Checking Hives for Queens in Hive Splits

[@GrammyMidwife]

Even though you don’t “how-to”, you and your videos make me feel like I’ve got a long distance mentor! Thanks for everything!

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks Lisa!! So kind!

[@ECP]

Looking Great Mike…. I spent my Saturday working a friends hives…. WOW 😮I had my hands full…. Sent you a text…. Love love ❤️ your videos my friend…

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks as always Chris!! Seeing you grow successfully has been very rewarding!

[@redfish440]

Happy Easter Mike, God Bless !

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks and hope you had a great Easter!!

[@roybeverlin8932]

You due a great job on your comments. I like it

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks you so much!!

[@tomkingsley4398]

Great Video with management tips that anyone can use. Thanks for sharing Mike

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks Tom!

[@brucesbees]

Man you are so good at explaining your thought process. Great job Mike. Been a weird year done here but it’s about to get real!

[@MikeBarryBees]

Well, I just try to convey what I’m thinking so folks understand what I’m doing. For us, it’s going to get real alright, but in the other direction. My queens are slowing down and I’m seeing colony numbers stabilize and even shrink…unheard of at this time. Waiting one more week as I’m seeing some privet blooms, but if no new nectar, I’ll have to start feeding them or there wont be enough buildup. We’re looking at some places south to move a few where the tallow didn’t get burned. Should’ve fed a couple weeks ago, but never seen anything like we’re seeing. It’s like a three week dearth in the middle of spring!! Crazy.

[@brucesbees]

@@MikeBarryBees our privet is juts starting to bloom. And tallow has shoots. So I am afraid we are going to have one intense flow and then be done. Will be interesting to see. Hopefully we are not completely done with honey at the end of May! Will be a miserable summer if that happens.

[@MikeBarryBees]

I’m seeing privet bloom and hopefully it near nectar this year I like last year. If it does, then my hives will build up into the seconds without feeding and numbers will go back up for a flow, if enough tallies bloom. I can’t believe your tallow made it. At least 80% of ours in my area are just now getting leaves back. Probably due to your proximity to the Gulf. Trees here near lake Pontchartrain did fine as the lake gave a warming effect. From talking to folks in the know about plants and cycles, when the leaves are finally established, the trees themselves will be too late in the season and won’t produce blooms but will be satisfied with just getting leaves back and will be in survival mode. Who knows, just one of those years. We count our blessings and keep moving forward doing our part. Wish I had time to stop by and help you get your pollination hives back to their yards. Passing thru on I-10 soon enough.

[@brucesbees]

@@MikeBarryBees if ever in the neighborhood stop by and lets crack open some hives or at least do lunch.

[@tommychew6544]

Thank You very much for keeping your channel going! Your way of showing things helps people more than you will ever know! Always look forward to learning from your next video, you cover things in a way that a lot of others don't show. Thanks again and looking forward to the next one.

[@MikeBarryBees]

I appreciate that! Really appreciate the support Tommy!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Mike I hope your year settles down and the flow comes on!

[@MikeBarryBees]

Me too. Thanks Nathan!

[@elainesmale8132]

Love watching your videos, so information

[@MikeBarryBees]

Glad you like them! Thanks for the support!!

[@Peter_Gunn]

I am glad you didn't quit making videos when you were talking about it. Always looking forward to what you are going to put out next. Happy Easter

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks for the kind comment!!

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Awesome job Mike!!!! Thanks for sharing!

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks Rodney and you’re welcome!!

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

@@MikeBarryBees Did a cutout today in a hour with plaster walls. That was one tough job!

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Hope the privet comes in heavy for you and me both. It is an interesting spring that started so early. We will see. Hope it all comes together for you. Enjoyed the video. Take care and God bless.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks Garry and I sure hope so too!! Seeing some blooms starting.

[@tommywise1702]

Thanks Mike, nice video and information.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks Tommy!

[@randallcarter-carterhillho2277]

I first saw the swarm begining at 20:08 over your right shoulder as you turn and then alot as you talk about dr. Harris. Amazing that yall had that killing freeze down there. Hope the nectar comes back quickly.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Yes Randall, that freeze was timed right at the wrong time😬😬 I know y’all got cold too, but the tender leaves were still not exposed yet. A week later and we might’ve been fine and only the privet gets zapped. And that’s fine. I can overcome the privet with feeding and then super for the tallow. We’ll see. Just do what we do and push the bees forward. Thanks for stopping in!!

[@HaasBuzzHomestead9909]

Yeah you are right. The cold snap slowed things down here in Georgia. Now another cool spell, cold rain today, rather chilly. However, the Tulip Popular is blooming in some areas.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Wish we had tulip poplar. We’re finally seeing some privet bloom, but if it doesn’t come out heavy and produce nectar,, that freeze will have knocked out our entire flow. Only time will tell.

[@keithfaithful3989]

Everyone likes the way Mike does bees

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks Keith!

[@jhulin9018]

Another great video Mike. Very timely as I have a hive where bottom box was full and I added a second box on top with freshly waxed foundation but they are not moving up. I am going to "seed a frame" or two as you explained. Thanks again!.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks!! That seeding will help. If you need to, seed a couple of even three. With any kind of nectar, they’ll jump up there just fine after that.

[@russellkoopman3004]

You got your queens going which is great news but your flow looks worrisome. Most trees have auxiliary buds so that if the tree gets a freeze where it loses it's main spring leafs it will come back with the auxiliary leafs. The tree will look like it has about half the leafs as normal and you probably will not get any blooms. The next year it will be fine again. Early in the year it looked like you were in the drivers seat for making a great honey crop. Maybe some other flowers will take the tallows place. Have a blessed Easter Mike.

[@MikeBarryBees]

I tell ya Russell, it’s looking quite rough for a flow. The privet started blooming and you can’t count on that. Even if you could, on a good year with moderate nectar up to the privet flow, which we’ve not had, you make a few boxes of that light honey. For the most part, that flow builds us into the main tallow. So even if the privet does well, it only gets the bees built up. If it doesn’t come in, I will need to feed them into the seconds, but then we have to hope for the tallow. Who knows. Some tallow made it if it was backed into the woods a bit, but we can’t really tell. We shall see. Made a huge harvest last season, so that was obviously a blessing for this year.😬😬

[@kathyhathaway8823]

Hello Mike that first colony was showing the larvae very well from your camera. That dark spot up In the tree I kept looking at it just thinking that looks like a swarm an then you said something about it. Sounds like that bee yard of yours is about like one of my out yards . I had three monster colonies in this yard just turned into crap no queens no brood at all but I have been working on them an maybe on the up hill side of them now it will take a while before I know if I have got them back in the right track but they sure have been a headache. We have had three days of real bad storms an rain rain an more rain . I think here at the house we are just under five inches of rain for those three days an low temperature tonight and tomorrow night in the upper thirty’s but the sun is shining tomorrow.🤞🤞🤞. Thanks Mike an Happy Easter!!!.

[@MikeBarryBees]

I tell you, it’s discouraging at times when you see the regression or the queens just fail out of the clear blue. After seeing all of them slow way back, it’s definitely the situation with the freeze knocking everything out. We shall see. They’re still just kind of stalled right now, but I did spot some fresh nectar in a nest a couple days ago.

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

Good info on walk away. They just fill the box nectar and pollen. If no queen single brood box. 30 days is alot of time

[@MikeBarryBees]

Yep, and it’s really only with some hives. Some are worse than others. All will bring the nectar, but only some will actually fill the box with way too much pollen. I have to think it’s a genetic trait and one I don’t like in my yard, the pollen ones I mean.

[@KajunHomestead]

I'm kind of worried about the tahloe also, its burnt here also, I knew something was wrong after the freeze we lost all the leaves on all the fig trees, I have never seen that happen before, the fig trees are just know putting out new leaves but no figs, there are usually small figs on the tree at this time, just have to wait and see. God Bless Mike. Great video.

[@MikeBarryBees]

I gotta tell you, it’s still looking rough for the trees that were burned. One good thing I’m seeing is some trees that are under cover are not completely burned. Hopefully there are plenty of those to give the bees something, even if not what we’ve seen in the past. Also exploring some options south to move a few hives to. Time will tell. Take a look in the woods a few feet back off the tree line to see if you find any tallows not burned.

[@maryjanebeatty6030]

I love watching your bee yards in the spring. I think it’s going to be a bumper honey crop this year due to the amount of bees this early in the year. Thanks for sharing part of your day and have a very Happy Easter!

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks as always!! I sure hope it’s a great crop. Not looking as promising as we’d like after that freeze, but we keep on pushing forward.

[@ericgunter45]

I have one hive and my brother has 8 that made it through winter. Mine was packed 2 weeks ago so was planning on splitting it today. Well I was watching while my brother work one of his hives I heard the buzzing behind me get really loud. Well my hive decided it couldnt wait on me and swarmed out, fortunately in landed in the neighbors tree. It was such a big swarm we were putting them by the handfull into a 5 frame nuc and it was full with only half the swarm in so they had to go straight into a 10 framer.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Well, as I was told by an older beekeeper a few years back, they just saved you some time and split naturally.😁😁

[@ericgunter45]

@@MikeBarryBees lol, yep. Now if they would have just not landed on the trunk of tree covered in vines it would have been a real quick split. Its amazing the different temperament of swarms, that swarm was as calm as could be, a swarm he had the next day lit him up something fierce. And the weather was the same both days. Just glad I wasnt there for the second one.

[@tarheelbeekeeper3971]

Looking good Mike, this is definitely a odd year

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks! And it sure is my friend!! Hope you are having a great season!!

[@melvinlantz9572]

Fingers crossed for your 10,000 Mike.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks, it’ll be cool to see for sure. Amazing actually😬😬

[@lynjenkins1562]

Happy Resurrection Day Mike! Great video as always. At the 25:03 mark it really looks like a cluster of bees on a limb above you to the right! Probably a squirrel nest but man that caught my eye. EDIT: Haha. You pointed it out right after I commented. Glad you noticed.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks so much and I hope y’all had a great Resurrection Day!! Still no signs of where they came from. If they were form my hive, it didn’t seem to break them down too bad.

[@windyridgeapiaries]

Hi Mike! Sorry to hear about the freeze/frost. Such a pain. Otherwise things are looking great!! Weather up here has warmed up for a few days this week and my girls were out flying. Even in the frozen snow covered landscape they were bringing some pollen! I'm guessing it is Pussy Willow. Got the electric fence ready to go to repel those big furry critters. Take care! God Bless!

[@MikeBarryBees]

Well, we deal with what we deal with and just keep moving forward. Glad you’re warming up. Looking forward to watching as your season progresses Jeff!!

[@jeffreyhoskins8955]

Another great video

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks!!

[@jimhughes6794]

You will soon be at 10,000. Keep making these good videos

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks Jim!

[@CastleHives]

Just like our northern Bees can't handle heat, southern trees/plants/bees can't handle cold. . lol

[@MikeBarryBees]

Trees can’t handle the cold. Bees are good, just nothing to eat. I feel like a northern beekeeper having to mix up syrup…😬😬

[@CastleHives]

@@MikeBarryBees Crazy weather. We are on day 3 of 80+ weather and sun. Colonies are all bearding.

[@honeyandthecoop803]

Good Stuff Mr. Mike!

[@MikeBarryBees]

Thanks!!

[@hockinghillshoneyfarm9273]

There's a big swarm over your shoulder that's where your bee's went Mike 25:20

[@MikeBarryBees]

Yes, if you watch thru the end you’ll see I noticed it and out of the 13 colonies on this property, not one had any swarm cells. I’m always the first to acknowledge if I lost a swarm because nothing irks me more than beekeepers that claim they never have swarms, but I honestly can’t find one that swarmed within the week this video was shot. The population on that particular colony was actually down due to losing the foragers from the split and from working the blackberry while waiting on the new queen to begin laying. I didn’t leave as much brood in that split as I should’ve. This week she finally had some of her brood emerging and they looked great. But one thing for sure, I didn’t even see that swarm until editing😂😂😂. Appreciate you watching and for the comment. I read and appreciate all the comments. I verified a queen-rite colony a couple seasons ago when a viewer spotted a queen that I had missed when they watched a video. Matter of fact, one season I didn’t see an emergency cell and was baffled by a queenless colony and if not for a viewer commenting they saw a cell, I would’ve never known🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️.

[@KiwiWildman]

Hi Mike, great video. I think you are brave going into that split looking for a virgin queen so soon. I stay out of my splits for at least 14 days from the date the queen is due to emerge. Virgin queens are really flighty and likely to take off, never to return. I learned the hard way :) Also, I have heard it said that the bees will even ball and kill a virgin queen if you disturb them too soon? I'm not so sure about that as I haven't ever actually seen it happen. Love you videos! Cheers Chris

[@MikeBarryBees]

Hello kiwibeeman. Thanks. And I have to say…Yes, yes, and yes. 100% agree as I’ve had one fly off as well. I don’t think I’m brave, more like make dumb decisions😬😬. I panicked a bit when I thought I saw her. But you’re absolutely correct and I normally wait a minimum of 14 days. It was about 10 on this one so I went for it. But after I thought I saw her and then didn’t, I was concerned all week😁😁. She made it and is laying, but your rule of thumb is solid, 14 days. Thanks so much for watching.

[@michaelfike7542]

Like you said feral bees will come to your bee yard. Im almost positive that's what happened to me because the bees came from a different direction than where my bees are. Mine swarm they go a different direction and stop in the yard about 300 feet from the box. You got them looking great all we need is a strong flow.❤️🐝

[@MikeBarryBees]

Well, I’ll be the first to admit when my hives swarm, but in this case, it didn’t align with what I was seeing. No swarm cells at all.

[@t5rider07]

Awesome video and content Mike, and as others have said, thank you for keeping the channel going! I appreciate you providing perspective on when I should check our splits with new queen in them to see if they were successfully mated. Hopefully that alone will keep me from getting in there prematurely and screwing things up. Keep it up Mike, I'd subscribe 100 more times for you if I could...God Bless.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Wow!! Thanks for the kind works!! So much appreciate your support!!

[@timbervalleyhomestead]

When you graft do you scoop the royal jelly with it as much as you can? How do you check the hive below when you have a single deep sitting on top of another hive?

[@MikeBarryBees]

I do scoop all the Royal jelly that I can. It’s important to keep the larvae moist and warm. The Royal jelly helps and is important for the larvae nutrition. I just pull the top box off and then the cloake board and I can check the bottom box and also take emerging brood out and move it to the top for the next set of grafts.

[@dorr221]

You mentioned you and Horchoff (Mr. Ed) have a common mentor. Without outing this person for mentor requests can you give us their KZbin channel casually as a recommendation to watch if they're on? I've just got my first bees (Russian, free from local mentor) and placed them 3/23/23, they've wonky comb from the swarm trap frames.(guess rejecting existing foundation?) I don't know what to do with wonky comb other than to let it happen. Never found queen (maybe was between wonky and foundation, or as I call it the underworld) yet remainder from trap marched to new hoover hive from trap after frames moved to. I added fresh CellTech 100% foundations to fill out to 10. They've filled out one foundation-less frame from trap they started. I fed 1:1 water on top of inner cover with a surrounding medium box. Trying my danged-est to not open hive more than 7 days apart.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Our mentor passed away a few years ago. He had a beekeeping meeting that we attended for several years. On that colony you mentioned, I Personally would clean that comb up and put in fresh frames of very well wax coated foundations, or natural wax foundation for them to draw out. The longer they’re allowed to make crazy comb, the harder it will be to inspect and clean later. Appreciate you watching and best wishes with your new colony. I had pure Russians in my first year and they were great bees!

[@badassbees3680]

10:14 Winter bees in summer..when they polish cells and no brood to feed they super feed brood when they start again, and then that hatch have more vitagellan..if you pay attention the capped brood won't be flat,it'll be all raised like drone just not to that extent. Perfect. If you watch foreigners they separate food from brood for this reason ,the nest is smaller but the bees live longer so it works. I watch Serbian and Croatian beekeepers and their Brilliant, no fancy stuff just use bees differently, pretty interesting. Those are good splits their gonna get it done!

[@MikeBarryBees]

John, great info. Mine might just grow on my food at this point as I might be mixing syrup😬😬. Who knows? I’d watch more of those guys if I could get KZbin to translate properly. I have one guy that watches here and comments regularly with some very interesting info.

[@badassbees3680]

@@MikeBarryBees yeah it's hard to translate..sometimes I only watch and guess what their doing lol

[@Raymail-tj4cf]

Out of curiosity couldn’t you throw fruit seeds around at the beginning of the season so they would have emergency food? I don’t know enough is why I’m asking.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Well, Not really. The main food sources are trees in our area and it takes a lot of flowing and flowering nectar, especially with a lot of colonies in one area, to really make any substantial difference in food. I am thinking of planting some crimson clover in my field as a backup should we have an issue again, so that is the same as what you are asking. So I’d say not so much on the fruit seed, but yes to the idea. You are correct, I need to have a backup plan. Thanks for the question and for watching!!

[@wadebarnes6720]

Hey mr. Mike I know you most likely have done this I had a hive yesterday that had a 3 to 4 beard with the weather changing 80 degrees to 40 degrees within an hour I just happened to see it I know the process I should have done and did not have time so I just split it in three l white the off in a bucket and put it in the middle box .

[@MikeBarryBees]

I wonder was the bearding just the heat? Then it got cool on you.

[@nancynolton6079]

Question for you... what kind, size and length nail do/should you use to build frames? I have a framing jig but not sure what size nails to use to assemble the frames or how many to put where? I'll be nailing by hand with a hammer.

[@MikeBarryBees]

I use staples with a staple gun. I want to say 2-1/2 or 2-1/4 for the top and bottoms and then1-3/4 for the side shot into the top bar. When doing it by hand I used small 2-1/2 inch Brad nails or finishing nails. Tire-bond 3 glue to glue the frames. I did use nails with heads that were 2 inch when I hand nailed too, and those were the best for me. But now the staples seem best. I got a cheap pneumatic staple gun at a pawn shop and when it broke, I picked up a cheapo from Harbor Freight and they save a lot of time and effort. And honestly, I think the staples are much stronger. And I only use one of those Walmart pancake compressors. Very cheap.

[@SmokyMountainLashBees]

So was that a swarm? Did you go look back at the branch after you noticed that?

[@MikeBarryBees]

I went back a week later and it was a swarm. Still no cells in the hives though. Just one queenless and it was emergency cells, a couple.

[@andrewklahold2880]

Have you ever done any grafting, Mike, was wondering if you have do you have video, on that or can you make one. I have seen some videos on grafting and doing the top bottom box thing with the double screen board, has me wondering, but yet I have not ask the question why the box rotation and the screen board, now that I ask the question hope to get the best answer, I want to graft some queens, why can I not take the grafts and just put them in a double deep with out all the twists and turns

[@MikeBarryBees]

I do graft a few cells. I did a video last season that explains how I did it with this cloake board. I also did one the previous year just in a NUC. I also had a video a couple weeks ago showing my grafts and explaining the cloake board. I posted the links below. With just a double deep, they won’t make your cells. They have to be queenless and they need an overflowing amount of bees, mostly nurse bees to begin the cells and feed them properly. They might make a couple, but an average colony of bees won’t be dependable for consistent queen grafts. John Conner has a good book on grafting and rearing queens, and it’s good to learn why and how the bees do what they do if you’re to raise cells consistently. One mis-step and the cells are destroyed or abandoned. To go small scale I like the cloake board. But using a NUC overflowing with nurse bees and good nutrition weather in the area or what you give them, is a necessity. Just like when a colony builds swarm cells for swarming. It’s when nutrition in the wild is very high, thus stimulating the queen to lay more eggs and grow the colony to the point they’re over crowded. So then the use the gathered nutrition and all those bees to make several swarm cells and it’s after the cells have been fed exorbitant amounts of Royal jelly from the pollen and nectar, and the cells capped that the bees them swarm and leave the rest of the colony to accept a new queen. Take a look at the book, ‘Queen Rearing Essentials’. Very easy book for me when I ventured into the grafting. I also did a class with Dr. Jeff Harris. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHK8nISopsmYkNE kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGq8iWSvp7ucZrc kzbin.info/www/bejne/npWxhZ2prZVmb5o

[@andrewklahold2880]

Well grafting is out this year again, I have to go do meirenouft splits

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

Eggs and milk brood about the same?

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

How far apart is it?

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

Sorry asked question when you gave answer

[@MikeBarryBees]

Good deal, glad you got the answer. Thanks for asking and for watching!!

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

Feeding gets expensive

[@MikeBarryBees]

Yes indeed it does!! Hope I don’t have to.