Checkerboarding BeeHive Fat Bee Man

Don inspecting some of his hives and discussing swarms, queen cells and many other topics.

[@ClubSleep]

was examining a hive today and had moved the top box onto the upturned lid. I checked the lid before knocking the bees off when reassembling the hive, and lo and behold - our majesty was wandering around...Always important to check to make sure you don't have the queen moseying around where she shouldn't be. :) Great vid.

[@grandviewman1]

we started following your instructions last year and finally started to see the results we were after....thank you very much for the video.

[@tomahawkmissile241]

felt the lower back give out on Tommy after Spliting out the brood nest and watching emergency cells going back in. Looking like 6 splits based on adding undrawn combs between single brood combs. When not looking for swarming 2 brood frames stay together than add in drawn comb or split the hive. Great learning aide on what just happened for the next visit.

[@p.adrianmedrano6353]

"Now I'm gonna move back and forth to get those bees out of the way"...8:52 squished bee :( You tried!

[@BeesNTrees47]

grateful for your work Don. You simply understand bees and convey it in clear terms.

[@Keith-xc9wf]

I want to say THANK YOU !! I do learn alot from you !! More than the $200 class I forked over to I a University !!

[@hdstarr1]

I've heard that roar before....good indication. Good review video for us, thank you!

[@swfloridagal]

i agree... the ROAR is something I never hear of before. GREAT tip to learn where your queen its.. thank you!

[@honeyimhomebees]

Excellent video, thank you for the straight forward no nonsense information!

[@junebug1553]

Good lesson on checker boarding. Thanks!

[@jayanddenissejones6648]

Thanks Don. Appreciate your video

[@henrym2590]

Patting the bees is to make them move out of the way so that the beekeeper can see the comb

[@docrw]

Don, Maybe your best video. I learn lot's of little things from your videos like this one. BTW my uncle has more then 18,000 hives, we've had a few beekeepers for more than 300 years in the USA.

[@meghnath1793]

very good info u r given to us.

[@dewtouchgoldhoneyamarcolds4816]

Good full frame brood

[@floydshaman5113]

So much to Learn bless you in Y'Shua's name for sharing. Question : what do drone cells look like and what other cells do I need to be able to ID. Ty!

[@lenoretalon9958]

floyd shaman usually around the bottom of the hive. Larger capped cell. Watch again. They really stick out.

[@fineshooter]

drone cells arelarge and can be used for honey storage. Don

[@Noahsoak]

That false cell you pointed out - online another site showed what looked like that and it was a "queen cup" bowl shaped and it said on the side it was the making of a queen cell. Not questioning what you say - just trying to cram info in I want bees this spring! :) thanks all your help is appreciated!

[@fineshooter]

checker boarding is done in warm weather.no chill brood then. Don

[@docrw]

Listen up ponytail boy, geezzz Thanks FBM

[@p.adrianmedrano6353]

"...no...lift it up"....haha

[@fineshooter]

it work to find the queen in the box or when you make a split. Don

[@anne-christinemarcou4481]

SIR I AGREE WITH YOUR CHECKER FRAME TACTUC..I DID THE SAME BEFORE I SAW THUS CLIP.

[@EncinitasBeeCompany]

great stuff

[@fineshooter]

its all in how you breed them. Don

[@fineshooter]

it help expand the brood chamber. Don

[@manlikestofish]

Where are you located? What month is it? And what's the temp?

[@alternetenergy]

FBM,I am a first year bee keeper in central Ky.I was just wondering if mid oct.would be to late to checker board?And also should i move all my frames that is mostly honey to my top brood box? thanks a bunch great vids you are very knowledgeable. Nelson.

[@Gregarious3]

You are like super man, no protection, just a little smoke.

[@Delfinmar]

GOOD stuff!

[@fineshooter]

there are many ways to make splites. Don

[@pinkpearldragon]

yup! we're an odd group of people!

[@ciscokid1999]

Hi Don, great video's.... I'm in South Florida, Miami area, can checker boarding still be done in October?

[@fineshooter]

yeah some people say I am nuts. Don

[@Jim-878]

Don ...great flick! You mentioned you would be checking the queenless frame to see honey production in 10 days. What about the queened box? Does that box get an additional boxx on top also?

[@MrBrandonavery1725]

Hey Don I was wondering if you can make a video on used Equipment should you use it or should you not use it I've heard many different things about it thanks!!

[@MrEzradelucas]

hi Don, whats your recommended ratio of layers of breed boxes to supers for a hive?should you limit the breed box to one layer and split the hive and create a new colony?

[@vtxtremeretro]

Got my nuke in may, its july 3 lots of new hatch, is it to soon to checker board and add another lower box to expand the hive ?, i'm kinda making a call at this time and thinking it might be a good idea with the amount of bees, or should i just leave well enough alone, your thoughts ?

[@goldencreekbeecompany7521]

You can only checkboard when you have nearly a full box to prevent brood from being chilled?

[@fineshooter]

well its just one way. gives you little more time to make more boxes. Don

[@sandworm3]

Hi FatBeeMan. appreciate the video. I added another deep last week and did not consider to checkerboard them. They are drawing comb very slow! in the new deep. I inspected every frame today and saw near a dozen queen cells in the bottom brood deep. I did not remove them as I have not located the queen. What would your advice be proceeding forward - I left the cells just in case they are in need of a queen. Last - should you add the honey super when the second deep is drawn out or right away?

[@paulmatosko5132]

where''s the brood in your lower cases,they mostly seemed caped?....

[@fineshooter]

yes you can add 2-3 frames to the hive body. Don

[@2listening1]

Do wax moths attack the foundation frames?

[@Misssssysparkles]

my bees get mad when i use smoke - bees know smoking is bad for you - what season is it there ? and do feed ur bees all year round ?

[@stephen26448]

I am just getting started and wondering if you only wanted to have 2 hives of 2 deeps and 1 medium super each is swarming a bad thing seems to me that they multiply pretty fast then so must the amount of hives you have. I don't live in a place that would let me spread out like that I have plenty of neighbors and just want to have a couple of colonys without them flying away due to swarming

[@kevinwright1422]

Good video, only thing I would do different is not toss the frames in the boxes. I slowly lower them in, so the bees have time to move out of the way of the frame bottom and ears. I take more time sliding the frames together in the center once I'm done with the inspection. Give the bees time to move and not get squashed. Notice the bee stuck between the boxes at 8:55? Dead bee. I don't like killing bees, so I take more time. Very effective smoke work. Little smoke goes a long way.

[@SeanC571]

FBM, I have a question if I may. I want to try and use a few foundationless frames in a body. Is it ok to just ad one or to foundationless frames oin a boxes amoung frames with foundation?

[@ashleycampbell8767]

Tip: Squashing the queen is bad. 😂

[@royalwulff1]

Are you adding full drawn out comb? or just starter wax?

[@jacobforssman693]

Hi Don! I am doing beekeeping in Sweden and I realt enjoy your videos. They realy makes it look so easy. I am à bit confused Witherspoon the composition of the splits you are making. If you take à Queencell that you cut out. Do you put it in à split with one brood fram and a frame with fundation or how does a split look like? Best regards, Jacob

[@aprilbatley9265]

Im just getting into beekeeping , have one hive from a bee removal. 8 frame deep brood and medium for honey, only have ine deep on hive right now . Im using black foundation and feeding sugar water, live in SW Mississippi. In order to get bees to draw comb on everything i need to checkerboard . My question is if they start brood before i get everything drawn out do i checkerboard the brood its a small coloy about a package worth of bees and my second question how do j get them to draw out the mdeium honey super without risking her laying in there when i have deep for brood , do i just put the entire box on top for them to draw on or should i not be concerned with that right now till after they draw all frames on two brood boxes?

[@nessabryan9815]

How do I combine queenless hive with a two brood box hive? I don't want to add a third brood box.

[@khawk7365]

So should I cut drone sales out of my house? To help prevent swarming?

[@sonshinesmuscadines]

is it ok to remove one of the 3 center frames when checkerboarding this is where the queen does the most of her thing

[@dfishman76]

So more or less you just just made the hive bigger?

[@andrewmorris5557]

Y r ur bees r. So calm , what have done??

[@cavcountryliving6455]

Don, do you have any advice for a 2nd yr beekeeper with an aggressive (defensive) hive? I have 2 hives, one was a package and one was a NUC. The NUC hive is doing great, but they are soooo short-tempered and defensive with me. I smoke the entrance and then lift the top before I start but honestly, It's not doing much to calm them. I can barely move a frame without a group of bees coming in for the attack! It really is a downer because I get stung through my jeans probably 2-3 times every time I inspect that hive. The package beehive I have is ALOT smaller, but they are so nice. A little smoke and they don't mind me looking at their frames.

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

Best to not smoke the entrance, makes bees mad ! Pop the top, puff a little smoke either side, put roof back on for a few minutes, then inspect... Some spray bees with a little sugar water, rather than smoke. Bees get busy grooming that sugar solution of each other, so less cranky, or likely to sting you... 😉 Could you get your calm Package to make a Queen Cell? Get a Virgin Queen raised and mated. And slowly introduce her to your angry Nuc ? (Use a Queen Cage to add new Queen... Over several days... To be safe.) And Squash* the angsty Queen !?! Before adding new one... Hives soon calm down with a better Queen as boss! * Some keep their squashed mashed Queens in a bottle of % Alcohol, to make their own Swarm bait 'Lure'. Cos a mashed Queens (juices) ... still smell with the ex Queens phremones !!! 🤗

[@whiskerbusiness8564]

Don. I have a bottom box and top box. Top box has capped honey. Nothing else that I'm aware of as I haven't been in the hive yet this year. Too cold. When I checkerboard the hive where should I place the capped honey

[@GenYGaming]

So the original hive you took the queen out of and moved her to the other box and moved the newly filled box on top how does that prevent a swarm?

[@fineshooter]

all you need to do is just give them some new frames of foundation. Don

[@2listening1]

What’s a swarm cell? I don’t know anything, by the way. Thank you 🙏

[@01sigh]

that small tip about the roar meaning a queen is really interesting, is that a definitive way to determine that a queen is on the frame without actually finding her?

[@fineshooter]

the more you work hives the less chance of swarming. Don

[@fineshooter]

it would best to add full sheets of wax. Don

[@jadenboss1373]

am studying bees because i want to start beekeeping.some bee have moved into my friends tree and i want to get them but i dont have the stuff to use where could i get them

[@GenYGaming]

What do you mean work a hive. the reason i ask is i am all set to get a hive but i am still working out how to prevent/stop a swarm before it happens

[@TheAllyGD]

what are swarm cells? im new to the world of bees and I'd like to learn the terms you bee keepers use! :)

[@lenoretalon9958]

gerardave emergency queen cells that look like peanuts. Sign of hive ready to swarm. Not a supersedure queen. Which IMO better quality than a swarm queen.

[@welchkoservices4200]

Steve O .... there are 3 different kinds of queen cells. #1 swarm cells Usually on the bottom of frame Preparing to swarm #2 supersedure cells Something is wrong with the laying queen. Usually in the middle of a frame and large, with few of them. #3 Emergency cells. Queen is dead. (Usually by beekeeping error) cells are many and smaller all throughout the frame.

[@brentspooner5289]

4:21 under the F, I think that is the queen

[@swfloridagal]

What do you mean how you breed them? Do you mean what queen you use? Carnolian vs Russian vs Italian? I'm wondering what the top box is you have there? Is that a feeder box? What is the aluminum pan doing in there?

[@bbaker6295]

hey don been watching your videos for a while now between you and david barnyard bees you guys have really helped out this year anyways this is a great idea i have never heard of checkerboarding before but a great concept could you do a video on different types of foundation wax vs plastic white plastic vs black and the plastic drone frames

[@davianjoseph5095]

sorry to be so offtopic but does anybody know of a way to log back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot the login password. I appreciate any tricks you can offer me

[@graysenlukas1603]

@Davian Joseph instablaster ;)

[@davianjoseph5095]

@Graysen Lukas I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm trying it out atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@davianjoseph5095]

@Graysen Lukas It worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D Thank you so much you really help me out !

[@graysenlukas1603]

@Davian Joseph no problem xD

[@josephmillwood4496]

Would you recommend working without a suite or veil with italian honeybees? I have been in and done little with mine for a few years and am just getting serious about keeping them but I have not been stung yet.

[@fineshooter]

if there gentle bees work them as you feel comfortable

[@josephmillwood4496]

not comfortable but feel like a goofball after seeing how you do it lol

[@fineshooter]

its done mainly to give more room. Don

[@tylerbauer7015]

Should you checkerboard new colonies?

[@fatdaddy9305]

Don is genetics the reason your bees are so docile. Everytime I go into my hives with out a suit and gloves I get a dozen stings. Do you have any advise. I would like to get to the point of now wearing a suit like you.

[@fineshooter]

yes breeding gentle ones

[@fatdaddy9305]

Don The Fat Bee Man could I change the temperament of my hive by re queening with a gentle queen. Would that work

[@martiwoodchip4518]

Hey fat bee man every time I try to open up one of my hives with smoke or without I basically get attacked by the bees and even with my suit on I end up getting stung, what is the problem?, do you think that I may have a colony that is a bit africanized since I did get all of my colonies from swarms. I am located in Santa Cruz County California which is just about 90 miles south of San Francisco Bay.

[@426superbee4]

Most of the time i don't even use a smoker, I just use it to keep bees down into the frames and off the edges. Too much smoke, give em 1 good blast at the entrance and tell the girls your coming in and one blast of smoke on top and set the smoker on the ground where smoke from the smoker blow over the hive, Again TOO MUCH SMOKE, only use the smoker when your ready to close up the hive or "keep the bees down into the frame is all smoker is use for" and too much confuses them and they will start attacking

[@meganmiley3339]

He killed the bees I saw bees squashed when he put the box down :P

[@beebob1279]

Sometimes that happens. Beekeepers try not to but it happens.

[@michdax7627]

everyone saw that bee get squashed. proper bee keepers need to take more care, if any bee gets squashed the bee keeper isn't doing the job right

[@starlingkrentz7811]

great detective work

[@crapper1]

Rock the box to prevent squishing bees (bee gets mashed on the side) with 10k bees it sometimes happens happens with mine I know

[@justinthibeault7212]

8:48

[@fineshooter]

I am bee source most eves. Don

[@aap99alalawy]

Fat Bee Man I'm a bit confused. I thought you checker board the hives so as to start a new colony but from the video it looks like you checkerboarded the old hive as well as the new on and then placed the new hive on top of the old hive. Maybe I need new glasses but that is what I think I saw. Can you please enlighten me?

[@younginsong4355]

Always, inspect in the morning?

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

Best to inspect mid-day to mid afternoon... Subject to local weather conditions. As most of the flying Forager bees are out 'flying' ! And won't be buzz bashing you as you inspect. 😉

[@Noahsoak]

I didn't see what the "swarm" cells looked like. Are they just a lot of drone cells at the bottom? Could you confuse swarm cells with regular drone cells if you are a novice?

[@pastornater]

it looks sorta like a peanut with the shell on it hanging down

[@Noahsoak]

thanks!

[@mcevan1222]

Anybody feel uncompfturble watching this guy looking like hes about to get stung by a bunch of bees?

[@beebob1279]

It's part of the game. You will get stung from time to time.

[@Misssssysparkles]

rubbish they sting all the time no matter wat u do dont make threatening movements lol lol lol thats a joke

[@fineshooter]

not really just get you some of my gentle bees

[@Misssssysparkles]

Don The Fat Bee Man r ur bees genetically engineered ?

[@fineshooter]

we breed very gentle bees

[@jacobforssman693]

@Jacob Forssman

[@bradsimpson4511]

Hi Don ...so will the hive that dosnt have a queen it make there own queen ?

[@fineshooter]

yes they will if you have eggs and brood

[@bradsimpson4511]

Thanks for the info

[@fineshooter]

your welcome subscribe and like the channel

[@ThunderthePoodle]

man those are well behaved girls that you have

[@isaachelms2557]

I have never understood why he touches the bees all over the frame like that. I've never seen anyone else do that and I find it almost even creepy. No need to feel them up like that...you're already violating their space as it is!

[@6969smurfy]

I missed something, so you took half of the frames out, replaced every other, but did you then put the both boxes back on the same hive?

[@SansaStarkofWinterfell]

+Dan Murphy they added another level to the box by putting every other frame as a "new" frame in both the "old" box and the "new" box.

[@6969smurfy]

hhmm I might have done this wrong. I guess I'll find out.

[@SansaStarkofWinterfell]

Guess so huh? Let me know how it turns out. I truly want to get into bees myself. We recently had a swarm take up in a grain storage building under the building between the concrete bricks. I don't know if they survived. It's up at the family farm in North Dakota. It was too cold for them to be moving about when I was up this last trip.

[@6969smurfy]

grain storage? Did you see my little project I have going?

[@SansaStarkofWinterfell]

No, I didn't. But the building I'm talking about is very old. It's an original building on the farm. So they used cinder blocks for the base. In the front there is a gap now due to the age of the building. Somehow a swarm decided to take up living in the bottom of the building. Post a link to your project and I'll go check it out. 😊

[@VXKnightHawkXV]

why do you beekeep with nothing on? Do you use any special liquids on your hands so that they wont attack you or something? Or are you insane?

[@fineshooter]

wow that was easy=======lol Don

[@426superbee4]

I don't use any weights. Why use em? bees will seal it down mine with stand winds of at less 80 mph i know of with no blocks on it > if it gets more than 100 mph chance blow the whole hive off, I'am not in a hurricane zone no more

[@bastranger]

He wasn't using it to counter the wind, he was using it to correct a warped box or lid. That is an EXCELLENT use! As to wind - ask me about the windstorm that took down 3 trees in my yard and in the bargain, took the telescoping covers off 2 hives. Result - several inches of rain on those 2 hives with no protection from the rain. I don't know about you, but I wish I had had some weight on top of those lids and I GUARANTEE you that all my hives have had weight on the lids ever since !!!

[@426superbee4]

@@bastrangerseen wind blow tops off even with bricks, when i live in a hurricane zone i made my hive stands out of 2 7/8" drill pipe, cemented it into the ground and used ratchet strap to tie down on the pipe! They wouldn't blow off! > less a roof off a house ect hits it bust the wood up > but now. where i live. only worries is tornado's> i had 85 mph winds with a near by tornado, hit em, with no weight on top> held very good

[@426superbee4]

@@bastranger i don't think i told any one NOT TO USE THEM? i said i don't use them! and gave the reason why! Bees glues the tops down with propolis > TO ME ITS SILLY PUT WEIGHTS ON TOP! > but do as you wish to do! > also bees can with stand rain , they got a wax coating on them> long as they don't drown, or get to cold or loose there wax coating

[@426superbee4]

@@bastranger best way is to put your hive stand down into the ground and ratchet strap them hive to the stand, if live in a windy areas CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH AGAINST MOTHER NATURE > she always win when she want to throw a fit!

[@xshanghu]

Yo

[@framcesmoore]

I notice u do not answer any question below your vedios so I will not get a answer to this but why did u leave the swarm cell in the hive do u not care that when it is hatch the hive will swarm

[@fineshooter]

a queen cell is a good thing we use it

[@fineshooter]

for a new beekeeper used equipment is not good idea. Don

[@bareabdulahi5583]

Shini

[@swampratman2000]

nice vidveary imformitive

[@jacobforssman693]

Stupid iPhone, i wanted to write "with" bit it corrected it automatically "Witherspoon"