Going Through Some ABANDONED BEES | 1ST Hive INSPECTION in 6+ YEARS! WOW!!!

[@brucesbees]

This was a fun day! Thoughts on the strength of these colonies? What about the colony with the queen excluder? I’d love to see what you think. What would you have done differently?

[@poppopsapiaries9061]

That was too cool going through some long-neglected hives. I'd bet a hive tool you had two queens, one below the excluder. With as many queen cells you found I'd probably left for more equipment, nuc boxes specifically, and made a few more splits. I cut down a few nuc boxes to the depth of a medium super and mix or match honey and brood from a full-size colony for those times I find queen cells on medium frames. What a fun day!!!

[@brucesbees]

Yes that would have probably been a good idea. I am interested to see how they do. Thanks for checking in. It was definitely a great day!

[@downunderfulla6001]

I think they might have had a drifting queen enter a top hole allowing 2 queen’s in the hive. Honestly I can’t think of any other excuses.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for the input. Could be what happened. Good stuff!

[@BESHYSBEES]

@@downunderfulla6001 I’ve had one queen using two seperate colonies on one pallet, didn’t believe it til I saw her crawl out and into the other box I couldn’t find this queen emptied it 4 different times had everything in it brood the lot but never a queen had me stumped til bout 11am one morning seen her painted thorax go out and into the box next door, I’ll never cease to be amazed by them

[@Jobobn1998]

Man, if you had those hives going untended for 6 years, you've got some solid genetic diversity going on. Clearly they've got good foraging traits, parasite resistance--those are keepers in my book.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I agree! Coo stuff!

[@shroomiestshroom3655]

might not be the original bees that were put in there though, no one has visited to actually confirm its the same bees year after year, the first hives might have died out after a year and these may have moved in a year or 2 later, still worth keeping either way.

[@brucesbees]

Could be true.

[@HepCatJack]

If no one was there to take their honey, they had a higher quality food to thrive on.

[@shanehammock6567]

If you assume each bee survived a maximum of 90 days you could assume about 24+ generations of thriving genetic diversity. Kind of amazing

[@lisamcnair9420]

Been beekeeping 10 years and have had 2 times where bees moved in to stacked boxes with queen excluders. You definitely have 2 queens. Bees are extraordinary creatures, when you think you know it all they surprise you with something else.

[@brucesbees]

You speak the truth 100%. They are incredible. Thanks for weighing in!

[@mruppity64]

the thing I love the most about this video is how polite the observer is

[@brucesbees]

Yes it was a lot of fun!

[@mruppity64]

@@brucesbees can I ask about the blue gloves - are they sting proof?

[@brucesbees]

I am not sure if they are dying proof, but they looked to be pretty tough. They were Ron’s gloves. Mine were not as thick and I occasionally get a sting through them but it is rare.

[@mrtraumaboyy4098]

@@mruppity64 No stings so far

[@ammievdm8190]

Yes sir, no sir. Really special.

[@matthewb8229]

A couple years ago, I helped a friend, well, he let me help, harvest honey from his four hives. It was an amazing expirience, and the reward of a big piece of comb, and a quart jar of orange and lemon blossom honey was so worth it.

[@brucesbees]

Yes it is quite an experience and it really is incredible what bees are able to produce!

[@oldcountryman2795]

Bees have been “keeping” themselves for millennia.

[@brucesbees]

Yep. You’re right.

[@bobjob3632]

Wild bees sure. These were domesticated ( weakened) then managed to go back wild. I’m impressed !!

[@Under-Kaoz]

@@bobjob3632 bugs aren't like mammals. They don't domesticated as easily.

[@EagleSoul]

@@Under-Kaoz Apis mellifera🐝

[@EagleSoul]

Exactly!!! They don't need us,never did. Humans just enslaved them.

[@aricibayraktarkardesler_NL]

Nice to see how fellow beekeepers in other countries are working. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@brucesbees]

Wow thanks for checking in!

[@JimLaddie]

When a virgin queen goes off to get mated and there is an excluder on the hive, there's no guarantee that she will use the same entrance when she returns. Thus; two queens.

[@S_A_D.]

💪🐝🦂🐜🪲🐞🦗🕷🪳🕸

[@lc4life369]

That's exactly what I was thinking happened. But then I was thinking maybe there is no entrance in the bottom one and that's why he was so confused how it happened. Do you know what the purpose of this queen excluder would be though? I'm not a beekeeper. Just like to watch the videos. Bees are so interesting to me

[@brucesbees]

I’m sure the queen excluder was placed on there years ago for honey production and then just never removed.

[@Namename34567]

Ain't Ron just the most polite gentleman? Love seeing you to tackling this situation, and to see him taking the time to learn

[@brucesbees]

Ron is the best!

[@Redipstick]

What’s really great is having an experienced beekeeper teaching a new beekeeper! I have had a great mentor for the past two years and am hoping to mentor myself. The best way to learn! 🐝

[@glorianelson6468]

Awesome. Can't believe that they been alone all these years and still so healthy and strong.

[@brucesbees]

It was amazing!

[@ARUCARDFTEPES]

"Nature finds a way"

[@CrazyIvan865]

That tend to happen in the absence of human interference.

[@AVIONN2]

These are prime bees for cross Beeding they have to be insanely resiliant to weather to survive hurricane michael what looks to be completely unscathed. Gotta keep those genetic around.

[@brucesbees]

I agree. Thanks for checking in!

[@butchcassidy3373]

I've transported bees from Florida to Minnesota on a flatbed. Loved watching people freak out at rest areas and scale houses. I love em and think they're cool. Wanting to start keeping myself

[@brucesbees]

Yes they are cool

[@louloubeanss1347]

My vote is on 2 queens. I mean with all those queen cells it's not a far fetched idea. Beautiful hives. Im terrified of bees but respect them and it brings me joy to see such healthy bees (as long as they're at least 30 feet away from me! Lol ☺)

[@brucesbees]

I hear ya and I agree. Thanks for checking in!

[@tamijocampbell4629]

I dont know anything about bees except that I'm deathly allergic to them, but I was amazed those boxes were left alone for years and are very healthy boxes completely FULL of bees. That was amazing. It's so cool you guys separated them off so they dont get over crowded

[@brucesbees]

Yes it was a fun experience.

[@neilspell8727]

As a new beekeeper, I would hope the bees know what to do. As I understand it, they usually won't "abandon" a home, but usually split. With a large enough colony size, the left over bees will be just fine. (And the split will be healthy, too.) You just don't want a split (swarm) to happen in a residential neighborhood where they might get in somebody's attic.

[@brucesbees]

Wouldn’t be a problem here. Those bees are way out in the country.

[@WhatsTheBuzz]

About a week ago, I discovered an abandon hive that dated back to about 2002, almost 20 years. I thought it was a swarm that moved into old equipment but it turned out to be an old active hive. The bottom super was half rotted into the ground with one side missing. The top super was so propolised that none of the frames could be pried loose. Ended up cutting an end off with a circular saw and opening it like a book. I was amazed they survived on their own for that long! There were 4 hives buried under wild rose bushes. The other three were basically dust with only the metal cover. This one, the wood on the upper super was well preserved on the inside by the bees. It's going to be a lot of work straightening things out but an interesting challenge! Long story short, a prior neighbor kept bees back then but abandon them by burying them under all his lawn waste. Taped it, but it's going to take a while to edit.

[@brucesbees]

Wow what a story. Be sure to send me the link.

[@brucesbees]

Just found your channel and subscribed.

[@hot_pony_unicorn]

Amazed they survived on their own?! Lol bees don’t need humans that’s for sure

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in but keep in mind that this was 3 hives out of probably 30 plus that had been there. So the survival rate was not very good. But these were fun to see and work with.

[@edmartin875]

@@brucesbees True but that is the way genetics work. Win the genetic lottery and you get to stick around longer than those who lose.

[@Differ220]

I think its amazing of how many bees there are. All I see is that they are probably going to be really happy to get more space

[@brocone1846]

She walked in the front door then left out the back door. Went to the basement. I would love to have that strain of bees in my personal Arsenal.🐝

[@stephenayers4226]

I'm glad I found this video. My brother passed several years ago the bees have not been worked. I plan to replace the bottom box on two hives and move the hives about thirty feet over so I can clean the ground and put them back where they were on concrete blocks. The wood has broken and the hives are tilted.

[@brucesbees]

Oh man I am sorry for your loss. I hope things work out for you with the bees.

[@aflatminor]

I've never kept bees and am scared shi**ess of them but find these video's enthralling!! 👍😎😎😎

[@brucesbees]

Awesome! I am glad you enjoy them from afar. Beekeeping is definitely not for everyone!

[@beebop9808]

Bees do very well when they are left alone and not constantly broken into. Those are good bees and will likely calm a little when they get used to having someone around. I wouldn't have bees that aren't a little feisty. They take care of their hives and deal with the mites and beetles much better.

[@brucesbees]

Survivor bees such as these are incredible, but there were only 3 survivor colonies out of probably 25 or 30. It would be awesome if all bees were the tough.

[@beebop9808]

Survival of the fittest brother. How it has to be. If they can't cut it on their own let em go. Those will make some great bees to build from.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I agree. I think it is possible to be treatment free but really can’t afford to lose most of my bees year after year to achieve that goal. I am thinking about setting up a “treatment free” beeyard in a remote area to play with the idea of it. Maybe buy some Jodi queens and some more Beeweaver queens for starters to see what happens. Would be cool to have a good treatment free stock of bees. But will continue to treat a majority of my need for now because I simply can’t afford to lose most of them. I think some of my bees are pretty tough but I also lose a few each year.

[@dodopson3211]

@@brucesbees have them breed with these survivor bee drones to introduce good genes? Gradually reduce treatment (amount of times, not volume used); those who perform worse discontinue their genetics and replace with queens from better hives (when it's time to replace queen), but do increase treatment levels for those bees to avoid making resistant pests. Continue to reduce treatments until you get to a point the bees can take care of themselves. Not sure how feasable it is because treating less often also can results in pest adaptability (although in plants susceptible crops are grown as sacrificial plants in order to keep the pests mixed enough to not become immune to the used pesticides).

[@brucesbees]

Interesting information and ideas. Thanks for your input!

[@theejects7603]

I had a beehive abandoned on my fathers farm - just a few boxes which were awkward to get to , not part of our main hives, so they ended up getting left for many years. They were still healthy right up to the point some poor cow ended up knocking them over and likely regretting it.

[@brucesbees]

Wow that’s amazing. Good stuff!

[@seigedrakonera5689]

My family rescued 12 boxes of bees that were abandoned for almost 4 years. 30 we're dumped but only 12 we're left. But we rescued them as the new owners of the property just wanted them gone an only giveing less than a week for them to get re-homed an we were the only ones who responded in time. Went from our first hive to 13 hives in a two years! But they are so hardy.

[@brucesbees]

Great story. Thanks for sharing!

[@drewdemien481]

Hey, very nice. I like bees a lot too.

[@Nick-jr6qe]

I’m gonna assume that was a double queen hive.

[@brucesbees]

I think you are probably right about that

[@autumnmiddleton3869]

Considering they’re separated by the queen blocker, would it be two hives?

[@brucesbees]

I think that is probably right. We didn’t see a queen but I am thinking there were two.

[@S_A_D.]

Quadruple

[@dalton6526]

Ron Is a very cool and respectful guy! Keep it up Ron! You the man!

[@MarionMakarewicz]

Very interesting video. In the midst of all the FUD about bees to see them soldiering on without our help is a good sign.

[@gmichaellong]

Such a great video. Good job. Amazing bees!

[@smartdog107]

Thanks for rescuing them!! We need ppl like you to make sure they survive!!!!!!! 👍👍 🇺🇸

[@brucesbees]

It was a good day. Thanks for checking on!

[@bobjob3632]

These bees didn’t need any rescue !! You re giving this man too much credit this time.

[@trenchantsometimes5149]

What I wouldn't give to find abandoned bees......in hives...what blessing.

[@howardcornwell9841]

Two separate colonies! In one hive! They keep surprising me👍

[@brucesbees]

I think you are right! Bees are amazing for sure!

[@TheKellisunshyne]

Very interesting video guys. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@brucesbees]

Thanks! It was a good day!

[@larryschoenberger7957]

Definitely anxious to see a follow-up, it's early enough in the year you all may want to make a few more splits, just so he will have some busy work😊

[@costacheliviumarian2516]

mite free strong colonies that are some realy good genetics , i dont belive that swarming kept them alive 6 years, i wish to work with that kind of bees, all the best from romania

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for your input. Maybe a combination of different things. Whatever the case it was an amazing experience.

[@jernealalfonso6425]

Yes sir....... A

[@brucesbees]

Thanks so much for checking in!

[@georgiashep7587]

I love spiders, scorpions, snakes, and the kind of animals that people are usually scared of, but I've been terrified of bees ever since I can remember. My body locks up whenever a bee or a wasp comes near me and I panic, but these videos are so interesting and I can't stop watching. Great video!

[@brucesbees]

That’s interesting. Thanks for checking in!

[@Nirrrina]

They freak me out too. I just end up freezing until I know where exactly they are. Then I run. But I have seen a few fuzzy bumble bees in my area that are very quiet & slow. I even had one share a bit of my orange soda once. Another kept getting in my way as I was about to work on refinishing a stool. So I gently caught it in a can & took it quite a few feet away. But these are the only ones that didn't send me running.

[@mrtraumaboyy4098]

So excited to be an official beekeeper now. Having a pro like Bruce come down and help me get started is a blessing I will always be thankful for.

[@brucesbees]

It was a lot of fun. You have to keep me posted. Thanks for the invite!

[@matthewklump7586]

Mr Traumaboyy I would be getting boxes and frames rounded up. Going to get busy fast. I would probably get some swarm traps up around there too. Chances are it's going to get crazy before you are able to get them under control. Awesome start though

[@brucesbees]

Yes busy days ahead!

[@matthewklump7586]

Still snow on the ground here, hell were still ice fishing.These videos really get me motivated

[@brucesbees]

Yuck. Y’all can have that cold weather.

[@lukeeagles1756]

Last spring I picked up a 53' trailer load of bees at Koppert in Howell, MI and took them north of Saguenay, QC to some Blueberry fields. The temperature was kept low to keep them mostly inactive inside the boxes and I had to open the rear doors every 3 hours for 15 minutes. They absolutely have a smell, and once I arrived and turned the reefer off the buzzing was pretty intense. The border crossing was pretty funny between Detroit and Windsor. Live bees, live pollinating bees. Had to say it a couple times.

[@brucesbees]

I imagine it is pretty intense hauling a semi truck loaded with bees.

[@lukeeagles1756]

@@brucesbees getting up every 3 hours for 15 minutes was the worst part. The customer was tossing them onto a open trailer behind his truck so I guess I was the luxury ride there.

[@JohnElHanafi]

Awesome video! Love my hives and Love bees!

[@kevinbaker6168]

Reminds me of when I was a boy. In the fall my Dad would help friends in robbing the wild bee hives on their farms. I hate now to think that those bees may have perished due to their food being taken before winter, and the loss of their hive. Most of them were in old hollow trees or in the walls of old houses.

[@brucesbees]

It is possible that happened but depending on the times of year they were robbed they may have been able to replenish the supply. If there is a good nectar flow the bees will often pack away much more honey than they need so robbing them can actually be a good thing. If the bees were there year after year then what they did was probably fine and maybe even a benefit. Good stuff…thanks for checking in!

[@jackiesiple518]

Very interesting. Enjoy Ron becoming a bee keeper.

[@brucesbees]

Yes it is fun stuff.

[@mrtraumaboyy4098]

Thank you!!

[@stevenjones1700]

Didn't think i would watch a 19 min of two guys handling bees..and i was wrong. Great video, bees remind me of the military for some reason.

[@VadimDrevenchuk]

Love it!! Good sense of humor.. 👍 Beekeeping is a art and a craft. But I give them a lot of credit trying to unglue them apart. Every sudden movement of the hive aggravates them 🐝

[@lcarus42]

"Thats a real fancy hive tool. I dont know where mine is..." And thats why I dont have fancy hive tools

[@brucesbees]

Yeah it’s pretty cool. I usually just use the standard tool.

[@lcarus42]

@@brucesbees I wont lie, that tool has been in my shopping cart a few times. But for how many I've lost, I cant pull the trigger.

[@mrtraumaboyy4098]

I still have not found Bruce's tool. I saw it fall on the ground on the video but have not found it yet.

[@brucesbees]

I actually found it. I had set it on my hood by the windshield wipers. It rode back to Dothan like that lol.

[@dodopson3211]

@@lcarus42 can't you add one of those "keyfinder" keychains that beep your ears off to help locate?

[@lymitutit3046]

In my opinion there are 2 queens . it happens very often that one of the young queens , when she is still small , can pass through the Q.excluder and start laying eggs in the honey boxes and in the breeding box there is another ( usually the old one) laying eggs also.

[@brucesbees]

Could be. I think there very well may have been two queens.

[@wayneparker9782]

You have two queens....they where coming and going through the small hole in the top lid...i thought that they didn't have it closed all the way

[@brucesbees]

I think you are probably right. Thanks!

[@maineiacacres]

I heard Ron's voice and kept expecting to see Trace Atkins standing there. What a great way to get into beekeeping!

[@gerilynne1955]

I don't know much about hives. But I'm surprised the bees and boxes are in such good shape for as long as they been neglected.

[@brucesbees]

I was amazed by that as well. Looking around there were a lot of trashed boxes and pallets laying around. The boxes were not in the best of shape but they were sufficient.

[@gottaluvDeidara]

Not quite related, but I love when the ad matches the video in some way... it was a State Farm ad with a bee keeper in it 😂

[@curtwarkentin6167]

I’d say that is proof that bees can survive without humans bothering them. Awesome video, thanks.

[@joshuahymer15]

As if we need proof?? What the hell are talking about ?

[@scorpman300]

your right. there are some bee keepers that i think over attend their bees. this also show how you dont need to be dumping all those chemicals in to hives, just look how strong these bees are and no chemicals, no mites, no moths, and only a few beetles. i think that is what he is talking about joshua

[@brucesbees]

Keep in mind that only three of probably 30+ hives were still alive.

[@RICDirector]

@@brucesbees No kidding; a 10% hive survival isn't the greatest, but those left are surely fit to keep going! :)

[@SirCamsmorethanalot]

Whaddaya think they've been doing for eons without humans around??? DOH!

[@mjremy2605]

Fun to see! Must be nice to make your own honey, bee pollen, beeswax, royal jelly. So much to learn though. I admire your knowledge and experiences with bee keeping.

[@brucesbees]

It’s pretty cool and there are so many opportunities! I still have a lot to learn. Have barely scratched the surface. Thanks for checking in!

[@heathergustafson4237]

They deserve a new place, after all look at their dignity and devotion

[@brucesbees]

They seem happy where they are.

[@william6526]

Two queens sharing the same hive with two different openings.

[@cyndeaaron866]

So jealous! It's like a treasure trove! Great video and great hive inspection. I'm from Wewahitchka, so I feel like this is in the "neighborhood!" Enjoy your bees!

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in. It was a cool experience for sure!

[@jamesmyers5970]

it was so cool to hear the bees buzzing right in my ears. Almost wanted to shoo them away

[@brucesbees]

Yes I gets a little wild sometimes and the mic I use now does a good job of picking up the sound.

[@laurenwilson6715]

I’m not super educated on bees, just watch bee keepers. And I am shocked that these hives are still going strong from what I have seen in videos. It seems like almost everyone has hives die usually due to cold or unexplained reasons.

[@rosco4659]

Fascinating creatures, amazing how well those guys were doing.

[@chucknSC]

I'd split it into 3 hives. I think you have 2 queens already. Keep the bottom box separate.

[@brucesbees]

I tend to agree about having 2 queens. Thanks for the input!

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

Natural bee colonies over the years, if the top was empty at one point new queens probably came into the top and the bottom and it’s two colonies, I’ve seen it many times years ago on boxes we let go , it actually produces EXCELLENT bloodlines of super strong hygenic bees , i would have loved to have had some of these bees if I lived close by , they are well adapted to the climate there , very good bees , imagine how many times they have naturally swarmed and succeeded successfully in that yard!!!🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@georgia2321]

I never get tired of watching bee videos! Thanks so much for posting this!!

[@drholingue]

Thank you for reporting this... it is great to catch up with this.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in.

[@Hildegarden]

Bees are Awesome!!! 🐝 🌟

[@clintcowles7563]

Thank you guys from Northern Michigan.

[@kotk05]

Glad you looked after those feral bees.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks!

[@Homiejahcobie4004x]

4:36 “of course these bees have been here as long as they’ve been here” 👌😂

[@stevebatchelor5802]

you're so lucky, I wore my sneakers once on a hive examination and ended up with over 50 stings on my feet, always boots and full suits for me these days.

[@brucesbees]

Yikes! Sounds rough!

[@heathergustafson4237]

Let’s clean up the neighborhood and I would bet you get a fantastic bee hive colonies up and happy again. Bees are the best!

[@katiewebber760]

Have you heard any update on these bees and his apiary progress? Thanks for the video. It was great.

[@brucesbees]

I did a follow up last year a little while after the initial video but haven’t been back down there. I would like to do another follow up this year if I can get it scheduled.

[@titanblood8210]

There's something really cozy about this.

[@mossycup6974]

Wow, likely 2 queens! Load mite load! No stings in gloves! Thats the bees knees!👍

[@brucesbees]

I agree. It was a great day! Thanks for checking in!

[@bluepiggy99]

Nature is so cool!

[@brucesbees]

Yes it is!

[@allanraymond1248]

Fascinating!!

[@brucesbees]

It was a great day. Hope to do a follow up video one of these days soon.

[@exzachtlythat4344]

Drink every time this guy says yessir lol

[@jeremy.fordavon4030]

"No sir, that's not exactly what I'm saying." :) Enjoyed the video guys. Thanks for posting and sharing your beekeeping knowledge.

[@brucesbees]

Yes Ron is awesome. Such a fun experience!

[@edmartin875]

I'm thinking it may be possible to recover a few relatively undamaged frames and/or queen excluders and/or bottom boards from some of those old busted up boxes. They will be handy with the hives you have and any new boxes you may add or start on more splits. Some new lids would also be handy. Anyone cleaning up the junk will need to be aware of possible recovery of viable equipment. Those survivors will be a valuable source of new queens too in this mite world of today. My OCD is crying for a chance to help clean up that mess but I'm too old to do bees again. Love this video. Great job.

[@brucesbees]

Thanks Ed. I think Ron cleaned it up and repurposed the equipment he could. I hope to get down there one of these days and do another follow up but I am so busy!!!

[@UserFormelyKnownAs_hjkh]

I dont even have a hive yet so most of this is fairly foreign. Im try to catch a wild swarm directly in a deep super langstroth hive. I have wild bees near me and caught a swarm for a friend last year so figured why not try it myself. One day i hope to see as many bees as in your video!

[@brucesbees]

I hope you are able to achieve your goals. Thanks for checking in!

[@sirsymbro]

glad you got your hive tool back. I saw it fall when you were doing the split. lol and you got a new subscriber

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in!

[@BrooklandsHoneyBees]

Love a good abandoned hive video! thanks for sharing :)

[@tabathadarwin1575]

I’ve pick up on watching these you tubes videos on bees, and I particularly love this one. I live in Brisbane Australia and this is a great video

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in!

[@giawaiheke2469]

Thank you...New Beekeeper right here. Watching and learning in New Zealand...Loving it!

[@brucesbees]

That is so cool! Thanks for checking in!

[@dananichols48]

What’s the reason to exclude the queen from part of the box only honey I guess? I know nothing about bees just love watching they are important little creatures of our great creator!

[@brucesbees]

Yes the main use of a queen excluder is to keep the queen out of the area where you want honey stored. If she goes into that area she may lay eggs there in the cells where you want the honey placed.

[@marcellino1956]

The bee's know what they're doing

[@brucesbees]

Yes. Bees are amazing!

[@Glumsage]

This is great I'm so happy this popped up on my autoplay considering I was watching video game stuff lol, thank you for the content stay safe and keep up the great work!

[@brucesbees]

I glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for checking in and thanks for the kind words.

[@Zyscheriah]

I wonder how many generations has swarmed out of those hives.

[@TheSoilandGreen]

I’m about to get started with bees, this is beautiful!!!

[@brucesbees]

Yes. Get ready for quite an adventure. I hope you are successful!

[@Nirrrina]

Good luck! It's nice to hear about more people keeping & helping out bees. You're much braver than me.

[@NolaSpiersMitchell-gu5iu]

Thanks for sharing I’m from Australia good luck Bruice

[@brucesbees]

Awesome. Thanks for checking in!

[@tobyihli9470]

Nice that your gonna leave them there for the local farmers. I wonder though, as a practical Matt, if you’ll be able to continue long term. How can you claim the hives if you don’t have a legal arrangement with the landowner(s)? The next guy to come along could honestly believe that they are salvaging the bees and load them up, with all good intentions. Stick a sign in the ground with your name and number, “Bees by ……………….””

[@brucesbees]

Ron owns the land as far as I know.

[@bryangraham8596]

They look very strong... Winder if that first colony was infact 2 colonies in the same box... 1 up and 1 down under the Queen excluder... Years ago my Grandfather bought land and there were old boxes ... 10 I think... And that's what had happened... Had 3 hive bodies and 3 supers... Strong PA bees... Midnight bees... Good luck with the splits...

[@brucesbees]

Yes. I think you are right. It was impressive for sure.

[@h20s8804]

Radical. I've found with hives that haven't been gone through much that they'll have built a lot of drone/brood comb between the boxes. That rips apart when you pull the boxes off and boy they get pretty defensive :)

[@brucesbees]

It seems like most strong hives tend to do that. These bees were a little agitated but never got out of hand. It was a cool experience. Thanks for checking in!

[@h20s8804]

@@brucesbees No doubt. Like you said, drone brood indicates a healthy colony. If they have nothing but sheets of worker sized foundation, they will build their own drone brood, often between the boxes as there's space there. You were looking for mites on that drone brood. smart. I use a lot of foundation less frames, sometimes they'll build a whole damn frame of drones, hatch them out, then backfill it with honey.

[@brucesbees]

Yep. Let the bees be bees🐝🙂

[@edmartin875]

@@h20s8804 With queens cooking they felt the need for drones and did not like their cells being damaged.

[@tallen1596]

Got Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg right here lol

[@crush42mash6]

Excellent job both of you, I’m thinking of getting into this and you really help me by showing me terminologies alone from this video. Thank you very much, from 🇨🇦

[@brucesbees]

Awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed it!

[@S_A_D.]

💪🐝...amazing work ethic and producer, regardless of their scary demeanor! Get it! 😎💜

[@FrederickDunn]

Hello Bruce! What a great opportunity to get into colonies that haven't been tended for so many years! We often don't think about apiaries when the beekeeper passes on. Getting a bee inside your veil will shift your attention fast :) He took it like a champ! The color of the bees seems to be light and golden, any idea what line he was working with? Thank you so much for sharing your investigation, is there any chance that you did a mite count on any of those colonies to inform as to what the mite load mite actually be? As they are unattended, we would assume that they controlled mites by swarming on a natural cycle, reducing the mites with that natural brood-break? Thumbs up, and I wish you both all the best.

[@brucesbees]

Thank you so much for checking in! This was a phenomenal opportunity and one of the coolest things I have done as a beekeeper. Ron was absolutely a champ and a great sport about the stings and everything else. He’s built Florida Panhandle tough! I am not sure what the genetics of these bees are. I’m sure over the past 6+ years they have of course swarmed multiple times as you say and my guess is that has helped control the mite load. There are a lot of beekeepers in that area so no telling what combination of genetics they have. However I also think it is plausible that they have hygienic traits. We did not do an official mite count other than looking in broken drone cells. Did not see a single mite in the drone brood. I understand this is not the most scientific approach but I like to look closely at the drone brood when I can. It is not hard to see when there is a significant problem. Should probably do better with alcohol wash tests etc. I will say that I was amazed at the condition of the comb and the cleanliness of these colonies. The bees had kept the comb clean and though there was significant propolis the frames seemed to be in great condition. Really cool stuff.

[@mrtraumaboyy4098]

Thank you so much for watching and commenting Mr Dunn. IMHO your Q & A sessions are amazing!!

[@shanewinstead6776]

I'm thinking there Italians but I didn't get to see the queen so couldn't say 100%

[@brucesbees]

Really I think it is rare to have any type of pure bred bees around here. Especially after that many years. Probably a combination of several difference breeds of bees IMO.

[@toweroftrollgaming]

Good luck to you Ron glad to see you are saving those girls

[@brucesbees]

Thanks for checking in. I think Ron is going to do great!

[@mrtraumaboyy4098]

Thank you very much!!

[@brucesbees]

Good times.🙂

[@youngimages2000]

I’m glad the colony is still thriving and healthy. How does the vent holes being on top protect from the rain..?

[@edmartin875]

It doesn't.

[@brucesbees]

There is probably a little rain water that sneaks in but with the lid the bees are pretty well protected I think.

[@davidbutton8497]

Damm good to see strong 💪 bees 🐝 after been untouched for years Damm 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 👸 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝and they didn’t seem to upset by braking them up 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐻🐻🐻🐝🐝🐝🐻🐝🐝🐻🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹later

[@brucesbees]

Yes it was awesome to see!

[@matthewmccormick2417]

2 Queens can and will work in same hive with excluder if not bothered. So chances are there was 2 Queens in that first stack. IAN Steppler even does the 2 Queen deal every year to strengenthen hives. Nice Viseo Bruce TY

[@brucesbees]

I am guessing that is what happened but we did not see a queen in the top or bottom. I guess they were shy and/or good at hiding even though I wasn’t looking very close. Thanks for the input!

[@davidhenry1405]

Smart Queens, over history, always had secret passages.

[@brucesbees]

No doubt lol!

[@jannejohansson3383]

Those was "free bees" :p

[@brucesbees]

Yep

[@StellaAllegedlyConspiracy]

Ron’s voice is like blackstrap molasses. He should narrate audiobooks. Reminds me a little of Sam Elliot’s voice.

[@brucesbees]

Yes I agree. Legendary!

[@ioanvictor2840]

very importantly, they lived without antivaroua treatment!

[@brucesbees]

Yes. Tough bees.