Managing Towards Gentle Behaviour

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thank you to everyone for watching and supporting our videos! If you have any questions about our videos, please check out our list of FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS on our website, which can be found at honeybee.uoguelph.ca/videos/frequently-asked-questions/

[@18Bees]

Go to channel for great information. Thank you.

[@privatebubba8876]

Excellent video, I really appreciate the time and effort that you put in to provide an superb resource for beekeepers on every level.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Our Pleasure PB Thanks for sharing your generous thoughts.

[@scottthornandhisbeesandtrees]

Thanks for making these videos, they are some of the best on here for learning to become better beekeepers.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Glad you like them! Thanks for your kind comment.

[@gueritodrew]

I have seen this video three times, at least. I love watching all of the UoG videos, Paul is great!

[@kendunn2218]

What a wonderful educational resource this channel is. I've only just discovered UoG and glad I did. My beekeeping is in Melbourne Australia. Although our climate is very different, much of the knowledge you pass on applies anywhere. Thank you.

[@mikerevendale4810]

Great content on this channel! Aggressive honeybees really take the fun out of beekeeping. I've always requeened hives that consistently displayed bad temperament, and my bee yard is remarkably docile; however, I'm not too quick to judge a colony that may be having a "bad day". Weather plays a factor in colony temperament; rainy, overcast days tend to make them irritable. A colony with a newly hatched queen is sometimes bad tempered, but it's a temporary condition. And in the fall of the year their biology tells them to protect their stores for the upcoming winter. If you're buying queens it's very important to find a breeder that selects for gentle bees.

[@drewnoakes]

Can't get enough of your videos. I've learned so much from you. Many many thanks.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thank you Drew. It's rewarding to get your feedback!

[@danlezama30]

Even that more aggressive colony was gentle compared to my bees! I should probably requeen. Thanks for the vid.

[@marktaylor4071]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for sharing this.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Glad it was helpful!

[@framcesmoore]

U do a wonderful job with these videos thanks so much for doing them for us have a great day

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Frances!!! You have a great day too.

[@StephenBiggers]

I total agree with the sentiment regarding gentle bees. I had a hive in north Texas get taken over by a feral colony and it changed my entire apiary. My dog would hide every time I put my veil on and I would be covered with bees over 100 yards away. Finally had to dispatch the entire hive and it's pleasant to work again. Meanwhile I'll take your advice and flood the area with calm drones. Thanks for all the videos.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Stephen Thanks for your thoughts and kind comment. Good luck with your efforts. I think you have more challenges in your part of the world with aggressive bees. It sure takes the fun out of beekeeping. Your dog sounds wise! :)

[@18Bees]

Great nuggets of information for the near future.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

:) thanks

[@Enjoy-With-Nature-0]

I would like to Thank you! very much for this meaning knowledge .

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Our pleasure. We appreciate your kind comment.

[@MsDaddyrabbit1]

Excellent- thanks very much

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

:) you are welcome SM

[@Jimhamby859]

Amen! Great video. 100% agree.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Jim!

[@zacharysmith5947]

I really feel like this type culling has been applied to humans in the past maybe even presently. Fascinating! Thank you for showing the behavior "pattern"!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Are you saying that nice folks get ahead? I think I'd agree... in most cases. You are welcome. Thanks for your feedback Zachary

[@bradgoliphant]

This is very helpful to see the comparison between the two---I have one hive after being superceded that has become more like the second hive. I'm going to requeen. Thanks

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Brad. Nice to hear the video helped you figure out how to deal with your hives.

[@suzannecohen5269]

Thank you, Paul! Good to see you! A quiet day at Betterbee. This was very interesting. I have my maximum of 3 hives now, out on my back roof. My first hive, 3 years ago, was very aggressive. But, luckily, it seemed to have a personality change over the winter and has never been as bad.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Wel Hi Suzanne! Nice to hear from you. I had hoped to see you at the Betterbee booth at Apimondia. Great to hear you are enjoying your bees! You must have smartened up that mean hive up by showing them your gold hive tool!

[@suzannecohen5269]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I'm hoping to be at EAS in Maine, if you're at that one. We went to Europe during Apimondia. Always a pleasure! -- Suzanne

[@gayezimhuycke]

These videos are so informative. Thanks.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Gaye!

[@davidhorsley4657]

"Most people don't have access to an island..." 😉 One of many reasons I like Paul Kelly.

[@desertfox8583]

Yeah, but you can work on the queen selection plus if you know that you will have virgin queens you can try to raise as many drones as possible maybe?

[@WebberAerialImaging]

Now, a new beekeeping goal. I want bees like the first!

[@ximono]

You should make sure they're also healthy and disease resistant. A gentle colony that has a poor immune system is no good. My ideal would be a relatively gentle colony that is healthy and varroa resistant.

[@gbat6727]

@@ximono buckfast bees are breed for health and they are good at living through the winter. They are a good breed of bees

[@cubaniton74]

This is what I read on a comment from another KZbin video related to aggressive bees and how they deal with them in Africa (I took a screenshot of the comment and saved it for future reference). Comment by Neal Skelton. "When I was stationed in South Africa, I was able to meet a local beekeeper. After a while, he was asked to help out another beekeeper several miles away. He didn't have reliable transportation, so I gave him a ride. What he did, was build a bonfire in front of the hive about 10 feet away from the front of the hive. Then he banged on the hive. Several hundred bees came out and went straight to the fire. The next week we went back and it was a completely different hive. That's when he replaced the queen." My suggestion would be, if you can't replace the queen, then repeat the same procedure every time you see that the aggression starts to build up again, that way you will be able to keep the number of the most aggressive bees down very effectively. That's apparently how they deal with aggressive bees in Africa, and apparently it works for them, it should work on your Africanized bees also. You could use a portable grill instead of a bonfire, get creative, and share this technique so beekeeper can work around their Africanized bees.

[@sokrat3s]

Very Brave to stand beside the 2nd Hive to finish the Video. I have Buckfast too and they are superb.

[@billiamc1969]

sokrat3s Wasn't as aggressive as he said they were are they?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

They were aggressive enough the first time we filmed the video and I kept messing up the delivery so we had to open that hive a few times without smoke! We did requeen the hive right afterwards.

[@ГерманПчеловод]

Thank you!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You're welcome!

[@panagiotispantazopoulos6141]

I have noticed that aggressive bees are really productive colonies. The ones that just move so slowly are slow to produce comb and honey. As long as you dont piss off the aggressive bees by dropping frames or running a lawnmower across their entrance you can be sure to produce tons of honey

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Panagiotis. If your bees are somewhat defensive the strong ones are even more so. There is no known link between defensive behaviour and honey production. We can get big crops from gentle bees.

[@dannycrain3485]

Good video.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Danny!

[@StephenMeyer58]

Great video, it needs to be watched by many beekeepers so they can see the difference and understand the responsibility. Sadly many beekeepers believe the myth that aggressive bees make more honey.

[@baconneggs2406]

New one for me

[@gbat6727]

I know someone who got 6 boxes of honey from a new hive in one season so they produce

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks for your thoughts Steven. Maybe the aggression/ honey production question would be a good video topic. I seem to answer it a lot!

[@beehinde]

Good video Paul, everything you say is how I was taught. I have had hot hives here in the UK and been covered head to toe. I don't like destroying whole hives and will requeen using a variety of techniques to find the queen to despatch as well as filtering off the foragers.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks beehinde. That's the conundrum. The meanest hive is the hardest one to requeen.You suggest some good methods.

[@beehinde]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Not sure if you meant the last sentence as a question. The techniques I use are either swapping hives around to drain off the foragers or moving the offending hive about 50 yards away, have a cup of tea and then go into the hive to remove the queen, which is now easier to deal with, also I swap hives around if I have weak hives which are being attacked by wasps. If the hives are difficult to requeen, I remove all the frames with open brood and replace with a brood frame from a nice hive after removing the queen. Another would be to move the hive to the other side of the apiary after closing it up and replacing it with an open brood frame (as well as stores) frome a nice hive into a nuc box for the foragers coming back from the moved hive to draw out queen cells (some of the foragers reverting back to nurse bees, their hypopharyngeal glands reactivating) and leave it undisturbed long enough for the foragers to die off. Other methods to find the queen being pairing frames go back after a cup of tea and find the queen between one of the pairs of frames, or my method of laying the frames horizontally on top of a roof, I use Hoffman frames so they are built up with the top bars resting on the bottom bars of the frame below, 2 columns of 5 frames. The queen being trapped between one of the frames by the sunlight, if not found in the empty brood chamber. For Queen acceptance I find push in cages over emerging brood frames better than introduction cages.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Beehinde I figured when you mentioned filtering you were doing something like you describe in your last note. You have figured out some good systems that I haven't heard of - I like that a cup of tea is part of the process! Thanks for explaining some of your methods.

[@W45Jasper]

How does creating a gentle hive, affect their ability to defend the colony from invaders such as verroa mites or robber bees?

[@ludgermerkens]

thats three separate behaviours. Grooming, the active defense against varroa mites seems not to be connected to the defense against big mammals. The ability to guard the entrance against robber bees is also independent from good hive stability. But notice, that a stressed colony, e.g. through a high mite infestation level, can show a more runny and overall agressive behaviour of the bees.

[@billiamc1969]

Ludger Merkens Actually by focusing on 1 single behavior you are then damaging or eliminating many others such as defending against pests like mites, moths, and beetles...it's all interrelated and more complex than you make it out to be!!!,

[@ximono]

Good question! While they are separate behaviors, it is possible to select for both gentleness and disease resistance. What you don't select for you will indirectly "deselect", so it's important to include disease resistance. In my opinion, it should be priority #1, especially in today's varroa situation.

[@ludgermerkens]

@@ximono Agreed. disease resistance is my #1 priority too. (I am involved in a german VSH/SMR breeding project) I also agree, with your statement about (not) selecting and indirectly deselecting. You sometimes have to live with compromises. But germany (I' am german) is a densely populated area. Honeybees are a major ambassador for insects and environment. Thus gentleness (and overall vitality) are my #2 and #3 priority. (Honeyproduction beeing a result of disease resistance and vitality, and indicator for the latter).

[@ximono]

Ludger Merkens I'm also somewhat involved in a breeding project, using the Norwegian varroa resistant bee stock now famous from Melissa Oddie's research (University of Bern). I've already had them for a year, and a project group is just now trying to establish a "territory" where I live (what luck!) to maintain and further spread this stock. But more importantly to spread the management practices that were found to be the key factor. This is a "mongrel" bee with a bit of everything in it (Texan, Elgon, Buckfast, brown, etc), the result of a very down to earth breeding program with the goal to build up a diverse gene pool. Quickly summarized, the beekeeper has put disease resistance (natural fitness) as #1 and immitated natural selection by culling the sickest and propagating the healthiest. He has a large territory, but surrounded by varroa infected apiaries like everywhere else. After more than 20 years his bees are pretty gentle (not docile), very easy to work with, and very good honey producers. He has never treated his bees. Instead he has actively strengthened their immune system, to put it that way. Interestingly, a purely Krainer/Carnica stock has also acquired varroa resistance from replicating the same principles. So it's not only about the bees, but maybe more about the beekeeper, and should be possible for others to replicate too. Exciting times :)

[@TexasBeekeeper]

Enjoy your videos. What distance do you find best for the drone colonies to be from your mating yard?

[@alickrapha460]

Very informative

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MisterUnicornFL]

You can tell by the way he said, "enjoy your bees" he had been stung about 5 times and was becoming frustrated.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi SS I was getting frustrated. I didn't get my delivery right for a few attempts and the bees weren't patient listeners!

[@MisterUnicornFL]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre LOL, so are you saying you weren't stung? I could tell something was up.

[@zikkicorbin9429]

I heard the aggression was closely linked to high levels of production. Does honey production drop in gentler hives? If not the queen's influence would be cleanliness or production, perhaps both? And if so does the beekeeper have to make a compromise of which trait influence they want expressed?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

There is no evidence that aggression is linked to production. One dynamic that confuses this is that if the stock is somewhat aggressive a stronger colony will show more aggression than a weaker colony with the same genetics. The stronger colony may also be more likely to produce more honey and overwinter. You can only breed towards a few characters at a time.

[@johngardner1898]

Excellent video on a topic rarely covered. My question: the behavior of my bees becomes less pleasant when the dearth starts. So isn't that an important factor to consider?

[@CptWerQ]

How many hives should one have to be able to breed bees? I'm hoping to expand to the point that it would be more feasible to breed my own queens instead of ordering them. I realize more the better, but where would you draw the line? I haven't been able to find data regarding.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

There are no hard and fast rules here. I'd suggest that if you have less than 50 hives you consider purchasing breeder queens from someone in your area to raise queens from. Raisng queens an breeding queens should be viewed as two separate operations. Get good at raising them first and then think about breeding.That's my 2 cents worth :)

[@gardankoi]

How are these calm gentle bees when it comes to Honey productivity? Common thought is some of your more aggressive hives tend to be best honey producers.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Gardankoi There is no evidence that aggression is linked to production. One dynamic that confuses this is that if the stock is somewhat aggressive a stronger colony will show more aggression than a weaker colony with the same genetics. The stronger colony may also be more likely to produce more honey and overwinter.

[@Russ92]

Great info!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks fellow human :)

[@robpeterson1118]

Are these “gentle” bees as capable of defending their hives from pests? Has your need for more mite and moth controlling substances increased substantially?

[@barbll000]

Excellent video. Buckfast bees are exceptionally pleasant to work with but for the first time I have a hive that's very aggressive so I'll be looking for a new queen.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Lucky you, you are right in between Buckfast breeders Ferguson, Munro and the U of G!

[@grounded7362]

As a beekeeper just getting started what do you suggest if you have one or two not so gentle colonies and no out-yard to work with and need to build your own queens from your gentle stock because you do not know anyone with gentle bees and there are drones from the not so gentle colonies in your apiary?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Most commercial bee breeders try to raise gentle bees. Ask around to find a source.

[@baddestbees5924]

Very good , good job.One sure sign is when they fly off the frames at any movement they getting too hot

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

agreed BB

[@brentburnette4585]

Do you see any evidence in the thought that "mean bees make more honey"? I see it for myself most years, that the hives with more of an attitude are better at storing away for honey and often are the best at population levels throughout the year. And the means ones ALWAYS seem to survive winter.

[@Digger927]

I have noticed the same thing myself over the years. I've heard many experts claim that it's total bunk but it seems to hold some truth from my experience.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Brents There is no evidence that aggression is linked to production. One dynamic that confuses this is that if the stock is somewhat aggressive a stronger colony will show more aggression than a weaker colony with the same genetics. The stronger colony may also be more likely to produce more honey and overwinter.

[@heatherjessop4201]

Question regarding aggressive bees.... wouldn't they better be able to defend their hive against predators? We live in an area with lots of wasps/hornets/yellow jackets that I would think could kill an entire gentle hive colony.

[@ghostofvalor4349]

how do you differentiate between bee aggression and bee curiosity?

[@GoldenLegionHoney]

In Texas we have alot of hot hives... and i mean really hot. Africanized genetics i'm sure. they will swarm around your veil and try very hard to sting you. hundreds at a time. A few that i've purchased are very gentle and i have been trying to breed from those. I've purchased gentle queens from other places to replace queens in swarms as they are almost always very aggressive. Nice to see the differences on the comb. I wasn't aware that was a sign of a aggressive colony but when they pour like water out of the hive when you open it gently that's my indication lol.

[@OklahomaBeekeeper]

Same thing here in Oklahoma

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Sorry to hear that guys. My recommendations in this video would be tough to follow where you live.

[@drewt3210]

Yep, it's a mixed bag here in NC. Some are ever so calm, some hit you by the hundreds, most are somewhere in between. State inspectors say "Officially" we don't have Africanized here. But I've seen some crazy hives you can't get within 50ft without taking many stings, and they don't leave you alone until you're 200ft away. Most are ok, but I wouldn't consider working any without a veil. Best, @HoneyOnWales

[@18Bees]

Maybe we can all make enough money to have our own little islands :)

[@eugenepeters10810]

@Uog Honey Bee Research Centre How can one get africanized bees to also be so gentle and friendly.. apis mellifera scutallata .

[@Gord1812]

When you have to re-queen to get a gentler hive should you remove the drone brood as well?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Gord No I wouldn't bother with that. Over time the drones will be replaced.

[@Gord1812]

Thank you for the reply.

[@chicken6946]

Do you at anytime sell any of your buckfast queens?thanks

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Chic Ken Yes we do but we can't ship out of Canada.

[@barryexplorer3552]

Since the drones contribute genetic traits of aggressiveness , should you destroy the drone cells when requeening and aggressive hive?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You could but that is difficult, messy and doesn't make you feel good! Requeening isn't as absolute a measure but over time it accomplishes the goal.

[@tommullarkey7372]

Paul, I have a Russian hive that just made it through the winter in Massachusetts but they are real aggressive. I may requeen the hive but i am concerned it may disrupt the hive's honey production (it would be my first try at getting honey). I plan on putting on supers in the next few weeks, should I wait to requeen until after the nectar flow or is there an ideal time of the season to requeen? thanks for all of your great videos, they are really helpful. -Tom

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Tom I'd replace the queen if they are that aggressive. As long as your queen is accepted you wouldn't lose honey production.

[@GoodmanMIke59]

Do slow moving bees live longer?

[@RaySarasin]

I got a 10 frame nuke and I am now with no gloves, a few fly but mostly calm. I talk to the bees as ii approach (old farm habit) but I believe it works here. Move slowly and use a small amount of smoke I find cheers I enjoy your videos my first year now on Monday I add another 10 frame box to the mix. In another 2 or 3 weeks I will add a honey super to it also

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Ray Calm is good for both us and bees :) Good to hear about your experiences Ray.

[@RaySarasin]

I am in Alberta @@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre

[@JoseGutierrez-pl4ck]

Good morning. I have been beekeeping for about 2 years and up until now I have always worked with leather gloves. Are nitrile or rubber gloves protective against stings?? Thanks

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Some people wear nitrile gloves. You can still be stung through them on rare occasions.

[@maxmagnus777]

You have good queens. I can't open my Carnolian (pure in Europe) without hat and suit with sleeves. Pants are a must. The irony here is that my queens were selected by a well renown scientist (both US and Europe). Thing is that he had selected bees for disease resistance and higher crop yield. Some of his queens were imported in US (I think 10 000 in one year) and they had outperformed hives that had local queens. My question here is what is the tolerance of your queens to chalk brood, varoa mites and nosema?

[@davidsachs4883]

I’ve heard more hygienic bees tend to be more aggressive. It makes Spence. The same defensive/aggressive behavior that we experience would also be directed at wax moths, mice and hive beetles

[@maxmagnus777]

@@davidsachs4883 We don't have hive beetles. They had landed in Italy last year and they had burned every single apiary in 15mile radius. I guess they will be a real apocalypse once they start spreading for the first time. Any hints on how to take care of them once they come here?

[@baddestbees5924]

David Sachs I noticed that they usually fly in colder weather than the other ones, especially little feral ones with black butts, they ALWAYS start earlier than my other hives

[@maxmagnus777]

@@baddestbees5924 You mean bees not beetles ?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

We work with Buckfast stock and use Buckfast selection criteria. We owe a lot to Keld Brandstrup of Buckfast Denmark - both for breeding stock and training. Gentle bees can be productive and hygienic and good groomers. We've seen from experience that if you breed for only resistance or production you can easily lose beekeeper friendly characters. We rarely see chalkbrood but nosema and varroa mites are a work in progress. We don't treat for nosema and test every colony each spring. We only do fall mite treatments and select for low varroa mite population growth by doing a spring and late summer mite count. They have to pass the Buckfast selection process first.

[@koreishite]

I think the fun and love of beekeeping is the risk of being stung and operating in a dangerous situation

[@deanscott5311]

I live in Arizona and have 15 hives. Our bees are pretty aggressive and would like to change that. Where can we purchase gentle queens? Thanks for videos, they are very informative.

[@b.ellison396]

Paul, I've been an amateur beekeeper for about 8 years in Southern California. I have a handful of feral hives with varying dispositions. Do you think Buckfast would do well in my climate? If so, any ideas on acquiring them in the US? I'm ready for some nice bees. Thank your for developing these helpful videos.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi B. Yes I think so. The problem is supply to the US and maintaining the stock in areas where there are africanized drones. There are breeders in northern California that produce some good stock too.

[@ivancicek7369]

Ok, but how does the Africanized bee survive if a male drone that is from a normal bee mates with a Africanized queen? That means that the Africanized bees cannot progress due to the stronger genome of the male drones of "normal" bees and the Africanized hive is slowly becoming less defensive but that s not true. Am I making sense?

[@gbat6727]

We don't have them here in Ontario Canada so not a factor in the hives they have.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Ivan The timing of mating flights and number of drones from wild colonies favours Africanized drones mating with Africanized queens and European queens in areas where these bees are common. Too bad it wasn't the other way around.

[@ivancicek7369]

So it's like that. Yes too bad I agree, thanks for the explanation 😁

[@markridgemr]

Good video: So the behavior comes from the drones but the drones come from the queen only. Is this more like the chicken and the egg debate?

[@davidwillis5760]

In this video, you state that genetics is passed through brood particularly drones... When removing a queen that is non-gentle would it also make sense to remove the drones she has laid?

[@finnsbiavl7483]

David Willis , sure ... drones after a queen in a agressive family will bring these genes along. br. Finn, DK

[@davidwillis5760]

@@finnsbiavl7483 Thanks, I really appreciate your videos they are very informative, instructional and helpful.... Keep them coming. 😊

[@ximono]

The drones carry and spread the queen's genes (being from unfertalized eggs they have only the queen's genes), so technically it makes sense. How much "damage" those drones can make to the local gene pool I can't say. But I will say that chickens love drone brood :)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi David Thanks for letting us know you find our videos helpful. It would help to remove the drones but that's no too easily done so we let the drones live out their lives knowing that they will soon be replaced by drones from the new queen.

[@jpsouzamatos]

If aggressive behavior comes from the drones, suppose that we mate an african queen with gentle european drones, would the offspring be gentle or aggressive? Some say that hybrids between africanized and European bees maintain the aggressiveness.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi João For a few reasons Africanized drones are more likely to mate with European queens than are European drones. That's one reason why the aggression is sure to be passed on.

[@joehorton5067]

What would be the rate of defensiveness reduction in offspring derived from feral stocks? Assuming fifty parent colonies and use of I.I.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

HI Joe That's a question I couldn't answer.

[@joehorton5067]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Well, I appreciate the time you took to reply. Thanks.

[@khawk7365]

Do you sell queens that are mated already that will be gentle? I would be interested in introducing Queens like that in my beehive

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi K Hawk We only sell queens in Canada and are sold out for this year. Thanks for your interest though. Ask around locally for a good source of queens. Ours are not the only gentle ones.

[@Pippa1272]

Thank you! Excellent video! I didn’t realise that you could tell the temperament from watching their comb behaviour... good to know. Can you please do a video on introducing new queens including virgins and how to avoid them getting balled. I’m in Australia so we’re at the end of our mating season but I’ve had so many queens be balled this Summer. Please also include how many days to leave them from virgin introduction before checking (again to avoid them being balled). Also, how to tell if a queen is mated from outside observations. What day a queen is mated etc. There seems to be conflicting information on the internet and I trust your content. Thank you Paul! 🙏🏻

[@barbll000]

On the newer video on mating nucs they show how a queen cage is installed next to a queen pheromone strip which he said helps with acceptance.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Barbara and Pippa. Barbara has suggested some places to look in our videos for this information. Other videos you might want to see are 'Introducing Queens' , 'handling queen cells', 'double nucs'. We don't recommend introducing virgins. Thanks for you generous comments Pippa.

[@mj-ls7qr8xp3n]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre will the bees kill her?

[@marcogallazzi9049]

Does the queen feromone affect the behavior of the hive? I have seen beekeepers cut the lower edges of some foundations, in order to let the bees draw bigger comb cells for drones. Would that be a good way to increase "good" drone population? Thank you so much for your information Paul, excelent material as always :)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Franco I don't now if the queen pheromone affects defensive behaviour but I doubt it. Our colonies raise as many drones as they like without any special effort. You can provide special drone frames but I don't because the colonies only raise as many drones as they can. Thanks Marco.

[@jkgkjgkijk]

First 3 seconds of this video is a shot of a frame with thumb damage in both top corners. I'm a new bee keeper. Any tips for avoiding this. I'm assuming a student did this. I stopped using a tool with a hook on it because I damaged comb holding it and a frame. I like the straight tool better.

[@BillJutz]

Excellent video as always and I agree it's our responsibility to keep gentle bees. Do you guys sell mated queens? Maybe I missed the re-queening video. When re-queening, how long after you pinch the old queen until you put in the new queen? Do you put the new queen in a cage for the colony to get used to her?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Bill We do sell queens but only locally as we don't produce large numbers. We did a video called queen Introduction. You can see it if you go to our KZbin home page. I like to wait one day after pinching the queen to introduce a caged queen.

[@in2organic3]

Do you leave the screen bottom open in Spring?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

The normal bottom board is left under the screen year round so the screen is never open to the ground. In warm weather we leave the back block and the entrance reducer out.

[@SkiDoo857]

Do you guys sell any of your queens??

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hin Brian We do but only within Canada as we don't produce large numbers.

[@mBenouis]

Hi! The type of bees I possess r extremely aggressive. U cannot approach them the way u do without any protection. I inspect mine wearing like an astronaut. In North Africa we have the black bees. The intermisa queen which is black.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Mohammed That can't be too much fun then. :( Its amazing how different all the races are.

[@olddave4833]

I don't see how you can decide that a hive is testy by going into it just one time, even bees can have a bad day or even a few of them could be making the rest nervous, there could be many factors that are getting them upset.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi OD We do check on colonies several times to make decisions but usually our first impression is accurate. As a bee breeder friend said 'you can't make excuses for your bees'.

[@JoseOrtiz-im5wu]

What did you mean by "pinch the queen" ?

[@brentburnette4585]

Find the queen and kill her, generally, pinch off the head. You can save the queen's corpse in an alcohol solution to make a swarm lure in the future.

[@JoseOrtiz-im5wu]

Omg. Now you really have me thinking. What is a swam Lure? Is this for fishing?

[@brentburnette4585]

@@JoseOrtiz-im5wu Swarm lure is a pheromone that is used to try and "lure" scout bees to an empty hive or "swarm trap/bait hive" that is set out in an attempt to capture a swarm of bees. Lemongrass also works well.

[@ximono]

Brent Burnette When making queen tincture, does one have to pinch of her pretty little head first? Can't you just dump her straight into a small jar of alcohol?

[@mikethebeeguy8657]

As always, I am always learning from your videos, thank you. I do have 1 question, on that second hive, I was anxiously waiting for the “rapidly moving hand test” above the colony to see their (& your) reaction. I guess I must have missed it. :) 👋

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi again Mtw I kept screwing up my delivery and we had to film this video a few times. No way I was going to waive my hand after that!

[@mj-ls7qr8xp3n]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre no need for any hand waving. LoL I think it apparent by all the flying about they knew you were in their hive and none too happy with it! ;)

[@wildone1392]

.. and now for the aggressive bees *lifts lid and takes out frame with no suit or gloves and doesn't get stung* . haha

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

I did mention that I was nervous!

[@Doubledowndom]

I notice how little gear you wear when working with your bees. Don’t you get stung? Cause I always suit up and even wear gloves. But then I watch you guys work and I’m like.... wow.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Yes we do get stung but I think that's a good thing. Please see our 'Stinging" video for some thoughts about that. We breed for gentle behaviour in our bees and work carefully so that minimizes the number of stings we get. Please dress appropriate to your circumstances ... I'm sure you will :)

[@pauldow1648]

You will pinch the queen...... What about the drones (drone pollution) ....... Will they not pass some ( or all ) of that queens undesirable traits onto any virgin queen they successfully might mate with..... (Doesnot the drone carry very close to 100 % of its respective queens dna ? ). Thank for these learning posts...

[@Digger927]

Well, unless you want to try to kill all the existing drones from the bad queen, you're pretty much limited to just changing the queen out with a mated one so that all subsequent drones she produces are of her superior genetics. Drones are relatively short lived so the inferior drones from the bad queen should have a pretty minimal impact as long as the issue is caught and corrected ASAP.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Good answer Brent, Thanks Hi Paul

[@cluelessbeekeeping1322]

Oh god...if I did that 4:38, they'd eat me up. My bees are not the world's nicest bees.

[@أبوقدس-ن3س]

👍👍But ferocious bees resist diseases.

[@solarweatheraware3880]

I live on a Island

[@chadillac3006]

New to beekeeping, just bought two 3lb packages from kelleybees and been watch your videos vino farms and Canadian beekeeper and ik to treat the bee's with respect but one Hive is kinda ok no near as gentle as I've seen from your bee's or anyone else's but we have one Hive that is just mean for no reason what so ever I opened it up to replace the mason jar to add more sugar water and out comes from the top entrance 20-30 bee's as a cloud and sting me right in the face I'm really hoping once the queens broad finally hatches and the old package bee's die it will be gentle but the queen isn't anything special just one from the package so more then likely be getting a vsh queen as this Hive you would swear it's Africanized and it's a package.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi There Are you using smoke on your colonies? I'm surprised to hear your new colonies are that aggressive. Puff some smoke on the bees wherever you open the hive and maybe that will help. Just guessing here :)

[@chadillac3006]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I've tried that but the second you add smoke to the hive it makes them even more aggressive instead of the bee's going into the Hive it makes all the bee's fly and all you can hear is the hive start to roar and ends in getting strong a few times. And these are Italian bee's, not sure if the package of bee's I was sent is Italian tho could very well be Russian or of the sorts as they are plain mean.

[@arogue469]

@@chadillac3006 Try spraying with 1:1 sugar water with Honey B Healthy or some other essential oil additive added. It could occupy them and help make any alarm pheremones.

[@amathonn]

Just a suggestion - I think you should wear a veil as a good example to Newbees.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Andrew. I can communicate better without a veil and that's how I do most bee work.We are fortunate to have very gentle bees. I got another comment today saying how nice it was to see us work without veils... I understand your kind intentions.

[@dustinh3161]

I do like what your trying to do but doesn’t this narrow down your gene pool. I wouldn’t think your gene pool would be very diverse if your using the same gentle stock and so is everyone else.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Dustin Drone flooding helps but it's not absolute so there are always some other genetics leaking in. It's also a good idea to bring some new stock in periodically but only if you trust and test the stock.

[@alblakesley511]

Gentle bee's don't want them because they don't have a good defensesive i like a agressive beehives

[@DeesNutzandBerries]

I raise bees myself. Recently watched something on Africanized bees. Per the makers of that show aggressive trait is passed on through drones. Requeening will get a more calm hive through pheromones produced and her hive reacts on but will turn aggressive as drones with aggressive traits breed with future queens. At least that is my understanding.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Heather You have summed it up well there. Folks in areas where africanized bees live can't really raise gentle queens as the drone pool is saturated with africanized drones. They have to bring queen in from areas outside on a continual basis.