Road to 200 Beehives. Making Nucs To Increase Hive Numbers

[@markmurphy8303]

Hi Gruff lad, weather here in sunny Liverpool is great for doing my splits and moving some of my overwintered nucs into full hives today, like your bees they are bringing in tons of dandelion , pear blossom and also the hawthorn is starting to flower the smell coming from the hives is magic, best of luck with your spring splits mate .

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Thanks Mark. Glad your off to a good start 😊👍🏻

[@beekeepinggarden165]

Great video Gruff 🐝 today I going make splits but this spring honey is coming very strong over here wow 🐝🐝 I will be make small video soon 🐝😉 Have wonderful Beekeeping 🐝

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Is that off the oilseed rape or wildflower?

[@_J.F_]

Good luck with the quest for 200. With the current weather, and a nice flow, your splits should be getting a really good start I hope.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

I hope so too 😊

[@won2winit]

Watch out ladies that giant carrots back to rip your roofs off

[@gwenyngruffydd]

😂😂😂

[@JM-tx2fz]

Hi Gruff , I noticed you leaving the attendants in the queen cage , do you think that hinders the queen acceptance ?

[@rangersteve2279]

another great video thanks ... only i was waiting for you to 'do the splits...' ;-)

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@mickhoyle4064]

Another great video, thanks. Here in sunny Surrey we are well into the season with pre-emptive splits ongoing and Buckfast Queens ordered, I'm going to get some UK bred and mated Buckfast Queens in late May to see if they are any different.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Sounds like your in the deep end already! We have British bred ones on order too 😊

[@BlanchardsBees]

🐝🐝I'll bee splitting my hives today.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Good day for it!

[@chrishumphreys9363]

Hi Gruff.Where did you get your Queens? Chris Cumbria.

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Hi Chris, I get them from multiple suppliers and breeders. This batch of queens was from BS Honey bees

[@dreww3810]

Who do you get your black queen bee's from? Regards Drew

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Most of the black bees I’ve got are mated locally from splits and allowed to mate naturally. Very hard to buy black bees in.

[@dreww3810]

@@gwenyngruffydd Nice. I'm making some walk away splits from hives this year. Only currently got 17 but hope to get up to 200 like yourself one day. Only currently have black bees

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Wish you all the best on the journey 😊👍🏻👍🏻

[@ollysue69]

Like you I always get that one bee at end when I want to take kit off come and bump me 🤷‍♂️🐝🐝😂😂

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Haha I know!! Trying to photo bomb the video!!

[@buzzingadventures1980]

good video gruff👍. when would I add a second brood box?, is it just for swarming or increasing your hive numbers 🍯👍

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Thanks Matt, I would add it now. These splits are just for increasing numbers

[@buzzingadventures1980]

@@gwenyngruffydd thanks mate👍

[@gwenyngruffydd]

No problem 😊

[@barbersbees9834]

Do you buy all your queens? Or do you try to raise your own as well?

[@gwenyngruffydd]

We buy most of them in. But when we do splits to stop swarming they make their own queens

[@barbersbees9834]

@@gwenyngruffydd do you requeen your honey production colonies every 2/3 years? Or let nature take its course requeening via supersedure?

[@gwenyngruffydd]

I let nature takes it course. If they re queen happy days if not let them die out naturally and il replace that hive with a new nuc. We concentrate on making a lot of fresh nucs for replacement stock instead of trying to keep the old hives going.

[@greghamilton889]

how many are you running at now?

[@gwenyngruffydd]

By the time we finish splitting around 400

[@leoneddy7593]

Do you get stung through those orange gloves at all

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Not often…..hardly ever actually. But it is possible

[@leoneddy7593]

@@gwenyngruffydd thanks. I might give them a try if I'm brave enough lol

[@johntusting2467]

@@leoneddy7593 I've been using Spontex soft hands for a year or so now. They're thinner than a marigold, more stretchy as well so you can get them good and tight, but still almost sting proof. Good mix of protection from stings, stickiness and disease spread, but still able to feel what you're doing. I started with these when Nitrile became really hard to find because of the pandemic, and I swear that the nitriles now are thinner and tear much more easily and are much less sting proof. Having said that, I'll often go glove free for some quick jobs, mine will mostly only sting your hands if it's my fault...

[@gwenyngruffydd]

You’ll never go back to big gloves once you try them

[@gonzalezaaronm]

I really enjoyed your video but every once in a while I don’t know what your saying

[@gwenyngruffydd]

Hi Aaron, thank you 😊 I know my accent is really strong. The more you watch the more you’ll understand. Appreciate its hard sometimes. What part of the world are you from?

[@gonzalezaaronm]

@@gwenyngruffydd Idaho, USA