarantejr.5067]

I got some queen cells from indian summer a few weeks ago. The queens were very dark, big, and vibrant. I really liked them. I will definitely keep getting stock from them.

[@bobbinnie9872]

If they were dark they may have come from the breeder queens I sent him. Let's hope they do well..

[@jorlinmarantejr.5067]

@@bobbinnie9872 They are laying the hives up very well. I am very pleased with them.

[@kelitagedifarm4893]

I attempted to purchase a half dozen queens or so from Indian Summer back at the first of the year and was told that perhaps I could get some as early as June 2022. That's a considerable bit outside the box here at a 12 hive hobby level, so I guess I can forget about that possibility. So Mr Bob, if you ever decide to stick a few of the one's that you bring back home in the mailbox, I'll be glad to deposit some $$$ into your account, and send you my address. And btw, you've managed to turn me back into a student again with all of these rock solid videos you're turning out. Thanks, you're helping keep an old man a little younger maybe.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Chris half jokingly told me that someone on his customer list has to die before he can take on any more customers. We do sell the queens he produces at our store for pickup but we don't ship. Thanks, Bob

[@joshuablack398]

great stuff, bob. thanks

[@springcitybeefarm5971]

Hello bob great info , I sat with you at hive life in Jan , can’t wait got 26 those queens order , 4/08 my hives are building fast so I’ll be ready . Thanks so much god bless . Oh pump for truck and trolling motor info has set me up great saves me so much time !!!!

[@beebruns2023]

merci a vous pour ce partage , j append beaucoup avec vos vidéos .vivement la suite

[@downunderfulla6001]

Awesome Bob thank you 🍺🍺

[@schammond8993]

I am very happy to have found your videos. I am in NW Georgia going into my 3rd year. It helps to learn from someone with similar geographical location. I am making a learning journal of your videos. You are a wonderful teacher. Thanks. Susan NW Georgia

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you.

[@Sam-tb9gx]

@@bobbinnie9872 Hi Bob I would like your opinion on the fertilization boxes! In your opinion, for a company that wants to produce about 1000 queens per year, it is better to use mini boxes (apidea) or larger drawers like the ones you use? Thank you very much and sorry my English, I write from Italy

[@cathedralImages]

Great piece of information .🙋‍♂️

[@afpturk]

Thanks a lot for this informative video.

[@diarmuidcullen1865]

Good video bob thanks again

[@OklahomaBeekeeper]

Thanks again for sharing

[@trilliumtraveler4737]

Visited Florida myself last week, Tampa and Merritt Island.

[@thehiveandthehoneybee9547]

how do you have time to talk to all of us? thank you so much mr binnie!!!!!

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's my new hobby.

[@thehiveandthehoneybee9547]

@@bobbinnie9872 it's a good one and we appreciate it!

[@thehiveandthehoneybee9547]

@@bobbinnie9872 will you consider visiting Canada or Alaska beekeepers?

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@thehiveandthehoneybee9547 Yes, I believe I'm going to Manitoba next February.

[@honey_bee_live]

Greg is always looking for good excuse for a road trip!

[@NaturesImageFarmGregBurns]

You bet I am!! I’ll hold the camera for Bob any day!

[@houstonsheltonbees814]

What a awesome series 👍 thanks guys

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you.

[@commonsensehomestead]

Thank you. Timing box info is hard to come by.

[@RippleAffect]

Great information Mr.Bob keep up the good work and you need to ship woodware 😌

[@joeloganmatheny8441]

I see Bob Binnie video, I click.

[@joshberry4516]

Another great video bob.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Josh, thanks.

[@user-rd5dr1tb3h]

good luck ,

[@honeydropfarm1605]

Personally, the kind of videos that I want to see is from commercial beekeepers. I want to absorb the knowledge of people who make their living from bees.

[@wescadmore5959]

Great stuff

[@ROD_OF_IRON]

Very Informative

[@user-qz7cj6ub1n]

СПАСИБО (Thank you very much)

[@RyanMcDonnough]

Excellent, as always. Thanks, Bob!

[@glennrcampbell1193]

Hi Bob... Absolutely wonderful concerning queen rearing. These are very nice people that you deal with and get them to raise your early queens. Also, I cannot locate your video on the fabrication of your bee hive lids. Has it been taken down? Also, your mother must have delivered you in the south as your manners are purely southern with respect for EVERYONE. Keep up the good work as we depend on your experience to educate us. Glenn Campbell

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Glenn. I have not made a video strictly about lids. Possibly on the future. Thanks, Bob. PS, actually raised near Los Angeles.

[@PhotoGuyOmaha]

Excellent Video. Great material. Our Bee Club in Omaha Nebraska has started a Quality Queen Initiative to get quality queens throughout our Northern hives. One question. at 10:45, Peter moves a frame of the surplus brood (the left-overs, a few days after grafting) to another box. It wasn't clear to me what he was dong with these frames. Could you expand on that?

[@bobbinnie9872]

The frame he was moving came from the position that the queen was isolated on four days earlier. The box he put it into is a temporary nursery and full of frames to be grafted from. The people that will be grafting nearby, later in the day, will go to that box to get their grafting material. They're currently grafting twice a week and when I was there their incubator had a total of 1800 cells in it. More on that in the next "Florida Beekeepers Part 2" video.

[@PhotoGuyOmaha]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you. I had to watch the video about 3 more times after I left this comment, but I finally got it. I am not sure if I was the only one that missed that initially. Maybe it is something you can edit back into the start of Part 2 for those who miss the subtle point.

[@timmiller2192]

Hi Bob we to are vacationing in Sarasota Fl. Hoping we can stop by your place next Monday on our way home! Tim Miller

[@bobbinnie9872]

Be sure to ask if I'm here.

[@timmiller2192]

@@bobbinnie9872 Hi Bob Hope to visit your store first thing (8:30) in the morning! We are staying in Commerce Ga tonight. Should be less then hour out to your store. Thanks Tim

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Bob good to see u good video how do u store your empties with frames in the them to keep the bugs out. I free e mine bag them my kitchen is full of boxes stacked with bags over them there has to be a better way does your friend Cris sell queens to little people like me as well. Thanks for the video keep them coming I really enjoy them they are great have a Blessed week

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Frances. We store our supers in rented cooler space. I believe Chris is completely sold out.

[@frejohify]

Excellent content in your videos Mr.Binnie! I noticed the hat Chris Werner sports is of Norwegian origin - it is our national co-op like company (Honningcentralen) for beekeeping and bulk honey distribution. Do you have any background on what the link is there? His queen production would be enough to requeen 25% of the colonies in our country!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Sorry, I don't know.

[@bwakel310]

I bought a queen from him a few years ago.

[@shevlin2650]

Again, Great video. Have you thought any on the 2 day queen rearing that Kent talked about at the hive conference?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, I'm going to experiment with it when we start grafting in late April.

[@jeremyhuggins8796]

For some reason I didn't watch this video when you posted it. I watched part 2 first. This is awesome content! What nectar flow do they have in Florida right now?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Citrus and wildflowers.

[@dandorosheff256]

Hi Bob. Great video series. It’s hard to image that the fifth wheel on the bobcat is necessary. Or maybe it just makes for a smoother ride for a pallet if it’s gets to bouncing. Can you elaborate on it? Thanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

I've owned two Bobcat skid-steer forklifts with a fifth wheel and found them superior and faster than a Hummerbee or Swinger on flat, firm ground. On uneven, muddy, rocky and stumpy ground they are not. A fifth wheel can also keep a skid-steer from tearing up the ground as bad because they slightly lift the rear wheels off the ground. That's why they are so maneuverable on smooth ground.

[@herbertjacobs8422]

Hey Bob, where do you get the red feeder plugs? Love your videos. I have learned so much from them.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The red plugs Chris uses to plug the holes in the lids are actually produced to cover and protect the threads on on pipe. I'm not sure where to get them but I bet you could search online for them.

[@JaredLincks]

Hello Mr. Binnie, I am looking at making some of the double screen boards and timing boxes you have mentioned in your videos for queen rearing. I was wondering what kind of lumber you recommend using? Would you use the same lumber for building deeps and medium supers? Thanks for your videos, always get a tremendous amount of helpful information from them!

[@bobbinnie9872]

I have used several types of pine for making boxes including ponderosa pine (best), eastern white pine (good) and yellow pine (works but not as good). I've also used cypress which is very slow to rot. Same for deeps or mediums. As for double screen boards we use HDO plywood which is hard to find but any good grade of exterior plywood would work.

[@JaredLincks]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you so much, that is very helpful. God Bless!

[@arpit12021989]

Bob, that box in which he is storing all his grafting material and numbering them as per schedule of getting larva from specific queens, is that top box queen less? Are they using a queen excluder below it to confine the queen in the bottom box? Kindly clarify. Thanks. PS: I hope I have not wrongly understood the process.

[@bobbinnie9872]

That box is above a queen excluder with the queen below.

[@arpit12021989]

@@bobbinnie9872 thanks

[@bradgoliphant]

Hello Bob. Have you ever had anyone steal one of your hives? I'm hearing a lot about this yet not sure if it only pertains to commercial beekeepers. Do backyard beekeepers need to worry about this? What are your thoughts?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Although I have yards that are easily accessible I've been lucky and never had anything stolen but I have friends that have. Two years ago a friend had a yard of sixty stolen in plain sight. Keep them behind a gate if possible.

[@goodenoughhoney1667]

Thanks for the information I’m a beekeeper I’m hoping I get maple honey again this year ide love to take it to a lab but donno where to send it to

[@bobbinnie9872]

I've heard you can send it to A & M in Texas but I don't know the details.

[@kevinj.monfelt9760]

Bob what camera and equipment are you using for video production? Thank you

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Kevin. I use a Canon M6 Mk11 camera and I have a Sennheiser MKE shotgun mic and a Rode Wireless Go mic.

[@pepperKingdom]

👌👍🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@rose2525bud]

🧡🐝🧡

[@dianeburgess3899]

Hi Bob I live in Portugal so my bees are APIs Mellifera I have Buckfast queens .Carniolan queens and Italian queens ordered for April 2023 .In your opinion when I do the splits to introduce my new queens I will follow the rules for introducing new queens .I have read that the Portuguese bees will kill the calmer bees no matter how well you introduce the queens .Do you agree that there’s is no way the APIs Mellifera bees will except the new bees .Thank you in advance

[@bobbinnie9872]

I would think there are ways to help. One good trick is to lose the field force if you can. They are more aggressive than the young nurse bees. Perhaps introduce queens into nucs with no field force, then when they are established use the nuc to requeen with. Just a thought.

[@filipvernica258]

I have a almost two hundred bees in one ex colony interestingly have fresh less then 3 days old one in each cell I don’t see the Queen mark green , your advice?

[@filipvernica258]

If helps to advise me right about climate I am in Portland Oregon.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I would be suspicious that a colony that small, with only eggs at this time of year in Portland, may be a laying worker. You will know soon when the bees should be sealing the cells with flat cappings. Watch for cappings that protrude and are spotty.

[@andielangemeyer]

I agree with Bob's advice. If you don't see a queen, but somehow have eggs - specifically MULTILPE eggs per cell - it can be a sign of an egg laying worker. Worker bees are fed a different diet during their development and do not reach sexual maturity, however, they can technically lay (only unfertilized eggs, because they never take a mating flight). If a hive is not queenright, workers may respond by trying to lay eggs as a emergency response to keep the hive going, however, they are not good at it, hence the multiple eggs/eggs on the side of cell because their abdomens are not long enough to reach the bottom. Check back in a few weeks. They may not develop at all, but if they do, they will be drones. Also a slight chance you have an inexperienced virgin.

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@andielangemeyer Well said.

[@filipvernica258]

Hi Bob

[@brucesnavely3603]

Did Peter Ellis put the frame ready for grafting in the top box of a double queenright colony? I see in this video there's a queen excluder under the top box he put the graft-frame into.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, so that colony can take care of it until the day of grafting and the breeder queen can be given another frame. It could also have done the same thing by remaining with the breeder queen but not in the isolated position between the two excluders.

[@brucesnavely3603]

@@bobbinnie9872 Didn't Peter move that frame ready for grafting 36 hours after it was placed in the isolated position? If so, they would graft the same day they place it on top of the queen-right hive, right? Otherwise, wouldn't the larvae be too old to graft?

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@brucesnavely3603 I'd have to go back and watch the video to be sure what he did that day but in some cases I believe he moves several frames ready for grafting into a separate colony for caretaking until the people doing the grafting need it.

[@michaelshelnutt3534]

Are you guys not getting stung at all?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, but we're sort of used to it.

[@brianchrisman4331]

Are those your Caucasian line of breeders? Will they sell the cells from your bees to locals? I'm about 90m away, I'd love to try some of your Caucasian cells.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The queens they got from me are about half and half Caucasian and Carniolan. I'm not sure if he's selling cells. I know he has in the past.

[@brianchrisman4331]

@@bobbinnie9872 yeah they've advertised cells already this yr. I've bought from them in the past. But a few yrs ago they were busy and didn't have many available so I went elsewhere and it's probably time to try indian summer again. They were always great quality cells!

[@brianchrisman4331]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks again for the Great Videos!

[@DmakProductionsTempe]

Wow you cover a lot of interesting topics in the video production space! We like what you talk about, keep going. Anytime you're in Scottsdale let us know. If you want, message us @dmakproductions on IG and we can chat. We love what you do!

[@filipvernica258]

Sorry eggs

[@corneliuolar7663]

Luke 6:31.. Do to others as you would have them do to you...Lord help us