How and When We Super and Boost Our Colonies

[@jhulin9018]

The speed, skill and accuracy at which you and your crew shifts, lifts and manipulates frames is impressive! Its like poetry in motion. You make it look so easy....just like watching the Olympics.

[@springcitybeefarm5971]

Bob I must give you a big thank you !! I used your 3-4 frames brood colonies peaking 4-5 out method 8th April in far swVA , I had 1 swarm and it was my fault left too much drone cone , it works perfectly if you know your flows ,what a blessing!! You undoubtedly are largest influence on my beekeeping and it’s constantly improving ! Thank you sir godbless ! Note I’m up to 120. Colonies

[@time2fly2124]

Bob, Ian and Kamon are probably where i get the most direct useful beekeeping knowledge

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks. 👍

[@markspc1]

Bob you are a library of information for beekeepers, thank you.

[@whmaxwell97]

I do like you repetitive note taking Bob. Helps a lot when it comes to new beekeepers like myself trying to figure out how, when and where everything goes when it comes to trying to create a year long plan for your hives.

[@TennesseeTim38451]

I laughed at the beginning of your video, when you were talking about taking from the weak and giving to the mediocre, you should refer to that technique as “taxation of a hive”

[@bobbinnie9872]

I like it!

[@daleford5531]

my wife and I do the empty deeps..instead of supers..on top and it has really avoided swarming here in Oregon and Washington..but we checkerboard our frames also to make sure our deeps get full to help avoid swarming

[@dadu63]

Yeah what springcity bee farm said. I've been splitting just like Bob for awhile now. Thanks Bob for showing us that method. You are a big part in my learning beekeeping.

[@NagsL_xb]

Awesome bee colonies, it must be have great experience and calm to check the beehives. Nice landscape, must be a good place to live and work. It may be very painful to do the quality control 😀 All good.

[@calebhollen5316]

Bob, I am amazed at how you nonchalantly pick up the queen

[@bobbinnie9872]

41 years will do that for anybody.👍

[@justducky0]

thanks for sharing the timing and problem solving thoughts

[@IceBug1337]

Bob, at 3:50 you can see your employee casually catch a queen while holding a hive tool in the same hand. That impresses me. You must be proud of your people.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, I'm lucky to have the help that I have.

[@robinmartin4464]

HooWee! that heat index has to make the creek look inviting; I hope you are staying hydrated Mr. Biinie!

[@bobbinnie9872]

I tell everyone not to wait until they are thirsty to start drinking water. 👍

[@lenturtle7954]

Well after seeing you using the frame feeders in your hive i bought some for my nucs all they had was one gallon mann lake so that is what i bought I was not at all impressed with the drowned bees in the ladders . I have a solution i have some cylindrical styrofoam pieces about 3/16"×1/4" long I just covered the syrup so they are all floating .. It doesnt seem to affect their ability to use the syrup and there are no more dead bugs in the ladders !!!!🎉 My niece said use grass but theseare inert and dont decay . Problem solved . They were leftover pretzels from leafcutter box production

[@leesommer5871]

So much great info in this video, thanks very much Bob for sharing your knowledge.

[@donovancoughlin]

As always love your content!!! Thanks for your wise words of wisdom.

[@jarredladuke]

To me this was an excellent video as it affirmed several of my suspicions.

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Bob wonderful video I want to thank you so very much for all the videos u do for us I have gotten my best honey crop ever I got almost 25 gal/300 lbs it is the best yield/harvest I have ever gotten. I have Treated for mites and next weekend going to start building them up for the winter we have 1 flow and it is over and now we are in a dearth. If u have any new wisdom to teach me it would be very much appreciated I will treat again first part of Aug as well. Thanks for every thing u do Have a Blessed week.

[@katiewebber760]

I am always caught by surprise by how well your frames slide in the hive. Is that because you change out frames so often that they don’t propylize them so much? My frames are quite “sticky” in their boxes but yours seem so manageable.

[@bobbinnie9872]

We sell a lot of nucs and colonies so we're constantly cycling out frames and equipment which helps a lot. Also, if something gets too much build up on it we will scrape it down.

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Lots of great information. On my single deeps I had full supers and under supered to give more space. I had one swarm this season and feel that it may help relieve swarm tendencies. The swarm came from a double deep that I did not under super. Interesting theory. Thanks for the video.

[@mihai.r-beekeeper5694]

Hi Bob. As I can see, the strawberries are of good quality. They haven't been sprayed recently, so it's safe for bees:)). All good.

[@NaturesImageFarmGregBurns]

Under supering here at smaller scale seems to keep the vibe of the hive more uniform with the advantage of getting fresh frames drawn and creating a little time buffer. I'm with you on the thought that is does seem to give the colony a sense of space which seems to give us a little sense of time. The caveat maybe seems to be during heavy flows? This spring was so heavy it was almost as thought they wouldn't take time to draw comb and socked nectar away hot and heavy and in all the goofy places. Good job fellas!

[@bobbinnie9872]

👍

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Excellent video again! 👍🏻

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks.👍

[@ajs4287]

Will the boosted colonies turn more of their younger bees into foragers? And you're not worried about those big colonies running out of food between now & sourwood?? Thanks Bob, hope yall get a nice crop this year.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks. The main reason the boosted colonies will have more foragers because they will simply have more bees. The frames of brood stuffed in there are probably already beginning to hatch and be partially back filled so they'll have a little food cushion, but not much. If there wasn't anything coming in at all there would be a problem with food. There will also be the potential for food problems as soon as the Sourwood flow ends. In many cases, strong singles need to be fed immediately after the honey supers come off or they could starve in short order.

[@jeffsea6490]

Thanks for sharing valuable content Bob 🍀👍🇺🇲

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks Jeff.

[@IceBug1337]

In Germany we use under supering to lower swarm tendencies as well. We call it „releasing the pressure from the brood nest“. I assume that a lot of ressources around and in the brood nest is a sign of strength and safety for the bees so when they swarm the remaining bees have enough. Also having fewer open cells where the food Storage is, might be a sign of „we are too big for our Cave“ Also when you have a strain of bees or some half-sister groups that like to put honey close to the Brood nest like carniolan, you get more honey pressure. Also bees tend to not Go into areas they don’t need in the hive. Thats extreme when you put only foundation in a super on top but also Applys for drawn empty comb on top. It Takes a while for them to really start filling the top drawn super and during those days you get pressure on the brood nest

[@bobbinnie9872]

👍

[@dianetaylor6751]

Pilfering kleptocratic management style comes to mind. Pilfering for short.

[@beebob1279]

Great presentation as usual. Our strawberries are just about finished here. We have the blueberries now.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I'm going to miss strawberries!!

[@billc3405]

Im in 100% agreement that a empty super above the brood slows the urge to swarm. For the reason of over crowding. I do feel there are other natural reasons for swarming in which the colony will swarm at any available opportunity

[@liviotassse]

For me it is not clear one thing: How to expand brood nest during summer? Upward or downward? What is the queen tendency to go up or down? Some beekeepers expand brood chambers by adding a box on the bottom board, others add it on the brood box (and on top of them the excluder and supers). Thanks.

[@georgehardee5470]

Am I looking at your honey supers correctly. You are running 8 frames in your 10 frame supers? I run 9 but I'm very interested in why you run 8. Love your videos! I always learn something useful from them! Thanks and God bless!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi George. We use 8 frame spacers for efficiency. More weight in a box, easier and faster to uncap and one frame less to pay for. The drawback is that you must draw your comb out first before spacing that far apart or lots of burr comb will be the result.

[@decaturridgebees8761]

So interesting that you just drop the bees and brood right into another colony with no issues. Many couldn’t fathom that

[@bobbinnie9872]

We do it all the time without a thought about it.

[@KajunHomestead]

Great video Bob gonna have to try that honey sour wood honey one day !

[@luci75d76]

Yes. Right. Need some quality control for that strawberries. I bet they are good size of they are well pollinated. I have strawberry before at the rabbit farm. I move some few years ago home where o have the bees and each year now we have big size , nice and sweet strawberry ! Also the plum trees get better .

[@bobbinnie9872]

👍

[@TH-cl5be]

soon as your top super is full of honey they swarm regardless of whats underneath , so super on the top stops them swarming always keep the top super empty

[@DuckRiverHoney]

“Reverse Robinhood Beekeeping”. There’s your title. 😂

[@bobbinnie9872]

That's a good way to describe it.👍

[@markridgemr]

Bob, I think I counted 8 frames in a 10 frame super. Does that seem to yield more per box vs 9 frames? Thanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes it does. It weighs a few pounds more.

[@ROD_OF_IRON]

Hey Brother Good day Good Job I watch all your videos and appreciate the knowledge you have,when do you think the Sourwood blooms will hit

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks, that's tricky to say. Mother Nature you know. We're in middle of a local heat wave that seems to be drying things up but the trees look good and it's forecasted to cool down and possibly rain. Around our shop I predicting early next week. Further north in North Carolina perhaps another ten days. That's just a guess.

[@earlybird906]

Hello Bob, you mentioned about requeened colony, do you have a video how to requeen established colony ? do you remove all open brood or any tricks for queen to be accepted ? Thank you so much for your time and informative videos.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Mr. Paul. See our video "Queen Acceptance and Queen Supersedure. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnrCd39prdyLhK8

[@theoeicher]

THANK YOU for all your vids, they are invaluable!! Question: I dont know if my bee math is correct, but when you take capped brood from the poor, you introduce nurse bees plus those that hatch in the next 1-11 days to the middle class. Nurse bees take 2-3 weeks to become foragers, are you not asking your middle class to feed more mouths exactly at the time when you want to produce the maximum amount of nectar (7-10 days, for 2 weeks)? Thanks!!

[@bobbinnie9872]

The age that a bee begins a particular job is highly variable and will change if needed. Bees can even go backwards in the chain of jobs if there is a sudden need. All I know for certain is that when we do this we make stronger colonies that definitely make more honey. Colonies full of bees can and will adjust the jobs and age of individual bees to fill the colonies needs in the moment.

[@jacobhelton8914]

Would caging the queen for a bit before a flow give you more forager bees as they would have less young brood to take care of??

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, in a way. The eggs laid immediately before a short flow will not help make more honey.

[@wmrogerware]

Do you like the metal spacer bars on your supers? Did I count 8 frames/super? Great beekeeper crew you have what an all-star team to rely upon.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I do like the 8 frame spacers. More efficient in all ways. The only draw back is that the combs need to be drawn out before spacing that far apart or burr comb between the sheets of foundation can be a big problem.

[@susanwehe8270]

I hate wearing a bee suit in temps over 80, you can imagine how hard that is since I live in Southern Mississippi!

[@bobbinnie9872]

I understand completely!

[@oscarvilla6841]

👍🐝 thanks for the video, strawberry 🍯

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Oscar !👍

[@creativemotion529]

Hi Bob! Nice to "meet" you :) thank you for all the helpful information. I have one question though: when you take frames from the weaker colony and move it to the mediocre colony with brood and bees on it, are the bees not fighting inside the mediocre hive after? In Romania, beekeepers are changing the hive smell and the smell of the added frames with diluted alcohol so the new hive can accept the added frames as they will have the same smell (of alcohol) for a while. Thank you! 😊

[@bobbinnie9872]

We don't do anything special and very rarely have trouble or fighting as long as the colonies aren't in a defensive mood to start with. If colonies are defensive spraying very light sugar water on the frames can help.

[@creativemotion529]

Great! Thank you for sharing with us your knowledge, I appreciate very much your videos🙏

[@bobbinnie9872]

@@creativemotion529 🙏

[@PhilSerafinasBeeHappy]

Bob, You are a fountain of knowledge. I plan to implement some of these suggestions next year. I have a question about your honey supers. I see you have 8 frames in your honey supers vs 9 or 10 frames. Do you feel you get more honey with 8 frames? Thanks.

[@bobbinnie9872]

The box holds more, just like 9 frame holds more than a ten frame. I don't think the bees make any more.

[@costacheliviumarian2516]

Bukffast bees help alot with sowrming if you give them space you can have 4..5 deep boxes full of bees that dont sworm just space and ventilation

[@markridgemr]

Were the supering studies done: 1) Over an excluder? 2) With foundation, drawn comb, or both? Thanks

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Mark. I believe it was with excluders. Check this link Effects of top- versus bottom-supering on honey yield. Berry, J.A. & K.S. Delaplane. 2000. American Bee Journal 140(5): 409-410

[@catchemalive]

For your honey production colonies, what are some specific things you do beginning in spring and what are you looking for in a colony to justify it being considered a “Honey Production” colony? Thanks so much for all the help!!!!

[@bobbinnie9872]

It basically comes down to the growth stages. We're still making divides now along with others that were made recently that can't be considered for honey production. Established colonies or splits made early enough in the spring are candidates for honey production. They simply need to be strong enough to move into the supers when the flow comes.

[@catchemalive]

@@bobbinnie9872 gotcha!! Thanks for the reply!! Next spring I’m gonna try real hard to feed pollen sub to get them building up earlier since I now have enough drawn comb to hopefully keep them from swarming like some did this year. Then maybe I can have some strong colonies! 👍

[@davidloucky3566]

Under-supering is also the way to go if you need to draw comb, correct? Got to be close to the brood nest?

[@bobbinnie9872]

It helps although a strong hive in a good flow will do it above.

[@Bluegrass499]

I'm seeing 10 frames on the bottom box I think ; 8 on top.are Are the suppers spaced wide ? For extracting ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, we like 8 frame spacers in our extracting supers.

[@MinnesotaBeekeeper]

Right out of a Jack Benny skit. "Rochester, take those frames from the small ones that won't make me money this year" :) Thank you sir, never thought of sidelining a smaller hive to benefit prime production before. That and the under/over study! How long has Jennifer Berry been working with bees?

[@bobbinnie9872]

I think the mid 90s.

[@ابوكرمللسيراميك]

hi bobI have an important question, please answer. The temperature in Iraq is 45 degrees Celsius. Can I use British-made Epistan tapes? I checked the percentage of varroa in powdered sugar. The ratio was from 3 to 7 farrows in half a cup of bees

[@bobbinnie9872]

The Apistan that I am familiar with does not cause problems at high temperatures.

[@thehappycamper5575]

Another great video. I've started to leave my lids open, when do you usually close the lids? Do you open the lids on all hives? Thank you

[@ricksutton2902]

It's a judgment call

[@bobbinnie9872]

In late summer when the temperatures and bee populations start to go down we stop. We only crack the lids on colonies that are strong enough to defend the extra entrances if need be.

[@LawsonsCreekApiary]

Hey Bob, informative video as always. Do you have an estimate as to when you will have Sourwood available on your website? I’d like to get a bottle. Thanks!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Should be around August 1 assuming it flows.

[@3Beehivesto300]

Swapping supers. You must keep 5 supers per hive to be able to swap for different flows?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We're always shuffling. An average of three works as long as the extracting line doesn't break down.

[@eddieramos9126]

Thanks for the video! Good stuff. I have a question. I had some hives that had 4 supers of honey I harvested the top 2 and left the bottom to, to harvest later. Is that ok? Or should I harvest all honey at same time?

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's OK to leave the other two for a while.

[@macsbees5775]

Taking from the needy and giving to the greedy lol. Bob why only 8 frames in the super?

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's more efficient in our extracting and uncapping equipment.

[@davidpook5778]

Bob, what kind of frame space do you use in the supers? Look for any new videos daily, well done!

[@davidpook5778]

Frame spacer.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi David. We're using eight frame "Stoller" style frame spacers. We like eight frames for easier uncapping, more weight in a box and less expense. The only drawback is the comb needs to drawn out before spacing that far apart or excessive burr comb between the foundations can occur.

[@davidpook5778]

@@bobbinnie9872 Thank you for your reply, I hadn't noticed before your supers had spacers.

[@odelllawson4190]

Bob Great video as always! Just curious on honey pricing of sourwood honey package in 2and 3 lbs for local sale, how would you price that? Thank you!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Still yet to be determined but probably near but under $20.00 for two pounds.

[@jeffthomas7549]

Good video Bob. I've got some uncapped honey that I need to pull. I have 22 colonies I'm pulling from this year. I've got a small walk in cooler that I can setup with a dehumidifier. Would that work for drying the uncapped honey?

[@bobbinnie9872]

I would think that would work great. One of the keys is to figure out how to drain the dehumidifier continuously so it never shuts off. Also, a good fan moving air briskly helps a lot.

[@jeffthomas7549]

@@bobbinnie9872 thanks

[@woodlandharvesthoneycompanyllc]

Does sumac honey taste bad? I have a lot that the blooms are just about to open.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Personally, I like sumac honey. The variety we have here looks like dirty dish water in the comb but the flavor is good.

[@sentimentalbloke7586]

To change the topic momentarily, I have a question that has me perplexed. In past posts you have remarked on the properties of honey (anti microbial and anti fungal) to the point that honey flushed through a septic kills the septics flora, my question is that if this is so, what effect is honey having on your gut flora? beneficial or not?,

[@bobbinnie9872]

Not being an expert on this, my guess is that the relatively small amount of honey we consume doesn't bring about an issue. Good question.

[@erossi490]

question I just did a hive inspection today and found that I have two Supersedure cells. My queen is a young queen (this year) but not laying much the question is should I let nature take its course. or pinch her and get a new queen

[@bobbinnie9872]

We let nature take its course in cases like this unless we want to change the genetics.

[@lenturtle7954]

So sourwood is full of oxalic acid according to the google does it also contain it in the nectar???

[@bobbinnie9872]

I believe all honey contains some degree of oxalic acid but I don't know if Sourwood has more.

[@TheBradtri]

It is the “Reverse Robin Hood” method!

[@Ryebot3000]

Do your supers have built in spacers

[@bobbinnie9872]

No. When the frames get drawn out we add 8 frame spacers.

[@Ryebot3000]

@@bobbinnie9872 thanks- I really appreciate all the information on your channel, it’s had a large impact on how I keep and understand bees. By the way, i think an interesting video could be how to select a great apiary site (especially for non migratory keepers).

[@Rrailroad3]

Whats your opinion on honeydew? Im sure you have already talked about this but I havent seen it. Thank you.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I've only mentioned it a bit. The taste is not great. It's high in minerals and for that reason it is highly sot after by some. It can blend with other honeys OK and for that reason I don't mind seeing it come in as long as it is not dominant. Too much of it can alter the taste too much.

[@sergeytaranovich2368]

@@bobbinnie9872 before varroa mites dew honey was responsible for a winter losses especially in a colder climate do to high solids containes, it puts a lot of stress on a bees guts that they develop diarrhea and nosima, even a small amount of honeydew in a winter stores can cause a lot of problems if weather stays cold for extended periods and bees not able to make a cleansing flight.

[@fazenda_alex]

our family from Ukraine, is engaged in breeding bees of the Karpatka breed, we send to other countries of Europe, any quantity. Maybe someone will be interested

[@quierebija]

hahahaha that bee on 6:40 was angry

[@Swampsquash]

Bob do you mail your sourwood? I'd love to get some this yr.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes. If we make some it will be available around August 1 on our website. www.blueridgehoneycompany.com/

[@Swampsquash]

@@bobbinnie9872 awesome thanks Bob!

[@markbooth8458]

Hello Bob. Unfortunately I'm going to have to go up on the retail price of my wildflower honey this year. I'm selling mine for $10 a pound.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Many beekeepers are with you. A sign of the times.

[@stacyedelprete5477]

How does strawberry pollination honey taste? 🍓🍯

[@bobbinnie9872]

I'm not sure we have ever seen it in the colonies. At least not enough to taste.

[@peterlightbody8443]

You could devote a whole chapter in the book to THEORIES, you mentioned 2 in this video , I noticed you have tape around your ankles but none around your wrists , bees never go up your arms ? Peter Australia 🇦🇺

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Peter. I guess my arms are used to a couple of stings now and then whereas I really don't like them on the inner part of my legs (or higher). Also, a side benefit of using elastic bands on my ankles is less ticks. We currently have a lot of ticks in the grass waiting to get on anything they can.

[@dianacantrell9436]

You don’t think the Sourwood are late?

[@bobbinnie9872]

In our area they are not. Things seem to be starting close to normal.

[@srae1503]

is sumac not typically good honey?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Most people think sumac is good, including myself.

[@3Beehivesto300]

Wow. 6.50 for bulk honey 🍯 I do see why you do it.

[@3Beehivesto300]

I see you use 8 frame spacers Can you draw new foundation with the spacer

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's best to get the comb drawn out as ten frames before installing 8 frame spacers or there can be a lot of sideways burr comb.

[@ahmetefe4108]

Arıların duru çok güzel arının ırkı nedir kolay gelsin takipteyiz

[@bobbinnie9872]

Caucasian with some Carniolan.

[@luckydogger21]

Why the 8 frames in a few supers and 10 frames in others ?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Only eight frames in extracting supers unless we are drawing out foundation. Then we use ten. More efficient in all ways.

[@luckydogger21]

@@bobbinnie9872 thank you for the info..

[@uniculcca]

👍

[@mohamadaljboree5505]

عمل اكثر من رائع

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you.

[@Bluegrass499]

Love Sour Wood Honey 🍯

[@rodrigogabrecht7945]

🤗👍💝💝✌

[@ncbeeguy]

id call it government beekeeping LOL

[@sinisterhipp0]

Title idea: Taxes

[@bobbinnie9872]

I'm not sure you want to get me started on that.😬

[@dtdfetff6142]

ممكن ترجم الا العربية لكي نفهم ما تقول

[@danlieter5673]

Reverse Robin hooding

[@robinfrazier7922]

Well Bob I know that you know you're a business and everything but I would like to know myself what is sour wood honey if you can send me some kind of a message back let me know how to appreciate it this is all rob and liberty Texas

[@bobbinnie9872]

Sourwood trees are most prevalent in the southern Appalachian mountains which is where almost all of the Sourwood honey is produced. It's fairly low in dextrose which helps it have a flavor that's nor overly sweet. Some say it's nutty or buttery but I think it's hard to actually describe the taste. Although not every one thinks it's something special most do. It's the best selling honey in our retail store where we offer taste samples with at least eight different varieties of honey.

[@ETsBees]

You’re late. I wish I would have known about robbing from the poor to give the the rich. Mustard honey flow will be over soon for me