NATURAL Beekeeping 101: Horizontal Hive Supplies from DR. LEO SHARASHKIN

[@maggiewatte7911]

Love Dr. Leo

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

I know, right! Have you started your beekeeping journey?

[@maggiewatte7911]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 I had bees for 6 years with Lang’s. This year swarm traps set and I have two layens hives ready.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Ooh exciting!! Way to go!

[@beebob1279]

Good luck with your bees. I've kept bees in Langstroth hive for close to 25 years now. It's a fun hobby for me. I'm getting older and starting to look at Layen's hives to ease off the back.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hi, Bee Bob! Thank you so much for the well-wishes! It's great you've heard of Layens and are considering it so it's easier on the back! I hope it goes well!!

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Thanks for sharing your adventure in this bee world, greetings from southern Spain

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thanks for watching!

[@marym8576]

You have the most informative videos! Thank you and God bless❤

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thank you for your kind words, Mary! Glad to hear you like them. God bless you as well!

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

Howdy from Central New Hampshire. I caught a swarm last August and installed them in home built insulated Layens hive. They wintered great and I think I will be splitting them in a week or some. I think you have more feral bees than we do here. Good luck, happy beekeeping.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hello, Lamb Brook Farm! Thanks for stopping by! Congratulations on catching your swarm, and I'm so glad to hear it overwintered well! A split coming up-- so exciting. I just caught my first swarm and got it switch to our insulated hive this morning. I'm hooked!

[@lambbrookfarm4528]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 way cool Gal

[@robertshorthill6836]

And back in January and February of this year, my grandson and I built a 24 frame Layens hive that together we placed on a shed roof in my back yard 12 feet from the ground to the hive entrances. I am currently waiting for swarm season to arrive (5/11/2022) but our spring is slow to arrive. My Layens hive cost me very little except for glue and staples and a few screws. The metal lid cover was about 12 bucks. The plywood was given to me from a friend who was a carpenter who was forced to retire due to an injury. He was more than glad to get it out of his garage. I will give him some honey in the comb if I ever get any. Insulation was also free except for a barter situation. My swarm traps were leftovers from the hive build. I am always on the lookout for usable scraps of materials of all sorts. I have more tools now than I did 30 years ago, because tools are a large part of being able to survive and be self sufficient in these times of hyper -inflation. I was lucky to come across a whole bunch of 2X6 pine trim ends at a job site near where I live that I dug out from under a snow dump and turned into more frame parts than I need for this hive. I used wire, but I may try 50 pound test fishing line that other folks use. It may work better, I don't know. Best wishes with keeping bees in your state. Bob

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

That is wonderful!! I hope you catch a swarm in your 24-frame hive. Did you put lemongrass in a slow release tube in there? I hope to expand my apiary and the biggest hindrance is certainly the expense. I would LOVE to build my own and may try that next year as I calculated that it would be roughly 1/3-1/4 of the cost. However, I'm much better at 'forgiving' projects and this doesn't seem to be one of those. But maybe I can improve my carpentry skills. Great work!

[@robertshorthill6836]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 I have a health store near me that sells way over priced lemongrass essential oil that I place on a Q tip cotton swab. Cotton swabs are cheap and do the job well enough. Think of alternative ways to do the same job with less or no expense. These reuseable tubes are nice, but they cost a few coins that are not necessary. I believe in supporting good people as well, but I believe in saving a dime or ten when possible. A chunk of soda straw with pin holes poked in it works well too. I'm hoping to find a queen grabber thingy to isolate the queen from a comb when needed. In the mean time, I took a pill bottle, cut the bottom off, made a movable plunger to close her in. I drilled a few hole in the white cap so it doubles as a marking device to put a colored dot on a queen. I used my drill press and a wood file and sandpaper to make the plunger on a dowel stick. Care must be taken when messing with the queen as you know she is the present and future of your colony. So that's my situation. If I can build something rather than buying it when I have no source, so much the better. JPthebeeman has these clippy things he can grab the queen that I would love to get my hands on, but the Mannlake cost is a bit more than I want to pay. I'm just too cheap. Bob

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

I love the ingenuity!

[@andrewlay88]

I live in MO too, starting with Dr Leo's methods this year, building all the swarm traps and hives.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

That is fantastic!! Way to go. Have you kept bees before? Last year was my first year beekeeping at all and I dove in with his methods, too! How many swarm traps are you putting up?

[@andrewlay88]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 First year, but have been doing tons of research, watch @offgridwithdougandstacy with Dr. Leo

[@andrewlay88]

I'm starting with 3 swarm

[@Carhug2012]

Great explination of everything! Thanks for sharing!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thank ya kindly, Hillbilly Millionaire!

[@belieftransformation]

Lovely description of the hives & supplies! Thanks for sharing! I’ve watched Dr. Leo on offgridwithdougandstacy so I’m intrigued! My daughter may get beehives for her greenhouses.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words! That is how I first heard of Dr. Leo as well-- I'm thankful they have had him on there many times, I hope it inspires many new natural beekeepers. It's great that your daughter may get some beehives!

[@weirhauch1002]

Thanks for your feedback.

[@howardmcadams3852]

Great Hobby and pass time. I have been a Hobby Bee Keeper for about 60 years enjoyed it a lot.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Wow! Like I told someone else recently- I've got some catching up to do! What's one piece of advice you'd share with a green hat like me?

[@DreamweaversHomestead]

Well this is exciting!!!!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

lol It's been SO exciting... and addicting! Have you started with bees yet?

[@DreamweaversHomestead]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 no! We've got a ton around here but have no intentional hives yet. It's my spring 2023 list. This year I'm slammed.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

@@DreamweaversHomestead you can only do so much! We're prepping for rabbits now-so exciting! You may have told me already but where are you in Missouri?

[@DreamweaversHomestead]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 if you ever need rabbit help I'm your person. We are in Howell co

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

@@DreamweaversHomestead thank you!! Do you happen to raise in a colony?

[@oldjoeclark]

Great video! Thanks for sharing.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thanks very much! You bet- you into bees yet?

[@sarashappyhives1828]

👍 and subscribed to your beekeeping journey, I’m excited for you! 😊 I have langstroth style hives, but I may add a horizontal hive to my apiary someday.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hello, Sara, along with your Happy Hives! Thanks so much for coming along! How are you liking your Langstroth hives? This has been such a fun new adventure- how long have you been beekeeping?

[@sarashappyhives1828]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 I love the hives 😊 I started with them in 2019 and only had one loss out of 12 coming out of winter. We’re still having cooler weather in Indiana and I’m anxious to start inspections!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

@@sarashappyhives1828 Awesome!! So much to learn in the first few years amiright? I bet you're still learning lots though too. I hope you can do your inspections soon too!

[@harryvangrieken6950]

This is perfect. I am getting my first hive setup in a couple months. Thank you for the video! I will have to check out Dr. Leo Sharashkin further. Cheers!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hello, Harry van Grieken! (Is van Grieken a name or does it mean something?) Congratulations on your upcoming hive!!! So exciting. I'm glad you'll check our Dr. Leo further.

[@harryvangrieken6950]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 Yes that is my real name. I think it means "from Greece" where my ancestors may be from. Have fun with your bees! I can not wait until the warm weather.

[@billiejones9448]

So glad I spotted your video on KZbin. Very informative. I am familiar with Dr. Leo. I built a horizontal hive this year from his hive plans. I purchased a nuc locally here in NW Arkansas and installed mid May. Tried feeding as suggested but they wouldn’t touch it. I did install some comb from pervious attempts which I believe helped them build up quickly. They are doing quite well even though we (the bees and me) are dealing with small hive beetles. They aren’t as bad as I thought as I killed 4 as I opened hive yesterday. I usually find some in tray below so they are doing well. Looking forward to seeing how well you do with your homestead journey.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hi, Billie! I'm glad you stumbled upon my channel, too! Good job building a Layens hive!! Insulated? I'm glad your bees are doing well! We have some SHB too.

[@billiejones9448]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 it was a Langstroth horizontal that I built with 2 by lumber as plans stated, so considering the difference in lumber one might consider it insulated more than regular Langstroth boxes. I started out building a top bar years ago. Been trying ever since learning a great deal in the process. Yes I am glad I ran a cross your channel. I have been watching 👍.

[@iamGrowing]

Awesome. I’m looking to buy the insulated hive from him as well.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Great!! Have you kept bees before? This was my first year!

[@iamGrowing]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 nope, this will be my first year in the spring. Everything is ready to go, just need to catch a swarm!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

That is so exciting!! How many hives/swarm traps do you have ready? I tried my hand at making some insulated hives this summer-- they turned out PRETTY good for someone like me who isn't a great carpenter. But now I need to make 60 frames!

[@flyf100]

Great video

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!

[@mpedals]

what a great investment, your going to be a great beekeeper, i was also there that weekend, and i just loved his attitude and knowledge, we are in North Mo, already have the 10 frame almost filled from a swarm catch last month, the bees love the hive and are doing so wonderful, i had to order the bigger one, painting it now, getting ready to move the girls over in a couple weeks, Just wish i would have gotten them while i was there, lol...Good Luck to you and many blessings to you and your family, love they will all grow up learning beekeeping, i so admire you.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Oh excellent! Was the workshop your first introduction to natural beekeeping? I learned so much! Congratulations on your colony! None of mine have gotten to 10 frames yet! Andy I appreciate your kind words, thank you.

[@timothymitchell8310]

I saw your recent fb post , nice painting and I’m excited to see your journey into beekeeping.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Awesome- I appreciate you stopping by. And thank you! I am very excited to begin. How long have you had Layens hives? Are your hives coming out of winter ok?

[@timothymitchell8310]

I’m building here in Japan

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

@@timothymitchell8310 Wow awesome!

[@denisev1409]

Thank you! I've never kept bees before so I'm still learning before I start. You said you can split the 20 frame in half... does that mean you can have 2 different bee colonies in the same box? Also, if I'm just looking for a little honey and to help the bee population, how many frames would I start with? I know there's a "happy medium" in terms of the space they prefer and how much they can heat in the winter...but I haven't seen anywhere how many frames is ideal to start with. Thank you so much!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hello, Denise! Thanks for stopping by! Yes! In the spring if you want to multiply your apiary, you can put all the frames in the middle and open the middle entrance of the 20-frame hive. Then, after a week or so, you can split the resources/bees to either side separated with divider boards so they don't interact with each other- one will have the queen, one won't. The one that doesn't will make a new queen. Then in a few weeks if the split is successful, you have two colonies! At that point, it's best to move one out so they can grow/expand, but you could theoretically keep two colonies in one 20-frame hive. As far as how many frames to add- I believe in the Layens group you said you ordered nucs. Are they on Layens frames? If not, you'd need to transfer them over or modify the frames if you're using horizontal hives :/

[@denisev1409]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 Wow! Thanks so much for the awesome and quick reply! No, I haven't bought anything yet. I'm just doing some research before I get into it. I would be buying or building Dr. Leo's insulated 20 frame hive and that would be their permanent home. I think I saw on one of your other videos that once you transferred the bees from the swarm box, you took a divider and put screws on the bottom so they could move to the next frame if they wanted/needed it. I'm assuming that would be the point when you would start giving them more to work with because that's when they would be comfortable and sustainable throughout the winter.

[@Onlyme8510]

Great video! I wanted to ask how many swarm traps do you put out?

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hi, Melisa! I put up six last year and ended up catching three! They're up again this year- three new spots and the three spots where I caught them last year. Dr. Leo has plans to make 10 swarm trap from ONE piece of plywood so that is on my list this year!

[@T0tenkampf]

Leo makes some nice quality stuff, judging by this

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Yes! I think he and his family build a lot and order some from Europe.

[@robertofkennedy]

The queen excluder is for lengstroft hives

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hello, Robert of Kennedy! Correct- to fit a Layens hive, the queen excluder will need to be cut. I have yet to use it, but perhaps if I get into queen rearing someday?

[@robertofkennedy]

@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 I'm a newbee. I'm building my first 21 frame layens style horizontal by hand now . Almost complete

[@robertofkennedy]

I have to do roof and entrances. I'm not sure what roof covering I want to use, and I have to decide on the type of entrance to do.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Congratulations!!! I constructed 3 last year with the help of my brother and somehow managed to make 6 this year on my own!! You can do it! (Video to come someday lol)

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

I tried using "flex seal" on my first three roofs and was happy with it, but it's very expensive. Now that I'm building more hives, I went ahead and purchased a 50' roll of the trim coil as recommended in the plans. Let me know what you decide if you think of it!

[@Thomas-wn7cl]

👍

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thanks for watching!

[@terrijuanette486]

I came by here because I just saw a video of an interview with Paul Stamets about Amadou extract (from certain mushrooms, I think, since Paul Stamets is the mushroom guru extraordinaire) and and bees. He said it doubles the lifespan of the bees and reduces the deformed wing virus by 1000 fold. Have you heard of it? I'd love to know more! BTW... I came here because I was searching for Dr. Leo Sharashkin.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thanks for stopping by! Wow! I've never heard of Amadou extract or the benefit to bees! I'll have to look into that! I hope you found what you were looking for about Dr. Leo! He's the best!

[@BerkshireMeatsOnX]

You're so lucky!!!! How did you get every item on the Dr's website? I'd 🐝 in heaven as well!!!

[@BerkshireMeatsOnX]

You answered my question later in vid!!!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Pretty much, I think! It was a big step and a large financial investment, but thankfully it didn't feel rash since I had already done my homework in reading "Keeping Bees with a Smile" and he had some discounted items that I jumped on. Time for those bees to get to work and perhaps I can slooooowwly start recuperating the cost!

[@longarmsupplies]

I'm waaay up in Alberta Canada and I was so happy my brother built me a horizontal hive to try out! I used to have alpacas, so I checked with Dr Leo to see if he thought I could use that fiber. I'm so excited to get some bees into the hive this year! I'd love to hear why getting the bees to make more honey isn't healthy for the bees.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hello, Wild Nature Farm! How exciting that your brother built you a horizontal hive! I can tell you now that I'm already 100% hooked lol Did you hear back from Dr. Leo? I would imagine alpaca would work, too. Good question- someone on the Layens Facebook group (which I recommend) asked the same thing. I asked Dr. Leo at the workshop and I don't remember the reason he gave-- but he just shared that his experience has been that when he tries to fill all 20 frames for maximum production, the colonies always (almost always?) failed over the winter. Interesting!

[@sardar5150]

I have (2) 14 frame layens that I'm setting up at the end of April. I bought a couple years ago at his workshop. This year will be setting up with Russian bees. What is your experience with initial install. I went with the 14 frame because I dont expect the flow to be great in this particular location. I'll build a super on top if needed. Thank you.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hello, Sarah! How exciting that you'll be getting some bees! Have you considered catching local swarms? I've only ever caught swarms and then transferred them from the swarm trap to the hives, but I expect that would be similar to installing a package/nuc! And it went well- I just placed the swarm trap in front of the future hive and then transferred frames the next day. I've never heard of putting a super on top of a 14 frame hive! interesting!

[@sardar5150]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 yeah I have a couple swarm traps from dr leo that I've been playing with the last 3 years. Haven't had luck catching yet, still trying. I know dr leo said if you are going to buy packages, buy russians, which I am. Hopefully I will catch something for future. Im use to Italian bees and langstroth, but been studying layens the last 3 years. I do have 20 frame insulated hive in my shed, but plan on using that here at my place where the flow is pretty good, hopefully with a swarm catch. Yeah Layens supered his hives when the flow was better than normal, its in his book, I believe dr leo has the plans for that.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

@@sardar5150 awesome sounds like a great plan!

[@Shotgunwizard91]

Hey there! Really cool you were able to get all his products. i just ordered my first swarm trap myself. but i was trying to email him and it blocked my email. so im trying to figure out if he maybe he has a new email address.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hey there, Mr. Shotgunwizard! Yes, I'm very thankful to have been able to get the products. I'm hoping I can recoup the costs in four years with honey sales? Anyway, congratulations on the swarm trap that's on the way!! Exciting. Sorry to hear that you weren't able to get in touch with him. On the website, he lists that the email address is b**[e-mail] (and says that what goes in the blank is the animal that makes honey) :)

[@Shotgunwizard91]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 yeah theres a market for all things honeybees for sure. and yeah i tried that email. maybe its just full from all the BUZZ he has created. lol

[@ratler5]

Hi, love the video! I have a question. I am planning to get my first hive next year and was going to build a 20 frame insulated Layens. Can you elaborate on what Dr. Leo said about letting it fill with honey leading to colony collapse?? Is that Overwintering full or just letting them collect that much period? THANKS !!! 😄😄😄

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hey, thanks! Glad you liked the video and I appreciate your kind words. Way to plan ahead- and HOW COOL that you're going to make 20 insulated frames! And great question-- I asked him about that at the workshop and, to my recollection, he didn't have a sure hypothesis as to why that happens/happened, but his experience has been that when he went for maximum honey production (packing out the hive, the hives failed over the winter. I wish I knew why. I think I'll clarify with him via email...

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

I think I *may* have just found your answer! I haven't asked Dr. Leo yet, but in Layens' book (Keeping Bees in Horizontal Hives), he's describing the type of packaged bees one should select, and he says you shouldn't get one that's too full of honey. He doesn't elaborate too much, but says, "The hive should not be entirely filled with honey, since if the honey reaches too far down, the bees will be forced to spend the cold season on comb filled with honey, which is bad for wintering." I'm unsure why that's bad, but maybe I'll find out as I keep reading!

[@ratler5313]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 Thanks so much! I was trying to reply to your first message but YT would not do anything when I clicked reply. >< I live in MT so we have long cold winters so the insulated hive won me over. I was going to do a modified horizontal Langstroth but the more I researched the more Layens won. :D That makes a lot of sense form a management perspective for the bees. To much honey to much area to maintain. So I guess if I start seeing "over production" harvest some honey early. :) I really appreciate you looking into this for me!

[@simonlhorn]

Re: the sugar water feeder... the ribbing is not sufficient for some bees. I have found too many drowned bees. Take some short twigs and drop them into the water so if they fall off the bees can climb Back out!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Yes!! I can't remember if it was Dr. Leo in the workshop or someone else... someone mentioned the same thing and also suggested short twigs to float in the feeder. Thank you!

[@billbarnes9718]

I wonder how everything worked out.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Things are going great- I have 18 colonies now and hope to do an update video soon. Do you already have bees?

[@amandaliberty08]

Golly i did not buy nearly that much! Good luck catching your local bees. Edit: lanolin is the oil that keeps the wool from absorbing moisture.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Were you at the training too?! Yeah it was a significant investment for our family. Time to slooowly recuperate the cost. Thanks for the well wishes! And thank you- lanolin. Got it.

[@amandaliberty08]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 Unfortunately I was not in attendance, but i do seem to buy so much from him because of his attitude towards the bees. I look forward to watching you and your new hives grow and thrive.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

@@amandaliberty08 Thank you for joining me! Agreed- he makes high quality products and he, his family, and his goals (buying land to prevent logging) all seem like a great cause to support financially.

[@jacobceparano]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275Please know that low impact logging and forest management are the most regenerative things we can do on this planet. Consider digging further into the benefits of forest management, and why the natural forest fires are God's way of fertilizing the earth. Logging is not bad if done properly. Bees, like all wildlife can not survive without fringe habitat and open spaces. Sunlight need to penetrate the forest floors, and that can not happen in an overgrown/dying forest. PS: Thanks for sharing this video and your time.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Thank you for your thoughtful and heartfelt response! I know very little about logging and forest management. I have heard that forest fires are very cleansing.

[@EssenceOfEdenSoap]

The queen excluder is useful for keeping the queen from laying eggs in the honey section of your hive.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Now that I'm almost done with my second year, I've been wondering a little bit more about whether or not to use it. I haven't so far, and I'm leaning toward letting the queen work as she pleases, but it's a nice tool to have on hand!

[@paulschaefer5241]

I did catch a comment where you said if you were doing anything wrong to say something in the comments. While as far as the bees go I think you are doing fine, from the aspect of a you-tube channel it may be a worth-while investment to obtain a blue tooth microphone.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

I appreciate the feedback! And I agree- I had a Rode mic when I first got started. I didn't quite get the hang of the settings before dropping and breaking it lol So for now I've decided not to put more money into the channel (besides the camera I got), but it's always windy when I want to record, so I may change my mind!!

[@badassbees3680]

Why does he sell feeders if he says Never feed your bees? Nice looking equipment though!

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hey BA Bees! He doesn't say "never," but Rather "very sparingly". As you probably know, feeding is commonplace when you buy nucs of treated bees from warmer climates. Buy Layens, too, suggests feeding, for example, after a split to help the bees adjust in that stressful situation. I fed a couple of times last year compared to all of the time (I'm not sure exactly how often conventional beekeepers feed their bees).

[@badassbees3680]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 in beekeeping with a smile he said never.He must've found out that isn't always possible .

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Oh I had forgotten that! Did he write KBWS or just translate it? I forget. Keeping Bees in Horizontal Hives (which he translated) does mention feeding too

[@badassbees3680]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 he edited and promoted it..don't get me wrong I love Dr. Leo he's a brilliant man

[@liliacardones7441]

Why so many boxes?

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hi, Lilia! I ended up getting 6 swarm traps and 6 hives because it was recommended to me in the Layens Treatment-Free Facebook group and the beekeeping book I'm reading to have at least 5 hives to get started. I only have two hives so far, so I have a little ways to go!

[@liliacardones7441]

@@curly-hairedcountrygal1275 thank u for explaining why u got so many boxes. I gues I need to read the book and take the course in order to learn why is recommended.

[@mastersurala]

А у нас на Урале Колоды или Борти делают

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Спасибо за просмотр!

[@calebknieper]

How much cheaper are his conference selling prices compared to online?

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

Hi Caleb! I'm not sure what online conference your referring to, but just year his workshop (2-days) was either $300 or $400 (the latter, I believe) but it went up to $500 this year 😟 there is a discount if two people attend, though.

[@robertshorthill6836]

A third comment, if I may-- a QE is a waste of money and a useless piece of equipment no matter how you came across one. The exception being in use for a double queen colony set up. You will use Langstroth type boxes. Two deeps each for good queens, separated by a QE. That is, two deeps, a QE and two more deeps, then have at least 5 medium supers at the ready, either drawn comb, wet comb or partly drawn comb. During a spectacular nectar flow and a populous double colony, be prepared to take off filled combs every few days, replacing them with extracted and wet empty combs. Anyone that has ever built a double queen colony will be in for a fun time. Also, I must point out to never, NEVER put the QE flush with the front of the lower boxes. Leave a gap of about 3/4" for an opening. This is to allow free access for the drones to travel where they want. If you do not provide a gap, the drones will clog up the worker space of the QE and make for some demoralized bees that will be less than happy during a great nectar flow. Now, the queens will almost never venture into this gap to meet each other. I have only tried double queen colonies 3 times in my almost 18 year career as a beek. It has to be an exceptionally rainy season with just the right amount of moisture. Otherwise, a two queen colony will not perform as expected. I am trying a Layens hive system this year where I would not have a use for a QE. Bob.

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

I welcome your comments, Bob- thank you! I also thought I wouldn't have need for a queen excluder and need to read your comment when I have more time to chew on it. At some point in the workshop, Dr. Leo explained when he used a QE, so I figured I'd get one since $5 didn't seem like much of an expense. However, I don't foresee using it soon. Glad to hear you're trying a Layens system this year- I hope to hear how it compares to Langstroth or Top frame, etc.

[@xyalbo5892]

Why are you leaving the international Standard, here in Europe, we are working with Dadant, Jumbo hives, with Frames of 482 x 285 mm. For a horizontal hive I have These Jumbo with 24 Frames

[@curly-hairedcountrygal1275]

It's Great that you're working with dadant! I've never heard of jumbo hives! Thanks for stopping by!