Michael Palmer - Catching a Bee Hive before it Swarms

Inspecting a Bearding hive, Discovering they are about to Swarm and Removing the Queen cells. Filmed September 4, 2013 at French Hill Apiaries in St. Albans, VT.

[@altaylor293]

Michael Palmer has been keeping bees successfully for decades and is considered one of the best in the business. You can learn a lot from him and note he is telling you what he does, not how you should do it.

[@BAShaneHolser]

Thanks for sharing these videos of M Palmer. Very helpful.

[@milliplumber]

I have to laugh at these people telling mr. Palmer how to manage his hives. Palmer is probably the best beekeeper alive.

[@natserog]

true dat!! everybody wants to be the King!!

[@goose9634]

I just started researching bees and found he would be the guy to get info from many other beekeepers who post informational videos refer to him in their videos so yes it’s hilarious to see others trying to tell him how to keep bees even a total newb like me. 😂😂

[@beanb4]

I can learn from you ! Thank you for your posts! :)

[@yerouttaheah]

Thank you.

[@jamestaylor4511]

Amazing.thank u for passing on ur knowledge

[@agustinfatmawati3501]

james taylor palapa

[@framcesmoore]

Beautiful thanks

[@mescalp]

I'd like to have those queen cells.. You have some calm bees

[@charlesf.larsenfinearts8304]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE!

[@Bajaranger]

One thing I don't get is that if the hive produces another queen and swarms because there are too many bees, doesn't the old queen stay with the hive? No videos I have watched discuss that. Just starting with my first hive. Thanks for any response.

[@jaredmatthewsmith7121]

no. old queen leaves with a portion of the population then from the queen cups/cells that they have already created before the old queen left will provide the remaining population with their new queen. blessings from east Nebraska

[@missys5451]

How do you keep the skunks out of the hives, with them sitting directly on the ground like that?

[@mukaimawanza6605]

excellent keep it up

[@noahriding5780]

I hope someone might have some suggestions; Sometimes the heat of the day bustle outside the hive seems hard to tell the difference between that and when there's too many bees in the box. (Will 'when its too many bees in the box' tend to show outside of midday heat ranges also?) Could you use beards to determine when to add boxes? Or will that sometimes catch it too late?

[@garyshaffer68]

Nice video .Mike How do you keep the black bears out of your hives. ?

[@IronB2]

@Parks Talley Do you ever have any concerns about keeping bees that close to farmed fields? Not sure what crops are all rotated through where you are. I've always worried about being near bean fields and the sprays that come with that.

[@mark-wn5ek]

In my ignorance, I'll just ask why not split this massive colony, obviously enough to fill two nucs there.

[@SuperBuickregal]

He is a bee god.

[@pauldow1648]

Should one visit strong colonies and split or equivalent to prevent extra worry and work ? Or maybe having a source of queens is handy !!

[@ThePhokus]

I would like to find a veil like that one. Don't see it at Mann Lake or Brushy Mountain.

[@howardtoob]

Maybe I am not seeing how these hives are arranged but it seems like there are nucs on top of a 10 frame deep??? Also what part of the country is this? I am in SE NC and October is way too late for splitting. Thanks

[@parkstalley3641]

+howardtoob check out this web site for reference to the hive structure www.betterbee.com/nuc-boxes/dnb-double-nuc-box-complete.asp

[@natserog]

so by adding a empty frame next to brood can reduce the chances of them swarming?? I thought once they had that in their head you cant reverse the swarming? true? --thanks!

[@baddestbees3347]

natserog He is "opening" the broodnest ,they don't wanna do a Reproductive SWARM this time of year, BUT they planning a CONGESTIVE SWARM because broodnest is clogged,not with honey but with brood in his hive, giving queen available place to lay again resolves the problem (in this case no room to lay,clogged broodnest) which "created" the Swarm Impulse in THIS situation, hope this helps,but YES it's definitely not always easy to change their minds , ESPECIALLY when tons of bees, pollen, nectar coming in and they know they have a really good chance of dividing an upping chances of getting their genes into the future and surviving on Earth,they know two or three hives have better chance than only one hive, so they usually go for it if possible.Congestion easier of the two to fix...

[@imkereistappert3183]

Great🌼👍

[@zionhoneybeesfarm1235]

Is it possible to get the dememtions for these 4 frame nucs

[@marctorrades1760]

Why are you not gathering all the frames and put them into a production hive ? Or are you keeping these for next spring to replace dead production hives?

[@dennisswift8848]

I know this is old, but I have a question. he says that sometimes bees dont see the upper additions as expansion room. in nature obviously bees build top down. why are beekeepers not adding below the brood nest?

[@curtwatkins4794]

dennis swift , Access. A deep brood box full of brood and honey is heavy so accessing anything below means moving the brood chamber

[@baddestbees3347]

BECAUSE BEES MOVE UP,U CAN'T GET BEES TO PUSH A QUEEN DOWN VERY EASILY ALOT OF TIMES.BEES IN WILD ATTACH COMB AND BUILD DOWN,THEN BROOD ON BOTTOM,HONEY ON TOP OF COMBS,THEY START BACK ON BOTTOMS OF COMBS AND MOVE "UP" ALL WINTER. IF NOT BEES WOULDN'T SWARM WITH FULL BOX OF EMTPY COMB BELOW THEM IN SPRING,THEYD JUST MOVE DOWN,MOST WON'T, ESPECIALLY IF NECTAR AND POLLEN BELOW

[@russianhorde]

One style of hive called warré does this exact thing. If you need more space, you place an empty box at the bottom for the bees to grow into. It uses similar dimensions. It is just more difficult for the beekeeper to give additional space since you have to move all the previous boxes before placing an empty one at the bottom.

[@alblakesley511]

U know these i think if you alter the hive like scraping queen cells off is a no no unless it's late Fall

[@leatherneck7857]

Yodelling kid in thumbnail?

[@framcesmoore]

Why not put them in a regular hive box I don"t understand

[@sokrat3s]

I think they should overwinter in the double nuce hives and replace the winterloses in springtime

[@Imkerei2024]

Is that Dadant or LR hive

[@russianhorde]

Pretty late to answer your question, but this is a langstroth hive. Dadant has much deeper combs. Cheers!

[@ricardoferrero1616]

Por favor, pueden UDs. o algún apicultor bilingüe, pueda incorporar a los videos una básica traducción precisa. O por favor, indicarme cómo traducirlo, si fuera posible por internet. Espero vuestra valiosa acción. Ricardo desde Argentina.

[@MrAndrewFarrow]

What’s a “nook”? When you say “swarm” do you mean they all fly away as in “swarm away”? What’s a “golden rod” and why does it slip away?

[@salambeekeeper9464]

hi, swarm is a divided hive full of bees, every swarm has a queen, maybe laying or virgin queen, no larva no eggs they just fly to find a place to establish a hive, nuc is a developed swarm with laying queen and has brood(celled cells) larva and eggs. golden rod is a flowers or late season. bees get honey from it.

[@MrAndrewFarrow]

Sam Mess thank you. Fascinating.

[@salambeekeeper9464]

hi, that's why I'm still stuck in bees for 20 years. as much you know about bees it still not enough.

[@joncotn]

I don't understand why there are 20 thumbs down. Yes, I understand everyone has their own way but I always think 2 heads are better than 1. Personally, I think it's a good, practical and informative vid.

[@jasperwilliams3154]

Because dumb-dumbs who've learned very little about beekeeping, think one size fits all when it comes to the localized, personal art of beekeeping. Every thumbs down will be from someone who runs around telling every one how they're doing everything wrong, and all of those people will learn the hard way, that their _"all knowing,"_ _"expert friends"_ solutions are worthless to their operation. Sadly, the plethora of these *_know-it-all-know-nothings,_* has cost the survival of thousands of hives all across the country. EVERY SINGLE APIARIST MUST take the time to witness, understand, and cooperatively assist the behaviors of their own bees. That means, sitting down at various times of the year, and literally watching, listening, etc. at least one hive, for hours on end, until you can say, you know what, why, and when each hive is doing what they're doing. So, unless you see someone doing/recommending, something absolutely idiotic with their bees, thumbs down mean nothing whatsoever. Somewhere on the tube, there's some moron that claims, at a certain time of the season, _you should go through and kill all the drones you can find?_ *_And the "expert advice" only gets worse from there._* That's someone who needs to be horsewhipped.

[@julieenslow5915]

Some people thought that someone they did not know was telling Mr. Palmer how to do his bees. They were offended. they were also wrong. That is Mr. Palmer doing the talking.

[@baddestbees3347]

Jasper Williams there's a TON OF THEM,THAT AND BEE SALESMAN WITH THOUSANDS OF FOLLOWERS TEACHING PUBLIC BS TO BUY HIS BEES AND THEY LOVE HIM AND HANG ONTO EVERY RIDICULOUS THING HE COMES UP WITH ..SO EASY TO SEE THROUGH WHEN YOU KNOW BETTER...SAD REALLY.

[@MrSzviktor]

If you keep two nucs inside the same hive, bees from one side will tend go to the other one and kill the queen. You would better move them in a bigger hive. If the collony gets too big, you can divide them.

[@ApiaryManager]

If you watch some of his other videos, you will see that these nucs have a special purpose: he is effectively farming them for their brood to use for queen rearing, etc. However, in this video, he is anticipating the end of the season and trying to just keep them content until the weather changes

[@badassbees3680]

BEES WILL NOT GO TO OTHER SIDE AND KILL QUEEN..Unless-One supercedes it's Queen,or Swarms and fails to requeen itself

[@erickwardwell962]

Nature's sugar mill.

[@jcthreadz]

Hahaha, y'all know who you are giving advice to right??? Maybe you should check into Michael Palmer and his operation a little more, before you give him advice.. he should probably be offering it to you.

[@cecilcrump2340]

Jaime Coo

[@alblakesley511]

Ya but I'm only giving advice to what works for me and i have been a beekeeper for 38 year's

[@pauldow1648]

Perhaps this presentation is too advanced for me.... But if the bee man artificially raises queens and keeps these nucs for that purpose why is he then letting nucs produce natural queens then kill them all. ??

[@littleninpo]

Man Id love to be ya apprentice what a cool life.

[@jasperwilliams3154]

Unless you live right next to him, it would do you little good in the grand scheme of the art of beekeeping. Every apiarist has to, "learn the basics" get 2 or 3 hives, and spend the first summer, learning the behaviors of their own bees, on their own land. Because every single situation is going to bring up things a beekeeper right across the street hasn't ever experienced. That's the wondrously exciting and endlessly learning *fun* of caring for bees.

[@julieenslow5915]

Guys - that is Mr Palmer doing the talking. Seems Parks Talley was taking the video. Be nice.

[@gorgig9136]

My Q? to You Mr Palmer,What You are doing with old Queen,I can't kill her

[@sokrat3s]

Cage her and put her into the freezer

[@Gratz1333]

corn fields and bees dont mix

[@parkstalley3641]

Gratz1333 Don't tell Michael Palmer or his bees because then they would have to stop doing so well.

[@jasperwilliams3154]

Excuse me, why do you say such a silly thing?

[@krixig]

Obviously the bees dont get anything from airborne pollination, but in my opinion - not worth table salt, honestly - I suspect pesticides/herbicides used in the vicinity of rural hives cause more harm than anything. If youve got a farmer that isnt spraying, then youre liable to be alright as in this case.

[@russellkoopman3004]

While I was pollinating corn in Hawaii we had to be careful when putting our hands on the corn plants tassel due to several bees on every tassel collecting pollen. Here in the states I have never seen a bee on a tassel. Bees in Hawaii had corn pollen for multiple months and must have gotten used to it. Here in the US our pollinates in 3-5 days and the bees don't find it??

[@jamesritchie8540]

Hey Mike , why not just give them another 4-frame super on top to control swarming? Thanks Jim

[@wendybachman6224]

I keep watching his videos obsessively to see if he answers the question I have also wondered why he stops at 3 levels on these nucs...I haven't found the answer yet, but I am curious. I'm sure he has a good reason!

[@mhrfarms]

Excellent the GMO corn causes no harm to bees nor humans

[@entertainme121]

Scientifically proven to cause tumors and other adverse health affects. Are you on someones payroll or what?

[@mhrfarms]

absolutely not proven by any reputable scientist !just recently 40 scientists came out and released an article that GE plants do not cause any harm and never have

[@entertainme121]

It has been proven. scientists published a journal on it showing it caused HUGE tumors in rats and our corrupt system, that you support / work for, forced them to take the journal down... They challenged them, it went to court, they won and now the journal has been republished. Look it up... I have nothing more to say to someone like you.

[@mhrfarms]

any reputable scientist has their work peer reviewed and there in lies the problem with the anti gmo journal , look it up.. . look this up www.cbc.ca/news/business/anti-gmo-campaigner-won-over-by-gmo-science-1.2586073and watch Dr temple Grandin on you tubebecome informed by facts and not fear mongeringbtw I'm just a mere farmer. do you work for the sierra club? I don't work for anyone but I believe in factual scienceeven better look up " the western producer march 31st" the very front page

[@entertainme121]

It doesn't take a genius to understand that crossing a tomato with a fish is a bad bad idea.. Peer reviewing is also severely corrupted. Big pharma has big money. Lots of scientists are getting random bonuses and holidays for just being swell guys. Definitely not because they're pushing what satans are selling. The deaf can't hear. It's as simple as that.

[@wendybachman6224]

*ahem...Martha 48 XD

[@h20s8804]

why not pull frames with capped swarm cells and stick 'em in a nut with a frame of brood and honey/pollen for more splits? Removing swarm cells never works, IMHO as evidenced by your repeated need to destroy cells.

[@LSUTigerMom]

I'm a beginner and my son would like to have bees. I have one 'stack' of boxes wit frames in them. In this stack, there are three deep boxes, and one shallow box on top. If I find some swarm cells on a frame in one of the boxes, could I follow your directions and have another hive that I could give to my son? Any advice or instructions would be greatly appreciated.

[@oliviagruen1181]

LSUTigerMom Where do you live. I have bees that need to be removed. Free to whoever wants them.

[@LSUTigerMom]

I am in Baton Rouge, LA. Where are you?

[@elizabethrayhle2502]

...

[@v-gc7257]

Prevention.

[@cptstubing]

No idea what is happening here, but it looks like he should be dead from thousands of bee stings.

[@PRODIGY5369]

I know this is conventional beekeeping as generally practiced but to me its just all wrong.

[@caleblf1012]

What's wrong

[@PRODIGY5369]

What's right? Artificial Queen breeding, mixing nuc's, plastic foundation, moving comb, making space above rather than below where bees expand naturally down not up, swarm prevention which is natural bee reproduction. Just looks like the approach makes necessary all this pointless intervention. I keep bees, not for a hobby and not for honey but for the bees and because I just enjoy having them around. I dont take honey and I dont treat or open the hive, none of this stuff at all. All openly mated queens from cast swarms and virgin queens. I dont have any problems, I dont even need to feed. I love swarms. I think we need to start asking ourselves, if bees have problems - are people helping or causing the problems?

[@caleblf1012]

PRODIGY5369 dog breeding combining houses with someone moving furniture and putting a shed in the front yard instead of the back

[@170221dn]

There are no native honey bees in the US. Never were.

[@malcolmroberts127]

Some of want honey and have to make a living. Not everyone wants to keep insects around for fun.