Honey Bee Queens Piping, Colony Swarming, Injured Queen, Lessons and Observations about honeybees.

[@FrederickDunn]

UPDATE: As of September 20, the Queen is nowhere to be found and the nucleus colony did not take. At least we tried. They know what they want, and apparently, it wasn't that queen. Good News! One of the new queens apparently did her mating flight(s) and returned to the hive. There are eggs and young larvae showing on the outside frames. Plenty of time to get things back on track for winter. During that brood break, I did an OAV treatment. We'll see how things continue.

[@MrPlaystation3system]

Bees are adorable aren't they

[@wquirke6297]

I am 70 and for 20 years have wanted bees. Too late now! So the pleasure I derive from watching your videos cannot reallyY be explained. This video was fantastic. Thank you for the education and the pleasure of listening to your explanations.

[@FrederickDunn]

Wow, thank you! I'm glad you can have some bee experience via video. :)

[@raresheep]

At 68 I just started beekeeping...you are never too old

[@wquirke6297]

@@raresheep oh Chris I wish that was true. I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 40 years that has taken its toll. I know a flow hive would help but I would still have to do inspection that would be difficult. So I live vicariously through people like Frederick Dunn

[@raresheep]

@@wquirke6297 I am sorry you have to deal with RA... Blessings your way

[@Calypso4me]

This was an Awesome "Class" Fred. It was very interesting & informative as always....Thank you for Freely sharing all your Bee knowledge with us so eloquently. I feel like I am most successful at retaining information as a visual learner. Your videos are indispensable when trying to learn all things 🐝 🐝 🐝

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you very VERY much Lori Ann, I appreciate that.

[@frankcastle1216]

I agree you are doing truly great things for the future of beekeeping! 👍👍

[@KarlsBees]

Amazing video! This is my first year and I've learned a lot from your channel. Thanks for the hard work.

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Karl, I'm so glad to be a part of your learning process. Thank you very much for your generous donation, I really to appreciate it!

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

Thanks! For all you do Fred , all kidding aside the quality of your observations and documentation along with multi media production is in a class all its own on KZbin, I know you spend a tremendous amount of time making these videos enjoyable to us all from your own skin !! Thanks again Fred !!

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you, David! :) I really appreciate that. :)

[@questioneverything32]

Fabulous video!!! Thank you so very much.

[@FrederickDunn]

You are so welcome!

[@jjiacobucci]

WOW ! Thank you, Frederick, for so much information ! And, yes, I find rain storms therapeutic ! Great video !

[@mrwonk]

Wow, almost like the bees didn't look at the satellite imagery to know it was going to storm ;)

[@schammond8993]

I have heard these sounds and have had the same issue with seeing dry comb with a Queen wondering around. This was a very helpful video explaining several things I've noticed but didn't have an answer for. A Beeclub speaker pointed out that they will swarm right before or after a storm. That is also something I've experienced and now watch out for. Thankfully I was there and able to put them in their new home. I used swarm lure on a low branch and now they usually land there. Fascinating creatures.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GaryManess]

Wow just amazing. Thank you for all your work. Never heard piping or seen a swarm. Don't think I'd seen it better if I was there in person. Your filming is professional.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you very much!

[@628DirtRooster]

Great thumbnail, now let's get into this video.

[@FrederickDunn]

Hey Randy! Thanks for stopping by :)

[@adam-bonticoubees]

Great video. I was cheering for and yelling at that queen to go in the box. My wife came out and thought I was watching a football game.

[@FrederickDunn]

That's awesome :) Thank you for watching!

[@Leo_S94]

Thank you Fred for putting in such time and work for us all to learn. Really appreciate the passion and work you put into this. Longer format videos with narration are some of my favourite videos of yours. Have a blessed week!

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much, I wasn't sure about this since many comments complain about longer videos on my channel, but I think this is the sweet spot for me. I appreciate that feedback!

[@frankcastle1216]

@@FrederickDunn for some longer videos may be a problem but for anyone interested in someday having bees and wanting to know as much as possible beforehand longer videos with more information such as this are great!

[@charlie-ux7nw]

Very fascinating! I can clearly hear the piping sounds very clearly.

[@beeginner7681]

Fascinating and outstanding! Thank you for producing this video!

[@weregonnabzzz4648]

Thank you so much for sharing your time and experience. This was so enjoyable and educational. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the effort you put forth.

[@redfish440]

You took the words right out of my mouth

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much, I'm starting to think the effort was worth it :)

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

That was so awesome Fred. I've performed 3 cutouts and picked up an abscond where they tore an old house down in the past week. Busy here too! Thanks!

[@FrederickDunn]

That is awesome! This is definitely a very busy time of year and you can't ignore these subtle changes. I hope you're having fun!

[@MrHighjumper83]

Another great learning tool, Frederick! Your combination of knowledge/experience, open-minded approach and photography/videography skills is unparalleled! I look forward to every video you take the time to produce. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you very much, Glen! I seriously appreciate that compliment.

[@cobberpete1]

So fascinating. I watched from the first second to the last. I took your suggestion and put on my phones. Made me 'giggle' to have bees buzzing around my ears. Amazed to hear the piping. Fingers crossed hive 15 grows big and strong. Thank you so much Fred

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@XxBloggs]

I love these long videos. I’m a new beekeeper and I’m learning an immense amount watching your videos.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you like them! Welcome to beekeeping :)

[@michaelmchugh6011]

Fred when it comes to filming bee's. Nobody does it better!

[@FrederickDunn]

What an excellent compliment, thank you Michael :)

[@thomasswenddal772]

Seriously all your videos of this type are so very therapeutic to my aging gray cells. Thank you, many times, over.

[@FrederickDunn]

I'm very happy to know that! Thank you :)

[@margaretdenny3507]

Thank you for this fascinating audio/visual lesson! As I just set up my first two hives 5 weeks ago (4/19/24), I have gleaned so much information from your videos! Thank you again!

[@FrederickDunn]

I'm so glad that my videos have been helpful to you. Thanks, Margaret! :)

[@almostagardener4549]

Thanks for taking your precious time to make this video. I’m hoping to make an observation hive someday to be able to see some of these bee behaviors first hand.

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

Awesome! Never apologize for a video being too long , this is better than dateline 😬

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you think so! :)

[@jennifervanderleeden8641]

Thank you for saving that queen! I love an underdog story too! I hope they make it.

[@FrederickDunn]

We were just out there today and that tiny nucleus hive is very busy, I think they just may have a chance :)

[@montylenhart]

This is exactly what I needed when learning about bees they are my absolute favorite insect! I cannot wait until I have my own bees!! This is amazing I want to learn everything I can about the inter workings of the honey bees!

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fuzzynuggetsbees]

I absolutely loved this video, Fred. Very informative and the whole story was so neat. Who doesn’t love an underdog story? Thank you for taking the time to do it and share with us.

[@FrederickDunn]

It's great to see your comment! And just an update, they are still occupying that nucleus and I'm looking forward to checking in on them next week :)

[@fuzzynuggetsbees]

Woohoo!! I was worried they might try and leave again. She seemed determined to not go in the nuc box lol.

[@eastsussexbeesandwildlife5801]

Thanks so much for this and all your videos. So good to hear just your and the bees voices, I think some producers in the mainstream could take note. Never get bored with your observations. Thanks again.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you so much :)

[@MarionMakarewicz]

Mesmerizing. So much to learn from these super organisms. Excellent narration.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DeborahRosen99]

This is an amazing video and personally I'd recommend it to anyone interested in beekeeping, no matter how much experience they have. The interior perspective of the observation hive is unique, the video is high-quality, and your love for the bees is clear. I like your approach of "let them bee," if you'll excuse the pun: they do know what they want, they act for reasons we do not fully understand and perhaps never will, and usually they know what is best for their own hive. Most of all, the sheer amount of information you've packed into this is invaluable. Sad to see that the injured queen didn't end up making it. I watched it with my daughters, who are interested in beekeeping, and reminded them that it costs nothing to "Bee kind!"

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Deborah, Thank you for such a nice comment! I'm glad tha tyour daughters are also interested in honey bees. :)

[@shelleyham]

Thanks!

[@FrederickDunn]

Dear Shelley, Thank You :) I really appreciate it!

[@evilgibson]

Interestingly the piping is so audible but not a lot of buzz. I think the glass is actually helping the sharp sound be amplified like how a high enough voice can make a wine glass ring and actually shatter if the pitch vibrates at the correct value.

[@tonyt.1596]

Thank you Fredrick. This is a fascinating video look into hive behavior.

[@FrederickDunn]

You're welcome :)

[@michellehorne7625]

Loved this video one of the best. Thank you for your time and skills Fred.

[@FrederickDunn]

Wow, thanks for such a great comment :)

[@SteveDratwa]

THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME WITH THE PIPING,,GREAT FOCUS ON BEES

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you very much!

[@Peter-od7op]

This has to be one of your top 10 vdo. Great job. I watched from start to finish ty

[@FrederickDunn]

Wow, thanks! I'm glad you had the patience to sit through an hour long presentation :)

[@charlestanner6093]

Thank you Fred for the lesson.

[@FrederickDunn]

You're very welcome, thank you for watching.

[@PapaZsBees]

Fred, This was an amazing video, one of your all-time best!!! This, along with the ending of #172, where you show the HH not swarming, took me back to late this spring. One of my hives looked like these. It was after a long period of rain and storms, and I had not been able to inspect it. When I saw bees flying in and out in the "mass exodus-look", I was worried, but we were expecting more storms and I couldn't get out to inspect, so I just worried. Isn't that beekeepers do, especially new ones??? (This is my second year as a beek.) About a week or so later I was able to get in and inspect and sure enough, the hive had swarmed and left 10-12 queen cells. I took the opportunity to make a split to a new resource nuc, taking about half the remaining qc's to the nuc. Now I have a great, strong resource nuc (5 over 5), with a new marked queen. The parent hive took a long time to recover, as it was late in the spring nectar flow, but they have recovered and are strong, as well. I wish I had had this video in the spring and I would have handled the situation differently, but now I know. As always, thank you so much for your insights, wisdom, and willingness to share.

[@DooleyBFR]

Lord have mercy Fred! You got more comments than some have viewers! Lol! I loved it Uncle Fred! I'd say Ill be watching it a few times! 1 thing tho! As I was trying to hear the bees and queen...Someone talking, tho not intentional, bout blew my ears out. Haha Mabe match your voice closer to your recorded sounds. Just trying to help. Because Im the guy who puts head phones on when you say too! It's always Better! But then you yeld at me! Lol jus joking! No but you are seriously louder than bees. But all else was AWESOME as always! God Bless youall and your Bees!!!

[@FrederickDunn]

I should post the audio of the bees separately on my PodCast channel so people can listen without my voice chiming in. Thanks Casey! I know as a musician, you have excellent hearing.

[@khraila_RockyRillFarm_Apiary]

Just some! Wonderful, informative, beautiful video! Thank you.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@marybarratt2649]

Brilliant. Compulsive viewing. Really enjoyed the video. Learned such a lot.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you Mary :)

[@joanneturner9375]

Wonderful ! Thank you for sharing it was a great watch.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@loveyahoney]

I see more than 50% of the swarms I catch are in or just before storms.Thanks for the content and your weekly Q&A,some of the veroa content was not for us in Oz. but it could be needed soon. There are 97 confirmed sites so far, we hope it stops there but the next two years of checking will tell us of success or not. Dave @ love ya honey.

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Dave, that's really unfortunate news about the varroa mites being there. We're all hoping for the best outcome.

[@lgalardi]

I have had the same experience, if a storm is on the way And it is swarming season, I've observed my honey bees having a higher propensity to swarm at that time.

[@angelacross2216]

Thanks Frederick.

[@FrederickDunn]

You're welcome, Angela :)

[@emilandrusko8597]

Very, very cool! And enlightening. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mlfarm]

Interesting that they would do that to her and then try to swarm with her???? I'd like to know if they swarm again with the first queen out. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@FrederickDunn]

I will definitely be watching for after-swarms. Thanks for watching.

[@pmlm1571]

Fascinating. Watched the whole thing and subbed. Thanks for saving that bedraggled queen for the time being. I will be interested in how the underdog hive progresses. I never knew about the piping. Do beekeepers ever figure out which queen the bees prefer and save the other queens for other hives... because it's a fair assumption the rejected queens are not healthy?

[@FrederickDunn]

They definitely show preferences for developing queens. They huddle over queen cells they prefer and also comit more wax to a favored developing queen along with more modeling of the cell surface. Queen that are not favored by the nurse bees are often kept from emerging, or not fed well when they do emerge. There have been instances when nurse bees continuously reseal a queen cell when a queen attempts to cut her way out, that's if they are holding her in place long enough for a favored queen to make her appearance. It's complicated.

[@pmlm1571]

@@FrederickDunn I hear you, but I'm saying, if you saw a queen struggling to emerge and they were sealing her in, because they'd picked another queen, then what about saving her for a queenless hive if you had such. sorry, I know it sounds sentimental.

[@wendygrant2735]

Wow what a journey, thank you for sharing.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks for watching! It actually took a lot of time to put together, so I'm glad you appreciate it :)

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Fred. Its been an amazing Bee Season for Colonies making lots of Queen Cells. I to had a x5 over x5 make several good QC's (x6 in total.) This also was noted on 24th Aug ! So I made x3 two Frame Nucs. Season coming to an end here, also in September. So hope these Nucs get Mated Queens ASAP. Otherwise, any weak Hives, will be combined to make good volume of Population. So we get a Queen, laying up good quality Winter Bees. 🤞 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2022. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Lovely Video of piping Queens. Perfect Audio ! Not long Fred, as its a joy watching you amazing Bee documentary. And your Observation Hives are doing great, since your talk through, construction make Video, earlier in the Summer. 😎

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

So basically if you know there are developed Queen cells and resources within on the decline and if you use a stethoscope on a standard hive you could potentially hear the queens within the cell’s piping and you could predict a swarm inevitably I would imagine 🤔 , I wish I had the time for that fascinating possibility 🙂

[@mpedals]

Omg, best video of the year, thank u so much,this is worth millions.

[@FrederickDunn]

Wow, thank you so much! It means a lot.

[@vivatan13]

Thanks again for your fascinating and wonderful presentation. First year wanted to be a bees keeper with two hive.

[@kennethyoung1373]

Awesome footage as usual with an even better narration

[@FrederickDunn]

Wow, thanks!

[@anneinspokane6744]

How amazing! Thank you for Sharing!

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

Mug up at the Dunn's. Thanks Fred for an educational experience. Just great

[@FrederickDunn]

You are very welcome! It's a pleasure to share.

[@GrillingNetwork]

Thanks for sharing!! This was awesome!!

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@offshoot1008]

thank you for your channel . we are new beekeepers and because of covid we have had to learn from the web. i recently found your channel and im new to facebook. i dont really like facebook. beekeeping for dummies was helpful too. some information was obtained from the apiary store we support some valuable some not. you cover alot of topics . i plan to watch your older videos.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad to help

[@luckybugtarot1717]

Fantastic....totally gripping and so glad I found it! Have subscribed.

[@FrederickDunn]

Welcome aboard!

[@jeffreywood2995]

Awesome video, thanks for taking your time to do this

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ahmetgulen_]

Çok faydalı ve öğretici bir video olmuş.Teşekkür ederim.

[@lc7014]

Great job! I can appreciate all the time you put in to this and the amazing luck you had catching all of it! The queens piping and dramatic thunder so fun!😊 when my queens hit the ground for any reason I am so panicked cannot video it!😂

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you, and I have to say that I personally love thunder storms.

[@billmeeks9860]

Another great video my brother. It's so interesting to watch and learn from your informative videos.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it, and always great to hear from you!

[@jasonkilgore1977]

Wow that’s some awesome video and audio thanks so much

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@W3BKY_73]

I am so wanting an observation hive after seeing your awesome lessons! I love watching queens lay and inner hive activity, but obviously can’t just dig into my hives for long durations. If you have time, I have a late season question. I have a captured huge basketball-sized swarm from early August, but many died from an overheating BeeVac accident (super huge swarms can cover the entire screen before moving into hive box - horrible learning experience 😥). About 1/3 survived, including the queen, who is laying. They are not using the better comb frame at all (double checked that the cells are tilted up), but have partially drawn 5 frames. We are feeding them 1:1 with HBH inside above the inner cover. We have overwintered double stacked nucs in previous years and have the equipment- including insulation sleeve- already made. At this point of the year, would you move them to a nuc box, with a second brood box for expansion? Or should I wait to see what the late nectar flow brings? I thought about keeping them in the current 10-frame equipment and giving a medium super of honey from another hive, since we have way more than we can possible eat, but I’m wondering if they would do better in a smaller more vertical hive? Thank you!

[@FrederickDunn]

I would hold off until you see what they can accomplish with that nectar flow. With the nucleus boxes, for me, they can expand rapidly and fill them up and then in spring I have nowhere for them to be and it's a rush to re-hive them then. So, if you don't need your current hive boxes for something else, I'd wait it out and insulate the cover well for winter. Now that I've said that, IF you have the time and will be paying close attention to them, they do build faster in the nucleus (5-deep frame) boxes and use that space well. I've observed seemingly impossibly small swarms "make it" in those wooden 5-frame nucs. I also don't feed them, so with your 1:1 on, they should be able to fill that box up for you.

[@W3BKY_73]

@@FrederickDunn thank you! I have been unusually undecided on this hive. I am only feeding thru dearth and because we weakened them with our bee vac demise. Our goldenrod and devil’s walking stick are just on the verge and rain today, so it may be spectacular!

[@Dragonheartmomma]

Very interesting 👍🏾

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks for watching

[@redfish440]

Thanks Fred!!

[@FrederickDunn]

You're always welcome! Thanks for watching.

[@gary5172]

Fred, was wondering, seems like each Queen makes their own sound, along with other bees of the hive. I wonder if bees can hear sounds the way humans do, or do they just sense the sound vibrations with their antennae? There seems to bee a lot of sound communication noise in a hive.

[@FrederickDunn]

Great question Gary, they are feeling the vibrations through comb/cells/wax and if close enough to the piping queen, they can feel it through their body hair as well based on their tendancy to "freeze' for a moment when they are very close to a piping queen.

[@arnoldgoluboff8822]

What an amazing video. Thanks you

[@ahart5963]

really a great video. thank you for this informative session.!!

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you for watching, and commenting :)

[@jend2729]

That was amazingly beautiful and informative. I was mesmerized!

[@FrederickDunn]

Wow, thank you!

[@kennith.]

Awesome Fred. Thank you. Was both entertaining and educational.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks as always for watching and commenting!

[@davidpotts3844]

I caught my hive swarm, amazing sight. They just were pouring out of the hive they split themselves 50%

[@robertspence6405]

Fantastic story and video. Fred, I had a split that was a 10 frame 80% full of bees. I treated with mite strips and added medium comb from honey frames that I had taken weeks before that the bees had cleaned up. The stronger colony near buy came in and robbed them viciously leaving no stores as well as killing the brood. The colony absconded. I found them in my "Swarm tree" and put them in a 5 frame but they are only on three frames. The queen has not laid an egg in two weeks. Can I save them?

[@FrederickDunn]

You've actually hit on something that's pretty important this time of year. I'm going to talk about this on Friday. Regarding provisioning a nucleus with a swarm save. Putting in frames of honey, or even partial frames of honey can absolutely test the defenses of tiny colonies as that scent gets out. Very small entrances are key to their survival.

[@sonofthunder.]

this may explain a couple things w swarms i hived up,only to find no queen,and why i thought i saw balling the other day,i am seeing buttercup,and golden rod next ,great video fred,and commentary, really helps us visual learner's thank you,....i knew you'd be using QMP

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Mark. Yep, QMP has become my go-to when it comes to just wanting to find out what they do and how they react to it. I'm also learning that there is a lot going on with a swarm that I haven't even considered. I'm keeping notes and preparing for seminars that just may cover new approaches. :)

[@philipmontgomery5626]

Great video. Thank you.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks for watching :)

[@robertkramer621]

Excellent series of videos. Thanks again for producing them. Do your bees prefer to loiter in the lighted areas of your observation hive (instinct to protect)? Are those exposed frame faces that crowded when you open the door?

[@FrederickDunn]

Great question! They are dispersed just like that when the opaque doors are opened. At times, when I test out various lighting systems they do congrate in the spotlight. Broad even lighting tends to return them to their own routine without responding the light.

[@susanmarich5487]

Reminds me of a bunch of hens as they are talking to each other...lol

[@lindasuerussell4398]

Amazing video, thank you

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you liked it!

[@lgalardi]

Amazing, educational content as always, Fred! I appreciate the time you put into these videos. A question for you: have you ever attempted to clean off the wax on the plexiglass when there are no bees and a hive? And if so, what product did you use that remove the wax, doesn't harm the plexiglass, and doesn't leave a smudgy smear?

[@FrederickDunn]

That is very difficult to do and that's why in the future all of my Observation Hives will have thin tempered glass. Plexi glass just continues to go downhill and I don't have a fix for that at the moment. My oldest observation hive is no longer usable due to the plexi not being clean, and it was a very expensive grade of plexi/lucite.

[@lgalardi]

Thanks Fred! Not exactly the answer I wanted to hear, but the answer I have to accept. I may look at a way to remove the plexiglass in my hive and replace it. There is just so much joy and discovery to be had with an observation hive, and you've done an extraordinary job demonstrating this.

[@FrederickDunn]

@@lgalardi Yes, replacement seems to be the way to go.

[@DavidWilliams-wr4wb]

Wow , this is amazing !

[@BigHistoryBuff44]

Thanks so much Fred, this was very informative.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lorrainelietz4384]

Wow!!! Amazing!! Thank you!!

[@FrederickDunn]

Thanks Lorraine! :)

[@nikosnature]

I noticed you are using bee weaver queens - are they truly mite resistant? That is one strain of honeybee that should be welcome in Hawaii. I'll ask around here if anyone has authority to bring in such advanced honeybees, they surely would be a positive influence on apiculture in Hawaii.

[@FrederickDunn]

The BeeWeaver Queens have been produced from mite-free stock for quite a long time. I've found them to be very good at resisting varroa infestations. They groom a lot and also chew the mites feet.

[@judithcarioupage394]

Amazing ❤️

[@mtcup56]

Thank you

[@FrederickDunn]

You're welcome

[@amyerickson6557]

Thanks Fred. I love these videos and have learned so much from them.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you, I'm so glad.

[@rayheath7840]

I find your voice therapist like, thanks for the video

[@garydungelman6530]

Fred DON'T PLAY God let God do his thing great video thank you

[@oneeyehives]

Sort of on topic maybe 😁 I was doing an inspection of one of my Layen’s hives this afternoon for honey frames to pull and I saw a bee that looked odd. I was shooting a video of a bee emerging when it walked into frame. It was much darker than the other bees and looked like it had deformed wings. I was immediately alarmed that I might have deformed wing virus in the hive. By the time I was able to get my phone from video to photo I lost it so started just snapping pictures of the frame and 6-7 other frames. When I got home I went through them and was able to find it and one other one. Both were old looking drones. Darker than the other bees, not much hair and their wing were practically gone. I remembered you saying that the bees can be very rough with the drones so I was wondering is this a case of the bees getting rid of drones instead of a deformed wing virus outbreak? All the other bees and some new drones looked perfectly fine. Maybe the old drones are finding there’s only one way out of the gang and it’s not retirement 😂

[@FrederickDunn]

There are some pretty distinctive details with wings that are chewed and DWV which are shrivelled. If it was DWV I'd expect to see some worker brood specimens with that physical deformation also. So, wings from healthy bees that have been chewed, are pretty flat right to the torn edges, DWV wings are yellow/orange and spindly in appearance. I hope that helps, I think those drones may have been given the rejected treatment by the workers. Those drones could also be from other colonies although their wing damage would definitely prevent them from returning.

[@oneeyehives]

@@FrederickDunn thank you sir. I’ll look at the pictures again but I’m sure there wasn’t and coloration to the wings.

[@thegr8stm8]

Greetings from Munich… gr8 video and also nice to see your property… wonder how it looks from a drone viewpoint? Amazing the diversity of pollen available. I would love to see flow frame extraction and a taste comparison by honey color conducted with/by the grand kids. How the innocent ones describe taste and then how you describe the tastes… Cheers, John

[@FrederickDunn]

Those rascals just gobble honey as well as comb and don't really give any singular feedback ragarding flavor notes etc... maybe we need to slow them down and try to have them pay better attention.

[@bradgoliphant]

Frederick, this is very interesting to me. I did not think bees were likely to swarm after July30th or so. How will they survive if they are not captured?

[@FrederickDunn]

Hi Brad, here I collect swarms right into mid to late September and have had them make it through winter. If we don't collect them, their chances are extremely slim and worse as the year draws to a close. It has a lot to do with forests and available tree cavities etc. I have two woodland cavities I just returned from checking and they are getting scouted by honey bees.

[@bradgoliphant]

@@FrederickDunn But what If my hive swarmed right now in NYC. There is not way for the hive to remake a new queen. I would have to order a new queen right away right?

[@FrederickDunn]

@@bradgoliphant Ok, for example, the hive that just swarmed in this video. They already have a new queen, in fact they have several replacement queens ready to emerge from their cells. So it's not as dire as you may think. Let's say one emerges tomorrow. In about 9 days, she'll be mature and ready for a mating flight, sometimes even faster than that. So, potentially in 11 days, she's laying eggs. That's the first week of September. By the end of September, there are new workers hatching out every single day and they are developing under prime honey/pollen flow conditions. Much later and they need beekeepers to load them with resources and that's something I try hard to avoid.

[@tweedeldee8122]

That was amazing.

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you!

[@randyclinganfarms4806]

Great video Fred

[@FrederickDunn]

Thank you Randy :)

[@robertmathurin739]

Thanks for the video Mr Dunn,, 🇱🇨👍🏼♥️

[@leeholmes3382]

That was fantastic. I would like to know if you would share your observation hive building plans or from where you obtained them. I cant think of a better way of learning about hive activity. Thanks again for all your time and patience in making this video.

[@FrederickDunn]

That building is still in progress, very little actual "planning" but I will certainly share how things end up including my ultimate Observation Hive configuration which will be at the Hive Life Conference :) So sometime next spring, I'll share what works and what I wish I'd done differently.

[@leeholmes3382]

@@FrederickDunn I am sorry my question was not very clear. I meant plans for the observation hives not your building/class room. I did manage to find a a hive that looks very similar to one of yours that fits nine deep frames. Anyways, I alway enjoy you videos and look forward to more learning.

[@stanleylewandowski130]

Thats is a great video. Thanks for doing it.

[@FrederickDunn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@russellkoopman3004]

Was that deformed wing virus that caused the queen to not have good wings? It would be so nice to see an update on her success. Thanks Fred.

[@FrederickDunn]

Deformed wing virus is not the case here, she had perfectly formed wings and they have been chewed off. It would be extremely rare to see DWV on one side only and in a queen. They would be shrivelled on both sides and would prohibit her from ever making a mating flight. That said, queens can indeed transmit DWV.

[@tomahawkmissile241]

Here a question I have but never heard anyone talk about. What is the reason some bees are grey could this be the winter bees?

[@FrederickDunn]

That's a great question, and I'm going to make you wait until tomorrow for the answer :) I've added it to the Q&A stack.

[@tomahawkmissile241]

@@FrederickDunn thanks I been seeing these bees gathering water and thought it might be genetics but was seeing them in all the hives so the questions is still out. Why do some bees have silver hairs and some golden? I understand that the fuzzy bees are emerged but than you see these morphs and maybe it’s to do with virus or it could be the queen way of producing winter bees. Science knows a percentage of bees are winter bees but did they notice the bee they tested. I noticed this during a really bad drought and maybe it is a survival tactic they use like those silver ants when the brood nest goes above hot something I will be checking. Another thought like camels they started in cold climates and ended up in the hot climates because of water having a fat bodies hump deposit but bees are tropical so maybe they adapted to choose when to make them and giving the silver hairs would allow higher survival in drastic conditions I’m thinking