Building a Bee Business Vlog #19

[@CooperBees]

Thanks for including the shots of your nectar plants. You cover a lot of topics and I appreciate your efforts. Always wishing you the best 🐝

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks!

[@WGrace]

Thank you Nathan for all the hard work you put in to the videos. I am a person that does perspire a lot and I used the neck fan and at times even a flexi freeze. I can plug the fan into a external battery pack and get up to a couple of hours extra run time. The vest actually only cools for about an hour or so before it melts but it does help a lot. I hope that helps someone

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Awesome, thanks!

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Enjoyed the video. Thanks for heat tips. Hope your flow continues. Take care.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks Garry! How is your season going?

[@GEEZBEEZ]

@@DuckRiverHoney still going but about half the pace. Still have sumac and clover. Time to wind it down some and get ready for splits and mite treatments. It has been a good flow this year. Rain came in good intervals. Unusual for central Oklahoma. Take care.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks Garry!

[@alhambraorchardapiary4882]

Happy Father's Day!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks Man!

[@BrownAndDaughters]

Good luck with everything and keep it up. Thanks, Conner

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I appreciate it Conner!

[@BrownAndDaughters]

I just realized I used my Israeli card and it's in shekels 😂. Sorry about that, lol.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

No worries Conner, thanks!

[@aidanquick3151]

Great vid, you're a busy man. Yeah red push pin hives dont last long.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks Aidan!

[@robertosborne4189]

Cooling towels also they are easier and ready to use without a lot of for thought just wet it and roll up place around your neck

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Never tried them, may have to.

[@sentimentalbloke7586]

For heat there is available ice pack vests, and small around the neck fans to blow air on your face, here in Australia we do real heat but we get along by working early morning before the heat of the day and evenings. The air flow suites are good but very catchy, we need a suit with built in fan.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

You guys deal with real heat!

[@gregmiller1951]

I admire your work ethic Nathan... you will reap much success in in your future. Your kids have a great role model and thats worth more than you may realize. Also if you have one of those shirts of yours for sale i would definitely buy one

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks Greg! I do have some shirts on my website that are close, but not quite the ones I love.

[@moosibou]

I have one of those propane burners that I use on my home yard. I am able to fit the nozzle right up through the bellows hole and light the bottom of the smoker fuel in about 10 seconds! It's the greatest way to light a smoker that I have found!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Works pretty well.

[@michaelfike7542]

Hopefully you will have a decent honey harvest. I like the idea of state and county planting anything that blooms along the roadside. I have a lot of goldenrod here on my road and they seem to spray it or cut it down every year it starts to bloom even after me asking them not to do it. White clover is the biggest thing blooming here after the rain and the bees are really after it.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks, agreed on plantings…

[@daverowden-RowdyBeeFarms]

I use the bee escapes and like those. I use the fume boards when I am stressed for time. Thanks for the video like always

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks Dave!

[@daverowden-RowdyBeeFarms]

Going to get me a Duck River Honey Co shirt. I can support my friends dream then

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I appreciate it Dave, the shirts are pretty good.

[@timmiller2192]

Thanks for the info! I also had Queen issues from swarming, had to introduce cells and combine a drone layer. Bought a Simple Harmony uncapper and a Civan uncapping tank to give a try. I am also switching to escape boards this year. I started not wearing a shirt under the bee suit and makes a big difference! Basswood is blooming here in Ohio but not many trees in my yard. Got some hairy vetch blooming I planted last fall, planted 3 acres sweet clover. Also put in 12 acres of CRP monarch program in May. Blessings as you continue your journey!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Awesome Tim! I plan to start rotating old pasture out to native habitat this year. I may plant several acres of sweet clover too.

[@WalnutGroveApiary]

Take a look at using a “camel back” type hydration system. Strap it on under your suit and drink while you work. Lifesaver while serving in the Army whether deployed or in training.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

👍

[@Steele_Wings]

Plants yellow and white sweet clover in the Fall and it saved my bees after March freeze destroyed a lot of early flowering tree's. Sweet clover is a must.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I’ve tried planting it before but didn’t get a stand.

[@brianbennett4374]

Also for the lady with grasses they sell straps to keep your glasses from falling off. 😊 Thanks for the video 😊

[@DuckRiverHoney]

👍

[@moosibou]

Clearing supers: Get yourself a leaf blower. Just blow them out of the super in front of the hive. I've found that's the easiest way. No moving supers multiple time to set escapes.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I use a blower to remove the remnant bees, but I imagine it would be chaos to blow entire supers.

[@russellkoopman3004]

Nathan, I check my honey when I bring it in and if it is around 17% I don't dry it further. I feel that getting it too dry is not good either. Extracts hard, flows slow and if it crystalizes it it very tough to get back to runny honey without it having sugar on the bottom.

[@russellkoopman3004]

When making creamed honey I found that I have to add water to my honey or else the creamed honey gets to hard in storage. Just sharing my experience, limited as it is. Bob Walker bought a Lyson uncapper that I think would fit your operation well but it runs about $4k.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks for the uncapper tip. Most years our honey is wet due to the humidity so drying is standard practice. This is an odd year.

[@hootervillehoneybees8664]

Your high humidity plays big part in queen rearing.. alot breeders down south shut down rather than struggle.. out west it's hot but dry little better but I know I order queens mated during summer from Cali they end up superseded .. I'm in Michigan got hit with heat high humidity last week bees were struggling I can tell.. there's difference.. normally were in the 80s low humidity queen rearing gets good in July...my best honey producers are mated in July.. humidity makes them pissy too

[@DuckRiverHoney]

That’s interesting, first time I’ve heard that possibility

[@sentimentalbloke7586]

Ivy or canola causes honey to thicken and turn sugary, hawthorns the same. In one of my yards I always get thick dark honey and it just wont spin out so I cut it and use a fruit press to extract it.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I got a press to squeeze honey out of cappings this year but I don’t want to ruin my comb.

[@sentimentalbloke7586]

@@DuckRiverHoney I suppose that you could keep the frames as emergency stores, but my son needs some honey in his coffee, and I have a deal with a local health and hobby store for my wax, I also save propilis for a company that produces health products, it is all good. By the way I have had nasty experience with Chinese wax foundation, although it is cheap, it smells chemically and the bees just won't go near it.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

That’s good to know. I stick with a few foundation sources that I trust.

[@nancynolton6079]

Unbalanced frames in the extractor will cause excessive "walking"... so will failing to cut the cappings off one side of a frame (ask me how I know!) Even worse is leaving the gate open on the bucket or failing to open the gate on the extractor. I'm so tired of extracting already - 600 lbs and there is still more! What would you say would be a good asking price for 60 lbs (5 gallon bucket wholesale) of honey? What's the flavor and color of basswood honey? Damp towel around the neck also helps. Wish UltraBreeze had a round veil.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Bulk honey is going for $200-$250 per bucket. Wholesale would be more, maybe $5 per lb? Figure out your wholesale bottled honey price, then your bottle and label cost, then your labor to bottle and label it and you’ll have a good idea of what it’s worth.

[@absolutorice754]

Now you work a lot with little results, but next year you will work more on honey extraction.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

👍

[@robertosborne4189]

Being in Texas with heat indexes being in the upwards of 110-120 right now anything can help. The neck fans spend if you have a beard or hair that can get in to it

[@robertosborne4189]

Technology ☹️spend a little more and go blade less unless you just getting your hair pulled. Stay hydrated there is a product called liquid IV we try to load up on before and after having to get out there. Be careful

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I’ve heard pedialyte recommended as well. Thanks!

[@ericgunter45]

We have been playing the shake the poor hives to free up equipment for the good ones in our small apiary. Had a queenless hive that was originally 3 hive, one had a queen cell that we left in and they killed it and stayed queenless. So we shook them out and put a nuc with a queen and about 2 frames of bees in its place. Its an experiment for us the shook out bees may kill her but her hive was gonna be hard pressed to survive being so small this time of year.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Good luck!

[@CCCRApiary]

2 questions, how many hives are you working toward and how are going to store drawn comb. I'm in the process of breaking up mean bees too!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

250+ give or take. Thanks!

[@jordanebling2138]

How often do you get stung in your hands? ..I'm tempted to give it a try but I have a couple very aggressive hives...I'd like to requeen but were really two of my best hives.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I worked three yards very lightly yesterday and took one sting. Some days are a lot more. My opinion is that it’s best to get stung often or never.

[@amurray001]

I wear a headband. That keeps the sweat off my glasses.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

👍

[@bradyjames2786]

Hey Nathan, Man you look covered up with bee work, but this is the time of year! Just wanted to check back in with you about your wax dipping tank. I am building one for my equipment and will be dipping some equipment for members of our club I'm sure. Wanted to know if you would mind sharing dimensions of your tank as well as any adjustments or modifications that you would maybe make now that you have been through some equipment. Really appreciate any feedback you could provide as it's not a cheap investment, as I'm sure you already know, and I want to eliminate any learning curves that you could help me avoid on the front end. Thanks!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Yep, I’ll do a video on it once the season slows down a bit. I’ve got some hours on it now and don’t mind talking about it.

[@gpawoodyshoneyhole]

Watching you grow into this very well organized apiary has been an amazing time, i wish you were closer to me id have a good time drinking coffee and just shootin the crap with ya

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks!

[@FuzzyOne37]

How many mediums do you try to clear at a time? 3? 4? 5? Thanks!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Depends on how many I have in the yard. 2 or 3 usually, and I’ll move supers from one hive to another so the stacks above the escape are equal.

[@jack00scarecrow]

trolling motor made me laugh 👍

[@DuckRiverHoney]

It works.

[@beemetricsorg]

I heard to recover honey from the wet supers, put them back on the hive over an inner cover so the bees will rob them out.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

That works.

[@drxyz710]

How many colonies you have now and how many acres of land for its forage thanks

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Not sure, 120 to 140 probably. I need to do a count.

[@RippleAffect]

Next time to see the trip to the doctor for ear infection use sweet almond oil i get them time to time and it's a miracle few drops a few times a day

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks!

[@bradleysmith1487]

Question what do you do with equipment that is contaminated by mice nests ?

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I try not to have mice in my stuff!

[@rodbeckstedt8588]

Nathan, what type of glove are you using when you have to?

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Nitrile for now, but I rarely use gloves any more. I like the venom steel gloves. For a leather glove the Humble Bee are hard to beat.

[@rodbeckstedt8588]

I don't use them much either, but I'd like something with good dexterity when needed.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Only problem with nitrile is sweat. I’m a heavy sweater.

[@simondejonge3486]

I just bought two nucs that have both sac brood and I believe European brood virus. The guy says he will pay for two new queens do you think just re queening would be enough to fix it? Thanks love your videos!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I’m not an expert…I wouldn’t ever buy nucs from him again though, if he’s letting them go out like that. They may need an antibiotic, but new queens are a good measure too.

[@simondejonge3486]

@@DuckRiverHoney thanks for your response, Frankly I don't understand how someone could sell bees when they are that diseased I suppose that's why he duck tapped it fast and didn't show us what the frames looked like before sealing them in. He offered to pay for new queens which I suppose is better than nothing. Very disappointed

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Yeah that’s not a good experience.

[@peteGbee]

hey man, i leanrned not to rely on basswood it is very inconsistent. we have a massive basswood flow here in CT and ours is blooming right now. but I've seen even with the bloom it still may not produce nectar. it's totally crap shoot. not sure if your basswood is different then ours but find it strange yours hasn't bloomed yet down south. good luck

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I think there are three varieties of basswood, I’ve got a different one from you up there. Basswood is irregular here, it hasn’t even set flower in three years. Hopefully this is a good nectar year for it. 🤞

[@russellkoopman3004]

@@DuckRiverHoney I have two basswood varieties here in MN. The big leafed basswood which is blooming now for a couple of days, and we have Linden which is the small leafed basswood and it is maybe a week away yet. The last two years it was to hot and dry for my basswood but three years ago it was awesome. If I don't get rain tonight or tomorrow I doubt we will have much of a basswood flow. No other rain in the forecast.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

We’ve been dry lately, so that’s not good.

[@Tcrim354]

How true to size are the ultra breeze suits? Is a Xl a xl or is it a L?

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I’d have to look but I’m in a LT or XLT at 6’3 205.

[@EagleNestApiaries]

Busy guy! Very nice job on the video. I do have a question but I’m not sure if it’s a topic that you have interest in discussing: with your intended scale of operation in mind, do you have plans of constructing more of your own equipment to reduce your costs? Or are you already? I’m thinking simple things like top covers, bottom boards, escape boards, etc.. I happen to be a woodworker for a living and I’ve found it to be a big advantage, so I was curious. Keep it up!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Chris yes I’d like to, but selectively. It’s hard to compete price wise with boxes.

[@EagleNestApiaries]

@@DuckRiverHoney Yes, I’ve found the same. Buying boxes is the same price or cheaper than buying the material to make them.

[@brems321]

@DuckRiverHoney Middle TN lumber near you in Dickson has 1x12 8 footers for 12 dollars each. Can make a box for 9 or 12 if you use the last couple feet for most of a bottom board. I've enjoyed making my own stuff lately. Nothin worse than buying a box that isn't put together well or more annoying, not level.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Awesome

[@dabprod]

Excellent. Subbed.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks!

[@stubbshomestead1316]

I have a full suit that is very breathable, I wear shorts and no shirt or thin shirt. Never been stung thew the suit so no issue. its 100 here now so I can only work bees in the morning, I'm really thinking about moving them into full shade.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I’ll wear a full suit very rarely.

[@tomahawkmissile241]

great job - Michael Smith might help with swarms

[@DuckRiverHoney]

👍

[@burns375]

Orient your fans to suck air thru the stack. Fans are more efficient in this orientation and will dry down honey faster

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Thanks, I’ve got plastic under them and don’t want to suck up the plastic and block flow.

[@rtxhoneybees]

I sure hope you are bringing down the moisture of capped honey. I have 8 supers I pulled today - mostly capped. I'm getting 19+% on capped areas! Instead of extracting I'm going to try to dry them in a closet.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Get some uncapped and dry it down to 16% and mix with the thin honey and it’ll make it stable.

[@wrfarms9741]

I don't care much for chain uncappers. They make a mess in my opinion. Keep an eye of for a used Cowan Silver Queen.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

I’d love to but don’t think it would fit.

[@MieleLocale]

In Italy if you have aetina tumida you are obliged to alert the sanitary authorities and they then burn the whole apiary. Then I don't remember for how many years there can't be bees there, and in a certain circle you can't move or import families from the other apiaries. I see that you are living with this parasite and trying to fight it. I would like to give more details on the subject if you have the opportunity.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Very interesting.

[@DialedN_07]

Interstate medians planted to sweet clover would result in millions of dead bees being hit by cars. I do agree with the premise, but high traffic areas should be avoided I think

[@DuckRiverHoney]

There would be a mortality rate, but a larger population minus a mortality rate is probably bigger than a smaller population. Plus, say most semis are 13.5 feet tall. Lots of bees fly higher than that.

[@zerunklo]

My honey was thick too.

[@DuckRiverHoney]

👍

[@3Beehivesto300]

Noting like vomit smell in the morning…

[@DuckRiverHoney]

🤣