It's December and it's time to prepare our hives for splits.

Down in SWFL I would take a frame with a few bees and get a tote lid,,bang the frame on there.All the beetles fall out ready to be crushed by my patiently waiting putty knife.The other bees will find their way back inside the hive..Happy New Years Jeff.Bzzz

[@JeffHorchoff]

Love your technique and choice of weapon to dispatch the nasty critters. Happy New Year to you and yours as well! God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@caz4523]

I would have brushed the bees off and stuck the frames with the hive beetles in the freezer for a day....

[@JeffHorchoff]

Trust me, if I had a freezer large enough to hold all the frames I had, I would have done it. What I did do when I got back to the abbey and went through the frames individually, I used my Everything Bee Vac and vacuumed all the beetles off each frame and put the vac body into the freezer. That will show the beetles who's in charge. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@birdnest5814]

Blessings, Mr Ed🙏😊💕

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you, and blessings to you and yours in the New Year! God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@Jeff_and_Jenny_M]

Bravo, Julio! Peace, gentlemen! - Jeff M.

[@NATURALBEEKEEPERSCOLLECTIVE]

Just wishing you and your family a very happy and prosperous 2025 Thanks so much for all the awesome vids you have been posting over the years. Mr Ed is wrangling bees and Good Time Charlie is wrangling some fish. He is probably watching your channel on his phone while he is fishing haha Have a great Year Jeff Happy Wrangling!

[@dcsblessedbees]

🤨Split preping😂not hear. Merry Christmas Jeff. 😁Honey bees were the first to invent HVAC systems.😂

[@JeffHorchoff]

Not real preparations, but just the first part. The fun stuff does not begin for me until mid February. To bad they bees did not get the patent on HVAC, they could have had us working for them. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@dalmond2]

Thank-you, Mr. Ed. Blessings in 2025.

[@ruesnow5989]

Thanks for making your videos I have learned so much. Best of luck to you in 2025.

[@wranther]

You have a good room full of boxes to sort thru and capture a bit of late season sweetness Mr. Ed! Interestingly your weather isnt so much warmer than up this way of late. But the warmth disappears come about Monday next. I really enjoy the energy you bring into your videos, along with your thoughtful teachings. As the year is closing out now, may the last weekend of 2024 be enjoyable and peaceful for you! But doesnt Good Time Charlie ever drop off a sample of his fishing skills into your skillet? -Bob...

[@JeffHorchoff]

Our weather in Louisiana is perfect for me, and I really think the bees love it as well. Short sleeves at Christmas in not unusual, but you are correct, the cold is coming and thankfully, it won't stay around very long. thank you so much for your kind words and support, and I look forward to sharing a lot more with everyone next year as well. And yes, Charlie always asks if I need any cleaned fish. God's peace Bob. Mr. Ed

[@richardhyatt-beekeeping]

The best laid plans of mice and men. No Butts about it. 😀Small Hive Beetles are pain. Getting 50 in each Beetle Jail I put in. Pretty much eradicated them and ready for winter now. Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Hope you had a great Christmas.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Once the beetles get a toe hold of the hive, it's all over. Thankfully they thin out this time of the year and I really won't have to deal with them until the early summer next year. Of course I really don't deal with them, I just let the bees take care of them since it is rare for me to go into a hive once I have made the split. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! God's peace Richard. Mr. Ed

[@NolaSpiersMitchell-gu5iu]

Mr Ed I’m nola from Australia I had one hive the last time I left message now sir I have 4 hive 1 has two boxes the other three I have the 1 box plus the brude box I’m so happy with them I’m going to pull honey just before Easter and I’m doing the market I sold out last time hopefully I’ll have some for my self the thing is we are doing summer and they work through winter as well god bless Mr Ed hope you both had a lovely Christmas god bless

[@JeffHorchoff]

WOW! You certainly have been blessed. Keep up your efforts and I hope you sell out quickly this time as well. Thank you for your blessings and for watching. Happy New Year Nola! God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@JJDigitalartStudio]

God bless you all. Have a blessed new year and may the bees of 25 be heroic!

[@Kevincostner0k]

❤

[@Manuherikiabeekeeping]

😂hey Jeff 👋 Charlie going fishing 🐟 again 😂 the propolis corrals are interesting, mostly because we don't have hive beetles in New Zealand and prayerfully never will, but it's interesting that the bee's manage them that way. Things are going well for us down in central Otago after that terrible start, my hobbyist who had the chalkbrood really badly has managed to get it pretty much out now and I gave him a new split to help him replace the one he lost, put some queens in the other hobbyists colony so now he's back on track too, and the third one I gave a split with a queen cell in has really taken off, that queen is really laying up a storm, I've had to give him some brood comb because she is way ahead of her bee's drawing foundation 😂 so that's great 👍😁 my bee's are really packing honey in too👍👋

[@JeffHorchoff]

Sounds like the bees in NZ are kicking butt and taking names, always a great thing when our bees are thriving. Keep up the good work and be thankful you guys dont have the small hive beetle. Thanks for watching. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@richardd8352]

When you said you were doing it on your own today because.........i just KNEW you were going to say Charlie is fishing! 🎣😅

[@JeffHorchoff]

I sure miss Charlie! Thanks for watching. God's peace Richard. Mr. Ed

[@lgull1]

what do the hive beetles do to a hive anyway? novice asking

[@JeffHorchoff]

They over run the colony with their maggots and the hive dies. Nasty critters for sure. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@richardgrumpywelsh2485]

Another great video. God bless yoy guys

[@webbyb76]

Way up the East Coast here, Canada, to be specific, it can get rather chilly and snowy here. Do the bees go into a frozen hibernation? Or like the birds, fly south? I guess I should just ask Google! Lol

[@JeffHorchoff]

Our bees here in the warm south fly almost all year round. It is very typical in colder climates for bees to "cluster" in the winter thus maintaining a warm section of the hive in order for survival. The simply ball together sharing heat and rotating from the inside to the outside. For such a small insect, very intelligent. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace Wendy. Mr. Ed

[@jareddoucet1656]

Merry Christmas my brother! May you be blessed today like never before and may God bless you in the coming year more than you can contain!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Jared and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@banjerlegs3051]

What is the Abbey? Is the wood shop separate? Do you own the wood shop?

[@JeffHorchoff]

The abbey is a Benedictine monastery, a Catholic, religious order, located in Southeast Louisiana about 50 miles north of New Orleans. The wood shop is part of the abbey and it is where I also help them build caskets. I do not own any part of the bee operation or the wood working operation, I am simply a volunteer. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@SF2BeeRanch]

What gloves do you have on in this video?

[@JeffHorchoff]

I love the gloves from Guardian Bee Apparel, they are not sting proof, but I do love the breathability of them. Also, I prefer the short version instead of the longer style. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@angeldee130]

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Have a happy, healthy, blessed New Year and your family as well!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Our Christmas was wonderful, I got to hang out with my wife all day long! Thank you for your new year wishes, and may you and yours have a blessed and happy New Year as well. God's peace Denise. Mr. Ed

[@luchts4547]

"leaning tower of bee-sa" was right there!

[@JeffHorchoff]

And I always thought it was in Italy. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@abcdltruckdrivingacademy2016]

Looking good Mr Ed! Love the video!

[@williamhesbach4072]

Yeah, those beetles are a pain. They can fly like bees, so knocking them off the comb will send them airborne back into that hive or a neighboring one. But I hope that works for you.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hive beetles actually fly with a swarm so when the swarm lands, often times, there are beetles already present. I realize I was not doing a lot of help, but there is always the chance it did some good. At least I was not simply putting them back into the hive. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace William. Mr. Ed

[@williamhesbach4072]

@@JeffHorchoff Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your attentiveness to your followers. Up North, we have escaped large infestations, except last year when beetle populations were alarming. Do you ever use oil traps?

[@gunlinebees.3831]

Yessir... About 6 weeks and it's game on! Y'all have a blessed and very Merry Christmas. Unto us a Savior is born... Christ Jesus is King! God Bless Tim, Hannah, and Jasper.

[@JeffHorchoff]

It's just around the corner, and I still have so much work to do! Don't worry, I'll be making and posting the videos on everything I'm doing.Thank you for your blessings and Christmas wishes and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! God's peace Tim. Mr. Ed

[@edwardclark5211]

Dream Big brother 🙏

[@trevormcnutt9756]

Ive seen some videos that peppermint works against s.h.b. , do you think we need to help them out if the hives are healthy ? Or when should we intervene? Thanks for the great video!

[@mattgiardina6533]

good day to you i have a quistion i only have 2 hives and thats all i want it gives me enouf hunny for me do i haft to split them or can i just have the 2 i dont find viedos on that for small home hives thay seme to all be big peaple like your self not on realy small like me what do i do in the spring just leve them alone or is thar somthing i need to do this will be my second year having then any help will be greatly help full thank you and god bless you and family

[@JeffHorchoff]

You certainly do NOT have to split your hives, but trust me, there is almost a 100% certainty they will swarm in the spring or early summer. For years I never split my hives and they did very well and I still managed to get honey from them. Of course I had only 5 or 6 at the time. Now with over 180 hives, splitting them in early spring ensures I get an ample honey harvest in early summer. Best wishes for your continued successes in the coming year, and thank you so much for your blessings and for taking the time to follow along with my bee wrangling adventures. Until the next one, God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@brucekaminskimd3417]

Good morning Mr. Ed, we dat down to watch with late breakfast. We got rushed out and met up with grandkids. Another great video. Janets says in some way it's a delight to hear that you get ready for another year. The hope and belief of tomorrow is comfort to her. Makes her 😊 happy. You all have a wonderful weekend. See you next year! God bless u❤

[@disillusioned070]

Maybe I missed it but what part of the country is this in. I live in the PNW on the coast and our major winter weather really doesn't peak until February.

[@jasonseaward8506]

He's somewhere in Louisiana I believe

[@JeffHorchoff]

I live in southeast Louisiana, about 50 miles north of New Orleans. Like you, our coldest weather is generally in February, but even then it's rare to get prolonged periods of temps below 30 degrees. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@Joeybagofdonuts76]

Merry Christmas, Mr Ed.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Shawn and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@SuzyHousecoat]

Happy Christmas! I hope santa brought you a clip on microphone.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Suzy, and yes, I did get a mic. Now all I have to do is figure how to use it. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@Bibleblessings.Outop1957]

Hi mr Ed

[@JeffHorchoff]

Good morning, and thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video. Also, in case you did not know, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@fitzymon]

you in warm weather country that why you can get away with Dec splits.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I do not do splits in December, I generally begin at the end of February, and by mid March, I'm through. What I did in this video was simply reduce the hives that still had 3 supers on them thus getting them ready. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@fitzymon]

Ya I watch you. I love the video you did on using a vibrating gun on wax. that changed my life with cleaning the hives. Im in North carilina and looking at going to 200 hives next year. I lost 100 hives in the hurricane but life goes on. Looking for a new start. Peace :)

[@AlhasancapiBojang-nx8ev]

Hi Jeff how can I have bee hives I am from the Gambia west Africa and how much are they costing

[@WreckDiver99]

That one leaning hive, I am 99% sure I saw that at DirtRooster. I think he swapped it on you.

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are probably correct. There's now way I could possibly have equipment in that deplorable condition. Thanks for watching. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@lt35phila]

Smoke? Feed?

[@JeffHorchoff]

It is rare for me to use smoke, and when I do, I do so sparingly. Smoke really stresses bees. And feeding, that I do not do unless it is a new removal that needs assistance. Also, I do not treat. My philosophy is a very much "hands off" approach, and I allow the bees to take care of everything. Then, in the summer, I collect rent, but only from the surplus not what's necessary to get through the winter. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@Burntbranchcreekbees]

God bless you and Mona this Christmas and into the new year.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Hey Russ, it's been a while and I hope all is well with you. If you are still wanting to help again this year with splits, I'd love the help. Let me know. Thank you very much for your Christmas wishes and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! And a very happy new Year to go along with it! God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@KDVoller]

Merry Christmas 🎄 Jeff

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Karen, and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@regiaquiarato7898]

Manter as colmeias com boa insolação é bom para reduzir a ocorrência de besouros, porque eles gostam de umidade. Vi em outro vídeo que você está passando a usar fundo sólido. Talvez isto ajude a proteger a colônia do excesso de umidade que vem do solo. São boas medidas. O que pode ajudar a evitar que os besouros proliferem é colocar cal no solo, abaixo do alvado. As larvas do besouro, quando buscam a terra para dar sequência ao ciclo transformando-se em pupas, ao cair na cal, desidratam e morrem.

[@drummersagainstitk]

Love your work. Thank you for teaching me about beekeeping.

[@JeffHorchoff]

You are very welcome, it is my pleasure sharing my bee wrangling adventures. Thanks for watching, and I hope you will check out more of my over 600 bee wrangling/ bee rescue adventure videos and let me know what you think of them. By the way, I post a new video every Friday morning, and I look forward to hearing from you again soon. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@thornehauser9511]

Awesome video Mr Ed. Love to see your process. It really puts into perspective what really goes on in an operation such as yours. Can't wait to see the next step in your process. Until then God bless.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Next Friday video shows what the boxes gave up...lots of honey. Till then, thank you for your blessings and for watching. God's peace Thorne. Mr. Ed

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Tried to blame the Rooster! Poopr Rooster but don't think you quite pulled it off. No wonder Charlie was fishing BUT you had jULIO! JESUS WEEKEND AND God Bless!

[@WildwoodsBeekeeping]

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas Mr Ed! Great video 😁

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Grayson, we did, and I hope yours was a great one as well. Happy New Year and God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@33MileBees]

Merry Christmas and see you in a week!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Phil, and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! Looking forward to seeing you again! God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@dorishansen1378]

I love looking at the scenery all around you. It is very beautiful there. God bless you and Ms. Mona. Yall are some wonderful people 💕 P.s. That church is very big😊 Happy New Year!!!

[@MERRLINN]

Hard to believe your getting ready for split's

[@JeffHorchoff]

Yet there is so much more to prepare for it, but I'm up for the challenge and so is Charlie. Thank you Larry, God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@abcdltruckdrivingacademy2016]

Julio kind of looked like a hive beetle with that head covering and glasses. 😂😂❤

[@JeffHorchoff]

After looking at him in the video, I'd have to agree with your assessment. Looks like we will be assembling boxes after I get back from NAHBE, get ready. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@captbriansbees]

A beautiful Christmas Day here on long island. Gods blessings Mr Ed.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I know you will enjoy it, Merry Christmas and God's peace Brian. Mr. Ed

[@TracysBees8713]

Can’t wait to get back into our Bees. We did a OA treatment yesterday. Love love love your videos.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Trust me, you will be back into the girls before you know it, I hope you will bee ready for it. Happy to have you follow along, thank you for that. God's peace brother.. Mr. Ed

[@tgrimsley]

Merry Christmas Mr. Ed! Liked this video on preparing for splits in December! Very interesting description of dealing with those pesky hive beetles! After seeing so many different styles of boxes, I was wondering...do you still have time to make a hive body or two from pine lumber from scratch? Thanks for taking time to make such informative videos...God Bless you in the new year!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Tom, and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! I do not make bee boxes, supers, or frames, I don't save anything by building them myself and it's just cheaper to buy them. However, I do build bottom boards, just posted that video, inner covers, will be posting that video very soon, and telescoping covers, sorry no video for that one, because I save so much and it's worth the time spent. God's peace and Happy New Year. Mr. Ed

[@dennisbarney869]

About time for another pen color , and cut outs, LOL. I need to build a lot of frames. We have had a very mild winter this year with bees flying almost every day. So far hive beetles have not been a large problem for me, Hope it stays that way. Are you going to be live Saturday. Thanks for the vid.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Because I will be at NAHBE this Saturday I will not be going live, I will however be going live the 2nd Saturday in January, the 11th. It's going to bee a great 2025, stay tuned for all of the adventures. Thanks for watching. God's peace Dennis. Mr. Ed

[@bigdawgronaz878]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my friend. May God bring you rich blessings in 2025!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you very much Ron, and may the blessing and joy of Christmas extend all through the new year for you and yours as well! God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

mug up Mr. Ed... winter is here in NH, the ground is frozen and covered with snow and there is only 7 degrees floating around there this am... temps are supposed to raise just about freezing, no robbing here today. Made a couple insulated lids yesterday...I have until the end of February to build some more wooden ware. Mid-March is when my bees, the ones that make it, get to start bringing in the red maple pollen in. Until then, snow surface permitting, it's ski season! Thanks for posting, take care

[@JeffHorchoff]

Trust me, Spring will be here before you know it and it waits for no one so you best bee ready! God's peace Brice. Mr. Ed

[@brianbennett4374]

Merry Christmas 🐝🎄🐝🎄🐝🎄🐝

[@JeffHorchoff]

Thank you Brian and may you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas as well! God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@keithspillman]

Merry Christmas Jeff!! Agree with you on the beetles......you can sometimes sense the bees thinking "gee thanks" when we mess up all their hard work corralling the beetles!! 😆 See you soon in Louisville!!! Come on Spring!!!!!

[@JeffHorchoff]

Looking forward to seeing you in Louisville! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours Keith. God's peace brother. Mr. Ed

[@choochoo405]

gm Mr. Ed and Julio

[@JeffHorchoff]

May you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas Nancy! God's peace. Mr. Ed

[@rodrigogabrecht7945]

❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@rickyyeldell7262]

I enjoyed the video. See ya’ in Louisville.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Glad to hear that, and I look forward to seeing you in Louisville as well. Don't forget to bring me your new honey label. God's peace Ricky. Mr. Ed

[@paulbombardier8722]

How odd…all of a sudden a French voice over started!!! Good thing I understand it.

[@JeffHorchoff]

Now that's interesting. I never know what KZbin is going to do next. Sure am happy to hear you understood it. Thanks for watching and listening. God's peace Paul. Mr. Ed