Equalizing and Feeding Spring Colonies 2023

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Bob, I’m enjoying the new progress update and yard work type videos. Keep up the great work! You are that perspective that beekeepers are starved of.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks Ian. You have always encouraged and supported myself and others. 👍

[@feliciachitwood9400]

@@bobbinnie9872 would you please do a video of the mite treatment in spring I love watching and learning so much from you

[@Sigpilot97]

@@bobbinnie9872CBK nailed it. I’ve learned so much from your videos. I watch them over and over in case I missed something the first time. I’m hoping to expand my operation this year as a sideliner. You, Seth and the crew will be a major contributor to any success I enjoy. Thank you for sharing information. Cheers from OKC.

[@Lbfarmsllc]

@@bobbinnie9872 Be assured it is appreciated Bob.

[@apicolturamorfeo9508]

But you gove Sugar with honey Cell on? Is not legale honey Is fron the plant not fron sugar

[@AussieTimeSirStewietheKnight]

Keep it up Bob home Beekeeper trying to learn from a real Beekeeper. I like that you explain why you did something, how it worked for you, the if you transition to a better way. I notice that BeeKeeping is like Fishing and there is 1,000,000 ways to do, 10,000 items to buy or test and nature does what it wants.

[@richardnoel3141]

Fantastic! What an absolutely terrific start! It is a luxury having too much brood!! Send some over here if you want LOL.

[@bobbinnie9872]

I wonder what the freight cost would be. Or maybe I should come instead.

[@richardnoel3141]

@@bobbinnie9872 lol considerably more than your own ticket Bob, lol (unless your travelling 1st class? ) imagine that though, brood from Georgia, flown in!! That would be fancy!! 😄 🤓💯🐝🙌 Your always welcome here! I could do with some good mentoring!!

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Too many beez ! Son of a gun! 😂😂😂 🥂 Seth! You are a new competitor LOL, but remember the BOSS has a heavy but soft step :)

[@sonofthunder.]

great education,and explained it well,

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks.

[@larryjennings4663]

We had a great honey crop this year, 931 lbs from 9 colonies. I've been a beekeeper over 50 of my 92 years. In my younger days we had nearly a hundred colonies but as my age increased my colonies shrunk. That's life!!

[@Jesusisnumberone5740]

Thats awesome! There is a lot to learn about bee keeping. Do you feed them year round? Im just getting into it.

[@glenaddems2930]

Wish I had yr vids 30+ yrs ago :) I learnt the hard way thankyou for helping new beekeeper

[@cheneowens9559]

You definitely have the best youtube channel for beekeeping, Thanks for sharing all your good tips on keeping bees

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you.

[@jeremyhuggins8796]

Videos like this are therapeutic. Love it.

[@keithfaithful3989]

Always impressed of what a great employer you are. To help Seth get started on his business is very commendable! God bless y’all.

[@timbervalleyhomestead]

All the Bobs have amazing calm voices huh. You are the Bob Ross of beekeeping.

[@TennesseeTim38451]

Seth seems like the type guy that would tell you, if you ain’t having fun, you are working your bees wrong!!! Great content Bob!!! Thanks again for all the sharing you have done.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks 👍

[@cordovanbee]

Bob I wish I had enjoyed my school teachers as much as I enjoy your education provided in your Video Teaching. Thanks for all you do!!

[@philjanikjr9805]

It's totally awesome! Just one happy group. Bee Happy HBM

[@cordovanbee]

Thanks for Another Quality Video!! Nice bike at the end! Motorcycles might be a sickness but Bees are CONTAGIOUS 🤪🤪

[@bobbinnie9872]

Agreed. 👍

[@TheCaliforniaBeekeeper]

Growing the team is always great. It's a special feeling,without a great group of men and women aiming for the same goals we couldn't do what we do. Keep it up Bob and team! Y'all have something special. Hello from Northern California 🤙

[@abuyeaberau-cm6sy]

Fantastick job

[@ronaldkoenig7057]

You read a frame and the hive like a book amazing art!

[@Steele_Wings]

Majority of my bees stopped taking open feeding of syrup and have found something natural. Charlotte NC. The flow is on.

[@jordanebling2138]

Everytime I listen to Bob it makes me feel calmer ...seems like a genuinely kind human being. Love watching theses videos. First year running bees and I dream to be as successful as Bob

[@ryanwalsh3146]

Is my birthday today.... Congrats on the hives!!!

[@bobbinnie9872]

Happy Birthday!!👍

[@ThatBeeMan]

Thanks, Bob! For me, these "Day in the life" videos are the best. It makes me feel like I'm there, learning along side of your crew!

[@ChrisFiggatt]

Love seeing the day to day of what is going on throughout the year!

[@paulaldous523]

So informative,thank you Bob and team.

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Always enjoy watching your crew work. Pick up new tips and tricks. Thanks for the videos and information. Take care.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks 👍

[@calebhollen5316]

Bob like always you are passing along your knowledge. I've had to equalize before my trip down to Alabama for 10 days. Saw you at HL , I'm the guy with the wires on my head. Weather here is almost the same as back in Greenville NC

[@melvinyoder1954]

What a great crew you have and they have a great boss. Thanks for the video

[@Peter_Gunn]

Mr. Binnie you most definitely have the best beekeeping videos on KZbin. Thanks so much for making them.

[@barahbarah5308]

Bob u r a great beekeeper week lean a lot fromage i in algeria we wish To see u one Day in Algeria.

[@altaylor293]

Another great video. It's a shame you are having such a problem with too much brood but I know you can handle it. 🙂 You are blessed with a great crew.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Al. Thanks, and yes a great crew.👍

[@joewalker1246]

If it ever works out, time management would make for some good content that is not talked about much but something we all could desperately use. Thanks for all of the great content you produced thus far, you are truly a scholar and a gentleman.

[@ShugPhD]

Really seems like y'all have a good work culture. Thanks for sharing!

[@AmericansBee]

Bob, you are an absolute blessing to the community!! Like many have said, we learn so much from you and your videos. Thank you so much!!!

[@DuckRiverHoney]

Please keep doing these Bob, I learn a lot. Some discussion on your calendar would be helpful, i.e. when queens are arriving, when you plan to start grafting and splitting, what strength you’re targeting to go to the flow vs a sold nuc.

[@Jeff-xv1rz]

Bob, love your videos. I adore how you treat your employees. I am beekeeper in Central Saskatchewan Canada.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks. Spring will be here here before you know it for you too!

[@beebob1279]

You mentioned how the season is early this year. I used to teach with a friend who was also a Rabbi. One year we were talking about how late the winter was and I can't get into my hives to inspect. As we talked he said he knew it would be a late winter. He explained that most people use the solar calendar to determine the seasons (which is true). But, if you follow the lunar calendar (as the Jewish populations do) you can with confidence know how a spring is going go. Where Passover falls determines an early spring or late winter. This year Passover is early and so spring is early. Over the years I followed this advice and sure enough he was right (I would say most of the time). This might help you in the coming years of beekeeping to at least have a grasp as to the type of spring we all will have in managing our bees. We are supposed to hit 56 degrees today and out to the yards I'm going to check food supplies. I might chance it and peak to see the size of the clusters.

[@Tcrim354]

In The Southern Bible Belt Easter is followed. You plant your garden on Good Friday. In and around Augusta, Georgia we follow a different calendar. We always wait for The Masters’ Freeze, maybe it should be called the Golfer’s calendar.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Curious. I will watch.

[@framcesmoore]

Bee Bob how do you follow the lunar calendar to determine the seasons Thanks

[@beebob1279]

@@framcesmoore The date of the season doesn't change. According to my co-teacher it determines a cold or warm spring. That's all. Nothing else.

[@mohawksniper79]

Good looking girl,s and bee's and Harley,s what more do you need👍🏼🤠

[@bobbinnie9872]

Money?

[@dcsblessedbees]

The Lord givith, it appears you all are being blessed with an early season like many others out that side of the country. Ty you Bob and crew for sharing your time.👍

[@cristisnyder-ve2mg]

Hi Bob! We are located a little north of you in southeast TN and actually caught our first swarm last weekend. Definitely getting an early start this year.

[@BigBllc]

Got the same thing over here in NW Ga 6 frames of brood in lower boxes and nearly solid in the top. Queen cells already charged and tons of drones. I'm doing splits cause it's what the bees r trying to do. Hopefully the weather will hold up till queens r mated.

[@WildwoodsBeekeeping]

Looking good Bob, Todays High is 73f or higher, Gonna Get In some bees today. Good stuff Bob, Looking real good!!

[@paulgroth5414]

Love watching your crew work! I love learning your process of things, as I am try to expand

[@dadu63]

And yes another great Bob binnie Sunday morning video. Thanks always Bob. Been making splits here in cleveland county. Thanks to your teaching I am better at keeping my bees from swarming. You are the professor man!

[@cuidandodasabelhasapicultura]

Adoro seus videos sua humildade sua equipe emocionante e inspirador assisto no Brasil .

[@577bluegrass]

Enjoyed the video. The beautiful mountains. And the way you treat you employees is top notch. Learn something new every time ! Thank you

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks 👍

[@kevinhoward4245]

Thanks for sharing. Great video!

[@richardkrammes2222]

I have been keeping bees for honey and making nucs to sell since 1956. And I am still learning from Mr. Binnie. Thank you.

[@bobbinnie9872]

67 years!! 👍

[@larimorefarms]

I appreciate all you do for the community Mr Bob. As a new beekeeper I have learned so much from your videos. I’m a hands on and visual person, reading doesn’t work well for me. I can watch and rewind if I need and that’s a huge plus. May you be blessed and prosper my friend.

[@Aereaphotography]

Another great video 👍👍

[@bentonbee1]

Thanks for sharing it is so good to learn from you Bob

[@taylorboysoutdoors]

My operation is miniscule compared to yours. But,I'm seeing the same with so much brood. I am scared the trees will be full of my bees. I'm splitting them and taking a chance. Piedmont NC. Thanks for the perspective videos

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

You've do a great job of teaching beginners

[@susanwehe8270]

We were working our bees on the 1st of March also. Loads of drones and brood and swarm cells, we had no choice but to split them. We’re weeks ahead of last year.

[@babybeeapiaries8667]

Another nice video Bob. This is what I was hoping you would do this year. Sort of follow what you are doing throughout the year from beginning to end. Hope you are able to keep at it. Have a blessed year.

[@rabbitofthefuture3234]

Hey bob, i'd just like to thank you for showing how you successfully run your apiaries and company. The way you record your videos is concise and informative. I particularly liked your 'How We Produce Queens' video. I'm starting queen rearing this year, mostly due to you, kamon and richard noel. I'm 19 and from 'across the pond' 🇬🇧 Have a great day. :)

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you. 👍

[@jeffreyhoskins8955]

Thank you bob

[@mcorne8134]

Looking for a brood frame with bees emerging for a small colony is a good tip- I did not think about considering the state of brood when equalizing… thank you for management details.

[@framcesmoore]

Ha Bob so good to see the videos back I have the same problem here the hives are way to strong I have been removing brood as well but I have no where to put it so I am just sticking them in a box and letting them make them selves a queen. if they do good great if the queen is a flop I will re queen them later or combine them back. I am making them large so there is enough nurse bees to do a half way decent job. time will tell. the flow started here but stoped it went back down I have wet frames it has been real cray here with the weather. I will be glad when everything starts and keeps going. Thanks again for the videos they are great God Bless you have a Blessed week

[@smittysbees6860]

I have property in haysville NC. Hope to get some sourwood honey.

[@اسامةاسامة-د8م]

macha allah😃💯💖👍

[@bobbinnie9872]

شكرًا لك

[@sergeytaranovich2368]

As always great video Bob! We have catch first batch of queens last Friday, here in south central Georgia out of 250 cells 77% success not great but not bad either hives are loaded with bees and drones, but we bring our bees from northern PA right after Thanksgiving and after new year we already have cap drone brood. To transport a brood frames try to use Jesters nucs boxes very convenient it allows one person carry it from pallet to pallet and use as needed or put in extra ones, it eliminates extra trips to a deep wooden box and you don't need bottom screen and top covers. Yes we definitely have different season in our hands, watch for a cold April, definitely make me worry little.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you for a good tip Sergey. We have have also used those in the past with good results. 77% at this time in middle Georgia seems good to me. I'm sure you know that it will get better in a couple of weeks.

[@sergeytaranovich2368]

@@bobbinnie9872 300 cells in a mating nucs hatch last Friday 3/3. Will find out result 3/24 like to give them 3 weeks at least before catching them we use 3 deep frames in our mating nucs,

[@강성희-j9g]

봄의 즐거운 작업 잘보았습니다 감사합니다 Thank

[@luci75d76]

Nice crew you have there. Very good !

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thanks 👍

[@luci75d76]

@@bobbinnie9872 I think this year you will be ahead in season and very ready for the nectar flow. Or make nukes to sale ....keep an eye to not let them hungry if they feel they don’t have resources enough the queen will stop to lay eggs and you will have a gap right before the flow. Is happen in one year to me ...they are very ahead of time in big population and not enough resources and queens stop to lay eggs and right during the flow was less bees and after flow the population explode. The whole season they are in opposite system I was in panic that year and believe or not production was low

[@jonrobertson4498]

Thank you Bob, Phenomenal information!!

[@BrainfoodHoney]

Good problems to have bob! We fed our colonies a bucket/week throughout winter and still have light colonies. Might try 2 gallons/week next year.

[@tonyjenkins272]

Beautiful sight ! Snowing again here this morning in willamette valley in Oregon hopefully ends soon 😊

[@bobbinnie9872]

The best season I had when I was in Oregon it snowed late and was sopping wet when things finally got started. Good luck!

[@tonyjenkins272]

@@bobbinnie9872 last year had heavy rains until around 1st of june. Had my best year ever. Fun stuff 💯

[@mattzirkle2769]

Yep. A lot of beeks are saying spring is early. Not in the PNW. Old man winter holding on tight.

[@KajunHomestead]

Great video Bob, your bees are doing great, just started splitting a few of mine, started using some double screen boards and the queen excluder with brood at top to do some splits. That was a great looking old bike he had . God Bless and good luck with the bees this year.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Thank you. 👍

[@robertdemers5125]

Good morning Bob !

[@bobbinnie9872]

Good morning sir.

[@donmattea]

It’s definitely getting colder for an extended amount of time after this week. For all of the US.

[@burleybeeyard]

Grafted yesterday. Trying to keep the wheels on till next week.

[@QuickCookie]

Thank you for the valuable videos you make especially when you talk about different honey flavors and plants. I have a baking channel and use different kinds of honey for baking & cooking and they affect the taste a lot. Can you share what brand of boots you're wearing in this video? or any type of leather boots that you prefer and may think is soft and comfortable?

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Quick Cookie. I use Red Wing boots. I like the type I use because they have smooth bottoms which makes it easy to remove beeswax that is picked up in the yard and they last a very long time. I can't say that they the most comfortable boot you can buy though.

[@kevinvasquez1843]

Bob, interesting winter here in Central Maryland. Hatched drones in a few colonies and lots of bees. Girls are fully committed to spring!

[@donotcare330]

Bob Binnie is one of the reasons why this industry keeps on pluggin away! He does a really good job! I think one of the things we should really put the USDA up to is getting some of this old world stuff back again from the Balkans, so we can improve our stocks again. Northern U.S. is suffering from stocks that cannot winter the months anymore, even under the most STERILE environments.

[@BucksBeesS.C.]

Im with you Bob im in Darlington S.C and my journals from 2012 say dont think its over cold weather is ????

[@farmer998]

look's to me like they are ready for top boxes

[@kevinz8867]

I am always blown away by how Bob handles these bees with no glove. I wear green nitrile gloves... and i ALWAYS jump if I get a bump from a bee unhappy with me.... so seeing how fast and 'rough' Bob and crew are with no gloves I wonder: do the bees bump and or sting? Maybe you guys are just used to getting stung?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We stung some but not as often as you might think and of course we are somewhat accustomed to it.

[@dianetaylor6751]

Thx for the video. Barn cats in heat in January. Mares in heat in early February. Sandhills by the thousands in the fields around us ( not to mention the bird watchers that act like they have never seen a bird before) for over a month. Robins showed up and paired off. Now nest building. My northern bees are telling me early spring too. And like clockwork my brain said winter hibernation was over about 10days ago and I started waking up between 5 and 5:30. So I am betting on that very early spring here in the north. It may bite me in the backside taking that bet but feeding 1:1 starting tomorrow. However I will leave my hives wrapped in black and not pushing the brood into the lower box yet. Just in case winter is still coming! Bob, Wanta wager anything as to whether I pull this off? Good odds you win.... winter never goes without a fight here! But if I win then I win big cuz folks have been lighting up my phone wanting nucs for 3 wks now. It's hard to turn down their dollars!!!!!

[@BellsBees]

Hi, Bob. Thanks for taking the time to do these videos. They are a big help. While you're equalizing do you replace over wintered frames that aren't drawn out well or at all with fresh waxed foundation? Or leave them in hopes of the bees drawing them out? Thanks, again.

[@bobbinnie9872]

We take most of the undrawn frames out in the fall and replace them with drawn comb from colonies that won't make it through winter. We may miss a few but not many. If we generate many undrawn frames we will apply new wax in late winter because they are almost always stripped of any wax they did have.

[@angelalott9370]

We get our 1st set of bees in may we are in Arkansas I can't wait

[@bobbinnie9872]

Good luck!

[@Mike.Graves]

As always, another excellent video Bob. I like watching your take on management practices. Just curious, since the spring build up is earlier this year, is it safe to assume the queens producers can get to you sooner?

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's possible with some I'm sure but the producer I'm using is staying on schedule. Our first queens for making nucs and packages arrive in two weeks.

[@robertburgin1688]

Hi Bob do you not find that your bees in your brood Haller's feel queen less and start to think about making cell's,? Or is it quick enough to not be a problem Thanks Rob UK

[@bobbinnie9872]

It's usually not a problem because they are usually cycling through within a few hours. Today we ended the day with three boxes of brood and they will be checked for newly started queen cells before being used tomorrow.

[@peterlightbody8443]

"Equalising " good topic for a chapter in the book, I noticed you mentioned in the interview with Duck River you started bees in 1981 , out of interest what did you before that .??? Peter 🇦🇺 Australia.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Peter. I lived in Alaska where I did an array of things including gold mining, hunting guide, taxi driver, mechanic and more.

[@jr5218]

Bob, I see your green drone frames but never see you dealing with them. Some say freeze the frames to kill the mites inside, what do you do with them? Thanks John

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi John. Freezing drone frames definitely helps but that's not why we use them. We like our worker comb to be as free of drone cells as possible. If the bees aren't given a place to make drone comb they'll put it in places I don't want to have it. Here's a link to our video about it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWOYpXRjjJyBbMk

[@markbooth8458]

Hello Bob. I do the drone trapping. In the spring to help with the varroa mites. I've been told from a very reliable source. If it's done properly. It reduces varroa mite population 72 per cent. The only thing it's labor intensive.

[@lenturtle7954]

I think the black pails would not decompose in the sun as fast as the white even though they are UV inhibited . The white ones get hard and brittle and need gentle handling to avoid cracking them when they are old And painting the black ones white may be a pain but worth it for longer lasting pails .

[@BeeBeorn]

I WANT SPRING!! Still like..5 weeks to go..Its a delight to see your bees but also painful..Weather prediction says 10 cm snow and -14C...Maybe book a trip to mr Noel ..

[@bobbinnie9872]

This too shall pass.😎

[@lenturtle7954]

A freind of mine put a long nipple on the pail with no screen and put the nipple thru the cover into a frame feeder so when the pail pumped the excess went into the feeder and at night when the pail cooled it would suck syrup before it got air thus reducing the amount of cold air in the pail . It slowed the syrup loss fr the pails heating during the day and put the syrup back in the feeder when the air in the pail warmed during the day

[@stevehenkel7117]

Do you take bees with the brood or just brood?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We also take the bees that are on the frame.

[@ncbeeguy]

Bob I'm coming up against the same problem strong colonies way ahead of last year , We are already into a strong nectar flow from Bradford Pears and dandelions. Your right beginning of Next week lows back around freezing and chilly daytime highs. Came across several colonies already packing their second deep with resources . I can see I'll have to keep an eye out for swarm cells. Like you we seem to be way ahead of last year here in Charlotte area. How soon are you going to have Queens ready LOL :)

[@bobbinnie9872]

Not in time for Charlotte I'm afraid.

[@christophersublett1037]

Everything is so early this year I can't help but think the flow will be too. Bob have you ever seen a year this early and if so, do you recall how it went? My biggest concern is a sharp late freeze do you worry about that with your smaller colonies?

[@matthewodom3543]

Bob, another great video, bees here in SC have been building fast also. Been having to stay on top of them to prevent swarming. I like that shirt Morgan was wearing, is that sold in your store or just for employees. I did't see shirts listed on the website .

[@bobbinnie9872]

Hi Matthew. Yes, you can call the store at 706 782 6722 to order.

[@andywhite9932]

Mr Bob. Thanks again. Question: when you were a beginning beekeeper, did your mouth water when you would see another beekeeper and all his equipment? Lol. Im old but mine still waters.

[@chuckgross6024]

Great video, awesome help! I'm hoping here in Iowa we start getting our spring early, or even on time this year. I have an off the wall question that I've been wondering for a while now, do you mow all your bee yards around the hives? I can only imagine the grass would get out of control if someone wasn't.

[@bobbinnie9872]

Yes, I'm lucky enough to have an employee that likes mowing and weed eating the yards. It keeps him busy in the summer.

[@rodrigogabrecht7945]

👏🤗💞

[@toprakanaciftligi8037]

👏👏👏

[@bobbinnie9872]

👍

[@saeedsalimbamerdah3594]

mr bob good evening, Individual bottom plate colonies are loaded by hand or using a forklift such as a “Harkins yard.”

[@bobbinnie9872]

Our colonies on individual bottom boards are rarely moved but when they are we do it by hand.

[@jtlearn1]

Will you be making nucs with all that brood? Walk away splits?

[@bobbinnie9872]

We will begin making nucs in two weeks but it will take some time to get through everything.

[@alanwiebelhaus8750]

Hi bob I appreciate your videos I decided to equalize hives this year. Before I just worked with the way they was but it caused to much work and a lot of double checking witch is strong and witch ones not. Worker bees are caped for about 2 weeks when equalizing brood how can I tell newly capped brood from older ready to emerge brood ? Other than chewing there way out Is it the color of the capping wrinkles in the cap ? When boosting a hive I’d like to put almost ready to hatch brood Thanks so much Alan

[@bobbinnie9872]

If we're not sure we just uncap a few cells and have a look.

[@nanachkhaidze7763]

Dear Bob. I wonder when it will be possible to start spring stimulation with sugar? How many degrees should the ambient temperature be? The main honey harvest begins on the first of May. Pollen is already in February. I want to do spring splits.

[@bobbinnie9872]

If feeding thin syrup for stimulation in spring we wait for our Maple tree pollen to start coming in. In our area that is late February to early March.

[@BigMatt99]

Why the brood frames in the over- wintered hives? I noticed the same in another recent video.

[@daleford5531]

Im in the N.W. oregon Washington..lots of rain. Then cold some sun. How do i feed single deeps to einter over? Ive been giving a deep of honey on top .and putting on man lake wintering covers .. and a foundant pattie ??

[@bobbinnie9872]

We make our singles very heavy before winter but usually have to feed in early spring. This year we will begin giving every single story colony fondant in mid winter through spring which might help. A deep of honey on top is a great way to feed through winter and we will be doing that with about 1/3 of our colonies this year. A fondant patty may not be needed with this extra box but it sure wouldn't hurt anything.