Queen Cell Grafting Schedule

When we begin grafting queen cells, splitting swarmed colonies, selling overwintered nucs and more.

[@babybeeapiaries8667]

I learned the splitting technique of using a double screen board and dividing up the cell between two boxes from you Bob. You caused me quite the problem as every part of multiple hives was mated successfully. Now what to do with all these bees! lol Thanks for another great video. My neighbors have forsythia as well along our property and I never see bees on it either.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Sell bees!!😇

[@aileensmith3062]

We only have six Beehives,nthus we are miniature Beekeeper wannabes. Then we progressively learn more from you on many levels. Thank You for another fun and informative video!

[@AnsBOYKA8-xr1so]

Hello nice job brothers

[@ehsanpartovi]

Excellent like alway.

[@davidtmp]

Bob, I (and I'm sure MANY others) appreciate you sharing your wisdom with us. Great resource to look back on many topics on your channel.

[@ogunsinaolakunle1036]

Pls Pa Bob, I'm writing from Nigeria. What chemical did you use in your smoker? I observed that you didn't cover your hand, please what did you use? Bees here are quite hostile and I would want to approach my hives as you are.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

What was your impression on those fondant patties that you used last winter?

[@bobbinnie9872]

I believe they stimulated the bees somewhat. Even small colonies light on food seemed to do well with them. Next winter I'm going to take a few yards and do half with and half without. That way I'll know for sure.

[@MikeNappier]

Interesting about your Forsythia. I understand bees don't generally like it, but they are all over it near me this spring. Maybe it's a local thing?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Local perhaps.

[@rodrigogabrecht7945]

✌👍👏😍🤗

[@williamford8094]

can is ask you if Larch is a good wood to make beehives out of

[@bobbinnie9872]

I have not used it and don't know anyone that has. It could be fine but I don't know.

[@williamford8094]

Thank you for the reply , I was making nucs and Beehives from cedar but I got some larch board to try, not sure myself but will find out @@bobbinnie9872

[@NevadaBeeMan-nq3po]

Bob I’m Grafting today… (in southern Nevada) … Thanks to you .. I’m not afraid of growing my own queens

[@raymondnelson8943]

a little research on Forsythia. According to "Garden Plants for Honey Bees" by Peter Lindtner forsythia is rated zero for pollen and zero for nectar. Pretty but no use to the bees.

[@BradfieldsBeeYard]

One thing I was always frustrated with while learning late Winter/early Spring management was not knowing "when". The guys in Louisiana, the guys in Canada, the guys east of us, and everyone in between are doing the same type things but in different months. I've concluded the average last frost date to be my best gauge for helping determine a starting date for splits. A quick look for Lakemont Ga, I see a range of April 11-20. So, it appears you typically do your first rounds of grafts a couple to three weeks ahead of your areas average last frost. I think this is an easy formula for beginners trying to correlate timing of Spring bee yard activities to their area.

[@garryforsythe6274]

Bees will work white forsythia. Not really forsythia but that is the common name.

[@russellkoopman3004]

Nice update scattered with pearls of tips and wisdom. Thanks Bob.

[@stevenaamos]

Thank you for doing these so consistently! Those nucs looks great! I bought a few of your HDO double screen boards last year after having poor results from the ones that were almost all screen. Have a blessed Palm Sunday!

[@briancraig6468]

As always, wonderful video. Thank you.

[@homerspringfarms4653]

Great video Bob

[@americanbeelady]

Always a pleasure. Learn something new each time I watch.

[@naoufel7676]

Nothing like working your bees the same day Bob uploads a new video. Thank you very much

[@markbaker9459]

March Madness of Beekeeping: ?did March start off as a lamb or a lion?(weather wise) If in your area it starts mildly, at the end (most likely) expect a lion-like mean weather .

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

Graft bees, I'm still thinking grafting fruit trees...beside I woke to 24" of snow in my driveway...no pollen today! ha ha. Thanks for sharing, I have learned so much from you, thanks, take care, Brice

[@martinr6107]

Hi Bob, For what it's worth I just started using Jester boxes and have found that if I pop the feed flap down to the inside of the box the clumsiness of the flap goes away. Nice looking nucs!

[@mustafagunes.09]

Vey nice

[@beekeepinggarden165]

Wonderful video Bob thank you Sebastian from UK 🐝🐝 I'm on the way to grafting Canola starting flower

[@beebob1279]

Wow, grafting already. We're in the 30s at night and this week coming will be the mid 50's. Maybe we'll start warming up and people can get in the hives soon. The populations are growing but pollen collection is hit and miss because of the cool day weather

[@joakimsaxin6135]

Bob, your videos are very inspiring. I want to have an operation like yours one day. Only here in Scandinavia we are still two months from grafting.

[@jessicafairfax_Bens_Bees]

Great video Bob 🐝👍😁 thanks for sharing. My family has a nursery, where we grow shrubs. I've never seen any honey bees on the forsythia we grow either. They are more into the small blooms on the hollies this time of year.

[@Sebsbees]

In Europe bees don’t touch forsythia either 😁

[@paulgroth5414]

Bob great insight and wisdom shared again, in southeast Michigan and we have had 5 inches of snow the other day, looks to warm some this week, I am about 3 to 4 weeks behind you weather wise , bees were growing well before the cold snap

[@timmorris7022]

I currently have two singles separated by a double screen board .Just gonna try a two queen system experiment to maybe make more honey when the main nectar flow starts.A commercial beekeeper in my area of Central Kentucky has convinced and inspired me to try this .Double screen boards are always in my truck this time of year .Thanks always for sharing Bob!

[@nancynolton6079]

I'd planted a huge hedge of forsythia before I got bees 10 years ago... if I had to do it over again I'd have planted something that benefited the bees. Who knew where this journey was going to take me?!

[@markbooth8458]

Hello Bob. I seen a few drones flying yesterday afternoon. I would like to you see you do a video or talk specifically on swarm prevention. Even though I've seen all of your videos more than once. Thanks for everything Bob.

[@barkersbees]

Love the videos and watching you work bees. So relaxing and I just wish I knew half the things you have forgotten about bees! Thanks for the videos!

[@beemanduran]

Grafted March 21 Tupelo Ms. You are so right , it is tricky and thank you for sharing 🐝👍

[@muleskinner485]

I have hives that have built up last fall more than i really wanted, thought i should split them but decided to wait till this spring to insure a better survival rate, now the warm weather in early Mar. has really got them busting at the seams, but weather turned cold and drones have not matured enough to my satisfaction so am holding off to split, i see others have done the same, am from North Mo., thank for posting this video Mr. Bob .......

[@terrynelson2899]

I enjoy your videos. Learning a lot. I too get tape stuck to my shoe.

[@carloscrenz9433]

Hola colega que lindos videos Quilino verlo personalmente 😅

[@titussmith1643]

Thank you for sharing all your knowledge Bob!

[@jackysenpai4934]

Hey Bob, how do you guys prevent the bees from propolizing the double screen board?? I've been using that method in Portugal but My bees tend to propolize the mesh. Thank you so much for all the knowledge you Share!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Eventually we have to change out the screens because of that.

[@sangalli69]

Hi Bob, can't thank you enough for the hugely entertaining and very educational video's of such high quality, I think I watched them all, at least once. I am watching a video from march 3rd 2021 with the Manitoba beekeepers now. You are saying there that you'll try to interview your good friend Fred Rossman because he has a very interesting story. I love the ones with the colleagues/friends.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks. I did interview Fred and hope to have it edited and posted in the next couple of months.

[@distortedregulation]

What benefits do you see (personally) with the probiotics? Do you see a tangible difference in hive health? Thanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes. We did have a few cases of European Foulbrood popping up from time to time which we would treat with antibiotics. With the steady use of probiotics we rarely see it and no longer use antibiotics.

[@mavrugby]

Hi Bob. Awesome video as always. If that hive hadn't swarmed, but still had multiple capped queen cells, would you still have split, or would you have destroyed the queen cells and added another box or removed some brood frames to give her additional space to lay? Thanks!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Depending on the timing I may have done any of the above. Most often we split hard and leave the queen with limited brood so they won't think of swarming any time soon.

[@dcsblessedbees]

So when you go into add frame feeders you pull your brood area towards your feeder, did I get that correct Bob? 🤔I hadn't thought to do that, but it seem logical to pull the brood/new bees closer to the feed, thanks for the info. 😮‍💨Wish I lived closer, I'd buy Over Wintered Bob Bennie Bee Nucs, I think all I'm gona buy anymore is Over-Wintered I'm tired of fresh failures. Preproven is worth the extra money in my opinion.😁Thanks for sharing your time with us.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes with the brood and feeder if the colony is not large. Small colonies may not do well with an inside feeder that's not close by, especially in cool weather.

[@YTCarrollTV1]

When you isolate your queen and use a polished comb-how do you go about getting a polished comb that doesn’t have pollen, eggs, larvae, etc? Is it ok that it has a small amount of pollen or honey? Thanks again.

[@bobbinnie9872]

A small amount of honey or pollen is OK. We put the frame close to the wall or in the upper box and hope they don't fill it with something.

[@geraltofrivia8529]

The lack of bees on the Forsythia makes me think about an old bee book (Pre varroa, maybe 50's?) by a Doctor in Devon one of the selection criteria for bees was tongue length. It makes me wonder if searching for certain genetic traits has caused us to neglect others.

[@bobbinnie9872]

In this case I never see any pollinators present so I'm not sure if that's it.

[@BellsBees]

Is there any concern with overheating while keeping the nucs closed up for 5 days? I assume the weather is favorable now for this but maybe not so much later in the season? Thanks for another great video.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The nucs harvested were opened up as soon as they arrived at the shop. We just had a nuc that accidentally didn't get their entrance opened for 4 days after moving. The high temperatures were in the mid 50°f range and were fine. Of course those nuc boxes are well ventilated. 10 or 20 degrees warmer and I think they would have died.

[@YTCarrollTV1]

Bob I always learn so much from you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. How far away are your out yards from your mating yard for drones? How close and far would you say they can be.?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We usually have yards ranging from 3/4 mile to 1-1/2 mile. Although a bit farther will work these distances are more ideal.

[@andreyl7311]

Hi Bob, quick question, what do you sell single bee hives?

[@bobbinnie9872]

$275.00. We're sold out for this season.

[@albeethebeeman5506]

Hey bob this is the lost candler man think you could do a video showing the grafting tool going under the graft up close and the removal of the graft up close my takes aren’t as good as yours I follow your instructions to the letter just can’t see Jesses grafting tool when he’s in the cell just the handle part working if you have time to do one thanks Albee the beeman

[@bobbinnie9872]

I understand the dilemma. We tried to capture that but couldn't pull it off. Perhaps we'll give it another try this summer.

[@raysbees7650]

Do you have nucs available? Pricing?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We do sell nucs but we're booked up for this year. Our spring nucs are $195.00 this season.

[@marcogallazzi9049]

Great information, thank you

[@mikefrench3800]

As always, great info!

[@RonVanBibber]

Bob You have shown putting on a pro biotic Do you sell this ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes. You can order it from our store at 706 782 6722.

[@izinyosib821]

I understand Forsythia 'Beatrix Ferrand' will be visited by bees for pollen, but it's not as showy.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Perhaps in other locations.

[@izinyosib821]

It's just that particular hybrid.

[@brianmaceachern403]

What do you use for probiotics?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Strong Microbials brand.

[@domadoradhikari3884]

how to control mites?pls suggest

[@bobbinnie9872]

We use Oxalic acid vaporization in winter when the colonies are broodless and Apiguard thymol gel on August 1.

[@jeremiahputnam4714]

How do you over winter a breeder queen?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We keep her in a moderate size single story colony. Usually about six frames of bees.

[@lenturtle7954]

Holy mokes that is a full frame of drone brood . We are about 2 weeks away from spring weather in White Fox Sask .its presently frozen solid its about 8 deg below 0°C Bob did you get the package I sent you yet???

[@bobbinnie9872]

I'm not sure that I got a package from you. What was it?

[@lenturtle7954]

Floats for frame feeder ladders 🪜

[@lenturtle7954]

I made some thicker floats fr the cutout sheets i melted they turned out with a very rough surface and 2-3 times as thick . Theres enough in your package to do a whole yard . It might make a good experiment advertisement video !

[@aaronparis4714]

Wish I could get a couple queens from you to try in Canada see if they winter good up hear 😊

[@ГлебПисаренко-х6ь]

СПАСИБО

[@doctortcbkk2027]

Hi, Bob…. My backyard keeper here. Came out of winter with 4 super strong colonies. (Atlanta). I had 3 swarms leave and I’ve split to make total of 6 now. Found the other day one colony had 11 queen cells! Should I go back now and destroy any more queen cells or leave for a while to see how virgins mate and all settles down?

[@bobbinnie9872]

If the cells haven't hatched yet I would remove all but two.

[@tomkingsley4398]

Nice video Bob, Thanks for the refresher on D/screen boards. What did you do with the overwintered singles that you pulled the nucs out of? Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks. If there was anything left in the singles we added it to other colonies.

[@andywhite9932]

Good morning Mr Bob. Several new faces ? Is John still with you?

[@bobbinnie9872]

John has been away for awhile but should be back soon. We have picked up one part time employee, also named John, and a couple of friends that are only helping for a short time. Jesse is now overseeing the bee supply portion of our business so he won't be seen as much, but he will still be involved in queen our cell production.

[@wlwarp1]

Have you already brought in the Sue Coby breeder queen, or feel you have enough Caucasian to just use your top performing queens from last year? Thanks for the video Bob

[@bobbinnie9872]

We're still using artificially inseminated breeder queens and probably will for a while. We're very happy with the results of doing that.

[@ehsanpartovi]

Bob which probiotic do you use and do you sell that on your website?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We use Strong Microbials and we do sell it in our store. Our new website that will list it is still a few weeks away but you could call the store to order if you like. 706 782 6722.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

Hey Bob ! Is that feed 1 to 1 ? Also do you use Acorn Frames? I only see you using wood frames.😁

[@bobbinnie9872]

It is currently one to one. I have used Acorn frames in the past and also sell them in our store. I think they're fine but I just prefer wooden frames. We are using Acorn foundation in some of our frames.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

Thank you Bob I love the way you roll ! 😁

[@naturessweetbees3033]

Bob, I noticed you still have drone brood at the bottom of your worker frames even though you use drone frames. 2:24 Does that happen a lot with regardless if we use drone frames?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes., but one thing we don't see as much of is the bees building out many portions of our worker foundation in drone cells.

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Bob this was great, glad every thing is going together for you, I heard the bees toung was not long enough for the plant you talked about, I do not know if that was true or not. Do you know any thing on the yellow hornet yet u said you had a meeting set up I think u said in Georgia and I forgot with who. Things are still cool here as well but hoping the end of this coming week the weather will break. Thanks for always doing the wonderful videos, I always look forward to watching them. Have a Blessed week.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Frances. Lewis Bartlett is deeply involved in the hornet issue but there isn't any more news on the subject. With the weather warming up I believe the field work should be starting. I'll be talking with him often and will share any news.

[@wadeturner2665]

Bob, what does the double screen board do, vs rearranging the frames as you did for the split and then setting the top hive body on a new bottom board? The foragers are going to return to the bottom hive body either way.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Both work fine. There are few advantages though. The double screen board does provide additional heat from the bottom colony which is helpful in cool weather when they lose the field force. When working with double deeps it minimizes the equipment we have to carry around with us and if one half of the colony fails to have a mated queen when it's all over we can simply pull the board out and re-unite. If both halves make it we move the top off after they have plenty of young bees to lessen the shock. I should add that in warmer weather I have made loads of splits with a queen cell in a nuc box or single like you mentioned.

[@NicholasVanHouten]

I suppose I got confused about the schedule. I understand the start date for grafting and end date for grafting, but how often are you actually grafting? And what are you doing with the excess queens? Was a visitor at a beekeeper club and it was mentioned some commercial guys replaced queens 3-4 times a year in each hive. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as a hobbyist dipping a toe into sideliner operations, this seems excessive.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Once we get going we graft once a week for several months. 3 or 4 times requeening a year seems excessive to me too and I personally don't know anyone that does that.

[@NicholasVanHouten]

@@bobbinnie9872 that's what I thought. Once a week? Seems like a lot. Outside of a yearly requeening for production hives, selling queens outright, and making nucs to overwintering and sell, why make so many? Emergency queens on hand? Extra frames of brood to boost production hives? I have more than I know what to do with after grafting 3 times for the season.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The reasons include all that you mentioned and more. We will be selling cells, establishing mating nucs for queen sales, personal requeening, reestablishing colonies sold this spring and eventually making nucs to overwinter and sell next spring. @@NicholasVanHouten

[@scottreese5492]

I really anticipate ea next video you put out, its because of Jesus faithfulness (answered prayers) He put me on to you and Kaymon educational videos, its such a blessing to have yall to go to to help me make each next move. My memory seems to fail me so I really look forward to your next videos to help me stay on top of things. Caught first swarm of season today here in Taft,tn. I pray you stay faithful to Jesus in your everyday walk with Him....., and keep them videos rolling too :) ps, is Kaymon ok? He ain't put one out in long time

[@bobbinnie9872]

He's doing fine but very busy. 👍

[@scottreese5492]

Do you have the name of probiotics and company to get it from?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Strong Microbials.@@scottreese5492

[@aaronparis4714]

Man your fast in them hives you would swear you knew what you were doing 😂

[@bobbinnie9872]

I fake it pretty good.😊

[@aaronparis4714]

@@bobbinnie9872 😂😂😂

[@robertdemers5125]

Good Morning Bob !

[@bobbinnie9872]

Good morning sir!

[@Swampsquash]

Bob, do you add the feed holes to the jester boxes?

[@bobbinnie9872]

No, they come with a cut out flap that can be hinged back which is what we show taped up with duck tape in the video.

[@Swampsquash]

@@bobbinnie9872 oh ok. I haven't bought any ez nuc in a few yrs, so that must be kinda new. I used to drill a hole. It's nice that it comes with it now

[@алексейпчеловод-м7ж]

Здравствуйте боб .

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hello!

[@countrycraftsman]

Great video!

[@asksoftkeith]

Bob, a great and timely video for me. I am outside of Washington, DC. A week ago a sighted beekeeper friend and I went into my hives and found 4-5 virgin queens and a bunch of swarm cells. We made a bunch of splits with the queens and swarm cells. It has been cold, rainy and windy for the last week. I don;t think the virgin queens and drowns would have able to make mating flights. Is there any potential issue with delayed flights for the virgin queens? At some point will the colony reject her if she is not mated? Thanks, Keith - the mostly blind beekeeper.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Keith. At some point the queens will begin to lay even if they are not mated. I would give them another week and hope for better weather. Good luck.

[@heathsharman5618]

First to watch

[@scrotiemcboogerballs1981]

Always a great video thanks for sharing