Follow up of the 14 year unopened top bar hive and consolidation of untended hives.

[@garyRt23Bees]

I leave the bands in. The gals will attach all that comb then they will remove the bands and haul them out the front of the hive. By then the combs are well attached to the frames. It is amazing how strong they are. I have seen a single bee take flight with a broken band she pulled out of the hive. I am sure that band outweighs her by a long shot!

[@JeffHorchoff]

For years I left the band in also, but now, if I go back and do an inspection and the comb is firmly attached, I will remove the bands as it makes the box so much cleaner and lessens the work load on the bees. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Gary. Mr. Ed

[@TheRealWeirdoC]

Those top-bar bees are fantastic. 14 years with zero human intervention, and they're still healthy, hygienic, productive, *and* docile. That's some great genetics going into the apiary. 🙂

[@JeffHorchoff]

I agree 100%, and in just a few weeks when I split these bees, I plan on bringing the split back with me to have some of those genetics in our yard. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Cory. Mr. Ed

[@billrobbins5874]

Did that camellia as a source of pollen help? ♥️

[@MERRLINN]

Wow! What a video.

[@JeffHorchoff]

And you are one heck of a supporter, thank you Larry. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@mountainchild97]

Can't wait to see the buzzworthy update on the 14-year unopened hive! Consolidating those untended hives sounds like the beekeeper's version of spring cleaning.

[@JeffHorchoff]

It was a lot more that just a simple "spring cleaning" going on with these hives, more like a major overhaul. Fortunately everything worked out great, other than the lose of one of the hives, and the hives are all in order and ready to get bigger. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

One heck of a job Jeff!!! Thanks!

[@JeffHorchoff]

My pleasure Rodney, it was a great day to do the work we needed to get done, and aside from the initial attacks, it went flawlessly. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@philaandrew100]

Happy to see the topbar girls doing so well. Praying that you have a nice early flow this year to make up for last years dearth. Looks I will be harvesting my Flowframes next week, less than a month after the last harvest! The Jarrah and Marri trees have outdone themselves this season and looks like they will still be flowering for another month at least. Probably will need to pull a few frames out of my Langstroth hive as well. Peace to you, Miss Mona and Charlie.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Your girls are kicking big time, congratulations! What an awesome feeling to be in such an abundant nectar flow...I certainly hope ours is as good. Thank you so much for your blessings, support, as well as taking the time to watch the videos, it is ALL greatly appreciated. God's peace Phil. Mr. Ed

[@ashantijackson8548]

Loving the the raw and unfiltered Mr.Ed...practice makes perfect. Great job gang

[@JeffHorchoff]

And what an honor to have you following along Ashanti, thank you for that. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@amfarmsllc5624]

JH, you are killing me throwing that wax on the ground! Nice video😜

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hello Amanda, so good to hear from you, it has been awhile and I hope all is well on the homestead. Normally I would be saving all that wax, but as I these were not my bees and I did not have a bucket with me to put it into, it went on the ground. Not to worry, when you see me working my bees in a few weeks, you will see it going into a bucket. I know it's a bit of a travel from Camden, but I will be speaking at the North Carolina Bee Conference in New Bern on March 7-9. Great hearing from you, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@WarmFuzzyVibes]

Jeff, y'all made my day talking about and bee rustling into a new hive sort of. It is kind of sad seeing dead outs and what is remaining. But 14 years being not tended, I guess you expect that. Well, thanks, Margaret, for saving these bees and with help from Jeff and Goodtime Charlie and your own brute strength with Prince Larry moving three of these monster tall hive boxes, there is hope for survival and new beginnings for these bees!😊And wear that bee suit!

[@JeffHorchoff]

One thing you can be reassured of when you are watching one of my videos, there will be some serious talking going on. It might not relate to anything, but there will be some laughing going on. It was a job getting the hives sorted out and ready to go into the new year, but it will make Margaret's job of taking care of these bees so much easier. You can count on another visit to Margaret's soon as the top bar hive will have to be split and a video will show us doing the job. God's peace Ruth. Mr. Ed

[@Jeff_and_Jenny_M]

Sorry to see Ms. Margaret getting stung! Those top-bar hive bees were the calmest and hope they multiply and fill some of those dead out hives with some great splits. Fun video. I really appreciate the banter between you, Ms. Margaret, and Good Time Charlie.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hey Jeff! Guess what? Your name got pulled and you are a winner. Contact me at oscelata@gmail so I can get your address to send you your prize. On yeah, if you check out the members only video I just posted, you will see what you won. One of the greatest parts of being a beekeeper is having fun with all the other beekeepers, and we are certainly doing that! Thank you so much for your extra support and for watching as well. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@Jeff_and_Jenny_M]

@@JeffHorchoff Wow! What a privilege and blessing. Thanks very much for doing that, Jeff. Just sent you an e-mail!

[@Maranatha_Homestead]

I love watching these types of hive management videos. Thank you!

[@JeffHorchoff]

And I'm delight to keep on making them for you to watch. Thank you for doing so. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@moniquehebert178]

I see flowers where you’re at and we have 4-5 feet of snow. Our winter just started not long ago in east coast Canada 🇨🇦.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Here in southeast Louisiana we see snow about once every 10 years...if we are lucky, and because our winters are so mild, our flowering trees and plants get an early start on blooming. It's a real bee's paradise. Stay warm! Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Monique. Mr. Ed

[@cynthiakranich8030]

thanks for the update on the top bar hive, Jeff! Glad they are doing well, and when you do splits, some will come to the abbey. They look like good bees. Maybe Margaret can configure some of those 8 frame boxes for swarm traps. We've still got snow out here in eastern Oregon, enjoyed the camellias in your part of the world.

[@JeffHorchoff]

When I split this hive, it will be coming back to the abbey with me. The genetics in this hive are awesome, and I'd love to have them mingling with the abbey's bees. Actually, Margaret gave all the equipment to a new beekeeper. Thanks for watching. God's peace Cynthia. Mr. Ed

[@jessicafairfax_Bens_Bees]

Another great video Mr. Ed. Love starting my Fridays with you and a cup of coffee. Good luck to Princess Margaret and her colonies. Thanks for sharing 🐝✌️🥰🌼🍯

[@dennisbarney869]

Looks like a lot of fun, I liked the way you rubber band the comb in the top bar hive removal , going to start doing it that way. Thanks for posting.

[@JeffHorchoff]

The rubber band trick is outstanding. I learned it from World Famous Mike Barry, and now I use it all the time. Happy to pass along some good info. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Dennis. Mr. Ed

[@gunlinebees.3831]

The top bar hive is moving along well it seems, another couple weeks and game on! Thanks for sharing and God bless.

[@JeffHorchoff]

That hive has some great genetics, and when we do the split, it's coming to the abbey with me. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace Tim. Mr. Ed

[@eternalbliss1168]

Just love your videos, I learn so much from them. So what you are saying is the bees didn't mind moving from their ranch house into a multistory lol. Thanks again look forward to the follow up.

[@JeffHorchoff]

What a delight to hear you enjoy the videos, thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to watch my videos. And don't worry, I'll bee making more. Until then next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@NolaSpiersMitchell-gu5iu]

Hi good time Charlie Mr Ed and Margret nice to see you all god bless

[@birdnest5814]

All the hives look good and strong. I enjoyed the video. Have a wonderful day, Mr Ed and God bless 🙏😊💕👏🤗👍

[@phillipduncan2497]

You made my day. You all are about 2 months ahead of us here in KC. It was 65 F on Wednesday and had light snow today. Looking forward to seeing more videos.

[@lorenrobertson8039]

Oh I couldn't handle the cockroaches...I have a major phobia against them. Yuck! Now lizards are cool! Poor bees just needed you to come help them survive Jeff and friends. I just finished watching the older video of the top bar hive. Neat that I can do that and binge watch for a bit. So glad to see the bees are thriving at Princess Margaret's! Blessings~

[@JeffHorchoff]

I hate roaches as well...except for when I get to squish them. Unfortunately, roaches and bees are found living together very often, especially here in Louisiana where roaches are as common as mosquitos. Happy to have you binge watching, thank you for that and your blessings. God's peace Loren. Mr. Ed

[@sheeara]

Just sending y’all a warm thank you from the coldest state in the nation.🤭I’ve been loving your channel and beeswax through so many seasons. Just wanted to thank you again. I’ve been watching in between getting through filmschool and was thinking of last time I wrote you. Excited to be done with my homework and liking your channel like we never skipped a bee.🤭I always appreciate the people I’ve learned from as I go. I’ve met so many exotic pet owners. It’s kinda fun to have seen you as the father of the bee’s and teaching us about your business. Thank you for for sharing so much kindness in the subtext. Back when the chickens were feeding on larvae I fell in love with what you do. I’m not sure I’d be a good owner but I thoroughly enjoy your show. I’ll be continuing to watch with my family. I always hope to shake your hand when I find my way to the South. For now, a dream, for my somedays. Wishing you all the best of health and hunting in the North. If you’re ever on tiktok you can see how I am. Either way, I’m just grateful to be here watching. So interesting and cool to me. Thank you for what you do and sharing the love of bees. ~Sheeara, Alaska

[@JeffHorchoff]

It is so great to have you following along with my bee wrangling adventures for such a long time. I wish you and your family all the best and look forward to the day when we can meet and shake hands. Thank you for all your kind words and support. Until the next time, God's peace Sheeara. Mr. Ed

[@brucekaminskimd3417]

Good Afternoon Mr Ed, What an awesome video. We sat down to watch it with lunch. You are very entertaining. Thank you. Ya'll have a wonderful weekend.

[@MikeBarryBees]

Princess Margaret walking that fine line between emerging brood and building comb. Good call Princess Margaret on getting those boxes soon. She shure has a lot of great drawn comb on hand now. That’s really great. Oh yea, you guys did good too…..best thing you did was get that top bar comb converted to lang frames. Top bars are terrible to work with in this heat down here, especially honey frames. They’ll attach it all just fine when the nectar flow gets heavier…

[@stevecorcoran9869]

Scotts Grubex is now finally listed as effective against hive beetles. We have been using it for a couple years now in our bee yards and it has been a night and day difference. We used to pop a lid and see at least 10-15 hive beetles and often by mid summer there would be beetles everywhere. Now, I may see 1 or 2 beetles in an entire hive and usually not even that & I have not seen a bunch of bees engaged in coralling hive beetles inside the hive like I used to.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I will be looking into it, thanks for the info and for watching. Until the next one, God's peace Steve. Mr. Ed

[@johnkese8953]

For a hive 14+ years to survive mites is something!!! And, that hive must have special genetics!. Any thoughts on how or why that hive was so strong? (If I don’t treat a hive, it’s very unusual to survive three years. )

[@JeffHorchoff]

In all of my 40 plus years of keeping bees, I have never treated a colony. do I have hives that die? All the time, yet my annual losses are almost ALWAYS smaller than the national loss, 35% this year. I also don't go into my hives and inspect them, I set the bees up, give them space, split them, and then collect my honey. I go into my hives only about twice a year, other than that, they are on their own. I figure they know a lot more about being a bee than I do so I give them a lot of latitude. However, I still collect my rent every summer...and if I'm lucky, a fall harvest as well. I will say this about these bees, they have some great genetics, and come splitting time, the split is going back to the abbey with me. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace John. Mr. Ed

[@johnkese8953]

@@JeffHorchoff THANK YOU for the comprehensive reply, Mr Ed! It is encouraging to read your bees are doing well without treatment. That’s is my goal, and I think everyone’s goal. I only have six to 8 hives spread over some 600 acres. (Keep them more for pollination than honey. I don’t harvest nothing but maybe six frames a year for friends who like honey…..I have bees cause I LOVE BEES). I sometimes times “test” if treatments make a difference, and treat 4 and leave 4 untreated……usually I lose 75% or all of the untreated over the winter, the treated hives have a 75% to 100% survival,if the treatment was done on a full year schedule. I feed my bees in the dearth and fall, if the stores are ,. I’m a subscriber, so enjoy your videos and LOT…. YOU’RE a fun guy to watch and at the some time learn something. KERP IT UP!!!

[@matthunt4512]

I really appreciate your video. That was very informative, showing your viewers how to restructure an active hive. The total segment was so easy to understand as well as your lovely personality. God Bless Thanks, Matt Hunt from Battletown Kentucky

[@JeffHorchoff]

Happy to have been as assist to those who could use the info, it is a real joy for me to share the little I know. Thank you so much for your blessings and for taking the time to watch the video. God's peace Matt. Mr. Ed

[@Ricardo_Veteran]

Thanks for the entertainment Jeff.

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are very welcome, and thank you very much for your service to this country and for defending it's rights. Also, thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Ricardo. Mr. Ed

[@MrBooMY3]

Awesome! Can't wait to drop by to visit. I'm glad I'm not allergic to bee stings.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'm ready whenever you get the chance, just let me know a day or 2 before hand. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@MrBooMY3]

@@JeffHorchoff We should be coming by some time tomorrow or the next day at the latest. I'll call the Abbey and leave a message for you with my number. My mom wants me to get a bee colony started. I wanted to get your input on what to buy. Currently have about $500 worth of stuff that I think we'll need but wanted someone who knows input on it.

[@chrissy24-7]

Just amazing that these bees have not gotten invaded or compromised, very strong. ❤

[@JeffHorchoff]

This group of bees is a very good one, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they will fair through the winter. God's peace Chrissy. Mr. Ed

[@strand4of8]

Hey Jeff. Thanks for the follow up on the top bar hive. The girls look great

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are very welcome Aaron, I knew there would be a lot of folks interested in finding out how the bees are doing since the removal. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@xman044]

I have gotten into the satisfying road of watching beeswax being rendered and watched your video on it 3 years ago which was CRAZY cause you had so much wax. This video informed me a lot about bees and about comb patterns which completely changed my perception on how they really work. Your videos are so funny and everything seems so light weight that it makes me happy that you are happy and lifts me up in spirit. Going down this bee video rabbit hole has led me here and i am glad 😊 🙏❤

[@JeffHorchoff]

What a great comment, thank you for your kind words and for you taking the chance to go down the rabbit hole. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@choochoo405]

interesting ... have an awesome day

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Nancy, and you have a great day as well. Thank you for watching and for your support. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@gunlinebees.3831]

@ChooChoo405 thanks again for the membership! We've enjoyed being apart of Jeff's community of members.

[@dlyall26]

You mean to tell me it's already spring there? I seen the flowers shoot it's starting to snow here in East Central Indiana.

[@JeffHorchoff]

It's such a joy being in the south where winters are mild and springs are early. We already have lots of trees with new leaves on them. It's spring time in the south. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@Phil_86]

Amazing that top bar hive is doing really well. It seemed to be alot of work reorganizing the shorter bee boxes into larger framed boxes. Haven't seen that many if any videos bee keepers using the short boxes or medium frame boxes. Thanks for sharing Mr Ed and Good Time Charlie!! God Bless you all!!!!

[@JeffHorchoff]

It was a real messy job that needed some serious consolidation, but we managed to succeed and get the job done correctly. Now the hives will be ready to have deep supers added for brood boxes. I'm looking forward to checking back in on these hives in another month. By then, the top bar hive will be ready to be split, and the split is going back to the abbey with me. Thank you for your blessings and support. God's peace Phil. Mr. Ed

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Cut out looks strong. Lots of good information. Thanks. Take care. God bless.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hey Garry, it was a lot of info, and a lot of work getting those boxes ready for this year. But, we got the job done and now we are ready. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@MrHDE-ex6xl]

Beautiful Louisiana Florals 🌺

[@JeffHorchoff]

I agree! I am so lucky to live in Louisiana where our winters are so mild we have blooming plants and trees almost all year long. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@eldenl1]

There are two types of camelias, those that bloom in the fall (Sasanqua) and those that bloom in the spring. That camelia is a spring bloomer.

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are correct, and our camelias are in full bloom right now. They are everywhere. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@chelsealeonard-v1z]

Thank you to Jeff and his merry bunch of bee wranglers. xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

[@kennith.]

Mr Ed, there were medium boxes that those med frames with brood on, were taken out of, why did you not reuse those boxes? Love these types of video. Thank you for sharing.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Because those were 8 frame boxes and we were moving the bees into a 10 frame box. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Kennith. Mr. Ed

[@jaygulotta7418]

Hey Jeff, good bee management as usual. I'm in Denham Springs and wouldn't mind buying those 8 frame boxes if Princess Margaret is willing to make me a deal. She can probably buy a few supers with the proceeds. Let me know!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Sorry to say Jay, but she has already given them to a new beekeeper, and they were delighted to receive them. Since you are so close, you should set it up with me to visit the abbey, I'd be more than happy to show you our operation if you'd like to visit. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@stanleygrover1685]

I just watched your lions face fountain video! Way cool!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thanks Stanley, and I hope you liked this video as well. Also, thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@captbriansbees]

Jeff, could that nectar in the strong hive come from robbing the other? Both my hives wintered with a medium and your video confirmed my plan for the years 1st deep dive. If I see brood in any medium frames I will add a Queen excluder until the brood hatches out. I’ve been busy this winter preparing for this year. I can hardly wait. God’s grace brother.

[@JeffHorchoff]

There really is no way to tell where the nectar came from, but it certainly could have come from the dead out hive. It is a great trick using the excluder to keep the queen down, just make sure she is below the excluder and not above it. I know all about prep, and I'm excite for the new year as well. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace Brian. Mr. Ed

[@Jackflash219]

That top bar appears to be doing just fine. The others should be just fine with some feed to kick start them into the nectar flows. I lost a couple of my nucs that were made late last year due to not being able to get out and feed for about 6 weeks. I did get into all of the remaining ones yesterday to make sure they are doing well though. Overall, I believe it will turn out to be a great year. God Bless, Jeremy

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hey brother, sorry I have not called, I promise I will try on the way home tonight. I really want to know how you are making out. Thanks for your blessings and for watching. God's peace Jeremy. Mr. Ed

[@brettellis1837]

Wow look at all the swarm bait in top box on top of frames and fram wax I would take all that out start from scratch check out kingdoms bees SA top way. To catch swarms pay to have a look.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Normally, when I go through our hives during splits, all bridge/burr comb that is removed from the frames and boxes are placed into a 7 gallon bucket and recycled. As I was not working our bees, and she had no container to put the comb in, it went on the ground. However, looking back, I should have saved it. God's peace Brett. Mr. Ed

[@wpankey57]

Great video Mr. Ed. Really enjoyed it - Bill

[@neilzehebtbauer5317]

Hi Mr. Ed, good to see the update of saving the old top bar hive, success. I'm looking for advice related to swarm catching that I haven't seen addressed. If you know of a hive in a tree or building that can't be removed, of which should naturally swarm. How would you place a swarm trap to catch the possible swarm, up close in the same tree or building or 50 feet or 50 yards away? What would you do? I have a couple of such opportunities come this spring and I'm looking for your seasoned expertise. Thanks for your time and videos 🐝

[@JeffHorchoff]

My suggestion, if you know where bees are, I would place several traps at various heights and distance from the known location. So what if you place 4 or 5 traps around the spot, I'm guessing that those bees are not the only ones in the neighborhood, after all, bees attract bees. Good luck on catching free bees and let me know how many you catch. Thanks for watching. God's peace Neil. Mr. Ed

[@raymondbrown867]

What would do Is put a queen excluder on deep and let the bees hatch out then remove it at a later date.put deep back on when done.

[@JeffHorchoff]

That is exactly the plan. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Raymond. Mr. Ed

[@redfish440]

Thanks for sharing Jeff, God Bless !

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are very welcome, and thank you so much for your blessings, support, and for taking the time to follow along with my bee wrangling adventures. Until the next one, God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@annettehawkins8467]

Great job! Awesome video! God bless you!

[@JeffHorchoff]

You must have been busy, it took you a while to watch this one. Thanks for all your support Annette, it is greatly appreciated. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@danhart6016]

VERY INFORMATIVE ONE OF THE BEST learning videos

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you very much Dan, and I'm delighted to share the info to help my fellow beekeepers. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@wranther]

A Princess and a Prince, the perfect opening for your fairy tale bee yard this morning Mr. Ed! What a beautiful setting y'all have for raising and enjoying the bees and the stingers. What type of blower blossoms were those on the tree back towards the video's opening? The only thing blooming up these parts is about 3 inches of snow from a couple days back! -Bob...

[@JeffHorchoff]

They are camilla bushes, very prevalent and prolific bushes that grow here in Louisiana. They come in dozens of varieties and colored blooms. Thanks for watching. God's peace Bob. Mr. Ed

[@wranther]

@@JeffHorchoff Y'all keep on making videos Mr. Ed, I sure am enjoying to watch, enjoy, and follow for more!!

[@infiltrator000]

Hello from a fellow Louisiana local! Love you guys!! 😂

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hello to you as well. If you live close enough and you are a beekeeper, make an appointment and come see our operation at the abbey, I'd be happy to give you guys a tour. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@williamhesbach4072]

Thanks for posting this. It's really nice seeing those blooms. We are coming onto Silver Maples in a week or two. Right now, skunk cabbage is out. There was a lot of manipulation that I wondered about. Unless there's a problem, why not let the bees manage the brood nest how they want it? Maybe my thinking Is too simplistic, but I always think the bees know more than I do.

[@JeffHorchoff]

My approach to keeping bees is a hands off method, I allow the bees to do what they feel best. However, in this situation, to manage honey and swarming, something had to be done about the configuration of the hives. The bees needed to be consolidated and honey boxes had to be removed in order to have swarming checked. Once the bees had been reduced to the proper box , they are now free to chose the direction they want to grow in. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace William. Mr. Ed

[@bosse1033]

Jeff, love your videos as always! This winter season has been hard, so I'm very excited to see what's up in my hives. It's still snow here in where I'm live in Sweden. Big Bee hugs

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'll take all your bee hugs for sure, and I hope the best for you and your gals. Thank you for your hugs and for watching. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@Brett-cv3jq]

If you leave a queen excluder during cold times, will the cluster leave the queen for food? She will not be able to follow them and might die from getting cold. I understand why you separated her from med boxes on the third hive. Great video .

[@JeffHorchoff]

I had considered the possibility of getting cold weather and splitting the cluster, but because of the number of bees in the box, the age of the brood, and the mildness of our winters, I guessed the queen would be ok on the cold nights. I'll know for sure in a few weeks when I go split the hives and see if my guess was good or bad. Glad you liked the video, thanks for watching. Also, I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Brett. Mr. Ed

[@bigears270]

You can see the queen starting at 33:11! She is on the frame still in the box facing the camera. On the bottom left side 1/4 of the way from the end

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'l love to have you out there with us when we are doing inspections, you have some great eyes! Thanks for pointing her out and for watching the video. Also, I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace

[@raystevens687]

Hi Jeff hay I was wondering do Bees 🐝 get any pollen from pine trees 🌲. I have 8 large pine trees in my back yard and they shoot green pollen into the air.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Yes they do, I saw them last year working the young longleaf pines last year. God's peace Ray. Mr. Ed

[@davetaylor4744]

Those 8 framers should make good swarm traps. Im trying just that, Im going to put an empty medium on the bottom until they move in, then remove it, or put it on top as a feeder. You can then move'm to the bee yard and add 2 frames on the outside, and reuse these as swarm traps again. easier and lighter to move an 8, and you have more time to breathe than you would with a 5 frame trap. Never waste good equipment even though you might like 10's better.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Using 8 frame boxes as a swarm trap is a great idea, and I agree, a lot lighter and smaller than using a 10 frame configuration. Let me know how you make out with your swarm captures. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Dave. Mr. Ed

[@stevecorcoran9869]

It hurts me to see all those supers still on hives in the winter when the bees have drawn way down. Perfect opportunity for wax moths. That one hive is why we always try to keep several deep frames of capped honey in the freezer. Quick honey boost for a hungry hive in late winter.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I'm with you, by November I'm down to 2 deep supers and that's what the hive will go through the winter with and be ready for spring time splits. God's peace Steve. Mr. Ed

[@claudemirhonorio6354]

Hello Mr Ed, muito boa noite, que manejo formidável esse em,.muita caixa pra pouca abelha, agora o apiario vai em,parabéns pelo vídeo, que DEUS abençoe a todos. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@MrYisc]

As always a very nice video. One question is left unanswered for me, why does the excluder keep the queen from moving up, while it won't stop the other bees from doing so?

[@JeffHorchoff]

The entire purpose of an excluder is to prevent the queen from traveling to a honey box and laying eggs in the honey super. Of course, it is also used for other purposes but primarily to keep her out to the honey box. The reason she can't pass through and all the other bees can is because her abdomen is so swollen due to the fact she lays eggs. All the other bees just pass between the gaps. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@MrYisc]

@@JeffHorchoffThanks for your answer, all clear to me now. I follow all your bee adventures and very much enjoy them.

[@wadebarnes6720]

And that is why they could move them

[@carolewarner101]

Great video! One thing I don't understand is why you didn't use some of the shallow supers from that dead out to put those shallow frames in on that good hive. They were just sitting there behind you all cattywampus at the end of the video. I think I did hear at one point that someone saw a moth. Were there wax moths in those or ??? So, why didn't you use a couple of those to put those shallow frames in that had brood in them? Thanks.

[@JeffHorchoff]

They were different sizes. Those were 8 frame boxes and we were putting the bees into 10 frame boxes. Unbelievably, none of the comb had wax moth in them, they were just to old or not built out enough. Thanks for watching. God's peace Carole. Mr. Ed

[@carolewarner101]

@@JeffHorchoff OH, so they were the right depth, but only 8 frame boxes not 10...got it! Cool.

[@apveening]

About removing rubber bands, I recommend you start by removing the one the bees already chewed through. EDIT: Saw a loose rubber band on top of one of the lower frames as well, also available for removal.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Another great suggestion, thank you for that and for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@kimberlyjeanne9456]

I wondered what happened to the rubber bands over time but I didn't think the bees chewed through them haha

[@apveening]

@@kimberlyjeanne9456 They will not only chew through them, they will also drag them out of the hive.

[@rachelwilliams4423]

can u put the frames threw the extractors spinney due and get the uncapped honey out of it to feed back to the bees

[@JeffHorchoff]

Though the frames of honey could have been spun out and fed back to the bees, it was much simpler to just put the comb in the hives and let them feed out of that. The hive that needed the honey has been fed a steady diet of heavy sugar water to keep them going until our nectar begins to flow in just a few weeks. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Rachel. Mr. Ed

[@KDVoller]

Now that was cool..

[@JeffHorchoff]

Happy to hear you enjoyed the video Karen, thank you for your support and for watching. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@8pumpkin18]

I'm looking for some info on those rubberbands. Where from, size, what they are made of.? God Bless!

[@JeffHorchoff]

I order them from Amazon. Here's what they are: Rubber 27405 Advantage Rubber Bands Size #117B, 1 lb Box Contains Approx. 200 Bands (7" x 1/8", Natural Crepe) , Beige. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Phillip. Mr. Ed

[@phillipriggs3375]

Thank You @@JeffHorchoff I do watch you past and present, mostly because of how close you are to me. Houston Texas, i may be able to face to face with you, and your peoples. Also the cut outs. It is very essential we see wild bees. Ask Mr. Dunn one of my other YToob mentors.

[@Joeybagofdonuts76]

Princess Margaret's bees are feisty. 😂

[@JeffHorchoff]

They got all of us in the beginning, but calmed down drastically during the inspections. Drive safe brother. God's peace Shawn. Mr. Ed

[@lamonthodges8805]

Jeff, you get your bees from all over,with different locations the bees are making different tasting honey from the different plants.has there ever been any problems? Or nobody ever notice? Whats your favorite honey?from what blooms? All I get in s.e. Idaho is wild flower honey.not really a fan.like the honey butter better.let me know.bless you and yours lh.

[@JeffHorchoff]

The taste of honey will vary due to the source of nectar. You can have two hives sitting next to each other and the honey that comes from them will taste completely different. Why? Because the hives were not gathering nectar from the same source. My favorite tasting honey has to be sourwood. God's peace Lamont.

[@mannyporras2660]

Jeff, I have some questions with regard to a beehive swarming. When a swarm occurs do any nurse bees join the swarm? I am assuming that even a small swarm occurs that there has to be a certain amount of Forage (older bees) to help restart the hive.

[@JeffHorchoff]

My guess is that both nurse bees and field bees leave with a swarm. After all, they need both to get the new colony up and running. Since forage bees are to old to produce wax, and the colony needs a lot of wax builders to make comb, and nurse bees are to young to forage, both are needed for a swarm to survive. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Manny. Mr. Ed

[@mannyporras2660]

@@JeffHorchoff , thanks

[@JoseOrtiz-zb7gq]

Awesome

[@JeffHorchoff]

Awesome hearing from you again Jose, I hope all is well. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@JoseOrtiz-zb7gq]

@JeffHorchoff sorry I have not been watching for a while. I have had to deal with som very bad news. My son LTCDR in the NAVY was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Let me tell you that stress is real. I have gone from 235 to 202 in a few months. I would ask a favor of you , if you don't mind. Please ask the monks and church members if they could say a prayer 🙏 for my son Steven , I would forever appreciate it, because through God all is possible. Ty

[@maitredojam1129]

Hello from Belgium Mr Ed, what's the size of your rubber bands that fit Langstroth frames please? (I'm not familiar with English)

[@JeffHorchoff]

I buy them from Amazon, and they are 7 inch X 1/8 inch rubber bands. They come in a box of 200 for about $10 US. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@retiremann1031]

I was wondering since there was enough brood, honey and nectar (and obviously, nectar flow) would it have been possible to make a split? Also I have seen dark brood before. Why is the brood darker? Thanks great video. God bless!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Still a bit early to make splits, not enough drones to mate with a virgin queen. To me, the capped brood looked a normal color, the comb however is a different story. In my opinion, it needs to be rotated out. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@michaeldiels9963]

Mr . Ed, I am a new bee keepers. I have 2 hives that I started mid may of 2023. This was a feral swarm I caught. I spent all last summer replacing queens on the 1 hive. Today I checked the hives for the first time this year since the weather was do bad up til now. That same hive is struggling and again queen less. I'm almost ready to shake the hive and start over. Do you have any suggestions that I should try before I give up on them? Should I maybe combine the hives or will they kill the other Queen as well, I believe they would but I'm not sure.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I am of the opinion that a struggling hive is not worth the effort to keep resuscitating it. Once yes, but more than twice, no. It just needs to pass on. I would not even try to mere it with another colony as whatever may be wrong with it may pass that along to the hive it was merged with. Understand, this is what I would do in the situation, I am not saying this is the path you should go down. The good news is that you caught the bees in a swarm so very possibly you can catch another one to replace it. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Michael. Mr. Ed

[@michaeldiels9963]

Yes sir Mr Ed, I watch your videos and Randy as you know DirtRooster, Mike Barry, as well as a few others . Yours and DirtRooster mostly. I appreciate your info and I agree with you. Mostly wanted to make sure I was making the right choice. Again thank you!

[@MrSimoesrui]

Camélia sinencis? The tree on the beginning?

[@JeffHorchoff]

It was a camellia bush, but the exact species I am not sure of...very beautiful plants and their blooms provide a nectar and pollen source for bees when there are not many plants blooming. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@fincarosa6767]

Question, can you bring Beatles or mites back to your hive, on your clothes or bee suit? Tia

[@JeffHorchoff]

Though I'm sure it is possible, but to my knowledge, it has never happened or I was not aware of it. Still, I think the likelihood of that happening are very remote. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Tia. Mr. Ed

[@edwardclark5211]

Dream Big brother 🙏

[@evanhofmeyr-tg1gl]

Hi mr Ed

[@donbearden1953]

Mr Ed, those colonies are looking great! Sometimes I will put a med frame in a deep box and when they draw the med out to the depth of a deep it will be drone cells. It’s a good way to look for mites in the drone brood on the bottom of the med instead of putting a green drone frame in a hive. Just call me “El Cheapo”. lol

[@JeffHorchoff]

I actually had considered doing that, but I just kills me to have the bees draw out all that beautiful comb and then just cut it off. Hey, I wrote the book on being cheap. God's peace Don. Mr. Ed

[@apveening]

@@JeffHorchoff See it as increasing your wax storage.

[@DataPilot370]

Why can’t you shake bees off of brood? Will shaking harm them directly or indirectly?

[@JeffHorchoff]

The bees on the brood maintain the temperature keeping the brood alive. For that reason I do not shake them from those sections of comb. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@hopeolejniczak4362]

I have 2 top bar hives. I live in WI and they don’t make it thru the winters. What do you recommend for over wintering them?

[@JeffHorchoff]

I am a very big believer in insulating hives, and even though I live in south Louisiana and our winters are very mild, I strongly believe an insulated hive gives an added layer of protection to a hive going through winter. When I built my long hive, I built it with a R13 value all around. Possibly you can look into that as a way to help the next bees in your top bar. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Hope. Mr. Ed

[@WarmFuzzyVibes]

I think I have the outro memorized by now: "Thanks for watching. Keep on watching. And we'll be making more. God bless!" 😂

[@JeffHorchoff]

Great! That way, when you are called upon to say it some time in the future, there will bee no hesitation and everyone will know you watch my videos. Thank you so much for your blessings, your support, and for watching. God's peace Ruth. Mr. Ed

[@OneOfDisease]

Why didn't you add an excluder on that top bar hive?

[@JeffHorchoff]

Because the hive will be split in just a few weeks, no excluder is inserted so the queen will be allowed to go between the two boxes laying eggs. I need eggs in both boxes to make a split. Thanks for asking and for watching. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@EfrataHoneyBees]

varied & informative

[@JeffHorchoff]

So happy to hear you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Ernest. Mr. Ed

[@bligon11]

Do the bees chew the rubber bands?

[@JeffHorchoff]

Yes they do, but often I will go back after the comb has been firmly attached to the frame and remove it myself. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Becky. Mr. Ed

[@martenapperloo1055]

Lol ya I did see her before you 2nd from last frame

[@JeffHorchoff]

You have some awesome eyesight. I sure would love having you around when I do inspections. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Marten. Mr. Ed

[@martenapperloo1055]

@@JeffHorchoff I dont always comment, but I watch a lot of your videos, always enjoy you and Good time Charley doing your bee wrangling, Gods blessings on you and Charlie, keep on wrangling.

[@jkd0114]

Lesson # 1 do not stand in front of the hive. Still can’t believe you didn’t put the top bar bees in a new top bar hive body!

[@JeffHorchoff]

As you can tell, we are still having problems with lesson one, but you have to admit, it was funny. It would have been a lot easier to put the comb into a new top bar instead of transferring the comb, but I had no idea of the measurements of the bars to build a box. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@jkd0114]

@@JeffHorchoff measuring tape?

[@larrycarson6584]

I could use some 8 frame suppers.

[@JeffHorchoff]

The new beekeeper that got the equipment was delighted to receive such a nice gift. Now they are waiting to put bees in them. Thanks for watching. God's peace Larry. Mr. Ed

[@Woolwonga2388]

❤ sweet wife gets stung

[@JeffHorchoff]

In truth, we ALL got stung. Another great day of bee wrangling! Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Tricia. Mr. Ed

[@nguyensuôlcamau]

Quá hây rồi bạn ơi ❤❤like 🎉🎉👏🤝🛎

[@apveening]

Please don't discard bridge comb on the ground near the hives, it will make the SHB situation much worse.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Very good reminder, thank you for doing that and for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@banjoboy8802]

Jeff Why do you feed bees with sugar water and not honey?

[@JeffHorchoff]

When I have the honey I feed it to the bees, and when I don't they get sugar water. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@MrNungaroo]

Was going to say not a good place to stand🤔

[@JeffHorchoff]

At first they were not bad, but it changed pretty quickly. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@karinjohnson6649]

"Casualty"! 😄

[@lavenderbridges]

hahahaha. 3 minutes in and I am giggling like a donkey eating sugar cubes! ;)

[@JeffHorchoff]

Now that's a happy donkey! Happy to put a smile on your face, it's one of the things I try to accomplish with my videos. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Bobby Jo. Mr. Ed

[@outsidedog1535]

Who won the extruder?

[@JeffHorchoff]

The winner of the extractor was Haley Betz. Then, John Hill threw in another 2 winners, one for a $150 gift card, Art Monk, and another gift card for $75 and that was won by Bill Faraone. Thank you so much for entering and for watching my videos. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@donaldwycoff4154]

Any idea why two hives died, right next to each other? That seems ... spooky.

[@JeffHorchoff]

There was only 1 dead out. The other 3 hives had bees in them. All the other bee boxes that were out there were placed there by Margaret for parts for us to use during the reconfiguration and investigation. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Donald. Mr. Ed

[@donaldwycoff4154]

Been watching your channel for a few years. Wife buys honey from you to gift me on my birthday. Love your channel!@@JeffHorchoff ps: Just this morning, our neighbor gave us a jar of honey from the bees in his yard hive. Odd thing to me: the bees vacate the box for a few months, then return. That, or they move out, and months later another swam moves in. In any event, the honey is nice. I live in the redwoods, thought that might change the flavor, but I didn't detect anything out of the ordinary. Just thought I'd share.

[@jasonjohnson1984]

Hey Mr. Ed are you still having the bet with dirt rooster I know that I believe last year yall didn't due to him pollinating o yea tell momma Ed that I am very late of saying happy birthday

[@JeffHorchoff]

Yes, each year the Rooster and I have our swarm challenge, and this year will be no different. Last year we tied, 21 each. That is very kind of you to think of my mom, thank you, but mom passed away in February of 2022 just 4 days after her 96th birthday. Thanks for watching. God's peace Jason. Mr. Ed

[@cathymontgomery7295]

My beesuit is my friend.

[@JeffHorchoff]

So is mine, and I wear it all the time, just not on an intro. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my bee wrangling/ bee rescues adventures and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Cathy. Mr. Ed