I Just Killed 147,000 Honey Bees

[@GoldShawFarm]

Be sure to check out my friend Kaylee’s KZbin channel to learn more about beekeeping kzbin.info

[@evanwilldoooit]

hey man. you should look into a better microphone so the audio isn’t so condensed

[@50u1]

Did that new batch of bees just die too?

[@sebbes333]

11:16 Maybe put out some feed just outside the hive for the bees when there is snow? (feed; because no flowers accessible in the snow & they haven't built up a honey reserve yet) (outside; because it seams bad to open the hive & expose them to that cold just to put in some feed) (I'm no expert at all, but it seams sensible)

[@Vudux]

Omgggg I have the exact same spoon and forks 🍴 they sell those at Walmart

[@verenakremer6748]

you should insulate your hives; winters in Vermont are way too cold for the kind of hives you have. Look up bee hive insulation!

[@minnahumble2294]

My sister dated a bee keeper and he had hives all over the county - on the properties of other people. So I agree with the poster who recommended finding a beekeeper to put and maintain hives on your promptly. I think his “rent” was a bottle of honey per hive.

[@TheCriminalViolin]

Considering how expensive honey tends to be, especially raw honey like this, that's fantastic payment.

[@growingherbalist312]

How can I find someone who wants to beekeep on our property. We have lots of honey bees

[@aasergovidan1469]

@@TheCriminalViolin boiii

[@paddington1670]

@@growingherbalist312 try a beekeeping forum for your state/province

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

That's cool, I'd totally allow somebody to do that on my land, strictly for the benefit of all my plants lol only issue is I like my privacy and don't like people sniffing around my property

[@electropenguin5095]

174,000 bees: *dies* GSF: "oh no, anyways, todays video sponsor is magic spoon" Not mad just a funny way to transition into another topic

[@MOMOHEARTS]

I'm planning my little backyard farm for when I move into my first home and bee keeping is one of things I wanna get into not only cause I'm making garden but also cause of honey and such! I'm excited but so scared of stuff like losing my hive cause of weather like this. We planning on moving to place that have harsh summers a complete opposite of your harsh winters lol

[@karenzhen3530]

Oh no. Not freezing temps again! Poor bees!

[@konsumterra1]

wonder if you could surround with hay bales over winter?

[@r2dezki]

My sister had bees and they died in the winter.. I'm glad you didn't give up on having bees though. I love the little buggers.

[@English_rust]

Hey I think you should make your own hay it would only cost $2000 it’s a big investment but it will save you lots of money in the long run (Get 1960s equipment)

[@TheUrbanRescueRanch]

NOOOOOOO

[@Jordan-ws5vn]

Wonder if a humidity sensor would help

[@nescafeine3063]

Oh my god that one last sequence XDD

[@sandozdelysid]

Love you man!

[@yamisukihiro4132]

Love you to

[@ReadingRailFilms]

Sorry to hear about the bees!

[@buildingwithtrees2258]

You didn't have enough bees going into fall. That hive needs to be boiling over going into fall. The 2 should've been combined into 1. It's cheaper to buy queens in the spring and quickly expand.

[@anitraahrens905]

I'm so sorry about your loss of your bees. Just a suggestion: what about moving your hives to a more sheltered area for wintertime protection?

[@rodisham]

Or at least a wind break from the prevailing winds.

[@AshGreen359]

Under a walnut tree facing due east.

[@imafan2610]

The problem with moving hives is not so much in winter, but they have to reorient themselves when they come out. They expect the hive to be in the same place they last saw it. A wind break does sound like a good idea for protecting the hives without moving it.

[@user-ri1xo9qx8g]

@@imafan2610 maybe building something around the hives would work better?

[@joeyl.rowland4153]

@@imafan2610 I move hives. They do fine. They blow up for a day and then everything is good. I would move my hives if I thought they would freeze(mind you I am in SW Florida my bees are almost never kept in the hive because of cold weather. 21/22 winter there were no days below 35 degrees)

[@johnriolo5459]

couple tips for you; 1. please put some frames in the top box. you have to remember the bees move as a cluster in the winter and they can die with food in the hive if they can't easily reach it 2. Make sure you have better ventilation in the top hive. if you keep them out in the open and the entrance gets blocked by snow, they need an additional exit. Not sure I saw an inner cover on one of the hives but some even drill a hole in the top box. 3. Your bees definitely died of moisture for the most part. a great tip is to put a third box on top filled with saw dust to wick the moisture ( you can either use a very tight screening on the bottom to hold in the sawdust or staple a cotton sheet to the bottom. 4. fondant patties or even plain sugar is best to feed in the winter. the syrup is only to build their stores back up after harvest in September, October. 5. some form of wind break or shelter is good for the winter. I'm sure you have a lot of hay bales that you can stack. You can even do a 3 sided shelter with them with some form of make shift roof weighted down on top to keep the snow off the hive. 6. varroa treatments by middle of August (apivar if you don't need more honey and formic acid if you do) I hope this helps.

[@arianikolleortemoreno5225]

Hope he sees this one!

[@arianikolleortemoreno5225]

I'm commenting to push your reply!

[@arianikolleortemoreno5225]

Hopefully he'll see your reply 👀 is very well done and spot on 👏

[@KingdomWolf2351]

Cool

[@kelseydalziel3514]

Thank you for the amazing comment. 🧡

[@JohnKirsopp]

There's a beekeeper on Vino Farm. He lost most of his colonies over winter 2020-2021. He reimagined his hives into what he calls "bee barns". He also implemented a new varroa mite regimen. Winter 2021-2022? His hives are"slamming" as he likes to say. Not a single hives lost.

[@samiyarossini]

He's also down in MA (under 3 hours by road from Morgan, give or take), and has had his fair share of rough winters. It's always amazing to see how much more snow and how much colder it is in his updates compared to where I am in central NH, about 2 hours drive north.

[@vinofarm]

@counselthyself How long have you been keeping bees and do you live in a plant hardiness zone higher than zone 5?

[@LadyEzri]

​@counselthyself At the end of the day, does it really matter? It worked for him and his bees.

[@GlorifiedGremlin]

@@vinofarm Woah, wasn't expecting you to just show up lmao my man sensed a disturbance

[@TCMedicare101]

It happens, even with experienced beekeepers. We started with 2 hives. overwintered perfectly. 2nd season, we lost about 1/3 of our hives, but quickly regrew and split them. We went into winter last year with 8 hives. We had a mild winter in Michigan. We lost 7 hives. The autopsy piece can help determine cause, but not 100% - like with you - they either froze from condensation (and we had protection in place against that), or disease from veroa mite. They had plenty of food and sugar bricks as an added precaution They were treated for mites appropriately, but you never get rid of 100% of them. Our one hive is large and thriving and we'll be splitting it as soon as we're past our last frost. It was a heartbreaking loss, but we have seen first hand the difference it has made in our local ecology. The roadsides and our open fields are bursting with wildflowers every year which in the past was primarily weeds. Plus, we have enjoyed the honey and wax, taking only what they wouldn't need, of course. Last Christmas, we gave honey to friends and loved ones and I made lip balm, soap, and candles from their wax and honey, also shared as gifts. We love our bees and like you, will rebuild for the sake of our earth.

[@xreqles]

nice answer you look like you know what are u saying

[@angelamarie4137]

My neighbor lost a bunch of his hives. We've had a weird Spring where it's in the 70s one week and snowing the next. Some days it's even 70s one day and in the 30s the next. Could this contribute to bees dying? That's unusual for where we live. If they're coming out of their hives and then it freezes again.

[@TCMedicare101]

@counselthyself Thanks. I've seen them. My husband is the main keeper though I participate. For the time being, he prefers to stay with what we have.

[@Sittininthesun]

Beekeeping is a unique skill… You might consider just letting a beekeeper put hives in your farm, also being responsible for their upkeep. Lots of keepers are happy to have a place they can use for hives.

[@debbiecarter2674]

At the very least have some one start you off with someone who has experience like the Cog family did then when you see their care an process decide if it’s what you want to continue don’t just keep doing trial an error off others advise best to get proper experience from someone who knows an is accomplished at years of results

[@blaircox1589]

Or, went with 1 (ONE!) small hive to learn. You're a keener, but as a fellow keener, it's easy to get too many projects going at once without the time to put towards each properly.

[@akwfarms]

We have 7 hives and it is hard to get them through the winter

[@Jambunctious]

How are you supposed to learn if you just let someone else do it though? I think you miss the point of why he made a farm in the first place

[@Fenthule]

That's tricky, because as others have said, he wants to learn to do it himself. Morgan has also said in the past he really wants to limit access to his farm for biocontainment purposes, and now with young calves and soon to be various chicks running around, I'm sure he wouldn't want someone to come disrupt the farm a lot for that, BUT having said those two points, I don't entirely disagree. I think it might be a good idea for have a seasoned local beekeeper set up a hive or two, but maybe up near the front of the property kinda near the road, so that they can come help out without going back beyond Morgan's gardens towards the rest of the animals (and realistically the garden would likely be the main hotspot for them to go for pollen anyway, with the pasture behind being a good secondary source) without setting off the animals too much. Might also be a good idea to do for a year or maybe two, but like show Morgan what they're doing and teach him how to do it himself in the future. Sorta like onboarding for a new job, get him up to speed and let him take over lol.

[@emmsteroni]

Hi Morgan! Former beek from Michigan here. It definitely looks like your bees got wet (too much condensation) and froze (but I'm no expert). I've been there! I definitely suggestion pollen patties for over wintering food (it also looks like they were running low on honey). Remember you want them to have about 90lbs of honey to last them through the winter (and the pollen patties can help if you think you might need to supplement them). It's hard to make sure they are properly drafted for the winter and also warm. There are so many tips/suggestions out there, so do lots of research with your next ones! Plus, you have a heat reader, so you should check on them throughout the winter. Good luck!

[@georgedavidson1221]

Sounds like you have it figured out

[@jimberkley2896]

Moisture kills bees.

[@gelu_4499]

@eemteroni I don't think its condensation, there was no Mold at all and Morgan described the bees as sticky, I believe he tried to feed them with the old overturned bottle method and some of the food dripped down on the bees, which freezes them just as condensation water would.

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

Would it have helped the hives to be placed overwinter in a beeproof screened area indoors, as in a basement?

[@Broockle]

Took me a while to understand "heat reader" 🤣

[@midnightroads4180]

That hard, awkward cut from talking about your dead bees to the sponsor lol. "Hey guys, I wanted to take a break from talking about bee genocide to tell you about Magic Spoon."

[@amysusanapplepie199]

🤣

[@DRakeTRofKBam]

Certainly doesnt help that the box art had a bee on it

[@Everyday_Richard]

The grift must resume

[@MajesticalHonky]

And the cereal is not good.

[@Panteni87]

@@Everyday_Richard So tell me, what's the grift?

[@ah3307]

This guy didn't care to know anything about bees. He just left it since October. That's irritating.... Like a wasp

[@ApocalypseFox]

As a former beekeeper I feel your pain. It can be hard to get your bees through the winter, especially if it is your first one. I am sure you will do better next time.

[@PandorasArtBox]

Hey Morgan! My opinion may be unpopular, but it feels to me like you may be trying to get into too many new things at once. I would personally recommend figuring out your cattle first, and then go back to beekeeping. You can probably find beekeeping formations in your area, or a good mentor who will come on your farm and teach you everything you need to know, not just an online friend, because a lot of things with beekeeping are better assessed in person, and depends on your region. Better to focus on one thing and master it, and then move on to something new, in my opinion at least! Beekeeping is hard and takes a lot of time to learn.

[@arakwar]

I disagree with this. Farming is not like other line of works. Your hardest ressource to manage is time. Cattles won’t grow faster if you soend more time on them. Chickens won’t lay more eggs. And bees won’t produce more honey. Once the hive was set for the winter, there’s nothing he can do but wait. And now that the hives are dead, it’s easy for people to say « well you did something wrong clearly you did not took time to learn » while in fact everything he did for his hive comes from researching it and discussing with different contacts. Building a homestead and making a small farm profitable takes a lot of time. You can’t really afford to take things one at a time. By the time the cattles are « ready », the orchard would probably benefit from having bee hives on site… and waiting for the orchard to grow and bees to settle properly before getting cows also add too much delay. He did the right thing, which is starting small, but multiple projects, and growing it with time. Even experienced beekeepers had catastrophic winters. it happens.

[@PandorasArtBox]

@@arakwar We will have to agree to disagree 😊

[@rihardssimanovics]

Hey Morgan, sorry to hear about your bees dying though I have expected that after seeing the winter you had. There is a great channel called "Vino Farm" it's run by Jim from New England, and he primarily showcases his beekeeping adventure. His winters are just as bad as yours so I thought it might be a good idea for you to check out his channel. He recently came up with a new concept of a bee barn which proved very successful last winter so you might want to check it out. Hope this helps, and don't give up!

[@ashlfl]

Use the wax to make wax cloth! You can use it to store foods for much longer without having to use plastic!

[@workingfolk]

Judging from the small amount of frames and comb in them, I don't believe those hives ever developed sufficiently last season. Hives that are weak in the fall have zerochance of survival in a New England winter. The top boxes were a mess. If you are going to use a Langstroth hives, NEVER just throw an empty box with no frames on top. Remember, the bees do not hibernate as a lot of people think. They are clustered together and their main activities are staying warm and eating. The cluster needs to be able to move gradually in an interrupted path to follow the feed. You can't have big empty spaces and expect them to travel through them looking for food. Having comb in the upper box that align with the lower frames helps to allows for this. The other critical activity for the bees is getting out on a warmish day to poop. Was there an open exit over winter or were they closed in? A quart of liquid feed is never going to be enough for a new hive with little population and little honey to get them through a winter. Liquid feed freezes and when it does, it is useless. Unless your hive has a huge amount of honey in the fall, you have to provide DRY food. Simply laying a sheet of newspaper across the top of the frames and pouring several pounds of dry sugar on top will provide food for the bees. They will get enough water from the condensation. Condensation, as your friend said, is a killer. I didn't see if your wrapping provided ventilation (And a winter exit, as I said.) Dampness kills faster than cold. Sealing it up like a thermos bottle is a death sentence. Protect them from wind but do not seal it up, Verroa is a whole other topic. Don't know if you monitored the mite load during last season but that could account for the low population in the fall. Suggest you take a comprehensive beekeeping course and do some study. I did and was able to overwinter bees every winter just 2 hours east of you in Maine. The Western Maine Beekeeper's Association had an excellent course and you might find one closer to you. Did I have some winter losses? Yes. Going into the winter with around 40 hives, you would have to expect some loss, but your chances of having hives in the spring is good with adequate preparation.

[@Historian212]

I think suggesting the beekeeping course is an excellent idea, and I hope he reads your comment and does it. It's fine to be a beginner, but stumbling through is a waste of time, money, and effort -- let alone life -- if you don't have to.

[@be6715]

I was pretty surprised that those top boxes had no frames. The bees did their best to fill in the space, but it wasn't adequate. Just allowed for more cold air, I think.

[@theengineerinabox2385]

This is the best comment in terms of information I’ve seen. Liking so that maybe our guy can see it

[@funny3scene]

An actual intelligent comment? On KZbin? Wow.

[@Nemrai]

@@Historian212 There were many comments back when he first got the bees about learning more, taking a course and so on. But I'm unsure if he listened to any of that at all, unfortunately.

[@diananore1368]

Wow. Have you researched horizontal hives? Used in colder weather..also saves lifting heavy trays. Doug and Stacy have a bee expert they feature..maybe consider reaching out to them?

[@schadenfreude191]

I love their episodes featuring that guy. Also Dr. Sharashkin's sustainability approach seems like it would appeal to Morgan.

[@diananore1368]

@@WalkerRileyMC are top bars what they call horizontal hives? Do you have suggested YT channels that discuss them? I’m in Alaska and we don’t have honeybees on our island. People have tried traditional Langstroth with multiple fails. We rely on native bumblebee type pollinators.

[@Fiona2254]

I just recommend Dr Leo to him. I’m less than a year into bee keeping and both my horizontal hives are full of local bees that overwintered amazingly. Dr Leo is a hero, I couldn’t have become a beekeeper if I had to lift those boxes because of my bad back. I’ve got two more boxes to fill with bees and can’t wait to taste that honey they are making.

[@Fiona2254]

@@WalkerRileyMC I have two 20 frame horizontal hives and they are both insulated with wool. Dr Leo sells them like that and he has free plans in his site so you can choose a different insulator as they are double walled boxes.

[@jeffcoley668]

I am a firm beleiver in doing research before jumping in blindly. You could have save those Bees life for the winter. It is not like you didnt know you have a very cold winter weather where you live. Be prepared.

[@doubleglfarms9750]

Hello Morgan!! We would LOVE to get into bees, but don’t know a lot about them! Thank you for sharing if even it wasn’t good news! Dad always says “The hard lessons learned are the lessons remembered!” It’s hard when you don’t really know for sure what happened! Blessings to you from your fellow KZbin friends from Kansas!

[@gelu_4499]

Yo G&L Farms, I am a hobby apiarist myself and the best way to get into bees is to find someone nearby who lets you borrow (or rent) one of their hives as in the Bees stay where they are but you get to do all the work under some guidance.

[@ambrosemyrridin9714]

You should have a look at vino Farm they have built insulated hives and are having success with their hives

[@JanBruunAndersen]

Seconded. I have been following the channel since the very start.

[@cguercia311]

I agree with former post. You have so many irons in the fire. Rent your space out, get paid in honey and build a professional relationship/business. You provide the land and they provide the honey. Win-Win and could make good content.

[@CeeZeePeeZee]

Morgan try checking out Vino Farm and his Bee Barns.

[@saravandebunte8262]

Seriously. Or even Jim's earlier videos with the normal Langstroth hives with Vivaldi boards and providing an air gap between the top cover and the actual hive.

[@madampolo]

I was shocked when you opened up your hives and it was full of an unstructured cone. Why didn't you have frames on the top layer? Where is your queen excluder? You should take a workshop at your local beekeeper's association to learn how to keep bees. At the very least, watch some KZbin videos. We don't keep bees, but we attended a workshop just for the knowledge.

[@tammyadams7922]

no excluder for winter

[@dannr9701]

It’s alright Morgan, like I’ve learned from your channel. We learn from mistakes to do better next time.

[@HenryHarcsa]

I have seen hives struggling to overwinter at -10/-15C. -30 is hardcore so no worries, next season will be better, also for a first time beekeeper it just happens, you keep on learning and at the end it's gonna be fine

[@schammond8993]

Morgan, Beekeeping is an emotional roller coaster ride. One minute your up and in the next second you are in the depths of despair. Most first years lose their bees. I hope you can move forward and keep going. Good Luck!

[@izices]

I *Strongly* suggest you take some research from Vinofarm He keeps bees in a similar climate to your own in Vermont, and he's already SLAMMING and the flowers only just came in. He's a homesteader, not exclusively a beekeeper. But he's been very honest in showing off his bees on his channel.

[@jaridkeen123]

Looks like they ran out of food or they froze to death at some point.

[@Nemrai]

I also think I saw a crack in the bottom of one of the hives. And that wouldn't be good at all.

[@estherhh]

I was thinking the same

[@ronaldschmidt4748]

Morgan I'm glad you decided to go forward with bee keeping. Determination is a quality all successful people have. Learn the lessons life teaches and move on. I would also consult more sources so you get all the information you can. Peace out

[@jwenting]

yeah, they froze. Condensation, plus a liquid food source that has a high freezing point means they probably starved and froze both.

[@Broockle]

Do bees just stay in the box all winter? I feel like you could lock them up and keep them someplace warmer for the winter. Or will they abandon the Hive first chance they get in spring if you do that? 😅

[@lercheklerchek3472]

As a critique, putting sponsorships in this kind of video setts off a weird tone, the whole regret on killing the beehive disappears, when you eat magic spoon. I love your content and have been following you for a year, but you really need to work on your ads and sponsorships placements.

[@hightde13]

If you are up for a little wood work maybe it would be worth trying Vino Farms bee barn style box. he hasn't finalized the design totally but the videos over the last year have been very interesting and he's in a similar climate to yours from what I've seen. He also had a near total wipe year that was partly a mite issue and spurred him to try a new box design that seems promising in cold climates.

[@blithefulbee]

Hey, beekeeper here. Before the video starts, my theory is that the pond was to close to the hives and moisture got in, and every beekeeper knows moisture is a MASSIVE nope during hibernation, so I think that's what might've happened. Either that or wind chill and not enough protection from the weather. Sorry about the loss of your bees btw, I know it's pretty awful. My bees survived the winter and I wanted to suggest haybills around the hive to protect from wind. Also insulation, basically what you've did. Also I was very very anxious about moisture and refused to use feeders with anything wet, so we used foundant and the bees still have food leftover!

[@kernelfactory7839]

Since you don't seem totally distraught, "What do you call a bee that returns from the dead?" A Zom-bee!!!

[@amysusanapplepie199]

🤣

[@jaynemar1]

Those were not the full colony of bees in the hives. Those were actually a minimum of the colony. If the majority are just gone, they most likely swarmed at some point. Probably last fall… First, there was mildew on your inner lid, moisture There was no winter blanket box to absorb and vent condensation. What bees were left were not enough to get through the last harshness of winter by themselves. They simply couldn’t keep the hive warm by their few numbers and froze. You could have done better, but bees leave, bees die, they have a short lifespan. Try to do better with your next colonies. Also, put frames in your honey supers so they are not a stacked up broken mess. Do better Morgan!

[@bakey]

the do better felt unnecessary. obviously he knows that he doesn't want it to happen next time

[@andreaacosta272685]

@@bakey he’s still learning and like you said the “do better” sounds unnecessary. Just because you start learning and doing something doesn’t mean you’re an expert right away!

[@jaynemar1]

I’m aware it takes time. Morgan is a big boy and can certainly take the Do Better! Think of all the BS the dog hunters and local townspeople put him through for voicing his opinion. I learned by watching KZbinrs with experience and learning through them. It’s not like I ranted and put Morgan in a time out! He’s a grown man, he can take it.

[@SD-om1kg]

I pick up my bees this Saturday. We are all learning from our mistakes. Keep us updated on the new batch.

[@shannonswyatt]

Not sure why all these homestead channels want to get bees. I love keeping bees, but if I was filming my life for a living on top of everything else, the bees would fall to the wayside. That and it doesn't seem like homestead channels have a goal for the hives, and they want to treat them as something else for the collection, like the person with the most different thing wins. That and with bees you are super busy in the spring, which is also when you are super busy with just about everything else.

[@isellbleach6930]

how the hell do u not over shelter the bees in winter- putting a plastic trash bag over their house in vermount? really? i expected more from you.. bees shouldnt be dying in the thousands when their species already has alot to deal w

[@plebestrian9323]

the segway into the sponsor seemed a tad tasteless, I do realize having a hive die off in climates like yours is not uncommon but still...

[@duckycuddles]

eating cereal after finding dead bees? and giggling after saying 'I killed my bees' ? super sad

[@frothingloins8552]

Morgan, my heart goes out to you. The loss of your bees is tragic, and unfortunately it's the inevitable bad outcome of animal husbandry. When things don't work out, you're left with death and questions. Don't take this as a personal failure. Take it as a learning experience and don't be afraid to try again!

[@NewEnglandgardening]

I'm seeing bees in pieces and not a lot of whole dead bees. It looks like there are more wax cappings than bees and it's very wet. They must have been dead for a while to turn black like that. Did you see any signs of rodent intrusion. Something chewed up those bees in my opinion. I lost two hives and a nuc but have one that is thriving now. This years winter was not to extreme this year but we did have a lot of wind and fluctuating temperatures. The guy with the Vino Farms channel had 100% success with his bee barn design this winter. Why did you not have frames in the top box. A candy board and a quilt box will help with moisture although Vino Farms theorizes the bees are fine with moisture as long as they can keep warm.

[@joehomer4421]

Too bad you didn’t follow the advice you were given last fall about venting the hive. Moisture kills bees. If they have enough food, are a strong colony, they will make it through winter provided they get enough ventilation to keep moisture from building up. Forget about having to keep them warm.

[@silversurfie]

Check out Vino Farms YT bee barn. I enjoy his content and after a really bad year in 2021, his current build is 100% survival rate. Check it out for tips and ideas.

[@Glaceon42]

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your bees. Hopefully you'll have more success next time!

[@alanjames5428]

I don’t see how his farm can be in any way profitable , hardly has any animals and the ones he does have are hardly money makers. Thank god for KZbin he must think. Has acres and acres of wasted land that isn’t being used also.

[@colleenmurphy6529]

You need to talk to Jim at Vino Farm

[@LordNorthern]

That's what I love about this channel. Morgan gets into new things he's inexperienced in, and then you watch him learn more and more, and you get to experience the learning with him!

[@andream4452]

Oh no! I hope your new bees will be ok with the snow. I recently found your videos and love them. I've been sick for a week and you, Toby dog and Pablo have been my entertainment.

[@rodisham]

Interesting conversation with Kaylee. Would be awesome to see more interactions with your other mentors and gurus. Glad you’re continuing your bee enterprise

[@michelero4297]

Why not ask your bee gurus BEFORE the bees died? And then... another 2 boxes of dead bees. Very sad.

[@zackwildman3410]

you killed 147,000? now did you kill one at a time or all at once? did you count them befor you killed them or after? how long did it take you to do it

[@robmckrill3134]

Sorry buddy I only made it to 2.53 into your video and know that you aren't a beekeeper, you're a keeper of bee's

[@thisismyname3328]

And this is why we research before we do something! - KZbin doesn't count as research, Morgan.

[@dairyfarmer726]

I totally agree with you. The same goes for getting his cattle, which require even more research and more dedicated time for proper care.

[@thisismyname3328]

@@dairyfarmer726 At this point it’s almost like he neglects to learn about his animals for the ‘story’ adding KZbin drama, it’s the reason I don’t watch this channel much

[@dairyfarmer726]

@@thisismyname3328 He is first and foremost a KZbinr above all else. Nobody who spends that much time making and editing videos could possibly give proper care to any of his livestock. On our small commercial farm, my wife, daughter, and I work nearly all day with little to no free time. Farming requires dedication to the wellbeing of livestock, which is why Morgan really disappoints me. I have great concerns about his cattle, as eventually something bad will happen. Sigh...

[@thisismyname3328]

@@dairyfarmer726 agreed, although his KZbin may be his primary source of income, he still has a duty of care for his animals, and they don’t deserve to be treated poorly because of diversions. They’re living beings, they must come first - I may only have chickens, but I try and spend at least half an hour watching them daily, to assure their needs are being met

[@Xathos]

3:18 "I just did a bee holocaust.... ALSO, MAGIC SPOON CEREAL."

[@ladydragon3648]

Sorry you lost your bees. & when i looked up Magic Spoon. I found it is way to much money to buy it.

[@jimberkley2896]

Taking a beekeeping class is very helpful. Joining a local bee club. Our club meets monthly in Central Iowa. They are a great reference.

[@sp00kyg1rl]

There’s loads of beekeeping groups on Facebook too.

[@sp00kyg1rl]

@Millicient Aspinet it’s a learning experience, why be judgy? Morgan documents trials, wins and failures. He would have done research, but learning by your mistakes is the best way to learn.

[@Nemrai]

@@sp00kyg1rl Because when owning animals, whether they're bees, cattle, or something else. You have a responsibility to learn as much about how to care for them before you get them. He got a lot of advice on the bees when getting them last year, but I don't know if he listened to it at all.

[@RxBriggs]

VinoFarm has some really good videos on how he got through his struggle in a northern Climate. really educational and informational. Highly recommend.

[@projectportugal]

Maybe you should have contacted the bee expert before you killed all the bees😢

[@greghamann2099]

You are lucky to have all the Bee keepers comment. Tons of great advice. As a former bee man myself I hope you just listen to all of great advice you were given.

[@dairyfarmer726]

Proper care for your bees and cattle requires that you do thorough research BEFORE getting them. Each time that a bad outcome occurs, you keep saying that it is "just part of the learning experience". No, it is not. If your doctor made a mistake treating you, and said that, would you think that is fine?

[@DaimyoD0]

Wow you left a lot of different comments huh

[@dairyfarmer726]

@@DaimyoD0 Yes I did, because Morgan really needs to take some action to improve himself and the care for his livestock to become a successful homesteader. Learning cannot be at the expense of animal lives, even for those that will eventually end up as food for us. We farmers want him to succeed but he must learn to listen to expert advice. The reason why we farmers are in this business is because we really care about giving animals the best care we can while they are alive (you hardly make any money and work long hours at this job), and it really bothers us when someone uses their farm as merely a KZbin prop.

[@phdtobe]

Morgan, I see from the end of the video that your bee hives seem to located away from where there is tree cover. It’s possible that being out in the wind could have exposed the hive to excessive wind chill, lowering the temp of the hive much lower than the static temp. And the difference in temp due to wind chill in that clime is enough that tree cover from the wind is important for the survival of animals whose profile stands above ground cover, such a moose. Maybe you could move the hives to the edge of the treeline to get them out of the wind during the winter.

[@bobby_greene]

Wind chill can't drop the temperature below the actual temperature

[@Undomaranel]

@@bobby_greene Extended chill can. If it's in an area that's constantly windy, with snow and sleet to go with it, it will be much colder than other areas. I live in a windy valley of Central Washington, and there are spots of my daily hour walking commute that's always a solid 5+ degrees cooler than the rest simply due to wind presence.

[@phdtobe]

@@bobby_greene That may be true, but wind chill causes greater heat loss at the “actual temperature” than if the air is still. That’s why someone will get frostbite on exposed skin in very cold temperatures in windy conditions much faster than in still air. In fact, the same principle, but in reverse, is why a convention oven cooks food faster than a standard oven at any particular temperature setting.

[@phdtobe]

@Pat Luxor Oh! I forgot that. Thanks!

[@chickenmomma9239]

Don't buy everything just because they sell it. I'm not sure the hive wrap is a good idea. :(. Sorry for your loss. I know you try hard.

[@rebeccaruskin9800]

Hi! I'm a beekeeper in the UK. It's so important to get help from experienced beekeepers from your area and so much of it is trial and error! Learn your area/environment and it's important to remember that so much of beekeeping is preparing for winter! Anyone who wants to keep bees, I would definitely suggest you get a local mentor and maybe do some beekeeping husbandry courses in your area.

[@rebeccaruskin9800]

Oh and also, join any local society or association!!!

[@paulblackman3936]

If you want to keep bees, you should really take an educational course. Some frames in that super you put on would have helped, as would some ventilation. A Layens Hive might also have mitigated the lack of knowledge. Go get knowledge!!!

[@dairyfarmer726]

He should also learn about taking care of cattle. It really sickens me when he keeps saying it's part of the learning process. Lame excuse!

[@waisangyau8653]

If you are in a cold area- you should really consider sheltering the hive during winter as in actually putting up wind break barriers around the hives and moving them to a more sheltered place and not just relying on wrap. The location you have put them in is very exposed to the elements.

[@AshGreen359]

Moving hives often doesn't go well. Definitely keep them in a less exposed place though

[@waisangyau8653]

Also putting separate barriers around the hive, as opposed to directly wrapping the hive allows for better ventilation and prevents the walls of the hives getting so cold which again helps prevents condensation

[@AshGreen359]

A top feeder filled with lavender or something helps control the condensation as well

[@mateomurseli4086]

I'm curious, how do you inspect your hives if you don't have frames in the top box but just let them build up comb on their own? and what do you do to prevent swarming if you do anything at all? having a hive swarm, just before fall comes around weakens them a LOT.

[@Nemrai]

That looks like a major mistake to me too. There should have been frames in the top box.

[@phammond8155]

Get a bee keeper you can learn from. You can learn from someone who knows whats they're doing. You have to be an active learner your first years of bee keeping. Morgan has too many projects on the farm. He needs to focus on a few things and do them well. Not skip around so much, but that may be his style.

[@dairyfarmer726]

He is, as the saying goes: "a jack of all trades and master of none". A haphazard approach in farming, does not lead to success.

[@imafan2610]

You may have starved your bees. Bees need to be fed in winter if there is no forage, but they need a carbohydrate and protein. I don't think you gave them any pollen. Bees are good at keeping their hives warm. However, the colonies will shrink to survive winter. It is not unusual for hives to not make it through winter. Usually when we put in feeders, the bees eat all of it in a few days, so we replace them every week. We don't have a cold climate and our colonies are bigger even in winter since they still have forage. If you lose a queen in winter, it is hard for colonies to survive. When a colony starves, they starve together. Every bee gets a share of the food, they will not ration. It is why they kick out the drones in the fall. The drones only eat and mate, if they are not needed for the survival of the hive, they get kicked out. In winter, we don't leave extra boxes on the hive or extra frames. You would need to have left more honey frames for the bees than we do. They need all those calories to stay warm. they will retreat to a few frames and cluster together to keep warm. More frames with fewer bees are more frames for varoa mites and hive beetles to hide in. We take off the supers and only leave the deep. Less volume in the box makes it easier for the bees to regulate the temperature. Reducing the entrance helps the bees to defend the hive and lose less heat. It is not good to open up hives when it is cold, since it drops the temperature in the hive as well, but maybe you should inspect your hives more often in winter just to see if there are signs of activity, without necessarily opening then up. We use external feeders so we can see if the food is being taken.

[@AngieJames4172]

HECK YEAH! I knew you wouldn't give up on the beekeeping Morgan!!! Just like you did not give up on cattle or anything else! Keep on keepin' on!

[@Faisal_Afr]

Have you heard of Vino Farm? He lives in a cold climate like yours and has a lot of knowledge, his new Bee Barns are pretty awesome, maybe have a chat with him.

[@rickmeisch472]

Why couldn't a few bales of straw be used to hold back some winter cold? I'm sure some you tube money can buy more bee's to start up again but clean up that hive

[@meowmsmacadamia7026]

Curious about the kind of clean up that was needed when the new bee switch was made. If the old colony may have had mites is there a special kind of cleaning process to the hive box so they don't reinfest?

[@jocelynsmyth6604]

Oh that is so sad :( I'm not sure if this works or not, but I've heard of placing hives near a windbreak, and making sure water is available to them. Full disclaimer, just a bee lover & bee product lover, but I would never try to have a hive myself, so best of luck!

[@AnimeFridays]

Very disappointed in you for this. We should treasure every bee we have or else they will go extinct. You should have done more research before taking on this project. I will forgive you but I hope next time you do very thorough research before risking losing so many bees in the world again

[@rosettajohnson2826]

I suggest watching videos from Vino Farms. He is around the same area you are in and appears to have figured things out.

[@VonPatzy]

Wait - are the new bees okay? Spring storm?

[@estherhh]

I was wondering, too 😬

[@GetRitchie]

sucking at something is the first step to being kinda good at something. -- jake the dog (adventure time)

[@LtColShingSides]

Is there a sort of "Bee Shack" that you could make for the next hive? Something that you can open for the warm months, then seal it up in the winter? Keep the worst of the elements from the hive.

[@shannonswyatt]

AZ hives are generally keep in bee houses. But even in Slovenia where they come from they are in decline. The hives are expensive and require a management style that is different than most beekeepers are use to doing. But they are way cool, and if I had more money I would consider running them. The hives themselves are more like cabinets, so they are more difficult to make yourself.

[@LtColShingSides]

@@shannonswyatt I meant something that houses the entire hive, boxes and all. Like the hoop house he has for the chicken and geese, but for the bees. It'd keep the major elements out and keep the hive above freezing.

[@cookie856]

@@LtColShingSides the thing is : birds are "warm" blooded, so a sufficiant number of them will keep the place warm (actually use in medieval farm here in Belgium. That or the kitchen), bees aren't, so he will need a way to warm it.

[@LtColShingSides]

@@cookie856 it wouldn't keep it as warm as the chicken hoop house, but the sun would keep the inside of the bee shack warmer than outside. That plastic acts like a green house.

[@shannonswyatt]

@@LtColShingSides There are some people that will put hives in a building (shed, barn, etc) but standard Langstroth hives are not made for this configuration. But AZ hives are. My guess is the hives died from something besides cold.

[@mjg2008121]

"I don't know what killed them" TBH You're doing your 1st year of beekeeping on hard mode just by trying it in Vermont. It's always tricky keeping your hives going over winter even in much milder climates, and especially if it's your first one and you're learning. Don't get disheartened. The hives were healthy for most of the year and the land gained a benefit from that. It was a successful first year.

[@happysalesguy]

I'm no beekeeper, but I think I see a tremendous number of (dead) hive beetles among the dead bees. If so, that's something to look into into.

[@carollykins9475]

When you brought the new bees in, did you clean out all the old honey and dead bees First?

[@LedgemereHeritageFarm]

Just a couple observations: (1). There probably won’t be eggs over winter and, (2). I’d advise looking for a guru who lives in Vermont 😊

[@MirandaLey]

Thank you for making this video. It was a great reminder to me to give myself grace. We had a really bad chick shipment last week and I was really beating myself up as I kept losing chicks after they arrived. Thanks for reminding me to keep going. Your videos frequently seem so fortuitous.

[@pecosjack9122]

You made the same mistake as you did the first time, you need a entrance reducer. You need a feed source for the new bees, for goodness sakes arrange your Super (the brood box) and since you didn't show it, add frames in the brood box. I wouldn't worry about adding any additional boxes until they built up the workers.

[@gandalf8216]

I gave up on beekeeping and just gave them rotting logs and had them swarm there, and since then it has been hands off for me. I don't care much for the honey, I just want them to pollinate my grain plants. I do have bears coming by and f-ing with them from time to time, but they're surviving. They get loads of honey to survive throughout the winter, and supposedly bees are actually quite dependent on fungi and other things that grow in rotting logs that defend them against pathogens and disease. I can't say it has been confirmed, but again, I don't care much for what bees produce - I just want them around my fields. They're tenth generation feralized now, and winter's harsh here. Real harsh, with -25C snowstorms that can last for a week.

[@thetorment0r]

I support you getting all the sponsors you're getting and you definitely deserve them but cutting to a commercial right after announcing losing 147k bees gives the video an icky feeling

[@larry_the]

Why? It's all content anyways.

[@moppenaltwire4890]

what a mess your top box hive was :(

[@astutebunny]

You have so many comments, you'll probably never see this but I highly recommend adding a ventilation board to your hives. There are a multitude of designs available, or the construction is easy enough - basically it's a box that replaces your inner topboard and allows for air to flow more freely through your hive. A good design should feature an upper level entrance for the bees and a screened box within it to allow for winter fondant feeding. In the winter I layer shop clothes over my inner screened feeder box to absorb the condensation the bees work up so that that moisture doesn't drip back down onto them and freeze 'em - those clothes also block out the cold winter air from getting in. You're also able to feed them fondant patties throughout the winter without having to fully open the hive and expose it to the cold. In the summer, remove the clothes and flip the screened in feeding box over and you're assisting your hive with the airflow they need to keep their temps right without having to beard. Also, others have recommended pollen patties and I would advise against that especially going into winter. Pollen is needed for brood and a hive is winding down on brood-rearing going into winter. Sugar water is also best used during nectar dearths. For winter feeding I highly recommend giving them bee fondant (not to be confused with cake fondant). I have utterly failed at trying to make it myself, but thankfully it's available for sale through multiple vendors. Last tips I have for preparing your bees for winter is aggressively feed them in the fall & do more then a wrap for cover. Bees are going to die over winter, but you help them prepare for it by making sure their population count is high enough that they can afford to lose bees and still have enough left to keep the heat up. Our beekeeping association lovingly calls this fattening up the bees - you make sure their numbers and stores are high enough that they'll survive the cold. To be honest I've never used the wraps that you featured - they always seemed like a rip-off. In nature bees would ideally protect themselves with several inches of bark in a hollowed out tree, and then we as beekeepers think our 3/4" boards are up to the task? Yeah, no. I cover hay bales in thick garbage bags to protect them from moisture so they can re-used for other garden things after winter (skipped this step one year and come spring the hay was rotted away mess that was good for nothing else). I surround the hives with these bales for insulation, use a tarp to act as a windbreaker, and bind them together using ratchet straps. I also keep the covers accessible so I can feed them and they can get out if needed. Hope these tips make it to you and you find them helpful 🙂 I'm honored if you've read this far and I really wish I could attach pics to make my points clearer. Keep up the good work too! I unfortunately lost my first hive over winter and it sucked, but given that you started with a package it's really understandable. I'm positive you'll have much better success moving your nuc into the luxury palace your previous hive left them.

[@reedchandler2372]

I have been keeping bees I Utah for 6 years, and have always been able to over winter my bees with only around 5% over winter loss. It is really important to have a management plan to control varroa mites. You can not see evidence that you have a problem until it is too late unless you are testing. Out of a 300 bee sample you should never see more than one or two mites if I see two I treat. The number of bees on the bottom of your hive was not a lot. When you have a large hive that fails over the winter you can hav several inches of dead bees on the bottom of the hive. I don’t think you had enough bees to create the heat needed to make it through the cold spells. I would recommend that you find a bee keeper that successfully over winters bees in your area that you can follow around and help with their bees, and learn what their management plan is that allows them to over winter their bees. Also make sure you have frames in your top box when you put it on.

[@docash2107]

Without watching the video...you either starved them or they got wet.

[@TheWiiHunter]

It's very...disturbing that you segway from all the dead bees right into a video of you eating cereal and into a sponsorship message. Do that at the beginning of the video or the end or heck after the resolution. They way it's done here feels heartless and like you're trying to clickbait us into watching your ad. I've been watching your videos for a while but this one is bad.

[@ab-fd1zg]

It’s just bees dude. They die naturally in winter

[@ze-germans-r-coming]

It's really sad about the bees. I've been where you are. My first winter both colonies I had died. They really never took off in the necessary growth. Varroa usually goes hand in hand with virus infections that cripples the bees (like deformed wings and stuff). What I'm not so sure about is her advice about the feeder block. Usually here (Switzerland) we start feeding for winter from August onwards for the winter. It's usually a solution of 80% sugar and we let the bees make it into the form they like (in the comb). Obviously based on the length of winter, you need to get a lot of food into the hive and the make the room as small as possible for them so they have to heat up less space. Btw. that last picture you showed in the video is, what happened to my very last colony I had in 2016. I had a LATE swarm caught in may and put it into a hive on new wax plates with a 50:50 water/sugar solution directly above them and a bit of protein right dough ... 2 days later we had snow and a temperature drop to low single digits (celsius). The bees went back into their winter protection ball around the queen and basically starved as they would not go up and take from the food that was just waiting for them. It was just sad. Also MagicSpoon does neither ship to Switzerland (here) or Germany (an hour away) ... so sad :D That stuff looks really good. :)

[@andrewcyr5812]

Magic spoon is gross🤮🤷‍♂️

[@ze-germans-r-coming]

@@andrewcyr5812 Well, i would actually like to try it but my next visit to the states is currently unclear.... so.

[@koulam]

Ty for also showing your failures and bummer moments on the internet. Seeing you learn from your mistakes motivates me even more since I don't have to be afraid of failure.