Beehive Update August 2019 | Keeping Honey Bees in Alaska

We inspect all three of our honey bee hives, discuss our approach to beekeeping here in Alaska and why we won't be harvesting honey this year.
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[@deer-theotherredmeat2502]

Well I know more Bee Hives and Bees than I did an hour ago....thanks. Really enjoy your honesty...too many off grid You Tubers portray themselves as experts....

[@alrashid3401]

Agree

[@jeffg3575]

Hi in the swarming season you must inspect the hives every 7 days it takes approximately 10 days for a hive 2 swarm. In the UK most bees swarm to the west if you have a old empty hive about 10 to 20 yards from your existing beehives you got a good chance of picking up the swarm. I always bought new Queens for my hives because you cannot tell where the drones came from. You are doing a great job it takes time to become a good beekeeper, bees have not always read the same books as you have. In one of the supers there was a lot of drone cells, that is why some times it is better to use Foundation wax. At the beginning of the season when there is not much honey about, to get the bees to draw out the wax, a sugar-feed of 1 to 1 will get the bees to work on the hive and the Queen lay early in the season so you will have a stronger hive.

[@jedidiah5131]

Jeff; question! Thats an excellent idea about putting an empty hive not far away but why to the west.

[@jeffg3575]

@@jedidiah5131 Hi The sun sets in the west, all my swarms went west, it was in a book on bees, but not all bees can read. Lol

[@jedidiah5131]

Thanks for the reply, interesting.

[@hughcavallaro5822]

We are bee keepers here in California. The first thing we do when we start new hives is feed them sugar syrup to stimulate the colony and also build up stores for the winter. Here in sunny Ca we want 40 to 60 lbs for the bees to over winter. I would expect up there you would need more. Keep feeding till they are heavy. Give them pollen or pollen substitute. What is your Varroa treatment plan? Keep talking to the local beekeepers. We are enjoying your gardening videos. Keep up the good work

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Hugh Cavallaro thank you for the info, I also suspected they needed quite a bit of honey stores. The group I follow and philosophy I believe in is no treatment or treatment free but we haven't quite experienced varroa mites so it is hard to speak for something that hasn't occurred.

[@suewelk2237]

@@SimpleLivingAlaska Hello again from Alberta :-) . My husband and I are keeping 3 hives, too. This is our sixth year. Very cold climate and very short season here in the shadow of the Rockies, but our bees do really well so far. Sooner or later, varroa mites show up but we do not use the common chemicals. If we notice too many mites on the bottom board, we use ground up sugar (please, don't use icing sugar as there's starch added to it), it has to be very fine like flour. In the evening when most bees are back, we open the hives up and sprinkle that sugar all over the frames and the bees inside the hive. The sugar won't do any harm to the bees but they will start cleaning each other up right away. During this grooming process, they get rid of very most mites that sit on them. If you check the bottom boards a day or two later, you'll find a large amount of mites that fell of their victims ;-) So far this method has worked great for us! A beekeeper friend also uses a certain type of magnetic rocks (I forgot the Japanese name), they look like black gravel. He puts them inside the hive and on the bottom and his bees do great. No mite ever since he uses them. I'll have to ask him about that name. They sell them in rock shops. Good luck with your bees!!!

[@taililly2483]

Did you ever find the name of the Japanese rocks?

[@suewelk2237]

@@taililly2483 I believe it's Shungite en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shungite

[@julieenslow5915]

Fabulous advice!

[@williscooper7750]

jacket, mask and shorts...seems legit lol. I know you said your hives are pretty docile but still funny nonetheless

[@Victor-cj1pc]

Hi, I enjoyed the video, I’m a beekeeper in Northern Germany, also using medium size frames (Langstroth 2/3). As you, I nearly ever look for the queen, I look for brut in all stages, if there are standing eggs, you know that there was a queen less than 48 hours ago. If you’re not sure if there is still a queen in the hive, take a small piece of comb with fresh eggs/young larvae from another hive, just lay this on top of your frames so that the bees can access it from below. Check it after 24 hours, if a queen cell is being drawn there is no queen in the hive, if not, all is OK After the summer honey harvest (July) I feed each hive al least 20kg (40 pounds) of sugar syrup (3 parts sugar:2 parts water). If needed, I give them sugar paste in the early spring (end of feb). It is also possible to swap full honey frames between hives to equalize the amount of food supplies they have, e.g. Take one or 2 frames from a very strong colony that harvested a lot of honey and give it to the weaker colonies. Greetings, Victor

[@BethGrantDeRoos]

In our area of the California Sierra we have to keep our hives inside secure cyclone dog kennels with secure roofs, because we have bears. And because we can get six feet of snow the covered kennels help keep snow from burying the hives. Local honey is also great when allergies pop up, since the honey seems to knock the allergies out.

[@TCMedicare101]

They cap the brood at 9 days, so your queen was there in less time than that, since you have larvae. Look for queen cells. You're on the right track though with checking with your local experts for whether there is time to requeen or if you need to combine hives.

[@tinge1954]

Everybody , thumbs up for those bees in Alaska. Let`s pray they will survive the harsh and cold winter and we shall see these colonies producing honey also for this lovely family, not only for themselves.

[@katrinehansen3362]

here in denmark , our beekeepers have a emty hive standing in the back in case a queen deside to move, often he has luck by she would move in to the emty one , we have a lot of bee keepers here , great videos , love them ,

[@elizabethdaniels3127]

don't worry just stay in touch with your beekeeper neighbors

[@redblock7636]

Hi Eric and Arial, as a beekeeper myself I might be able to give you some pointers on the winterstores situation. In our much more temperate climate(netherlands) bees will need some 25 to 30 pounds of winterfeed. I would gues you would need somewhere in the vicinity of 40 pounds, seeing the frame size I would estimate them to hold upto 2 to 2.5 pounds each. So you might need some 17 to 20 full frames of winterfeed. Better check with the beekeeper you got the hives from as I know from experience it's frustrating to find hives dead of starvation in spring. We often give the bees a sugar solution when we have robbed them of their delicious honey. It's quite doable to make solution yourself, just make sure the sugar content is high enough. KZbin and the internet has many instructions and how to's.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Red Block thank you ☺ I did start feeding them and I agree with you I think I should have around 2 full supers going into winter but am going to double check with local beekeepers.

[@Okimyhome]

Congrats from Japan 😎 I’ve learned so much from you both. Thank you so much for sharing your Alaskan adventure 😀

[@isapsa45]

It’s a good idea to always keep one or two empty boxes nearby about 12 feet high with frames in them also it’s a good idea if you can keep fresh lemongrass in there or get some is sensual oil lemongrass and put in there that way If they swarm often times they will swarm into the empty beer boxes that you have placed about 15 or 20 feet from the hive. I know that means you’re going to have to build some towers but it would be well worth it if you were able to capture a swarm before it headed for the tree line.

[@elenidemos]

If you would like to keep the combe straight. You can get stainless steel wire which you can add to your frames before they start building combe. Drill small holes top & bottom feed the wire through. Most use them to guide hot knifes to store honey & combe (or to sell).

[@Oper8or]

I've seen other videos on that exact issue, swarming. One great way to prevent losing a hive is to put a swarm box nearby on the edge of the tree line. Put used comb in there with lemon grass. If i could make a recommendation look up videos from 628DirtRooster and Kamen Reynolds. I've learned a LOT from those two guys. Excellent videos. Keep up the great work!

[@edmartin875]

DirtRooster and Kamen are two of my favorites, I sub them both. Glad you recommended them. I've never been in a position to keep bees but my dad kept bees for about 20 years and every time I came home he had me out in his small two hive bee yard. I was free labor. LOL. I loved every minute of it.

[@rick91443]

Wife and I visited a very well equiped bee keeper's supply store yesterday. I mentioned your styrofoam(polystyrene is the word in French, btw,)hives and they said they were GREAT. This summer we had Southern California Temperatures here(like Death Valley,) and they said these hives were also very good insilating against the extreme heat. In the traditional wooden ones honey was dripping on the ground...Love your videos...cheers...rr Normandy, France

[@ericwinslow1913]

I’ve had honeybees in Alaska for 35 years, you need to use foundation to get them started sooner in the spring. This year our summer was so good they need lots Room For nectar. Keep theQueen down below with an excluder ,she’ll just keep laying.

[@H2Dwoat]

Hi, nicely presented, you have increased my bee knowledge infinitely as it was pretty much zero previously 🤓.

[@PutEmInTheBox]

let the snow accumulate on and around your hives. some even pack they hives in snow. insulates like and igloo. you can dig them out a bit once daytime temps are above 40* in the spring.

[@lynsmith2698]

Thats awesome.I am fairly new to keeping bees as well,. Those hives are cool, but i still use the wood ones. We have a big electric fence (solar) because we live in bear country. I live in northern BC in Canada. Great job on your videos...i have been enjoying them

[@keithgray4407]

Greetings from the Manuka honey capital of N.Z.I kept bees in the Stikine River area of AK over 50 years ago and left to seek a life of adventure in PNG,OZ and N.Z. Prospecting for gemstones,gold,opals,etc.I ended up homesteading in the mountains of N.Z.and have worked with dark strains of bees for over 50 years.So here are a few tips.Firstly, do not use any plastic in your hives as over time the cheap crap from China starts to give off toxic fumes which causes your hives to waste away and contaminates the honey.The off white queen excluders are the worst and start to break down before the black plastic foundation.Next bees often form a honey plug usually 2 or3 frames from the outside frame of the bottom box and the queen might lay a little bit in the second box before swarming.To stop this happening move the honey plug frame to the extreme outside frame and place a frame or two of foundation in to the centre of the brood nest.Move two frames of capped brood up into the centre of the second box.Next do not ever wear shorts when working dark bees and use your smoker to keep them below the top bars at all times.You will find they will become really aggressive as winter approaches and the flows stop.If they get real really unworkable chop up some dried chicken feathers and put in your smoker and smoke the hell out of them .It stinks like hell but really works and doesn't hurt them.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Keith Gray thank you for all that info 😬

[@rodneyhowell2703]

That kind of experience is worth a lot. I agree with not wearing shorts.

[@ch2821]

Rodney Howell yes.... bee keeper here from the southwest.... I saw her shorts and gasped..... 😳😬🤦‍♀️. Bees are unpredictable.... safety first!

[@shawshoney-beekeeping6948]

If they swarmed there will be multiple queen cells on the frames. Check your frames for queen cells. You may find they haven’t swarmed, but you may have rolled the queen during inspections. Maybe not check them as often. 👍 ......and now I just finished your video and saw the update, hope it all works out.

[@keithgray4407]

Sorry I lost contact.I have taught beekeeping for the last30 years and you are doing great.Love your channel and remember to look after each other.Hope you have a great season.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Keith Gray we appreciate that! We are really enjoying them ☺

[@Bamaman14k]

Excellent job I love bee's, y'all are into August so the production of extra honey is their way of ensuring enough food for the winter. In the cold months they can still do what bee's do inside the hive. With bee's it is such a beautiful symbiotic relationship, we rely on them for so many things and I always love it when I see somebody taking good care of them. Thanks for sharing the video, Jimmy

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Jimmy Clark thank you, it really feels like a privilege to care for them, the are wonderful little creatures.

[@pennyhouser4637]

I Good analyzing Arialle, i’m not surprised with you being a former dental hygienist, very tuff degree. You and Eric never stop amazing me. 🐝

[@rrketc2]

Hello again, another thing you might try, if you think you have enough time left, is to take a brood frame from another hive- a very healthy one, shake all the bees off into that original hive, and put a clean bee-less brood frame into the queenless hive. The queenless bees might make a new queen in time for winter. Takes a few weeks to mature a queen for a mating flight.

[@sylviafoust9545]

Thank you for your frankness about the bees. I hate that one swarmed even though you had another box on top. I'm looking forward to getting bees soon. I have my hive set up. Just waiting on my bees. I'll get another hive as soon as I can.

[@joharmon2148]

Sounds like the bees know how to manage the hives by making sure there will be a new queen shortly. Of course I didn't already know that until you told us. Pretty interesting.

[@jeffsea6490]

They look light on winter stores, I suggest you begin immediately supplemental feeding a heavy (2-1)sugar syrup. At least 3 gallons per colony ASAP. A varroa mite treatment also if you have them in AK.

[@edmartin875]

The bees know very quickly if the queen is not in the hive. If she is a virgin on a mating flight they are ok with that. Otherwise they are immediately thinking of using an egg to start a new queen. If no egg is available the bees will keep doing their job till they die. Their lifespan is about 5 to 6 weeks. Sometimes a worker will start laying eggs. These eggs will all produce drones, no workers, no queens.

[@jeffeaves5399]

very good video people . its nice of you to share your life with us . you are more of what this country needs to be thinking an doing . I am pulling for you wish you many blessings

[@Alltarious]

Glad to hear the new queen situation was a somewhat quick fix. I know you guys have talked about an orchard in the past idk necessarily where that is in relation to the bees, but maybe combine them for that wind break as you said and give the bees plenty of work :) dont be afraid to make mead when you get the honey, its one of my favorite hobbies that and making kombucha!

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Reuben Smallwood that's a great idea, our trees are going to go a little further away due to the bog however. We loved making Jun Tea and liked the mead we made but we don't have our scoby anymore, although I'd like to get a new one in the future ☺

[@marlenekutcher938]

Really enjoy your channel especially your canning videos. I am a long time canner and I am very pleased to see younger people doing this now. We have so many black bears here to have hives, but I still enjoy your explanation with bees.

[@jeep4ron]

What a great learning experience that turned into a informative video for all of us..!! Things always seem to work out.. Have a wonderful night you two..!!

[@isapsa45]

It’s a good idea to always keep one or two empty boxes nearby about 12 feet high with frames in them also it’s a good idea if you can keep fresh lemongrass in there or get some is sensual oil lemongrass and put in there that way when they swarm they’re very likely to swarm into those empty boxes that are near their hive I would put them maybe 15 or 20 feet away from the hives on some towers.

[@AnAlaskaHomestead]

That sucks the queen took off. That’s a bummer. I couldn’t go without being completely super duper outfitted to be messing with bees. They scare me😳 I don’t know Jack about bees. That interesting that each box/hive has its own queen. Super cool to learn new stuff. That’s neat seeing the babies coming out. This video was packed with info. All hail the new queen 👑 Great news.

[@julieenslow5915]

For future reference, a great way to help that colony would be to take a frame from your biggest colony with capped brood, and a second frame with eggs. That will help with the number of bees and give them a chance to make a queen. I do agree however, if you can get them a mated queen that is the best option as it takes about a month to take eggs, make a queen, have her emerge and mature enough and then go on her mating flights, then settle in and start laying. From then it will be more than two weeks before her first brood will emerge. I'm afraid your winter will hit before they get many winter bees made.

[@sharlynnikodemus2869]

Thank-You for taking me on your journey . I''m still amazed what you have done in this year. f ollow your dream

[@kiralatarte4296]

You'll be able to get your own bee's wax I imagine, even if it's in small amounts. That's very cool!

[@JerrysThisandThat]

I don't know anything about bees but how to get stung but it sure is interesting watching you guys and learning from you. Thanks for sharing.

[@papasstuff6381]

I have been keeping bees for 13 years now , I live in a similar climate ( northern New York State ) . First I wish you the best of luck , 2nd. close up the bottoms before winter , 3rd get some kind of wind and snow break . And pray a lot . You will lose a hive or 2 , that is where you get your honey in the spring . Again good luck !

[@SalLeeHolland]

Thanks for all you do for the bees. We really need to save them. Also they make such good honey!

[@dawnlee1155]

I’m so impressed you two are doing all of the stuff you do by yourselves!! Great job love watching

[@jeffstrong4311]

Suggestion for a windbreak made from materials you have in abundance already. So!, in bushcraft we create a heat reflector that keeps the heat of the campfire directed back towards the tent or shelter. You construct it by taking making a row of vertical poles spaced about 4 feet apart to the length that you need. Then create a second row where the verticle poles are directly behind the first row so that there is about a 4 to 6-inch gap. Now fill the gap by stacking branches or logs up until you reach the top of your poles. Then using some cordage bind the poles together so that they pinch the lateral logs. This should block the wind and snow. I would place them maybe 4 to 5 feet away from the hive. I would also suggest you wear the whole bunny suit when working with the bees. Just in case they are having a bad hair day and decide to take it out on you. Those Russkies are a temperamental ya never know what will set them off.Ha hahahaha

[@wesleycoekaerts458]

You made good decisions. a tip if you have a period that you don't have a lot of time to check on the bees you can put a queen excluder between the 1st and 2 chamber to trap her there. this way she can't swarm with half of the colony. for the winter at the i would suggest to make a little roof over the entrance so i don't get blocked off by the snow. and normally the bee hive stand should have wood board where the covers of the bee wax fall on too.. this way if you clean it before the winter you can check how much food they have remaining and can make a guess if you need to give them extra food. (winter food must be solid no liquid) experience will give you info on how much food the hive needs to survive a typical winter.

[@HappyTrailChihuahuas]

To help the bees find the right hive, add some kind of marker like a rock or an X painted on top. The end hives will pick up some extra bees.

[@taililly2483]

I gave also seen some bee keepers staple a different playing card to the front of the hive.

[@smithfamilyhomestead1515]

That video was unBEElievable!!!! Cheers from Arkansas!!

[@PaullaWells]

Good video on how you’re raising bees.

[@johnarmlovesguam]

You're doing good. Stay strong.

[@JhaeMo777]

🐝Nice video. Awesome you got a new queen, I really hope this works out. We NEED more bees ! Have to admit though, being allergic to bees ,just the sound of that many was making me a little twitchy😊🐝

[@nobodyfromnowhere6932]

great video. thanks for giving us a glimpse into your world. love learning new things and watching you two learn is fun also

[@Randall82760]

I had kept bees on and off since I was a pre-teen, and my first few years I kept just the common European Honey-Bee. They were so mild I never wore cloves or veil and sometimes opened hives wearing shorts and a tank top. Then I got Black Italian-Bees, and they were more aggressive, and I had to wear jeans long sleeves and maybe not a veil depending on the time of year and how many suppers. Though the Ladies I knew who kept bees had to were veils due to their eye shadow attracted bees to their face and even perfume could cause problems. Great to hear the Russian bees are so hardy, watched other homestead shows where they kept having to buy bees every year. Going foundationless is why you had a hive swarm because they had no reason to keep so many bees in a box with no work to do. they have to grow wax in scale pockets. I always had bad luck with foundationless.

[@iartistdotme]

I love happy endings! or I guess I should say happy beginnings.

[@buddyduncan2095]

Glad you found it when you did and was able to get it established so quick

[@WebberAerialImaging]

One of the risks associated with foundationless. Maybe there wasn't the nectar flow to drive comb building causing the queen to lose space for laying. When you discovered that the numbers had diminished, you should have checked for queen cells. That way you could have immediately added a frame of eggs/larve from another hive. Good for you having multiple hive. It make a self-sufficient apiary much more likely. I wouldn't be adding supers until the bees have completed drawing at least 75% of what they are currently working on. Keeps them focused on filling out each box.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Mark Webber I only added the supers when 8 out of 10 frames in each body was drawn out ☺ thank you for the info, I forgot to mention it too but I did find a queen cup a few weeks back but it was empty when I checked it.

[@RonRay]

Honey bees are incredible. God really knows His stuff!

[@brayster42]

You and your husband make great videos, especially how you explain what you're trying to do and the steps involved. Keep up the good work!!

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Michael Bray thank you 😀

[@LivingMiracleHomestead]

I'm so glad you were able to fix your hive. That seems like an easy fix putting in a new frame. I want bees so bad. I have just the opposite weather here.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Living Miracle Homestead the open brood frame was a test, the bees had a plan all along 😬 bees do great in the heat right?

[@edmartin875]

@@SimpleLivingAlaska Yes, bees do great in the heat. Some places bees fly all year long. However they also have more pest problems.

[@craignash4736]

What good news ...learned so much,how interesting...good luck this winter. Thanks again. Craig. Pa. Guy

[@ap8409]

Sassy Bees? That's a new one. :) A bee brush? Man, that must take a long time to brush each bee.

[@sylviafoust9545]

That's cool about the new queen 🐝🌸. I always learn something from you all!

[@venemautube]

after growing season, > september, the bees can get way more cranky. As there is no more nectar and pollen, they will defend the hive more agressive.

[@robcappa]

Awesome explanation on what you guys have going on with the bee hives.

[@hoangtu69]

You can check out horizontal hive in the future so there’s no need to lift boxes

[@barrybri]

Usually, I find ~4-6 queen cells when a hive needs a new queen or decides to swarm. I have a garden cart to carry my beekeeping tools,extra hive box to place frames in during inspection, or to move a hive when I catch a swarm or make a split. For bee hive stands,I use two 4"x4"x8' posts on top of 2 cinder blocks near the ends for supports.I like to keep the bee hives off the ground and less accessible by hive beetles,which probably aren't a problem in Alaska.I keep a few pieces of scrap lumber across the posts so I can set the hive box on the stand with one side on the scrap lumber to keep from crushing bees on the bottom of the hive box.I plant Buckwheat when I expect there is going to be a dearth for my bees.It takes about 30 days to bloom as long as there is some rain and sun.You might give that a try in the bog around your beehives.You might want to rob a couple of frames of honey out of your better hives if they have plenty and give them to the weak hive.The horse hair brush is a handy tool for brushing the bees off the honey frames,a sharp jar to the frame towards their home hive and brush off any stragglers.Keep an eye out for bees fighting at the entrances as bees will try to steal honey from weak hives when the dearth comes.You might need to make the entrances smaller (1"x1") so the bees can defend their hive. My beehives & some buckwheat i.imgur.com/hNazIFM.jpg

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

barrybri thank you for all that good info and the image 😀

[@kenshores9900]

Great to hear about the new queen. Seems you are doing a great job. Have you thought about using entrance limiters in the fall and winter to reduce the entrance size and keep more heat in the hive? I think it is neat they making hives suppers out of poly styrene. That should keep the hive warmer during winter. Good luck. Enjoyed the video.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Ken Shores we do have entrance reducers on now :) We did have to combine the swarmed hive with another, they were just too small going into winter.

[@SurvivalLilly]

Nice video. Keeping bees is not. Easy. You did a great job :)

[@kinslerable]

A hive does not svarm if it does not have a queen to replace the old queen that goes with the svarm and you where giving them way to much space, if you think a hive is about to swarm look for queen cups on the sides and bottom of the frames (look up pictures of different kind of queen cell on google there are 3 reasons why they would make new queen) if there are not any then the hive is not preparing to swarm, if a hive is preparing to swarm you should split the hive by taking 1/3-1/2 (some will fly back to the old hive) of the bees and the old queen and put her in a new box and leave the rest and the queen cups in the old hive. just take all the honey of them and feed them syrup instead.

[@robertjones-wf8ix]

Hands down my favorite YT channel.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

robert jones thank you!! 😀

[@robertrosinski6238]

I am waiting to see your bees in spring. Is this the Langstrot hive? I have bees in Poland myself, in bee hives Dadant. I wonder what plants are the most honey in Alaska. Greetings from Poland :)

[@oldie121]

Thanks for sharing

[@faste6]

You need a few resource hives. This will ensure you have a quick queen replacement or brood/egg frames if needed.

[@bobfanning6816]

I think you are doing a great job as a new beekeeper. Be careful regarding protective clothing. As the honey flow declines, your bees may get more defensive. Right now, they are fully occupied making honey. The bees are likely to become more defensive as the flow shuts down. I am impressed with your beekeeping knowledge and complement you on seeking advice from local, experienced beekeepers. Keep up the good work!

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Bob Fanning thank you 😀 appreciate the info as well!

[@douggibson9084]

Great video, for your wind and snow shelter how about a teepee over the hives. You can remove it in the late spring and put it back in the fall.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Doug Gibson that's a neat idea ☺

[@HeathenWolfHomestead]

Congrats on re-establishing the new queen and keeping that hive going. Looking forward to seeing the turnout of your hives. Hoping for a strong colony and a prosperous harvest for you guys. Keep up the great work.

[@bengt_axle]

This channel only gets more interesting with each episode!

[@elizabethdaniels3127]

if you look at the frames the bees create queen cells that are rounded caps

[@lydiadillard4417]

To locate the queen faster you can put a dot on the shoulders, brite yellow or red are good colors. Should she flee the nest and you find a 'new' hive you may be able to identify her.

[@edmartin875]

There are 5 colors available for marking queens. Each color corresponds to a year and also tells you the age of your queen.

[@danamama6766]

That was a fascinating learning experience! Thank you! I am hoping there is a video to find out if you did figure out what to do about a new queen. I am going to search now. Very interesting!

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Dana Mama the hive that swarmed did make a new queen but when fall came that hive was still small so I combined them with another, right now both are still alive ☺

[@danamama6766]

@@SimpleLivingAlaska Oh that is wonderful news :) Thank you. You are both such gentle souls and I am really enjoying your videos. I have gardened for years and have goats and chickens but I have learned some great tips from you. Thank you for sharing your life journey.

[@74nativemtman]

Thank you for your videos. I just found them today as I am kicking around the idea of moving to Alaska. I keep bees as well and am glad to know it is possible to continue doing so up there. Thank you again and I look forward to learning more about the life there in your future videos.

[@Adventures_of_lifeX]

I love your hives!!! I never thought or even heard of Styrofoam for hives! Very cool!

[@UniversalDirt]

One downside to not using wired foundation is that the natural comb isn't strong and needs careful handling, and of course you can't use the frames in an extractor--you'd have to make cut comb honey, which is fine if that's what you want. You might want to use a queen excluder below your super. I've had swarms roost in a conifer, but when and if they leave, that is, if I don't catch them, I have no idea where they go. They will look for a hollow space somewhere. (We noticed the Willow signs on our way to Denali NP this summer. You might be interested in the Art and Bri homesteading KZbin channel. Art is my son.)

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

UniversalDirt I LOVE Art and Bri, they have a superb channel but you already know that 😁 thank you for the info too, I have been careful with the honey frames, I see how they could break quite easily. I have seen the episode on bees at your place too.

[@UniversalDirt]

@@SimpleLivingAlaska Cool. We had 24 hives in our small yard at one point. In the course of keeping bees over the years I've made just about every mistake possible, and with bees, every mistake brings some kind of disaster, of one sort or another. That's what makes it so fun and, naturally, I learned a lot. I love your styrofoam boxes. On the coldest days here (5 degrees F.), I used to put blankets and plastic garbage bags over my hives, leaving ventilation space. But I don't think it was really necessary. I think the main thing is to keep the wind from blowing in the hive.

[@melindasloan6099]

I see there is a beekeeping club in Eagle River. Consider joining that club. I am sure there is a wealth of beekeeping know how that you would find quite helpful in your endeavor. Keep keeping on! We have been keeping bees here in Iowa since 2010. Fascinating hobby for the two of us Good luck!

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Melinda Sloan that is the Midnight Sun Bee Club! Nathan is who I bought my equiptment from in Eagle River 😀

[@johneaston2348]

So enjoy keeping up with your projects. Bee well!

[@serenagomez3864]

Super great video - my son is a bee keeper in central coast of ca. Your bees become like pets!!😊

[@botchi1]

You have to seed more flowers around the hives. Best wishes from Bo.

[@MrRobertPogson]

The North is abundant with flowers. It is essentially pristine wilderness and flowering plants thrive left alone. One could add some sour cherries, chokecherries or other hardy fruit trees to add to the mix and make great juice/jelly.

[@torceridaho]

hey, I subscribed not that long ago when the number of subscriptions was around 18K. Congratulations on the subscriptions. Just keep on keeping it real. Your content provides ideas and inspiration. I have been thinking about 18 hour summer days in which plants thrive. Amazing. Thanks

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

inthenow10 thank you 😀

[@sandrafarley2966]

you should check out horizontal hives.

[@jodymooney255]

So amazing and you are incredible educator! Thank you

[@DIYSolarandWind]

Awesome, I want to get a hive over the winter. When I get out of the city I will be ready for spring.

[@lindahenderson840]

I agree that it would be great for winter to build a wind break for them I should imagine the winds can get really cold there even for Russian bees Love what you are both doing there :)

[@BRZZ-xw4hd]

your each others honey ...peace out

[@NorthForkHollow]

Cool video! Thanks for the update. I don't know anything at all about bees or beekeeping. So it is fun to learn. Maybe someday I will dive into it and get a few hives. Thanks!

[@RaoulSnyman]

It's always better to allow the bees to establish their hive the first year, and sometimes even the second year, before harvesting honey. Also, I've heard that bees actually prefer not to have their hives so close together, perhaps that had a role to play in the one hive swarming.

[@paulineparker3662]

Interesting and informative video about bees. My favorite is clover honey.

[@JBTrapper93]

Good to check and make sure a queen is there but generally a hive will never split and swarm without a replacement queen being present. Also if she would have left and there wasn’t a queen reared by the hive then the entire hive would leave. Just a thought. I raise bees in Wv. Good luck.

[@AlmostHomestead]

Enjoyed the update. Good to see that third hive doing well. Nice job doing your research and taking care of your Bee Babies. Man, the setting for this video with the trees toward the back of the bog is really pretty.

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

Almost Homestead thank you, maybe minus the blinking cell phone tower that allows us to upload these videos 😉

[@AlmostHomestead]

@@SimpleLivingAlaska Yeah, that's a bummer. I didn't see it in the video. You must have hidden it well or I'm just not very observant. Haha!

[@dawndawn6946]

Great update! Such good news.😁

[@davidmc8110]

Have you considered any types of clover? Some varieties may die off completely from winter, but any type that can grow should provide an additional food source for the bees, help the soil and provide some biomass, and maybe sweeten up the honey a touch (?).

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

David Mc we purchased white clover to sow this year in the mini orchard but didn't get that completed so it will have to wait until next year. We love clover 😀

[@toddunruh3998]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

[@mrmacgregorshomestead233]

Something i learned from beekeepers is that there is a general rule of thumb about collecting honey. 1st harvest year u only take up to 25%. 2nd yr up to 50%. 3rd yr up to 75%, never more than that from then on to ensure they have enuf for overwintering. Im in Michigan. We have similar seasons to yurs and i found that the most for here was maybe 60-70% works great! Thinking that may help u gauge yours. Maybe 50ish-65ish %? Just a helpful tool that i thought u may want. Great job btw!! Great vid!

[@jrbailey3208]

Cheers again from the Oil Patch in Central WY! I'm THRILLED to see both your attitude to dilemma, and your concertedly thoughtful approach to remedy the problem forthrightly! You continue to give me hope for keeping bees in the Kenai, once I'm able to relocate (hopefully this Winter) from Wyoming and get set up! I'll be using a Langstroth Top Bar Hive (due to being physically impaired) and shall be attending the next Natrona County Bee Keepers meeting (just missed this last meeting due to thinking it was Tuesdays rather than Thurs.; it would have been wonderful, as the group met at a local keepers place who engages in Queen Propagation, and has done for some 30 YEARS! What a skill to research and learn!). I'm really glad to hear about a lack of ursine population in your area (and I loved your video on the Pinks, which I would argue too many people think of as a 'trash fish', their eggs are superb for making caviar!), which makes your lives much easier! I wanted to know if you have cell service in your area, and if so, which provider? Thanks again and stay safe! Cheers from the Oil Patch!

[@SimpleLivingAlaska]

JR Bailey there is a gal on the Kenai Peninsula named Sarah, this is her website (not sure if it will be of any use to you or not): www.alaskahoney.com/ Queen propagation sounds wonderful! We do have cell service with AT&T here, we switched from Verizon since we didn't get coverage at the cabin.