Feeding Bees for Early Spring Buildup

How we feed our bees in winter to stimulate brood rearing and build colonies up early.
Fat Bees Skinny Bees www.bvbeeks.or...
Mann Lake Bulk Soft Patty www.mannlakelt...
Mann Lake Ultra Bee www.mannlakelt...
1-1/2 gallon feeder www.mannlakelt...
Parmak Mag 12 www.mannlakelt...

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Oh that background sound of your guy starting the smoker is a refreshing sound. I agree, the patties MAINTAIN the brood. Old school jars, I have not seen those used here for years, nice Ha ha ha, I see I’m not the only one who stands and talks while the workers work LOL Great video, a taste of spring work Keep up the good work

[@bobbinnie9872]

I thought this January weather might make you jealous.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I just looked at your weather forecast for Miami, Manitoba. I suppose you're used to it but you have my sympathies.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Got my box stove fired up, I love it The bees are nice and tight and quiet

[@jarcuadrian1579]

In spring wen come twoo more polen you can gain more brood if you youze polen trap for 1 weeck reduce frem with polen in order twoo lay more but!!!!!wen massive emerging bee too ad additional freame will and make Hany ,or swarms

[@temijinkahn511]

If there is a patty in the hive that is excess to what is needed for the brood will the bees strip it and store it in cells?

[@balanplantz3438]

Nothing gives me hope more than Bob's videos. Thanks for another lesson on my journey to becoming a beekkeeper

[@balanplantz3438]

I should have included the word "successful" in front of beekeeper lol

[@IFarmBugs]

Not many things make me happier than opening a hive on a warm winter day and seeing a beautiful cluster of happy and healthy bees.

[@mihai.r-beekeeper5694]

Hi Bob, you started well. Romanian proverb: "He who wakes up in the morning, goes far".

[@sergeytaranovich2368]

In Belarus we say early bird already picks in her teeth, while late just looking for food .

[@ke6gwf]

Well, in California we say "night owl don't have to compete for worm with early bird, Dude!"

[@thuffman44]

Immediate 'thumbs up' for this video! Much respect for ANY commercial level keeper who is willing to stand in front of a camera and elaborate about what they do. The various choices and approaches to management between hobby level, sideliner, and commercial level is incredible. Thanks to Bob & his team for producing these insightful videos. I hope more follow your lead and do the same. Wishing you and your bees best of success ✌️🐝🐝🐝 Southwest Florida, USA

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks Tim.

[@milospetrovic2088]

14:12 The amount of combs in colonies during august and september, together with abundance of stored pollen and honey is the best stimulus for rearing greater numbers of winter bees. In that way, they are instinctively rushing for earlier spring development and swarming, whitch is their upper hand in preparing for winter after that swarming. Amount of combs in late summer are paramount for numerous colony in spring, more than sucrose syrup feeding, which is, on the other hand, essential for winter survival if you are commercial beekeeper. Thank you, sir, for unselfish sharing of your knowledge and experience!

[@IceBug1337]

15:12 that are some beautiful colonies, Bob!

[@donbearden1953]

Bob, it as great to meet you in Lebanon and listening to you speak. I want to thank you for this video because you’re doing exactly what I’ve been thinking about doing to my hives. I did it last year in mid to late January and on March 14th, I was making splits. It’s been colder here in central AL this year so I’ve been hesitant to remove my top deeps. I will feel comfortable to do it now on a warm day. I normally lay my pollen patties out in the sun for a few hours before putting them in so you made me much more confident in the way I’ve done things in the past. Thanks for all the information that you pass along to folks like me!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Don. It was a pleasure meeting you too. Thanks.

[@PatrickPease]

Those bees are soooooo docile, even our mated queens give us attitude.

[@Warrenslife76317]

Patrick I have one that loves me so much they feel the need to kiss me every time I reach for a frame. Lol I love that hive, Its the best hive in the yard. Im gonna breed from it but I'm hoping since the queen didn't come from me that the drones in the area will calm them down but still work as well as the mother hive but you just never know.

[@PatrickPease]

@@Warrenslife76317 Yeah, my meanest ones are my best ones. Where you at?

[@Warrenslife76317]

@@PatrickPease hagerstown Md

[@PatrickPease]

@@Warrenslife76317 Oh! My aunt lives up there, no wonder you got mean bees

[@Warrenslife76317]

@@PatrickPease lol

[@mark-wn5ek]

I have to chuckle at some of the comments...seeing is believing...and what you do is what separates the pros from the all the rest...but they're more than willing to point out your poor practices..;)))! I can only hope for such full hives in January here in KY...unreal! Thanks Bob.

[@warrehivesystem8191]

Thank you for sharing this valuable info highly appreciated. We are still in deep snow here in Canada. My season starts in mid April

[@badassbees3680]

It's my belief they need light nectar with patties to really stimulate them(I think you know this) ,I say this because if not it takes weeks of patties to see difference really, but soon as flow hits stagnant colonies push the nitrous button.. that tells me that nectar stimulates them..if you scratch a honey frame and they move it and simulate a flow ,they brood because it stimulates them.. Good looking Clusters Bob!!

[@calvinkalmon6746]

Wow, so many good tips. These videos are turning me into a top notch beekeeper. Thank you Bob!

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Bob you are shifting into rock star status! Your video crept onto the commercial beekeepers FB page and them boys didn’t tear you apart, but rather endorsed, 💥💥That never happens💥💥 Rock on my friend , rock on 🤘

[@bobbinnie9872]

OK, I'm going to show my back side here. I don't do Facebook, perhaps I should? Thanks for the news.

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

No, don’t start FB, it’s a waste of time lol

[@SuperVviikkttoorr]

Bob thank you for all you do and your valuable lessons! God bless you brother!

[@anthonypope5830]

Thanks Bob. I am in about the same location weather wise as you. I have often wondered how the commercial folks did their feeding for build up. General literature is of little help as it is too... general. I appreciate your willingness to share the small stuff and attention to detail. You are helping me to become a better bee keeper.

[@pcelarskisokak]

In our country, many beekeepers do not agree with winter feeding. I personally will soon be giving pollen cakes of my own making. I consider this a good incentive as long as the bee does not have a constant input from nature. Greetings from Croatia!

[@namentatic4978]

If you are in Adriatic area, you should not need any pollen feeding, but continental Croatia cold have some benefits from early pollen feed.

[@charliehincy5078]

I live in NE Alabama and have been following your bee keeping techniques. Added pollen patties and syrup last week. Hives are strong and bees shiney healthy looking. Mite treatments by alcohol wash testing. Thank you Very Much!

[@branchbrookfarm]

Another great video. Thanks Bob!!

[@MrNesta90]

God bless you and your work with bees. Greetings from Serbia

[@mckeeshoneybees8351]

It amazes me that I’m looking at another5 or 6 weeks before I can get into any colonies and your already feeding. Must be nice. Maybe I’ll come down and work for you until I can get into mine. Lol thanks again Bob

[@bobbinnie9872]

The trade off is longer, hot summers.

[@mckeeshoneybees8351]

@@bobbinnie9872 you got me there, I can’t stand the heat.

[@micksbeesstephens5327]

Great to see you at the Tennessee Conference earlier this month and really good to see that bee count this early., Thanks for the smooth, info packed video. Nashville

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks.

[@jmblakeney1]

So thankful for another video from you! Love watching and hearing so much beneficial information. I truly hope you are rewarded for your efforts.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Than you.

[@matthewmccormick2417]

Always love watching and learning from You and Ian. I myself tho am more like IAN being i am in the upper Mid West bitter cold. Good luck and stay safe

[@simopr09]

5:35 You bees are so calm! If I did that to my bees at this time of the years, I think the entire colony would jump to my face to try to sting me, including the queen I guess! I open only end of Febuary and early March and only if I have to. The frames, I never pull them out at this time of the year

[@johnperkins2078]

Great video Bob, full of information... Many thanks

[@michaelhendrick9059]

Great video. Love getting new ideas from experienced Beekeepers.

[@russellkoopman3004]

Thanks Bob. Excellent explanations as always. Bees looking good for you.

[@jeffquillin3566]

Hey Bob, I stopped by Friday and Saturday to pickup some supplies while I was in the area. Ladies in the shop said you were out and about. Keep the videos coming. Good info

[@bobbinnie9872]

Sorry I missed you. Thanks

[@olddansbees2072]

Thanks Bob for your super great vids. I am a beekeeper in Providence NC. Working on using your idea of double scree boards to start splits this year 2021. Honey flow in my area not very good last year due lots rain bleaching out flowers in trees. Hope for better start this year. Thank again Good Luck to you and your crew in 2021.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks and good luck this year.

[@MrRayvazquez82]

I'm glad to see that you are using soft patties, this is my first time that I'm using it😁

[@bobbinnie9872]

They work well.

[@justforfun4623]

I have bees taking 2:1 right now here in pa, been feeding a few very light colonies for a few weeks now, once I put the jar on, using half gallon jars the cluster seemed to move right below the jar. Had days in the low 20s and it's been 30s until this week. Going to start putting pollen patties on this week.

[@alfredobonillacastaneda1541]

Amazing video! We still up here just around -10 C /14F 🇨🇦 .

[@calebhollen5316]

One of my hives is bringing in pollen on warm days. Grnville NC

[@sardorsulaymonov5407]

hi Bob families are strong. The weather is good. good luck

[@honeydropfarm1605]

Bob, you are so smooth when you mark that queen. You've done it so many times that you don't even have to think about what you're doing! You could do a video called "Quickest way to mark a queen." I have to mark mine in a bee veil so they don't escape!

[@Warrenslife76317]

I'm a believe of Double deeps for the same reason, they have more bees. That's what I want because in the spring I should be able to get at least 2 health splits and maybe 3. A real good queen should give me at least 12 frames of brood by April 1 to the 15th. I can do 3 frame nucs to expand my yard. I'm just hoping I can get the drone made and queens mated mid April in Maryland. If not May will work. lol I'm still just playin and learning. Good luck this year.

[@sunsetheritage]

Was hoping for a new video 👏🐝👏🐝👏

[@allsmilz7234]

Thanks for sharing this valuable information 👍

[@WeBeeKH]

It is happy to open bees hive seeing heathy bees🐝🐝

[@CastleHives]

We just had first flights in NE Ohio yesterday, temps broke 50. Jealous of how soon your season starts.

[@rajbeekie7124]

Those are some healthy looking clusters. In MN, I am months away before even thinking of opening my hives.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Do you wrap your colonies?

[@rajbeekie7124]

@@bobbinnie9872 Yes, I do. On some of them, I use the black wax cardboard and on others, I use a foam wrap. I only have 6-10 hives so I don't have enough data to state which one is better. The foam wrap is easier to put on. I do enjoy your videos and perspectives.

[@timgoodin42053]

Thanks for sharing, great information!

[@Pinpon-ni8vc]

Great work love the videos

[@randallcarter-carterhillho2277]

Another great video. Thank you!!

[@ricksutton2902]

Good video bob. I don't use pollen substance. Majority of my bees are in South Florida pretty well much pollen comes in all year there. You know it's all about location location location. My bees Caucasian.mix with Italian

[@ricksutton107]

You are right it is a about location.

[@timothystolyaroff7782]

Hi Bob, couple questions for your top cover design. 1. What prevents rain from getting into the hive through the top opening (where the buckets goes). 2. What provides ventilation for the hive in the winter? I noticed you don’t have any sort of holes anywhere to provide venting. I really like your videos, and am learning quite a bit.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Timothy. We rely on the canning jar ring shown in this video to provide an edge or lip that keeps the little bit of rain water that seeps under the bucket from running in. When not feeding we install a solid, one piece, 70G mason jar size lid as a plug.

[@timothystolyaroff7782]

@@bobbinnie9872 Gotcha, thank you for the reply!

[@michaelfike7542]

Great video and information 👍 feeding my bees on good warm days to keep them going.

[@yusronchannel6239]

I'm from Indonesia thanks for the video

[@juskonig]

Gta love how how he slams the first three covers down to clear the bees, :(...Bob moved in quickly with the smoker

[@Felician1962]

Hello, sir! In the 10th minute we see you marking a queen with your bare hands. Could you show us (maybe in another movie) this queen marking technique in more detail? I'd especially like to see how you catch and hold the queen. Best regards!

[@framcesmoore]

You have some really strong hives when I see that on my hives I say u are going to give me some honey this year that is real pretty,

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Great to see you. Thanks for the video u are great.

[@tony_ofthe_north6604]

unfortunately lost all 6 of my hives over the winter to an increase in veroa mites that i failed to eradicate. will try again in the spring.

[@BlanchardsBees]

Thanks for sharing!

[@johntanner6229]

Another great video Bob! Also really enjoyed your knowledge shared at the Bee seminar earlier this month. My question is, when should we put our swarm traps out if we live in the West Georgia area?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Colonies usually start thinking about swarming around the fruit bloom time.

[@daryldaigle7214]

Your colonies have a lot more bees than mine. My girls are hauling pollen by the truckload these past few days. Baton Rouge

[@bobbinnie9872]

Pollen translates into bees.

[@charlesoneill466]

Thanks for video.

[@rpeebles]

My bees are bringing in yellow and red pollen here in Texas. We think it is elm but not sure about the red.

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Again as I watch your videos I have questions pop up in my head they do not pop up all at the same time that why so many post in your syrup do you put any oils in it thanks I think that my last question .. Thanks for every thing Have a great day God Bless you and your wonderful family Keep the videos coming They are great

[@bobbinnie9872]

We put a half dose of Mann Lake Pro Health.

[@kelitagedifarm4893]

So Bob, I watch and review over again a lot of your management practices for your area. Because of the Carni / Cauc genetics that you're having custom bred for your purpose, come up a little slower in spring, and some of what you've said about trying to hold the hives back from peaking out until after the flow begins, I'm a little confused as to why you're doing all this as early as it is. I know with natural pollen getting ready to hit us down here, that many will start brooding up anyway, so maybe what you're doing is more like insurance against starvation instead of a brood making spark plug. Either way, you're a fine beekeeper with a great attitude to study. I gain on every video you make , so thanks and God bless.

[@bobbinnie9872]

These particular yards are chosen to split first and early. Our locations begin south of home and progressively stream north, get higher in elevation and build up later. There's about a three week difference in spring buildup which is great because we don't want them all to be ready for splitting at the same time. These yards will make sure we have some to begin splitting earlier than the rest.

[@kelitagedifarm4893]

I really appreciate you coming back and clearing this bit of confusion up for me. I try to review your videos several times as to try to catch every teaching point that you're trying to get across, and the point you made a while back about trying to time out a delay in when a hive peaks out to help prevent swarming has got stuck in my head, but with an ole hard head like mine, it just kinda rattles around up there. I also know how you're tuning in hard on the sour wood which comes in later on, so I was attempting to add two and two here with your management tactics in this latest video. Btw......I'm located about half way between Birmingham and Anniston right in the toes of those Appalachian mountains. I had thoughts this time of picking up a half dozen of those queens that you run from your breeder down south of us and just see how they would work for me over here. Well, between BB, and almonds in California, I guess I'll have to keep running my mutts. Thanks so much for your time. I'm taking on the task of mentoring a 12 yo little boy this spring who just lost his father right before Christmas, and I want to come across to him much in the same way you come across in these videos. You see, it's not just your bee knowledge here, it's your whole attitude and common sense approach that is having a positive impact on me. I had also mentored this little boys father which had become a close friend over time, so this goes beyond beekeeping for me this year.

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@kelitagedifarm4893 You sound like a busy man!

[@beebob1279]

At 11:20 you're putting on the top queen rearing nuc. Where did you place the entrance for the top hive? It looks as thought you placed it towards the back and against the wall of the other hive. Can you tell me where the entrances are on the top hives? We're getting snow tomorrow night along with temps in the teens. We've got about six weeks (end of February) before doing this. If it's a warm February I'll get a little pollen on the hives. Must be great being able to work with the hives.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, it's somewhat hidden in the shadow.

[@elizabethherschleb7313]

I miss grass. It is so cold where I live. Wishing I was warm today, but I know my wishes will never come till Mother Nature makes the call for things to warm up. Which will not happen for several months.

[@bobbinnie9872]

This too shall pass.

[@АнатолійАнатолій-ь2с]

We expand when the weather is stable. Because we often have recurrent cold weather. Winter bees are weaker. Therefore, we create fodder reserves in the fall. In the spring we insulate well and achieve the full area of ​​brood filling. Thus, the bees do not wear out prematurely, feed reserves are saved, and the physiological health of the bee is born.

[@arpit12021989]

Hey Bob. Why don't you use pollen traps to collect excess pollen at the time of golden rods pollen flow, store it and use it when its deficient, say January? Is that because you get a decent quality off the shelf and you save time and effort? In my country pollen is not available that easily off the shelf, so I guess its suitable here for me in India to store excess pollen and use it when ever needed!

[@bobbinnie9872]

We are lucky that pollen always comes in the spring when we need it.

[@konstantinamarkopoulou5479]

Another nice video!! I have pollen that i collected in last spring. How i can give this pollen to my bees, to be better accepted? Can i put some pollen in the frames?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Some people actually do put in frames and place it next to the brood area. You could also make it into patties with sugar and honey or syrup.

[@kellyrose2665]

Hi Bob, great to meet you in person a few weeks ago in TN. You are a very gracious person and an incredible teacher! Thanks for these videos and taking time teach all of us! How cold are the low temps when you're feeding that syrup inside the hive? We've had several flying days in NE OK this month already. Some days with highs of 60s, but still some lows at nights in the 30s. Is it safe to feed syrup with frame feeders? I would love to get a jump on early splits this spring. If this would help do that, it might be worth it. Thanks for your feedback.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Kelly. I think your temps are Ok. It sounds like you are at least as warm as us. Our lows have been in the low 30s and high 20s It's not ideal but it will work with colonies of average strength or more. it doesn't work well with small colonies until it warms up some.

[@alamenahlesetif]

good

[@ericfrance3241]

Thanks Bob for making these videos! I’m in Denver and enjoy learning from your work. Question: why don’t you over winter double nucs above your deeps rather than single nucs? It seems if you built double screen boards with holes to each side of center you could support two small nucs rather than one, with a separating board down the middle of the deep.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Many beekeepers do what your describing with great results. It works well on individual stands but not as good on pallets. We like using single chamber boxes to allow the bees to expand beyond four or five frames. When the timing is right we like to simply pick up the box and put it on another stand or pallet. It's just a personal preference.

[@charlesthomas5737]

As I look at your hives you have a queen right hive in the bottom box and then a 3/4 shim and then your double screen bottom board for your nuc on top. So what month did you introduce your mated queen in the top box? and I guess you bought your mated queens out of Florida being it is so early in the year. I live near Baltimore, Maryland it is still to cold here to do anything in the hives. The earliest I can put in pollen patties in the hives is about the second week in February.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The nucs on top were left over queen mating nucs from the fall and had queens that were mated in September. These nucs were installed in deep boxes, with double screen boards, over already established lower hives in November.

[@charlesthomas5737]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thanks Bob, You just gave me a great management idea that I can use. Now I can do the same thing in my yard with those late mated queens that are just not built up strong enough to get through the winter. looks like I will be building double screen bottom boards and shims.

[@viscache1]

I was wondering about the mix. I prefer to mix up about 40 pounds in late winter but I collect about 10lbs of pollen every year of fresh pollen and freeze it and add it to the Mann Lake dry mix at about 10%. It seems to work. We have 5 gallon vacuum stoppage containers that can be resealed with vacuum each opening and we store them in our root cellar at about 42F year round. No fermenting and no mold ever. I always find I have a few weeks after Christmas of slow time to do my woodworking, patty mixing and sheep vaccine catchup time…you know…the slow time for a farmer! We started with 2 hives and doubled every year. Eventually we will sell the sheep operation and equipment and go to bees entirely.

[@bobbinnie9872]

In reference to one of your other comments, parts of Tennessee have good locations for bees. I know of several people doing well there. Anytime you can mix in quality pollen with your supplement the bees do better with it.

[@trichard5106]

Thanks !!

[@دعوةخير-غ6ح]

Nice job bro

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you.

[@edisnelsilva440]

Nice video

[@radoslavmadjev1872]

Great video! One question though, for the colder climates, could the pollen supplement be used with candy/sugar patties instead of sugar syrup?

[@bobbinnie9872]

To be honest I don't have any experience with candy boards or sugar patties. My guess is they lack the stimulation aspect we would be looking for. There is a partially inverted sugar called "Drivert", made by C&H Sugar, that is stimulating to the bees in powder form. It's produced for making fondants and frostings in bakeries. It's expensive but works well. I used it in the early 80s and if it wasn't expensive I would be using it still.

[@Makermook]

At 11:18 your helper put on the feeder rim, then the box, then the lid. Where's the exit for that upper nuc of bees?

[@Bourbonsouth47]

Isnt 1 must likely

[@henrik5761]

Its on the back, to the right. Its visible just before he puts the board down.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Mark. Above the lower box a 3/4 in. rim was placed, then our home made version of a double screen board. The shadow in the picture made the entrance hard to see. It was on the right hand side with bees coming and going from the side of the pallet or above the outer, rear corner of the the lower hive. I should have caught that, I'm sure you're not the only one confused by that.

[@beebob1279]

@@bobbinnie9872 I just asked the same question. Thanks for clearing it up. It looked as though the entrance was placed to the back. I was trying to figure out why you would have done that.

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@beebob1279 We do that on pallets so all four entrances are on a different side.

[@stevenwurtz7225]

I'm very surprised or caught off guard... when you put down patties, you threw some on top of 🐝 bees.... where they killed. ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We usually try to brush or smoke them aside but sometimes get complacent.

[@3Beehivesto300]

Great videos 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Have you ever used the cardboard Nuc boxes that brushy mountain had??? What box do you prefer to use when selling nucs???

[@bobbinnie9872]

We use Jester plastic nuc boxes. They are more expensive than the cardboard boxes but hold up better. I didn't ever try the ones Brushy Mountain sold.

[@nohadboujawdeh5947]

Hi Bob Greetings from Lebanon 🇱🇧 a small country in the Middle East I collect bee pollen in spring and put in freezer. When I want to use it I mix 4 parts freezed pollen with 1 part sucrose and keep it for about 10 days in room temperature then I put little honey to make patties. And sounds good for the bees. What's your opinion about this method?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Excellent!

[@temijinkahn511]

Bob, by having so many hives clustered in the same area, wouldn’t the bees be competing for the same nectar and pollen sources? Bees would start robbing each other because the total cluster of hives has depleted their sources. Wouldn’t fewer hives solve this problem?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Not necessarily. When pollen and nectar are flowing well a decent location can support dozens of colonies. And when the flows stop even one colony may not get anything. Of course the less colonies there are the better the odds of getting at least something.

[@brianjackson1212]

Being from the Oregon area what are your thoughts on feeding pollen and syrup this time of year? I am in Oregon and would like to start ramping my bees up. While we are getting day time temps in the mid 50’s and low 60’s we are getting a lot of rain so I am a little hesitant to add moisture inside (using frame feeders) the colonies. We are getting periodic nice days so they are able to get out. Thanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

Although not ideal you should get away with mid 50's to low 60's for inside feeding as long as the colonies aren't too small. Try a few first and see.

[@natserog]

Hey Bob....love your videos...thanks for all your advice. On pollen patties...i buy the mann lake ultra bee pollen patties.. They are pretty expensive ....have you ever tried to make your own would equal the Mann Lake Pollen patties?? recipe? thanks!!

[@bobbinnie9872]

I have not. The bulk soft patty also works well and is less expensive. I agree they're expensive, probably more than they should be.

[@natserog]

@@bobbinnie9872 oh...ok...i didnt know about the bulk Mann Lake Ultra b...prob cheaper than the premade patties...ill check it out ---thanks Bob!

[@jameskownacki8639]

Is there a reason why you don't use canvas inter covers ?

[@toddparsons5780]

Get yourself that two handled long knife Mann Lake sells. Dust that 50lb slab with dry pollen or sugar, and you'll shave some time off your day. I like it cause I can cut the slabs pretty thin for the singles. And it's a lot easier on your body (hands).

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks, these were a surprise. They were sent by mistake. We usually use the pre-made patties and buy them in quantity because they sell well in our store. I have to admit the soft patty seems to work well and we may start using it more.

[@toddparsons5780]

@@bobbinnie9872 I run about 300 colonies right now. Prepping to go to almonds in a few weeks. I have used both, but prefer the bulk. I like that it's a bit softer and has a bit more sugar in it. The bees really take to it. It's a wee bit less expensive than the top end Mann Lake Ultra Bee, but I find it works great. This "winter" we've had some pretty good flying days and the mustard and eucalyptus has bloomed well. I just threw on a few pounds on everyone today, as we are supposed to have rain for the next 7-10 days. Anyway, you bees look great. I am sure you don't miss the hustle to get the bees all boosted up for nuts! It's pretty amazing though, all those flowers in such a tight space. I love those full bloom days. Cheers!

[@ditikimelisa]

nice video my friend

[@davidfirali6864]

here is a coincidence I am also from Georgia but not a state but old, very nice how you fight in beekeeping with an American rotten?

[@sergeytaranovich2368]

Hi! The proper name is American foulbrood, here in Pennsylvania where I live law requires you to burn any hives that have a disease and we doing just that, and for last couple of years very little cases were being discovered, other than that one could use various antibiotics but it not fixes problem permanently treatment has to be repeated every 3 weeks, so it better to just burne infected colony to stop the spread

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you, I wasn't sure what he meant but now I get it. His message may have been translated through google which I seem to be using more and more myself.

[@sergeytaranovich2368]

@@bobbinnie9872 You are welcome!)) I kind of figured out it's going to be tuff for you to get it)) just knowing Russian language I know what he talking about so I decided to offer a little help with explaining. ))

[@johnt5279]

Hi Bob, a quest on internal and bucket feeders. Do the forages fetch the syrup or do the house bees collect this syrup and take it into the comb

[@bobbinnie9872]

I have read that it is the house bees.

[@johnt5279]

@@bobbinnie9872 interesting thanks Bob

[@RyanMcDonnough]

Hey, Bob! Love your videos. You do a great job of explaining and editing. Thank you for taking the time to do it at all. Are you planning to do more grafting/rearing with Caucasian genetics this season? How do you like your caucasians thus far? Or is it too soon to tell?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Ryan. Thanks. I wasn't going to do more on grafting but I am going to talk about the different lines. I was thinking of doing that through videos that are actually about different subjects. For instance, in a couple of weeks I'm going to do a follow up on this early feeding video and mention the differences in overwintering cluster sizes with the different types of bees. It is a bit soon to make big judgements.

[@RyanMcDonnough]

@@bobbinnie9872 That sounds great. Looking forward to it!

[@JoseGutierrez-pl4ck]

Hi Mr Binnie. Great video. I have a question about the pollen patties. I have been having weather in the mid 70's Fahrenheit and I have been supplementing pollen patties since early January. I've noticed that the stronger colonies are not eating the patty, would you know any reasons why this would happen?

[@bobbinnie9872]

They may be bringing in natural pollen.

[@leesommer5871]

How about SHB’s? I’ve found the patties are a perfect nursery environment for their larvae.

[@blain2484]

That's why you don't put on more patty than the colony can consume quickly. Those strong colonies will have those patties gone in no time.

[@bobbinnie9872]

We have little trouble in winter and early spring but the summer is a different matter. The comment from Blain is correct.

[@miroslawlaska8885]

Super

[@stufarnham]

It's about 5 weeks until the maple abloom here. Last year a late ice storm took out most of the maple bloom and there was a noticeabl setback n brood production. Horsing we don’t have a repeat this year. I look forward to the maple all winter because that’s when things start to spin up.what are your temperatures like in mid January?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Stu. This year highs have generally been in the mid 30s f to mid 50s with most days in the 40s. Since this video was made most have been in the low to upper 40s. Hoping for a bit warmer soon. The bees in this video have been taking their patties well.

[@trilliumtraveler4737]

Also, I found some left over patties in my pickup, that isn't driven much, from last fall. Will they still be good? I'm in Otto, NC.

[@PutEmInTheBox]

I guess you can use that Mann lake bulk without wax paper huh? It doesn’t melt down between the frames when the bees warm it up?

[@bobbinnie9872]

I've used it before and had good luck with it. It stays put.

[@scottpierson7495]

So Bob what happens to the honey made from sucrose? When the store it what do you do with it? Going into 3rd year and I’m in California we’ve so far had warm winter my bees are bringing in natural pollen now and brooding well but I’m very curious what you do with feed they store? I’m running out of freezer space.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The upper deep that is full of feed will ether remain with the lower box and be a double deep colony or be split off to make another hive. I'm not sure which for this yard yet.

[@joelwhite4963]

Do you worry about the syrup freezing? It's supposed to back to the 20 degree nights later this week.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The syrup won't freeze but the bees may not take up it well until it warms up a bit.

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

We have two dead outs, what appears to be new Saskatraz queen fails. Mites taken care of but no winter bee build up. Plenty of resources, lots of honey and stored pollen (beebread?). Any thoughts or maybe you have a vid but if not, could you do a video on repopulating or reusing such a hive? I'm half tempted to drop a package in rather than a nuc.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Packages work great on drawn comb or you could restart it with a nuc and use the extra frames elsewhere. We usually use drawn comb from dead colonies for starting more nucs.

[@peterlightbody8443]

Intetesting ,never heard or read about the daylight theory before ,something to think about . Out of interest how many hives totally do you have ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Peter. We had 2000 last season. I haven't decided yet where we'll be this season but I expect it to be less.

[@anoopsebastian7766]

Sir, Greetings from Anoop .. Sir, one doubt...please make it clear ... As literature says virgin queen fly solo in the air during mating flight ....and mate with several drones..and back her hive solo.. ??? DOES SCOUT BEES ESCORT VIRGIN QUEEN IN THE MID AIR DURING MATING/ NUPTICAL FLIGHT ? Thanks..

[@bobbinnie9872]

I have never heard or read that they do.

[@calvinkalmon6746]

Did you mean to say that the colonies coming out of the mountains in Georgia gained temperature and that's why they started brood rearing or was it as you said that they gained daylight?

[@bobbinnie9872]

In this instance I believe it was because they gained daylight. If I remember correctly there wasn't a big temperature difference at that time.