Don't Do This To Your Bees Before Winter

Don't Do This To Your Bees Before Winter
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[@Swimmer173]

Best advice all year. Thanks.

[@paulm8392]

This is terrific advice. Having just lost my colony in 2024 due to late application of apivar in 2023, I will never miss the August deadline again. I wasn't even trying to sweat them for honey - it was just because as a 3rd yearbeekeeper I underestimated the seriousness of varroa and dwv and thought if I left them plenty of honey they'd be strong and healthy enough to withstand it. Sadly not. Get the varroa treatment in at the right time.

[@fabiandiaz8342]

Hey Laurence, I had a horrible honey year in the Bay area California as well. Lots of my bee buddies had a poor year also. Great advice on treating at the right time so to have a great spring bees

[@Cubrider]

And videos like that are why I pay membership. Great advice.

[@bluelab5019]

Absolutely excellent advice. Mine come off in the 3rd week of August regardless of weather and forage. In fairness I don't tend to put supers on straight away but I'm 100% with everything else

[@jamiemattison4986]

It’s the best season I ever had this year. Yes the beginning was terrible but I took off over 200lb two weeks ago and the bees have filled up 11 wet supers since from the balsam flow. It’s not been bad for everyone, Laurence.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

This was filmed about 3 weeks ago. Feels like we are on a different planet since then :)

[@jamiemattison4986]

@@BlackMountainHoney yeah it’s incredible

[@richardd8352]

@@jamiemattison4986 yea I'm the only person I know who loves balsam. 😅 Everyone hates it. Invasive they say. - indeed It is - But at least it's easy to pull.

[@davepimlott1061]

Good advice. Thank you.

[@Sageandbellflowerhoneybees]

Really great advice as always. Can i ask what you do with tour supers on 15th august if theyre not fully capped and ripe? Do you have a way of reducing the moisture?

[@veragiles981]

Yup, I'm also curious about the honey not being quite ready. I've got several supers that just need capping off. I've talked to my bees very nicely about finishing the job, but they just don't listen!😅

[@paulm8392]

I think you could put it in a dehydrator or a normal fan oven at 50°C and give it a stir every 20-30 minutes? I haven't done this but I have some wet honey too this year and am thinking these might be ways to fix it.... after all bees fan the honey in the hive and their air movement removes moisture...

[@sinestam]

I think the best approach would be to harvest the wet supers and feed it back to the bees. Artificially reducing the moisture content does create honey, it creates dry nectar (to put it boldly). Bees do more to nectar than just remove moisture.

[@joncotn]

Supers off for me in mid August then heather until 1st week of September and then treat after taking the heather off. That works for me 😊

[@BeekeeperofTN]

Heather? If you don't mind me asking

[@mattbravery5518]

@@BeekeeperofTNgoogle Ling Heather - there are acres of moorland in the UK that keepers take their hives to

[@BeekeeperofTN]

@@mattbravery5518 Ahhh gotcha. It's a plant haha. Sweet. Wish I had that stuff here

[@virgilcrites8906]

Absolutely thanks for sharing

[@melaniejenkins109]

Sound advice, we'll be using apiguard this year and then treat with oxalic around Christmas

[@simong-uk]

Couldn't agree more, need a strong colony in the Spring to get a strong start to the year. I had one hive (WBC) at the start of this year, lots of Bees, I put 2 supers on in April (they swarmed last year 26th April) to give them space. I did a Pagden 12th May and added a BMH Buckfast queen on the 17th. Since then I've taken 2 supers off the first hive, it has 4 on currently and the new hive (Abelo) has 2 supers on plus a brood box with clean drawn comb as a super (didn't have any other supers at the time). I'm happy with my Bees and it's all due to a great start in the spring with a big colony.

[@aaronparis4714]

I love your method Everyone should take honey off mid August it’s so smart and I’m in Canada it’s so true

[@damirdudas2842]

Lawrence, Thank you for sharing, as I started beekeeping this year this is another valuable information for novice like myself!

[@Dalebees]

Couldn't agree more. Pull all honey supers, put Apivar and start feeding on Aug 15 here in Northeastern US.

[@amurray001]

OUTSTANDING video, sir. Definitely a top description of what needs to be done. Thank you for your dedication to your channel.

[@DC_PRL]

Doing exactly the same here in New Jersey…pulling honey supers off mid August, then Apiguard and feeding if necessary. OA treatments in November ..working well so far

[@davidupton5252]

This year on honey has been fantastic better then 2023 best colony had 6 supers on average the others are 4 supers. Maybe Lawrence its not as good for you as you are in North Wales more wet I'm on the South Coast the blackberry mainly as every year helps the bees a lot.

[@PinkettsHoney]

Great advice. Glad my plan are along the same lines. 🎉

[@paulfairbrass4424]

Great advice

[@Joe-yo1tm]

What about uncapped frames? This is my first year so am eager to not lose them. Was just going to take the frames that are capped and leave them the rest. But then how does treatment work with honey for them. So many questions

[@muddyfunker3014]

Makes a lot of sense 👍🏻

[@bobadicious]

Was going to do that mistake myself this year until I seen this. Thanks ❤🐝

[@jemligg4788]

Great advice! I did have a super with uncapped nectar I was waiting for them to cap but what can I do with uncapped nectar frames over winter while treating for mites?

[@ballyc6815]

Been keeping for 25 years absolute solid advice agree with everything said.

[@tomuridge7292]

Great video Laurence. If like me you intend to keep a super of stores on your bees over winter what’s the best way of treating for varroa? Removing supers when putting strips in and putting them back on once treatment is complete?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

I am really not a fan of keeping supers on for feed. It has a long list of disadvantages and no real benefit. The bees are quite content with sugar stores over winter. If you are keen on doing something like that, much easier to just run double brood and leave them in that configuration all year round.

[@sidelinerbeekeeper]

I could always do a mite wash, if numbers are low, treatments could wait. That part was left out. Winters over there are mild, not what I would even call winter. I assume the bees brood late, lots of time left in the season if mite numbers are already low.

[@BadaBingBadaBoomYT]

What if ;) the summer/nice weather extends though...? Say the seasons shift somewhat..? (From about 6:31 there a ~37 seconds black screen (you would w want to know that I reckon :))

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Thank you. Ive clipped the end off No - this is my point. The honey season can shift but the varroa season doesnt as its dictated by the length of day and not available forage. If you delay treatments it has huge impacts for the colonies over winter

[@foxglovemead]

Interesting… so best not “to rob Peter to pay Paul”. With so many colonies, do you monitor the varroa count in each of them before/during/after treatment and does this influence how you treat them?

[@kenscott2820]

I'm considering going over to a Gas Vape this year. I know that the best time to vape is early December but should I also vape in mid August?

[@peterrat100]

If you live near heather the season extends itself. It’s a proper pain in the neck. We need a varroa treatment that we can leave the supers on with. MAQS used to allow it but it doesn’t any more.

[@BlackMountainHoney]

Yes this is the major issue with heather. Id recommend a enforced brood break by caging. Then when removing summer crop give them a blast of OA when brood less. Immediately after you can place your supers on for the heather. Just have to work out your individual timings

[@mrsweettater]

I am mentoring a couple guys and this is exactly what I told them. One guy calls me up every year and tells me he lost everything, every spring. He NEVER listens to me! The other guy does and we laugh about it because at worst we lose a small percentage. I'm not sure why the first guy keeps throwing money into the fire?

[@alyb731]

I’m a new beekeeper, I’ve had an excellent honey crop, more than I ever expected and this is exactly what I had decided to do. The guy I bought my nuc from gave me the exact same advice. So I intend to start feeding when supers are off, but do I feed with sugar water or is it then time to put patties in?

[@tonybaker1295]

I'm in Australia and we had a bad season last year in the southern hemisphere. Funny how the world works.

[@robertburgin1688]

I'm even expecting you to not! To get stung 🤦 😂 Great advice and agree, what do you find works best for the bees that got to the heather? Thanks Rob 👍

[@BlackMountainHoney]

For Heather bees if you can bee really organised, id recommend trapping the queen, forcing brood break and then OA zap in between supers. Probably neatest way to go.. or just risk a late treatment and cross your fingers!

[@robertburgin1688]

@@BlackMountainHoney I've fancied trapping the queen and vaping but always worried about the bees drawing cells ect with the queen being caged, will have to be more organised next year we are moving up there tomorrow 😆

[@BlackMountainHoney]

@@robertburgin1688 Hope it goes well. Could be a bumper year as I bet the bees are in prime condition after all the sunshine!

[@robertburgin1688]

@@BlackMountainHoney it would be nice 🤞 you to 👍

[@Michelle-bo5zs]

So when do you add the uncapped frames back onto the hives to let the bees clean them up after you've extracted ? Before varroa treatment or after.? How long does it take the bees to clean a full super of frames.??

[@BlackMountainHoney]

We store them wet. Much safer that way from Wax moth and the bees clean them in the spring

[@richardd8352]

Wow I thought I was stretching the season out waiting until 2nd week of August!!? But end of September!?? Do people do that ? Personally I never take a spring crop either, unless there's loads of surplus.

[@judicorbett9401]

I think that all depends on where you are. Honey, here, needs to be off by first of September. First of August and I put boxes on for them to make thier food. Am pulling honey over the next couple of weeks. Central Ontario, Canada.

[@richardd8352]

@@judicorbett9401 Hi, absolutely. I was accounting for the fact the video is referenced from a UK perspective. But even in the UK I suspect there is small variation. But generally July/ early August is the main flow here.

[@Wren991]

Do these times work the same in Scotland!? I know our planting gor veg is usually a month behind the rest of the UK so I wonder if the bees are similar. Do you think i should do my treatments now or Sept

[@BlackMountainHoney]

They wont be far off. Id be adding treatments now for sure

[@Wren991]

Perfect, I will just sort it today then. Love the channel its been great as a fairly new beekeeper😊

[@mudkicker9350]

Thanks for the advice, this is my first year with bees, in fact I’ve only had my girls since June ! It’s just prompted me to order in some Apiguard, will be going on the moment it arrives, it’s not too late is it?

[@BlackMountainHoney]

@@mudkicker9350 see if you can get Apivar instead of Apiguard. It's Loads better

[@whitehart11]

So what ratio do you feed with in this process?

[@gregmathews715]

The timing mid August latest for honey crop is correct, I say as a beekeeper since 1977. Respect weak colonies and build them up for winter, or join them, leave them their honey or give some from stronger hives, but leave those with DWV typically weakened by varroa to die. Don't take more honey from any hive than they need for the winter and feed only if they are short. I have seen no benefit from using various methods to control varroa, and have in fact seen colonies suffer as a result of these brutish treatments. Since stopping the varroa treatment and using my hive management methods I have had more colony survival than before, with the varroa treatment, ans so far after 2 years have increasingly healthier bees

[@davidmoore613]

Each to his own... 'Brutal??'

[@davidtannock5705]

LAURENCE IF IT'S A DOUBLE BROOD BOX DO PLACE 4 APPYVAR STRIPES IN

[@BlackMountainHoney]

1 x strip per 5 frames of brood

[@richardd8352]

It's interesting the different approaches. I've never treated my bees EVER. And they are bursting at the seams, strong. People do realise that Mites just build resistance to these things. The bees know what they are doing, and if they don't , well that's evolution

[@richardmitchell5369]

Every one has their own way of doing things and if this works for you then no reason to change,I work with them right up to the ivy flow and then shut down for the winter, treat through the winter months and then may open up again, each area is different and I enjoy seeing how people do things, great video and enjoy your work well done and God bless your harvest.

[@paulm8392]

@@richardd8352 how many years have you taken this approach?

[@richardd8352]

@@paulm8392 Not too long, since I started beekeeping around 8 years ago. Its not that I wouldn't, it's just I've never bothered and have never needed to. One thing we do know is honey bees are some of the most adaptable insects we've seen. Here in the UK honeybees have been living with mites for ages. They know how to deal with them. Well mine seem to at least? I suppose if you buy package bees they may be a particular strain less resistant?? Not sure, never bought bees in my life. Caught all mine.