🔵Making honey with a long hive!

[@kamonreynolds]

Horizontal hive from: www.horizontalbees.com/ The refractometer, our favorite hivetool, etc can be found here: www.amazon.com/shop/tennessees-bees/list/2XRUBZ67FIJO3

[@joeelam1]

Just a little bit off, but we know what you meant.

[@viscache1]

So far you have the most common sense channel for beekeeping. Thanks for the effort. It helps us a lot

[@youn9567]

벌 🐝 좋아요 👌 👍 👍 👍

[@mohamedamhilbelkacem162]

So nice to see ! It really brings about joy ! Thanks !

[@billcoffey5610]

Hive Beatles used to be 10 points. 100! Everything is inflating!

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

an added note...if you get a refractometer be sure to get one with a calibration kit...if you hunt around you can find them with the kit at the same price as without. Nothing lets you sleep better than knowing your honey is the proper moisture AND knowing your refractometer is properly calibrated

[@deannawalts7901]

Do you recommend one in particular?

[@pilsplease7561]

I have some high end digital refractometers from commercial winemaking and I use one of them for my honey its stupid spot on accurate.

[@beeware_honey]

I love working with my bees in a horizontal hive. You give me inspiration and confidence to keep the bees strong so that next year my bees can produce a nice crop of honey. I am considering putting 3 shallow supers across the horizontal, and either unhinge the roof to cover them, or just use 3 covers.

[@CrazyIvan865]

It is not a lie that bees are just as healthy off sugar syrup as honey. They make honey and not sugar syrup for very specific reasons. And unless you have a well, the "antimicrobial disinfectant" chemically treated water alone can kill enough beneficial gut bacteria to kill them. Even outside of that, sugar water has a pH of whatever water you make it with, typically 6.5pH to 7.5pH, which is the prime range for most harmful microorganisms, while honey has a pH of around 3.7pH, which is around the prime range for most beneficial/proviotic microorganisms. There is a HUGE difference between honey, nectar, and sugar syrup. Studies have proven that supplimental feeding of pollen patty or sugar syrup, without adding or supplimenting probiotics, (lactic acid bacterias, bifidobacterium, enterobacters, acetobacters, apibacters, etc) helps promote pathogenic disease causing microorganisms, while probiotic supplientation can help reduce the growth and spread of pathogenic microorganisms. Nosema, Foulbrood, chalk brood, etc thrive off sterile nutrient sources where theres no competing beneficial microorganisms. So please. Do some research and learning, and dont perpetuate the "common conventional" practices, beliefs etc. 44% average annual die out is not sustainable. We need to stop perpetuating harmful practices because "my honey, my profits, my hives, my convenience, etc" theres many things that are counter productive that are still being taught as the "right way"... such as top venting... in studies done with various levels of ventilation or even forced ventilation, the bees worked harder and burned more energy to maintain the same CO² level (around 1.1-1.5% total atmospheric CO²) and one study even was like "well what happens if we increase ventilation rate" and reached the point where bees were cooking and CO² went up by a little over 200ppm to maintain that atmosphere. And bees use honey/nectar for energy. So every ounce of energy spent combating the ventilation is honey wasted. Theres one way to min/max honey. But it isnt ever talked about. Because that ventilation also sends the medicinal organic compounds breaking free from the nectar off into atmosphere, leading to sicker bees and more need for treatments. Where in a natural hive environment, they would have those medicinal compounds filling the hive and basically be their own pharmacists and apothecaries. Using thicker hive boxes ir insulated hives help the temperature be more stable and constant, not only during winter, or summer, but even from the high temp of the late afternoon, to the low temp of the night just before sunrise... thats another way to min/max. Insulate. Less energy spent for them to maintain hive internal temperature is less caloric burn, which directly translates to less honey cost and more honey storage. Anyway. Test it out on 1 hive. No ventilation, better insulation, no feeding and only harvest honey in early spring when the flow has started, and again in late mid fall, leavjng them plenty of time to top off their stores for winter. I would be willing to bet those few steps will make a dramatic difference in that hives health and longevity.

[@danielholtxxl4936]

These guys that have dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of hives and make a living selling honey have to sacrifice quality for quantity. To the hobbyist like me your comment and advice is very meaningful. I’ve already blocked my top vent (got that from Vino Farms videos), already planned my harvest for spring to insure my bees have enough stores to get thru a Minnesota winter, and insulated my hives with 3” of polystyrene. Both of my hives have made it through two winters and are real strong this spring. I did need to feed them this past late winter/early spring but I fed them honey. A little spendy but I found some Kansas bulk honey that wasn’t super expensive. And a fraction of the cost of new nucs! And very satisfying to succeed. Thanks.

[@CrazyIvan865]

@@danielholtxxl4936 you're welcome. And thank you for the encouragement. You want to see something neat. Search "FAF-Insulated Langstroth Hive" and the first result should be PDF download of a citizen scientist project posted by SEMAPonline (Southeast Massachusetts agricultural partnership). It was quite interesting. Also sparing the smoker for a spray bottle of water or water with a kittke sugar in it. In The Hive and The Honey Bee, Langstrith speaks of sparing the smoker for a sprinkling of sugar water as a welcomed treat for the bees. The bees do everything in the hive and communicate through scent, feel, and vibrations. With scent being their primary means of communication, seeking out and identifying pests, pathogens, unhealthy brood and stressed hive mates... this new UBeeO technology... people are seeing a great opportunity for identifying hygenic genetics. But most people are missing a key component in the picture.... they do it by smell. Well... with a face full of smoke every 7 days... they ability to manage the hive, manage pests and diseases, locate forage, etc is hindered. And there's studies that say pretty much that. Studies on how poor air quality or smoke from wildfires increases the duration of foraging trips, interferes with the bees locating forage sources from father distances etc. Look into it. See what you think.

[@somebody3570]

Do you have a channel?

[@yasminnilima2366]

Loved seing this! You have so much you wanna say to us. And that love and care for Laurel!🥰 You are my all time favorite couple! Thank you Laurel for filming this video, you got nerves of Steel!

[@brucesbees]

Good stuff Kamon. Looking forward to trying out a horizontal hive.

[@MSongNorth1964]

I built a horizontal hive last winter and it's my best hive this season. I've had swarms out of all my langstroths but nary a queen cell in my long hive. I should get at least 100lb out of it as our honey season is just starting in B.C. after the crappiest spring I've ever seen.

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

Nice to see you back in the long hives Kamon! Hope you and Laurel are well

[@joer5627]

I pulled my frames today. Never had 100# from one colony. Always a learning experience. SHB, wax Moths, Varroa, oh and don’t forget swarm management! Next week will be Queen rearing for me. Thank you for your videos. I’ve learned a lot.

[@garybrohard3144]

I pulled my first frame of honey from my horizontal hive. I got over 4 pints just from one frame. Yay me. I have two colonies in one hive. One on each end. So far it is working good. I put a divider board with a queen excluder slot on one colony with 4 honey frames on the other side. Seems to have worked out pretty good. Next year I will do the same on the other side and let them combine honey in the middle. Now I just have to save up for an extractor.

[@mattb4541]

Thanks for the great content. Can’t wait for Hive Life in January!

[@kamonreynolds]

WOW Matt thank you so much for the comment and the generous donation! January will be here before we know it!!

[@zetectic7968]

Good to see the horizontal hive is working out well 😁 I would've had to use a funnel to fill the feeder. I guess the bees will take care of any splashes.

[@gilarosily9374]

Like the vid of the mites

[@catchemalive]

Kamon, when you do your honey extraction video, please comment on exactly what you do with those empty frames after you harvest to keep the moths away!!!!! I tried very hard to keep them put up after I let the bees clean them out the next day after we got honey and then I set them inside my shop. Been less than 2 weeks and I just checked every frame and at least 15 frames already had webbing in them with larvae crawling around.......🤬🤬🤬

[@R_an_D]

I always put extracted frames back on the hive for 2 or 3 days and let the bees pick them clean. Then I put them in a chest freezer for a day to kill any beetles and moths (and their eggs). Then close them up in clear storage totes. You can back track this process by freezing and recover your frames. The bees will clean the webs next year.

[@anrenes3459]

I put them on a hive also…. If there is no trace of beebread the moths here ignore dry frames. Beebread frames find a home in a hive to be used or freezer if I’m too busy to get it into one.

[@LawsonsCreekApiary]

Lots of honey! Was a rough honey season for me.

[@TheCaliforniaBeekeeper]

A horizontal hive would be a great setup for my queen banks🤔 Do they make them with divisions excluders?

[@kamonreynolds]

I believe so Jose. Rickey at Horizontal bees would know for sure.

[@dcsblessedbees]

Little known secret :-) humans run off sugars too. Ty Kamon for sharing your families time, Blessed Days...

[@mtangeouko7425]

Great

[@ridingvenus]

3:17 where ya get your corrugated boxes?

[@somebody3570]

Did you abandon the long hive? I don't see many videos about it? Is it more of a pain then the vertical hives?

[@horizontalbees]

Kamon the smoke 💨 must always follow the lady’s. Ya’ll management skills can make any hive look good. Nice touch using the proplis mat!!!

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Long vertical hive’s in the south work out very well, specially with good insulation like aac blocks

[@webuy888]

Thanks for your video. I have a question, do you use queen excluder in your long hive? I am in CA and I have a similar long hive like yours, started broods from left to right (10 frames) and had a few full honey frames at the right side end when I started this nuc in my long hive in April. I did not use queen excluder and started adding foundation frames in mid May when the colony population exploded and the bees started honey storing from the empty foundation frames toward to the right (same orientation like your long hive). It was fine until couple weeks ago I found the broods in the honey frames and the queen moved toward to right side of honey frames. How do I keep the queen in the broods area at the left side of the hive? Thanks.

[@MeyerTribe7]

How do you keep the sugar syrup from ending up in your honey?

[@reneebrown2968]

What about the goldenrod? That is the last real flow here, but that's in the fall

[@boscodog4358]

Does the long hive have 30 frames?

[@s.fla.beekeepingmangoesand1517]

Thanks for posting. Are using a queen excluder?

[@beebob1279]

Great presentation as always. I've mentioned it before that I"ll be switching over to the long hive because my shoulders just can't lift the boxes anymore. My concern is whether these can survive the winters of Pennsylvania. I've also looked at the Layen's hive which will work where I am. I guess I'll build both and figure it out. IF there is anyone from the north who is using this hive let me know how they're doing for overwintering. Thanks.

[@joer5627]

I’m just about there with you

[@SomnolentFudge]

I have a topbar (just slightly different, it has trapezoidal frames) hive here in Maine, it's survived 3 winters. The only difficulty ive had is mite treatments require a little creativity to use, as the official directions with most mite treatments is for langstroths. I think with low mite loads and sufficient food reserves bees can survive just about any winter in just about any hive.

[@meloneycrews]

Frederick Dunn is in PA and has I think 2 long langs! He has several YT videos about his results.

[@beebob1279]

@@meloneycrews Thank you. I'll check it out.

[@goodwilltriumph2842]

I am having real trouble watching you work hives in a t-shirt!!!!!!

[@UA---rb9je]

In Ukraine this type of hive is knowing as "lezhak"

[@ruannaude8197]

Question, sir. I have been keeping bees for 5 years and was hoping to build my own horizontal long hive to try something new. Do you still use a queen excluder? Im not a fan, but i dont produce much honey, mostly to give to family friends and co-workers. I have a theory that you can use the main entrance into the hive add a queen excluder and add second entrance to the honey supers by drilling a hole to give bees a way into the hive without squeezing through the excluder.. what is your opinion about a second entrance on long hive and regular langstroth hives??

[@alhambraorchardapiary4882]

What do you do with the propolis when collected?

[@robinmartin4464]

Thank you, Mr. Reynolds. I have a friend in a wheelchair, would this be a good thing for her?

[@chrissimpson2105]

Will they be horizontal hive for sale at Hive Life Conference?

[@horizontalbees]

Hey Chris, We will be at the HLC selling our horizontal hive again. Kamon has been great to support small business and we will 🐝 given 150$ off our hives to continue to help his conference.

[@chrissimpson2105]

@@horizontalbees Great looking forward meeting everyone

[@macsbees5775]

How much would you take from a strong double deep kamon?

[@ericsmithers6261]

Kamon, how pounds of honey do you expect off of a production colony in a strong year?

[@kamonreynolds]

Strong year? 120-140 lbs average year 90-100. Bad year 50-70

[@errollima2345]

Boa noite qual é a metragem das quadros e está caixa

[@alexpachecodemarinoslucas9476]

Olá boa tarde meu nome é Alex Pacheco de marinos Lucas quantos quadros tem essa colmeia e se padrão lqngstroth

[@r.leepanderjr.6308]

I've been told time and time again that long hive are great a producing bees, and poor at producing honey. Obvioulsy, you're proving this wrong. Is there anything in particular you're doing to adapt long hives for honey production. Any help will be appreciated here in East TN.

[@kamonreynolds]

I cut the bees back when they get to strong to prevent swarming and always have plenty of room for the queen to lay and the bees to place nectar

[@johnkillen588]

link for bulk 2 gallon feeders?????

[@baldeagleApiaries]

Where did you get that frame feeder Sir Kamon? Thanks for the video.

[@kamonreynolds]

Motherlode plastics!

[@Jimflawless927]

Would you ever treat for mites with out testing

[@anrenes3459]

With OA of course. Doesn’t stress them and is cheap/natural/okay with honey on.

[@chips4289]

I dont understand why you put a queen excluder on top of the frames on a horizontal hive? how will that keep the queen from laying in eggs in your honey frames?

[@kamonreynolds]

Propolis trap