Swarm Control

Paul Kelly, research and apiary manager, instructs viewers on how to control and prevent swarms.
Frequently asked questions: hbrc.ca/faq/
A descriptive transcript is available here: www.uoguelph.ca/oac/sites/uog...
Check out the OMAFRA website: www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/
For more videos, check out the University of Guelph's Honey Bee Research Centre youtube channel at this link: / @uoghoneybeeresearchce...
For more work by David Borish Visuals, check out:
www.davidborishvisuals.com/
We would like to thank Québec beekeepers Marie-Hélène Majeau and Susan Kennerknecht for translating our videos into French. We are very grateful for their help with this project. (To view translation, click on settings then subtitles)
Nous aimerions remercier deux apicultrices du Québec, Marie-Hélène Majeau et Susan Kennerknecht pour la traduction de ces vidéos en français. Nous leur en sommes très reconnaissants. (Pour accéder à la traduction française, sélectionnez paramètres et ensuite sous-titres)

[@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/

[@trskldn]

please translate subtitles on other language, or allow this options for us.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Taras I think we have i set up now where anyone can translate the videos. It would be great if someone took up that challenge! Thanks.

[@wagnergauer9133]

UoG Honey Bee Research Ce i wanted to see how this hive is doing today ,are those super honey's full

[@bigweb0311]

UoG Honey Bee Research Centre are you not doing videos anymore??

[@michaelnash5825]

What is that you have on top of he hive under the lid is it cloth are what do you use?

[@fetahmehinovic8770]

I am from Bosnia and I am a beekeeper thank you for thise videos ,finally there is some one with pure knowledge who wants to shere we us ordinary beekeepers thank you so much !!!God bless You !!!!

[@CharlesCarlsonC3]

These are so good. I'm a new beekeeper, and they really supplement other information sources. I'm so glad you folks put these together and made the available. Thanks!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are most welcome. Thanks Charles for the encouraging feedback. Good luck with your bees this year.

[@jeffreyrumpf6841]

These videos are great! Very helpful. Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into these videos.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are quite welcome Jeffrey. Good to hear you find the videos helpful.

[@hyenen2]

This is the best KZbin channel for new beekeepers i have found. Very informative an easy explaining. Thank you!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks you Johannes. Go bees!

[@Makermook]

Thank you for these videos. I'm a first year, one hive beekeeper, so I don't even know what I don't know! I learn something every time I get on KZbin.

[@jimmypark782]

This guy is a master beekeeper. Very informative and well experienced in the art of apiary.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Ah shucks.Thanks!

[@viscache1]

For us Bee-ginner ‘Apiarists’ this is the BEST kind of video! We need to know the terms and the concepts and bee beehavior. Thanks for sharing your EXPREIENCE! There are lots of people on KZbin that have ‘knowledge’ but you really opened my eyes to the kinds of things to look for in my early period of beekeeping. The idea of having extra ‘supers’ on hand. I also decided to use the hive manufacturer’s measurements and design and make lots of extra bases, separators and tops for future expansion. The one thing that makes me crazy is that you sit there without any protection from the bees! I have a deadly allergy to wasp stings….a mild reaction to bee stings…so the beekeeping suit is the one thing I REALLY splurged on! I’m hoping to start with two hives of two supers each my first year and add one super and double the number of hives every year up to thirty. I’m a sheep herder who is getting older. So as I get older and less able to handle sheep I will sell that operation and expand my beekeeping operation. It’s work and I LOVE to work! And it’s something I can keep learning for the rest of my days.

[@jayanddenissejones6648]

Thanks Paul! I went back and pulled out this video to review as I'm getting ready for Swarm Season here in Western Kentucky. Thank you for all the excellent information and knowledge you've passed on!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi James and Denise Nice to hear you find a review helpful. Wow, we've got two feet of snow and you are thinking about swarming! Thanks for your kind comments. You are very welcome. 21 more videos coming out soon.

[@jayanddenissejones6648]

​@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre LOL Paul...:) It was 16c yesterday and again today but going to -4c tomorrow night w a high of 1c! I'm only "thinking" about Swarms, Swarm Traps and just trying to be prepared! End on March here Swarming will start occurring unless one is prepared! Thanks again for everything you and the ​ @UoG Honey Bee Research Centre does for beekeeping!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are very welcome. It's encouraging to hear our efforts are appreciated. Have a great bee year James and Denise! ( I'm impressed with your conversion to degrees C! ) Thanks!

[@crazycoyote1738]

Thanks for a clear, straight to the point video. I just learned a few good points that I didn’t know about. Be blessed.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Keen We do try to keep our videos to the point but you know how hard it is to stop talking about bees! Nice to hear you picked up some points.

[@IronB2]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre I do know how hard that is..

[@paulawaldrep3760]

I am new at beekeeping in South Texas. Thanks for all the great explanations!!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are welcome Paula. Thanks for your comment and have fun with your bees!

[@richardbryans7564]

Thank you. Very helpful for next spring!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Glad you find the videos helpful Richard. Good luck with your bees in the spring!

[@benjaminmssm]

So relaxing watching you!

[@lintonmacnamara1469]

Excellent very instructive , well presented thanks for sharing skills and information.....an old Aussie amateur beek

[@davidrobins4025]

Excellent information - very well presented. Thank you.

[@peoples1949]

Great lesson and well presented. I will be trying to do myf irst split. all my bees came through the winter well.

[@najingjamajhao2407]

Very clear explanation and liked the video.

[@dannybeekeeper5990]

very simple and easy to follow,, great video especially at this time of the year,,cheers

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Danny Have a great year with your bees! We should have mentioned splitting as a swarm control measure too.

[@davidmcgregor4691]

This is one on the best video's I've seen on the topic. Thank you very much for this information.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks David!

[@beekeepinggarden165]

Great video 🐝🐝 this is fully instructions swarm prevention Thank you 👍👌

[@waveryder98]

Just stumbled across your videos and wanted to thank you for the informative and well-shot lessons. As a beginner beekeeper, I really appreciate all that you and your crew have done! Keep up the good work.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Nathan Thanks for the kind comments! Good luck with your bees this year.

[@LikodsaPayag]

Thanks a lot for teaching us sir Paul....

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Our pleasure! Thanks for your kind comment DFFG :)

[@LikodsaPayag]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre You're always welcome sir Paul :)

[@jeffsea6490]

Great Presentation 🐝👍

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Jeff!

[@yannroulleau5580]

Merci beaucoup pour ces vidéos très bien expliquées et filmées.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Avec plaisir Yann !

[@nunya___]

Not planning to keep bee but find your videos fascinating. Thank you for sharing. 💖🐝

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Nunya. I'm happy to hear that some non beekeepers enjoy the videos too!

[@nunya___]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre 😊 I shared this video with my sister (she has bad migraines and "normal" jobs are a challenge for her). She's interested in doing this and lives in winery, strawberry, corn, soy farm land. Lots of clover growing wild. To make 30 to 60k how many hours are involved? I'm sure it's varied on how fast the bees get food etc, but do you have an approximation by month? We are in the Piedmont of North Carolina. She has several acres, most in partial sun and one in actual woods with a spring. The people that use to have bees here have passed on so maybe we can help the bee population.? 🌻🌼🌾🍀🐝

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

@@nunya___ Hi Nunya If she's really interested the best way is to take courses and even get a job working for a beekeeper. Making a living with bees is not easy but it is interesting.

[@acctahmed7055]

Thank you sir this is really helpful the info I really needed was in this video, many thanks.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are quite welcome Ahmed! Good to hear you found the video helpful.

[@barbll000]

Great video Paul and team.

[@kevinlamberg3]

I love these videos, they are excellent. The only thing I would do different is add an empty frame or two so the queen has room to lay, but it's still an excellent video series. Thank you for taking the time to produce these!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are very welcome Kevin. Great to hear you appreciate the video series! That's a good suggestion to add some empty frames. I was counting on the bees moving honey up into the honey supers to make more room for the queen to lay but your suggestion would give her space immediately. The hive didn't swarm and was very productive. We re queened it later as part of our ongoing efforts to minimize swarming behaviour.

[@Accentor100]

Great video!

[@X2O8MZV9]

Love your channel!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks!

[@hartlecut]

I wish i had seen this video two months ago! My strongest colony was building quickly and I wasn't doing the right things quickly enough - it swarmed (possibly more than one swarm) and I had to re-queen as well. But I'll have a better plan for next year. Thanks!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

This was the 'year of the swarm'. We did the swarm control shown in the video on most of our hives and it worked in most cases. Better luck next year Corrine!

[@michaelhopper7487]

Thank you for the information I'll get some of the cotton material number 8 thank you love your videos good to listen to somebody that knows some stuff.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Our pleasure Michael. Nice to hear you find our videos helpful. Thanks for your support.

[@haydoncrabb5636]

Really enjoyed your videos very informative cheers from nz

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Glad you like them. Cheers Haydon in NZ!

[@Kafue]

Thank You for sharing your knowledge...

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are quite welcome Jasper. We'll have 20 more new videos posted this winter.

[@Aaron16]

UoG Honey Bee Research Centre I'm looking forward to all the new videos. Perfect timing for them!

[@undercoverbrotherpro2a282]

Very helpful video thank you!!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Your are most welcome UB! Glad you found it helpful.

[@stephenmcguire7331]

Awesome! Many U-tube videos say look at the eggs or look at the larva, but you cannot see them. Your close-ups show fantastic views of eggs and larva. I have yet to see eggs in my own hives because of my poor eye sight. If i keep seeing covered brood I figure the queen is still laying. Great information and videos Thank-you

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Stephen. It is hard for some people to see eggs. I find that most people in our courses can though with a little help getting the frame held where the light is best. A sunny day is best. Those that use reading glasses need them to see eggs. It also helps to clear some of the bees away. I think we showed that in 'Colony Inspection'. Thanks for letting us know you appreciate our videos.

[@alistairreid4774]

Hi Paul and team from Northern Ireland. Just echoing what others have said by way of thanks for the fantastic online resource! Great supplement to a beekeeping course and club membership - it's good to have local contacts and flower info too! Jealous of your weather though.. I think I'll plant rice next year instead of spuds! (potatoes)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi in Northern Ireland Alistair My daughter just got back a couple weeks ago from a semester at Ulster University. She had a great time and really enjoyed all the very friendly people she met there. I'll get there sometime to see where my ancestors came from in the mid 1800's. Thanks for your kind comments about our videos. We intended them for local use and were surprised to see the international interest. You wouldn't be jealous of our weather this summer. Last year it was hot and dry and our bees produced a record crop, This year it has been very wet and it's been hard to even get queens mated. The honey crop is ok and the flowers look great. We just need some sun and heat. We could grow rice here this year too! Good luck with your bees this summer Alistair.

[@JustBees]

Love your videos.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks! Glad to hear you like them.

[@michaelhopper7487]

Thanks for the information on the canvas cover

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are welcome Michael!

[@maariss]

One of the best how to. Thanks for sharing.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are most welcome Maris! Thanks for your kind comment.

[@charitablemiraclebeekeeper1200]

For the new beekeepers out there, you could have done everything he did with the cells and cups but instead of adding several supers, you could have made serveral splits from those hives given the time of year it is and the circumstances.

[@fishmut]

Yes those boxes where packed with single brood boxes, I would of gave them a second brood box the add honey super if I didn’t want to split them, the brood boxes where over crowded so even giving them honey supers they would have still swarmed I feel. I like double brood boxes on my hives, there very very strong colonies and the honey they produce is awesome, also splitting you can get many splits out of them to. Just my 2 cents worth. 👍

[@davidlaseter2079]

@@fishmut - what's a double brood box got to do with awesome honey?

[@JoSeeFuss]

With the queen cells available, this could have been split into 3 or 4 (stretching it) new hives. These bees seem like a really good hive, that queen is a BOSS. Another option would have been to take these queen cells out of the hive. Transfer to a queen cell maker, shaking out nurse bees. Take the queens and artificially insemination them after they hatch, clip the wings and put into new nucs

[@dannycrain3485]

Well very impressive I like it thanks Paul

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

:) Danny

[@finnsbiavl7483]

Hi from Denmark I enjoy your videos ... very instructive. Anyway Im not sure about this kind of swarm control. According to my experience, it is impossible to control the swarming tendense IF the queen is slim and out off laying eggs. It is too late and they will swarm anyway. The clipped wing will result in the queens crash to the ground where she will die. The bees will fly back home, BUT if you have destroyed all cells, they will be queenless. Dont do that. What do I do? I split the hive ..... take the queen plus 3-5 frames and a lot of bees into a nuc and bring it to another place. The rest of the family think the swarm has gone without them and will nurse a new queen. If you want, it is possible to reunite the two hives again. Thank again Finn

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Finns It is possible to control swarming and we did so with the hive in the video without further intervention. The key is to remove absolutely every queen cell OR don't remove cells if no eggs are present AND you can't locate the queen.This is mentioned in the video.. If a strong nectar flow starts after swarm control the bees abandon any inclination to swarm. The hive in the video produced 100 kg of honey and we re-queened it in midsummer as we aren't interested in keeping bees that may swarm. Our other videos on splitting hives addresses means of preventing swarming but this video was meant to be about controlling swarming. I'm happy to hear you find the videos instructive. Good luck getting your bees through winter Finns.

[@baconneggs2406]

Bees need to swarm in my opinion and I like making the splits same way. It's more natural for them and helps with the mites control

[@alanporter2694]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Hi, I would say that any colony - as overcrowded as the one in the video would have a high tendancy to swarm. Nothing bad or abnormal about that.

[@Holdfast]

Hi Paul I know you can't possibly answer all questions and have referred to your FAQ section. Thanks for the great resource! It's my first year and I started with new hives/foundation and nuc in June. I had not anticipated having to deal with swarming in year 1. One of my hives has twice tried to swarm and then return to the hive - I have 2 brood boxes and 2 supers. The first super (undrawn) was added 2 weeks before I witnessed the swarm and a potentially capped queen cell. it's now late August and I am reluctant to do a split to prevent swarming at this date ( I am in Northern Ontario). I am really not sure what to do at this point but my plan is to verify if the queen is still there. I didnt see her or eggs yesterday so I am thinking I better leave the queen cells.

[@joeSaysThings]

6:18 - doing this in shorts gives me major anxiety. I have a hive that needs to be re-queened, because the bees are a bin ornery when I get close. The idea of doing any of this without a full suit is increadible to me...

[@Westernwilson]

Joe, then you need to requeen that hive!

[@Insubordinate1204]

I rewatch a lot of your videos every year just to remind me the proper way to take care of my girls

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

That's encouraging to hear Patrick. There are many ways to keep bees. We try to show what we find works for us.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Patrick!

[@Neutsie]

Didnt realize you could prevent swarming by continuously removing swarm cells and adding more room. I had virgin queens swarming this past season in all 6 of my hives. Hopefully, if i run into that issue again, i can add supers earlier in the season than i did last year. Thanks guys.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Our pleasure. Good luck this year!

[@mmnasyrov]

learned a lot from you! I am a surgeon by profession, my hobby is bees.Thank you. I'm from Republic Tatarstan !

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Marat Hello all the way over in Tatarstan! That's encouraging to hear you've found our videos helpful. Beekeeping sounds like a good way to unwind from your demanding occupation.

[@mmnasyrov]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre thank you. I'm waiting for new films !!!

[@BlaineNay]

My rule of thumb is to add a supper when there are 3 or fewer empty frames. I also find that having a frame of new foundation among those 3 empty frames helps eliminating swarming. This helps because wax-producing workers have a place to put their wax.My number one reason for avoiding swarming is it's not right to have several thousand of my bees move into the wall or soffit of a neighbor's home.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

That's a responsible way of looking at it Blaine. Thanks for your thoughts.

[@Govstuff137]

Why not add a supper if there are 4,5,or 6 frames of is there a drawback for some reason?

[@BlaineNay]

@@Govstuff137 I find that adding too much room too quickly slows down the progress of the colony. I think that a lot of beekeepers put too much super space on the hive so that they can spread out the frequency of inspections. This practice leaves the beekeeper out-of-touch with what the colony needs.

[@shreddder999]

Thank you! That was a *great* video. I'm dealing with this right now. Population explosion due to a super bloom.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are welcome. Lots of bees is a good problem!

[@marekcartman3017]

Great video really appreciate it thank you. May I ask as we are new bee keepers why did you cage the queen whilst you dealt with the cells?

[@jimbakis1970]

It is very interesting

[@rosiechurchley3923]

If the queen is old and may not be laying well, wouldn't you want to leave some of the queen cups so that the hive could raise a new queen? Thank you for the video. It was excellent.

[@adhammashtoub9778]

Thank you 😊😊❤️❤️❤️

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are very welcome!

[@kevinakkad2596]

More videos please

[@barryfoster8859]

I’m wondering what kind of frames are you using in the hives, is it my imagination or do they have pre drawn out comb on them? Thanks

[@williamredish3595]

I'm writing for my Bee Club in Hendersonville, NC. Our season is much longer than yours in Canada. We also have multiple flows. We are experimenting with the single box approach - have removed queen cells and even removed frames of brood as we are afraid of overcrowding and swarming etc.. We have standard double box colonies in our apiary so we have been using the Q cells and brood frames to help out colonies that can use those supplies - BUT - our big question is in a single brood box system is there a time when that colony reaches an equilibrium of old Bees dying off and new brood hatching out ??? Meaning, we've done a lot of manipulating frames is that necessary ? Or using this method is it inevitable that the apiary will grow and / or do we start selling Bees ? Thank you in advance for your reply. The Henderson County Bee Association loves your informative and unique approach to bee keeping, Thanks Again !

[@shrevesoule3567]

Love you video's! When you super your hives, do the majority of the frames have drawn comb or new foundation?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

HI Shreve Thanks for your encouragement! We only introduce new frames when we are increasing the number of supers we operate. I like to add new frames by alternating them with drawn comb in the supers.

[@LowiesYT]

that bee at 2 minutes would NOT leave you alone lol nerves of steel man

[@Westernwilson]

Paul, here in the PacNW we only have one big nectar flow, in early June. It is critical that all those April bees, who become the June foragers, are conserved to the honey hives. What is the best way to do swarm control splits AND make sure the honey hives have a strong forager force in June?

[@sawmill9392]

Hello Paul, I assume if the hive does raise a virgin queen, will the new queen leave with the swarm since the old queen's wing is clipped and the old queen remains? Also, I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and making the videos, which are very thorough and easy to understand, thanks.

[@mathewcobb9443]

Fuck yeah this was what I was looking for a video explaining it and what procedures to take, very educational

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Mathew Glad you found the video helpful! We'll have another video coming out that talks more about how to prevent ( vs. Control )swarming.

[@sunsetheritagefarm1189]

I started beekeeping in 2020, and I’m so grateful I found your channel. This might be a stupid question, but if the queen was already getting smaller to lay less. What will now allow her to continue if the 4 supers keep them from swarming? Is that a queen you would then replace as soon as possible? Lorie

[@candeevaniderstine8064]

Thank you for this video and several others which have been very informative and concise and on topic. While I appreciate all the sharing others do, I find the videos often tedious and vague. Please keep producing these for us new beeks. A few questions: how often do you examine for new queen cells and destroy them in an overpopulated hive? How often do you examine your hives, in general? Your hives look so healthy with no hive beetles or traps. How do you manage that? and last of all (for this posting) Do you have varoa and how do you prefer to treat the hive (chemical and method)? Thanks again for all the help!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Candee Thanks for your comments. I'm pleased to hear you find the videos helpful. We did 33 last summer so maybe you haven't seen them all yet! I'll try and answer your questions but they could really use a more thorough answer than I'll be able to give here. We are keeping notes so we can do more videos with topics based on the comments we receive. 1. We check for queen cells only in colonies that are stronger based on our ratings as described. We only do this at the time of year bees are prone to swarming ie just before the main summer nectar flow. In some colonies we check twice, a week apart, if we have the time and we've found cells in them previously. We stop looking once the nectar flow gets going and the time for swarm preparation has passed. 2. I like to check on all hives at least once every two weeks April to November ( in our climate). 3. We don't have hive beetles here yet but they aren't far away. We do have varroa mites and that is our most significant problem. We inspect for and monitor diseases and pests and control them using both cultural and chemical controls (naturally occurring chemicals and synthetic) where necessary. We only use methods and materials for pest and disease controls that have been scientifically proven to be effective and we use these responsibly. We should do a video on cultural control methods but have steered clear of making specific chemical controls recommendations since they vary from one place to the next. It's best to find out what's recommended in your own location. I hope you and your bees do well this year Candee.

[@candeevaniderstine8064]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I look forward to seeing all of your videos. I have seen about 6 or 7 so far. I have one more question: Can we switch our president for yours?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are welcome Candee. I think we'll keep ours but thanks for the offer :)

[@melaniecarr8834]

I appreciate the show of the larva. I've been looking and nobody captures them so that they're visible

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Melanie.

[@catchemalive]

What would make a colony go from extremely docile to very aggressive?!? This is my first hive and i caught them in a swarm trap and the first several months they were wonderful to work but now you can’t even get close to the hive without them chasing you down and stinging you just by walking by it!! Thanks for all the tips!

[@Mr1997diego]

LOVE your videos I'm watching all the way from south Texas! I have a question which I need an answer for, my 10 frame hive is getting packed and a handful of bees will sit by the entrance. I guess in your terms it's a 4.5 not really a 5 just yet. BUT the question would be should I add a super or a deep and why do would you pick one over the other?? Thank you for any advice you may have to offer! -Diego berry

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hey Diego Great to hear you enjoy the videos down in Texas. We'll do a video on single brood chambers vs doubles this summer. Both work, it's a matter of preference. Just give your bees the room they need and use a queen excluder between your brood chamber(s) and honey supers.

[@soccerfanatic19691]

Excellent video and explanations! One question. What is that mat that you put on top of the frames under the lid? Thanks so much and keep up the good work.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

We use 18 oz canvas as an inner cover. See our FAQ link (posted under each video) for more info.

[@jdogsbad]

I love your video's, How do you keep from getting stung ?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

We breed for gentle bees and use smoke when we work our bees. We do get stung too but figure it's good for us!

[@danielgriff2659]

So I had a pretty cool experience a few days ago. Found 12 capped queen cells shortly after I watched my hive swarm. We were discussing re-queening since she was gone, and while we were talking, a queen emerged from one of the cells we had removed intact! We quickly got her back into the hive and hopefully I wont have to re-queen! Left 3 other queen cells just in case, but they should kill those once she takes a mating flight. Plenty of drones close by.

[@Tristami]

I love watching your videos, very informative. I currently have this exact situation in a double deep brood chamber. They have also started backfilling the broodnest. Not sure what to do since I have two honey supers on top, unfortunately with just foundation which is not being drawn out at all. I found uncapped queen cells as well as eggs so I removed the cells in the hope to curb the swarm, but I am not sure how to get them to move into the honey supers. I have also considered switching to single deep brood chambers and I am curious as to the status of the video you talked about in previous comments.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

HI BIanaca. Nice to hear you appreciate the videos. Your situation is a diffiicult one that often affects new beekeepers who are starting with only foundation. Once you have some drawn honey comb you can mix it in with foundation in later years. Bees will swarm if they don't have a good enough nectar flow to draw out the comb they need to expand. I usually recommend feeding when you add new frames for brood rearing. It's a bit more of a problem when you are trying to draw out honey comb. You could try feeding just enough to get some comb built and then stop before they fill the 'honey' comb with syrup. It sounds like you haven't been having good nectar flows. Next year may be better. Good luck.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

It likely won't be until September or so before we post the single brood chamber video.

[@EricBakkerNaturopath]

Hello from New Zealand. I have two strong Warre hive colonies (currently overwintering) which I want to move into two Langstroth hives, into full depth boxes. Any suggestions?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hello in NZ! I'd live there if it weren't so far away. I spent six months cycling and beekeeping there 30 years ago. I'm not too familiar with Warre hives but if you can set your Langstroth box on top of the Warre and hope that the queen moves up. Close any gaps due to fit issues. Then you can use excluders to keep her there and let the brood in the Warre emerge. You could then start eliminating the Warre equipment. A number of ways to do that. You'll figure it out from there.

[@catchemalive]

How do you know when a good nectar flow will happen? Also why are the bees not easily angered when there is a good nectar flow?? Thanks a lot for all your content!!!

[@johngrigsby]

great videos - thank you for creating and sharing. What are you using for a top cover? Seems flexible and effective.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Great to hear you find the videos helpful! Quite a few people have been interested in our inner covers so we'll likely do a video about them this year. In the meantime here's an answer to your question. We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas -otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by in Ontario, but it is available from online distributors. In the US see www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html). or in Canada see www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavy weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half.

[@njsnjs9369]

At 2:30....too late to add a super.....why is that...

[@the1bulldurham]

Glad I found this channel. Lots of great information. And a note; if I handled my bees like that they would put me in the hospital, again. We need different genetics. :)

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi The 1BD We are fortunate to have nice bees so I know it's not like this for everyone. Do what you need to do to stay out of the hospital!! And push local bee breeders to select for gentle behaviour. That may be hard in an area with lots of africanized drones though. Thanks for letting us know you find the videos informative.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

My boss Dr Ernesto Guzman (and others) proved that aggression is largely inherited from the drones.

[@frylock770]

Hi, I have a question that I can't find the answer to. I was wondering if it's possible to keep just 1-2 beehives long-term without expanding them with splits (they are horizontal layens hives, so they would be larger to begin with). Is it possible to curb the bee population so that I don't ever have to manage more than 1-2 hives? I was thinking I could just let them swarm naturally and introduce a new queen afterwards.

[@waynelogan9725]

In this case and the queen is shrinking in size and laying less eggs at what stage do you allow this colony to make a new queen or when do you add a queen

[@carlostellez1234]

Very nice video and greetings from Chile, have you ever tried a smaller supper above instead of a QE? queen tend to no laying on this super, I think due to its short surface, and if she lay, early she comeback toward down when the main flow has past. Thanks.. Carlos

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Carlos Our nectar flows aren't consistent enough to get away without using a queen excluder. without one our queens are quite willing to lay in a smaller super. I find it much easier to always use an excluder.

[@jeffsea6490]

Yes queens will lay in a shallow '5-11/16 super.

[@peperonicle]

after how many days do u have to repeat the process??? thank you for uploading and taking time for the educative video!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi There You are most welcome. We might have to do this twice but usually once is enough. When the main nectar flow starts the bees forget all about swarming.

[@rwelch9729]

Thank you very much for you and your team providing this extremely valuable videos. They are excellent! So much insight. Can you tell me where I can get those canvas hive covers you use?....and also why do you think they are advantageous over regular inner covers?Again...thank you.Randy, London Ontario

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

HI Randy Great to hear you find the videos helpful! Quite a few people have been interested in our inner covers so we'll likely do a video about them this year. In the meantime here's an answer to your question. We use canvas inner covers for a few reasons. They make it easy to take a quick peek in the hive, and are cheap and easy to make. They are light, the lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, and we rarely need to scrape the inner cover. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas -otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by in Ontario, but it is available from online distributors. In the US see www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html). or in Canada see www.jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/18oz-Cotton-Duck-Canvas-Untreated--Natural-60_p_15038.html Bees chew through thin canvas so a heavy weight is better. We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half

[@rwelch7109]

Thank you for your quick reply. Please keep up the great work that all of you do at UoG. I am fortunate enough last year to have a friend who's daughter was involved in the apiary program and provide me some great creamed honey. Very nice!

[@TheRainHarvester]

10 days & check again . how long would it take for them to actually hatch a new queen?

[@drillingarg9714]

Thanks

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You are most welcome.

[@nikigores8774]

Hi, thanks for the helpful video in swarm control! I have adopted your model but since I have two deeps instead of one, I'm running into some troubles with too many bees. Would appreciate any helpful advice. Here's my situation: I made a split in each of my two overwintered colonies a couple of weeks ago. Subsequently I found queen cells on both the parent colonies at my weekly inspection. Upon spotting the queen last week, I removed the queen cells, reversed the two deeps, kept the brood nest open, checked to make sure there were adequate room in the supers and then happily closed them up. However, things were much more overwhelming today as the colony seemed to have grown so much since last week. I saw queen cells again and I started repeating the same procedure in looking for the queen as last week but because there were so many more bees and foragers this time, I had a hard time locating the queen. Things got out of control readily when the foragers returned and more and more bees started flying around. I felt things were getting out of control fast and I still couldn't find the queen in the chaos. I got panicky and started removing the queen cells so I could close them back up. I felt horrible for not following the rule to locate the queen first but it was apple cart upset big time and I didn't want to torment them anymore. (There were, however, young larvae/eggs in the hive so hope the queen was still home!) Should I have made another split in this situation? How would you advice moving forward with both these big colonies? I found today very daunting and discouraged. Please help!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Niki It can be tough when there are that many bees in a hive. Since there were still eggs you should be safe to remove the cells without finding the queen. I find I can only see all the cells if I shake the bees off each frame. I hope the nectar flow starts soon and your swarming preparations subside. Making up a split is certainly an option with very strong hives at this time of year. I'm not sure this information is helpful but I understand your dilemma.

[@nikigores8774]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Hi Paul, Thanks for your prompt response. I'v been doing a lot of reflecting lately concerning my two overwintered colonies, each has a 2018 Saskatraz Queen. They went into last winter with three deeps full of bees and came out of the winter with about the same amount of bees. While I celebrated the success, it presented other issues like lifting heavy boxes, having to make splits earlier than there were queen available so they won't swarm, dealing with the on-going masses of bees at each inspection and now the problem that I discussed earlier in the above message. I live in Minnesota and I was trained to keep bees in three deeps ( U of M ) that as a beginner, it's easier to start out this way making sure the bees have around 100 lbs of honey/pollen in the third deep going into our long, cold winter. I thought everyone does bees this way but when I saw your videos and saw how you mostly have one deep, I was fascinated and I want to know everything I can to keep bees that way. Do you have workshops or training on that? I would definitely be there to learn! Thanks!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Niki I'm familiar with the Minnesota method of using three deep boxes.I can see where there could be some advantages with food stores but think that it makes brood chamber work too difficult. In Ontario about 60% of our hives are kept in single brood chambers. It's far more efficient and productive. We did a video on singles vs doubles that explains some of the methods. There really isn't too much to it. Congratulations on getting your hives through the winter. With two triples you could split to 6 singles!

[@catchemalive]

How can I tell when a good nectar flow is beginning and the want to swarm factor subsides?!? Thanks so much!

[@angiebarnard5200]

I have been enjoying your channel. I have been wondering about your inner covers what type of material is it made from and why you use it instead of a traditional wooden type?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Angie Great to hear you have enjoyed our videos. We are working on a FAQ list and this will definitely be #1 on the list. I like the canvas inner covers for a few reasons. Easy to take a quick peek, cheap and easy to make, light, lids sit down well, less excess wax on the frame top bars, never need to scrape the inner cover. I could go on... We'll do a video about them since we are getting so many questions. We use 18 oz (#8) canvas - otherwise known as duck. It's a bit hard to come by here but I see it's available from online distributors. www.bigduckcanvas.com/number-8-18oz-cotton-duck-canvas.html We flip it over periodically when new so the bees thoroughly coat it with propolis. An alternative is a feedbag folded in half. Show less

[@angiebarnard5200]

Thanks and I should tell you I am using my wifes account My name is Mike.

[@pooriapouria]

Thanks for all videos. If we see the signs of swarming and we have an empty hive available, can we just split the frames and leave the ones with queen cell in the new hive? Will they hatch and continue building their new colony?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

You could do that but it does mean you are selecting for swarming behavior.

[@king4life355]

Are you posting anymore bee videos you were so help full and if so when’s the next one

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi There Glad you found the videos helpful. We will film some more this summer. I have a list of twenty I'd like to get done but they won't be posted until at least midsummer.

[@IronB2]

What is that you're using as an inner cover? I don't think I've ever seen or noticed that before.

[@joeforsyth7528]

Great videos!! have one ? How often do you inspect your brood chamber for queen cells?

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks Joe We only inspect stronger than average colonies for swarm cells as mentioned in the video. We only inspect once or twice for cells around the normal time for swarm preparation. Here that is mid May to end of May. Our bees are bred for a low tendency for swarming so you may need to inspect all the colonies with other stock. Same timing though.

[@debbieerickson3695]

Where do you get these low tendency for swarming bees ?

[@TheStuartYork]

Hi. Thanks for another great tutorial. A couple of questions if I may? In the first hive, I understand the need for space, in this hive, hence adding supers. But why the a queen excluder below the supers? Surly, the queen needs space to lay, would it not be better to place the excluder above the first super? Giving her that space. In the second, the queen would try to fly and be lost, (she isn't aware she can't fly, or is she?) why not take her and make a split? Also same question regarding the queen excluder, this hive is desperate for space, with no space left for eggs? Kind regards Stuart

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Stuart We like to use only one brood chamber. You could see our video 'Singles vs doubles ' for more information. Cheers.

[@mhamedachour7026]

Merci video

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

De rien!

[@johnn1a2]

Hi Paul: really enjoying your videos thanks. Question if your queen wasn't clipped would you follow same procedure removing queen cells. Just curious if there is the possibility that the queen would go on the fly even with removing queen cells? Thanks a bunch Johnny

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Johnny Yes I would follow the same procedure if the wing was unclipped. Clipping helps a bit to prevent swarming but we do it more as a back up to the paint marking. Sometimes the paint comes off. I should have mentioned in this video that taking a split from a colony is another way to prevent swarming. Good to hear you are enjoying the videos.

[@johnn1a2]

Thanks for reply. Planning to split but think should of ordered queens sooner. Will be acquiring 6 queens June 1st. Last year just let them swarm and first swarm was May 20th captured all but one, (I live in Ontario as well near Peterborough ). So will keep an eye for queen cells starting 1st week of May or so . I use Deeps was thinking as season progresses until I secure queens , will add two or more deeps to thwart potential swarming. Like the idea of clipping for identification. Thanks again Johnny

[@fp3329]

You showed that the Queen was getting smaller but I wasn't sure why. After you removed the Queen cups and cells will she regain size? Nice to see how you shake the bees off for visibility and to avoid crushing them.

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

When a queen stops laying to prepare to leave with a swarm she gets smaller. She can't fly unless she drops the weight! After removing queen cups and cells she starts laying again and gets bigger. Thanks for your question and comment FP.

[@drewt3210]

Question, with the canvas inner covers, how do you provide ventilation? They sure look like intriguing. Thank you for all these great videos!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Drew You are quite welcome. We have an upper entrance hole drilled into the brood chamber box. You can see it in the videos. Along with the bottom entrance that's all the ventilation they need here.

[@drewt3210]

This is fascinating the difference in climates. Here in Charlotte, NC we have very hot dry summers. Most of us use screened bottom boards and inner covers to provide adequate cooling to prevent absconding. Thanks again for your very informative videos & please keep them coming!

[@costelpopa2065]

@@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre Will the upper hole remain open during winter ?

[@DewBee1]

What are u using for your inner cover ?? Canvas ?? Thanks

[@gr8belayr]

So I am really curious where you got your tool pouch and what you normally carry in it!

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Brett I manufacture the Bee Belts. If interested in more information please email me at [e-mail]

[@retro_lab1997]

Hi there. Do you sometimes add a second brood box so the queen as more room to lay eggs? I sometimes find that even if adding honey supers they tend to still want to swarm... But then the bees do fill that box with honey too and I always end up going back to one brood chamber...

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Hi Yannick We do add second brood chambers sometimes but only if we have extra brood comb we want to get into use so wax moths don't destroy it. We usually split the second brood chamber off when we have queens or queen cells to add to the queenless split. We try our best to breed bees with a low tendency to swarm and do lots of things to prevent swarming. The most effective is to providing space by adding honey supers above an excluder early enough to assist in preventing swarming.

[@gentilhommeraihau1365]

Thanks for those videos, you are helping a lot. however, I have hundred of hives here in French Polynesia and it is hard sometime because the hive get quickly crowded during the honey flow and they swarm even with putting super. What can be the cause? We put the queen excluder and super 3 week week before the get very crowded and they start building some frame on the super (3OR 4 frame) and they sudendly swarm even if we give them super. So what can be the reason? Thanks

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

HI There There is a large genetic component to swarming. Some bees are more prone to this behaviour. You may have to do some other management like splitting colonies to reduce the swarming and or removing swarm cells as shown in this video. Good luck with your bees in French Polynesia!

[@MOHAMEDHUSSEIN-pb2br]

GREAT

[@UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre]

Thanks!

[@JustBees]

Your such a boss how you picked up the queen. I always damage mine.