🔵Top 5 reasons beekeepers honey bees are dying

[@kamonreynolds]

Requeening a hive in December without a cage! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKS1gn6odrt9hMU

[@larrytornetta9764]

You have to be 3 weeks ahead of your bees so they don’t run out of room. Picture a dripping faucet. It will fill up a bucket pretty fast. Bees bringing in nectar is a drop a second. If they don’t have room they will swarm like the bucket overflows.

[@konradrueb1567]

Its all in the jelly no pollen no royal jelly 🐝 safe and Keep your smoker lit !! Konrad

[@russellkoopman3004]

It is so helpful to have at least 3 or 4 colonies in order for a new beekeep to see the differences. If you only have one hive it would be hard to know if something is wrong.

[@arlipscomb]

One "macro" problem is new beekeepers being exposed to bad information on beekeeping problems. It is nice to see a channel with such good, solid advice. It is a shame that people might have to sift through a dozen bad ones before they find this one, but at least there is hope.

[@kamonreynolds]

Thanks Al!

[@lakeleon]

I will insert "giggle" at 3:40 for you, as Laurel is busy somewhere else.

[@Mackabees]

Best conference room, Big Red.

[@danskisbees7348]

Yes sir!

[@kamonreynolds]

I may or may not find excuses to drive Big Red even when I don't need to.......

[@wishicouldspel]

Regarding issue #1. You are a generous and gracious man to people who think their bees have no mites. To say its # 1 is an understatement. Truth be told varroa is #1 to #1000. Just the fact!!! (:

[@billiamc1969]

No it is not

[@joer5627]

Finally, the inside of Big Red! Some very good advice. Thanks

[@badassbees3680]

Spot on, Beekeeper error a big one also, Excellent Queens will make up for alot of it Sometimes.I read study that said very low Royal Jelly being fed results in bees that won't forage well.. so many factors need considered for Thriving Bees- good job as Always

[@richardkuhn8115]

Some very good observations and advice. Love your new sound proof/cat proof office. Will have to review again, your videos on pointers to help keep the colonies from swarming, as we are quickly approaching that time in the spring. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and knowledge.

[@rickabrams3422]

thank you sir. i'm now in my 3yd in and still trying to sort the information. there is a lot of info and opinion but what you are saying makes sense. again - thank you sir.

[@Batman3231852051]

Thank you for your wise words of wisdom. You have the heart and mind to bee a great teacher, Lord knows how many people you have helped.

[@kat2641]

Omg I love the new office!! I do some of my best thinking while in the truck.. but you brought up some great points I had not though were critical it was an eye-opener for me! Thank you

[@rickwarner9142]

Looks like I’ll be spending more time on my device learning how with you , thanks for sharing 👍🏽🐝🐝🐝🐝❤️❤️❤️

[@clintford5315]

Very good communicator. Thanks for the guidance.

[@OkieRob]

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. If you don't put the time in to inspect the bees, you won't know what is happening. They will tell you what is happening in the area.

[@dellorton1829]

Kamon here in central Illinois I will have to many full frames with pollen. How many pollen frames would you leave in the hive in spring

[@jkgkjgkijk]

New beekeeper here. I'm a hand tool woodworking hobbyist, building my first hive. I found my channel. Subscribed 😁

[@jweaver7170]

Welcome aboard.

[@kamonreynolds]

I love handtool wood working! welcome to the club Grey ghost!

[@jkgkjgkijk]

@@kamonreynolds 👍

[@beebob1279]

I've mentioned this before and I'll mention it again. I treated with Apivar this spring, checked mite loads and it didn't work. I treated with apiguard in July, checked mite loads and it didn't work. I beat on them with Oxalic Acid and knocked them down. This winter I killed between 700 and a 1000 mites per colony with Oxalic acid vapor (sublimation). I'm hoping the hives survive. Mite's are a tough thing to kill. Keep monitoring.

[@matthewklump7586]

Glad I wasn't the only one struggling with mites last year here in Michigan. Oxalic seems to work best for me as well and way easier on my bees.

[@beebob1279]

@@matthewklump7586 Yep. Unfortunately I'm losing more hives as winter goes on due to the viruses I couldn't stop. The viruses are directly related to the varroa. I've said it before and to the local club that I am a member. After more than twenty years of keeping bees, if I lose all my hives again this winter I'm done. I'll focus on hunting, fishing, etc. I'm looking at the massive number of new beekeepers as a possibility to my hive crashes. I've dealt with mites for a long time. My issues all started when everyone had to become a beekeeper. We've got so many beekeepers around here anymore that maybe the lack of management on their part is causing my high mite counts. Their hives crash from mites and the remaining bees will travel over a mile and a half to join another colony. My bees are robbing out the other colonies and bringing the issues back home. I used to have over forty hives on four apiaries. I lost all of them three years ago to viruses (mite bombs). I bought ten packages two years ago and all succumbed to viruses. This past year I bought eight packages and one swarmed into equipment. I burned over four thousand dollars of equipment and started with equipment that never saw a colony just to be sure it wasn't contaminated equipment (lots of equipment I never used in stock). I'm now down to four colonies as of this past Sunday. Two won't make it. It's just too expensive anymore to do it where I live. If maybe I move upstate where the populations are so much less I could have a fighting chance.

[@matthewklump7586]

I couldn't agree with you more. Some of my yards I can control really easy. But I have 2 yards that are always a battle

[@Darthbelal]

I'd like to keep bees. Not so much for honey production or profit (though I'd LOOOVE to get hold of the beeswax) but because they're vital for good pollination of both wild trees and plants as well as gardens and such. It'd be good to have some solid, stand up hives of bees to get that taken care of. Beekeeping is complex, but videos such as yours are both interesting and informative. Should I ever take the plunge and invest in a couple of hives, your videos will be one of the resources I'm going to lean on to do things right......

[@bobtwartz8751]

an old farmer said to me once if you have livestock you have deedstock and bees are just a form of livestock

[@jpthedelawarebeeman6239]

I have 2 small pollen feeders with Ultrabee in them in my yard and for the first time today in over a year my bees are using them.

[@edwardclark2695]

My niche of the woods is mkin some gray pollen right now- Hbrg MS. The bees went off the ultra bee pollen as soon as the gray pollen increased but it took em a few days. Still takin white sugar good.

[@waynewatson-cedarbranchhiv8491]

Hey kamon, great presentation,!! I'd like to add one other thing to watch for especially on a good strong hive after supers are pulled off , an this goes back to your monitoring an that is they dont get "honey bound" , an a good queen doesn't have any space, to lay her potential, that will devastate your winter brood nest. An those full frames of capped honey come winter is a mighty good insurance for any colony!! Thanks for all you do 👍

[@Bigbarry20]

Excellent , thank you!

[@donbearden1953]

Good advice!

[@nannygranny9534]

It is 70 here in central Oklahoma. Saw a bee pulling a sunflower seed out of the bird feeder. Tomorrow our high will be 32. Go figure.

[@barbaravickroy7563]

Kamon -- best video EVER - a MUST for new bee-keepers. l just sent to Kevin at Living Traditions [Ozarks] keeping is on his to-do list GB

[@kamonreynolds]

Thanks very much!

[@larryschoenberger7957]

Very awesome video Kamon. Two thumbs up on that. You covered a lot of information in a short time, which is very valuable information and especially for some of us newer beekeepers. I watch numerous videos and many of yours and I do not always comment, but I always take something from every video I watch. Again super good information🎆🎇🎉

[@ellenl.5581]

Excellent.

[@cnevett6854]

Love the truck!! Also loved the talk taking place in the truck-imagined I was sitting there just listening to words of wisdom the whole time...missed your kitty...just kidding!

[@tycreps6407]

Good info! Thank you sir!

[@trichard5106]

I put my nuc check in the today. Thanks!!

[@matthewsweeney2577]

That’s a good nuts and bolts video 👍

[@roystheboy]

Hi thank you for this info as a beginner ithis is good advice for me , im sorry i couldn't stay long in your live stream last night but it was 1.30 am here in the uk

[@kamonreynolds]

Thanks for coming on Roy!

[@Th3_Gael]

I fell asleep before it started. Gutted but maybe next time

[@danielkob]

Hello from Roumaine!

[@kevinjackson1840]

great information kamon

[@Dstick1Spearfishing]

Not sure how many takes you did for that video, but it seemed like you nailed it on one go! Well done, cheers for the thoughts and info

[@kamonreynolds]

Took me the better part of an hour and it still wasn't what I wanted but all well

[@TheLuke1184]

Most important question: why is your truck so badass??

[@kamonreynolds]

Because in 1983 when this truck was made it was made in the USA! Thanks!

[@reneebrown5598]

I definitely was on top of my swarms. But I had a swarm right before a serious shb attack. They absconded when they were overrun by beetles. It all happened in under 2 weeks. I looked in on them right after the swarm left but by the time I got in it again 2 weeks later. I will be looking in on them each week this year.

[@charlesgolden1418]

Best channel/information I have found!!!! Do you expect to reopen Beekeeper Success? If so, when?

[@kamonreynolds]

Hey Charles thanks you are too kind. We are thinking about it. I am so far behind in so many ways I just can't handle another platform to answer questions and moderate. Hopefully, I can get rid of one of my jobs soon.

[@dc2166]

How soon will you start checking for swarming behavior during this time of the year with the weather being so warm?

[@kamonreynolds]

march

[@mikeries8549]

I try hard to not have swarms but know I'm not perfect. It happens. How I keep sustainable is to use every swarm queen cell that I can. Why? They're well fed queens. They say it makes your bees swarmy and I can't really tell. Healthy bees do that.. (swarm) So why wouldn't you want more healthy bees? Most of my swarms end up in traps I have positioned in the trees they tend to go to.

[@crookedpines8090]

Thanks for the info!

[@FloryJohann]

If someone would control how long a pollen trap would be be in place on a hive, is it ok to harvest pollen to make real pollen patties with it? My thinking is that real pollen would have more nutrition than a substitute. Like always, this was a great video. Thank you.

[@kamonreynolds]

It is ok to use for sure. I wouldn't use pollen from someone else though. It Depends on how strong the pollen flow is if you should take it. In spring I am planning in doing 1 day on 1 day off. Since I am not selling pollen I will just freeze it and then mix it into patties as needed when raising queens. Honey + pollen for super patties

[@FloryJohann]

@@kamonreynolds Thank you

[@nkapiariesjeffbeezos796]

Good video but confused about varroa. I keep 40-50 colonies and never treat for varroa. I use closed screened bottom boards and manage hives for honey production. I never split or pull drone brood for varroa management. If we select colonies that groom and or hygienic behavior for varroa, we will be further ahead in higher quality genetic traits. If we keep treating, how can keep and good and cull the bad? I didn’t lose any too varroa last year and my bigger concern is Italian traits, girls that lay too late and starving out cause they are hanging onto late brood.

[@donnayarber2157]

"People who tell you they dont loose colonies, that's a sure sign not to listen to them" Dear Kamon, been a loyal follower and recomend no one but you as a you tube teaching tool on beekeeping. However, that statement struck a nerve, for I do believe that you can have no loss of colonies, at least on a small scale, (currently 8) for we will have accomplished this 3 years straight as of april this year. Yes I do agree there is an enormous amount of variables involved, and I might just be counting the chicks before they hatch, but if I tell someone we have had no loss then it is so. I will also say we lost our hive the first 2 years due to lack of knowledge, mostly mite control. I still think you guys are the best you tube teaching tools, for not everyone likes to read research articles. Thanks!

[@kamonreynolds]

Notice how I said maintaining numbers but losing colonies. It happens. Can you have 3 hive and have 3 hives next year? Yes. Can you have 3 hives and lose all 3 yes. Can you lose one and split the 2 and still have 3 yes. For me to tell someone to expect your great results would be irresponsible of me. There are those who have hundreds of hives that claim no losses ever, they are frauds. Sorry if it struck a nerve but this is agriculture folks need to expect loss if for nothing else than to be more proactive about monitoring their colonies and engaging into proper bee husbandry.

[@kamonreynolds]

It would have been great if I could have elaborated on what I meant by it. In no means was I saying that folks that have results like yours shouldn't be listened to ever. More along the lines of those who always have everything go perfect and easy every year. Sure there are variables but I know too many beekeeping cons. If beekeeping has taught me one thing it is to be skeptical. I suggest everyone do that with my info I am sure I have or will make a mistake on this channel and will have to recant something. Thanks Donna and sorry for the lack of clarity on what I meant

[@donnayarber2157]

@@kamonreynolds thanks for clarification, the nerve it struck was that of honest, old school southeast tennessean. We are merely hobbiest keepers with a great love of nature and many outdoor hobbies, of which beekeeping is the most laborious and why we are trying to get back down to just 4 hives. We donated 4, sold 2, last year trying to keep our numbers down. Keeps your brain and body going! Oh yea, we only use OAV as our treatment method. Thanks again.

[@kenthompson6539]

????????????In Ireland we cannot get pollen substitute so I have been experimenting with spirulina powder which is 66% protein per gram i also mix wheat grass powder which is only 19% protein. I'm only in the experimental stage at this point!!!!!!!!!?!?!?

[@kamonreynolds]

check out scientificbeekeeping.com there are some homemade sub on there that possibly could help.

[@kenthompson6539]

@@kamonreynolds Thanks

[@billiamc1969]

Nutrition is #1 by far. Malnutrition leads colonies to become dysfunctional, which leads to queen events. A malnourished colony raises inferior queens and drones. Malnourished workers live shorter lives AND have a compromised immune system making the colony survival less likely. Stress is secondary. It is well known that offspring of severely stressed mothers grow to be less viable than offspring from less stressed mothers.

[@kamonreynolds]

I would agree that it would be number one if it we're not for the fact that varroa is not only significantly stressing the bees but is also stripping the nutrition from the next generation and yound nurse bees. So nutritionally deprived bees is a huge part of the varroa problem as well. Either way those 2 things are in my opinion the biggest 2 issues.

[@StumpjumperVideosPA]

very interesting mr reynolds , i'm also mr reynolds lol ! we log and always try to not disturb our bee trees , i have a truck driver that keeps bees ! if we doe displace a hive mark always rescues it ! please check out our logging channel thanks !

[@lonnieperry8112]

Go big RED

[@keithhuett4916]

First thing first JR never through comb away.

[@viklund2725]

TACK! för alla tips till en nybörjare som snart ska bygga bikupor och starta i liten skala :) Är nu en trogen följare!

[@reneebrown5598]

Is there a better or worse way to kill shb while waiting on a queen to emerge after swarming? That is when the shb exploded in my hive last year and that spelled doom for my bees. This year I have them in a cement foundation under my hive( a long langstroth) and plan to attack them from top and bottom with beetle traps but is there anything else I can do? My hive has a full screen bottom.

[@eugeniahobbs41]

Like controlling bee genetics. In Western Australia we add 6 months to U.S. apiary milestones to reach the Australian equivalent date, we are 6 months out of sync.

[@mschroed99]

Hey brother 1st year BEEK, your info/videos have me at that next level, only one criticism....the apiguard treatment video had no follow up last summer. I went with that method on august did kill a.lot of mites but 3 months later so did the 7 rounds OA 5 days apart so I'm not sure if Apiguard was as effective as it should of been. I will bee doing the same this year to 2 hives with apiguard and one with OA in August as a comparison. Thanks again for the wealth of knowledge you have given a NooBEE so far so good on overwintering. Happy NOOB year.

[@kamonreynolds]

Sorry I really hated that we didn't finish that series. That hive is kicking butt. We are having a very hard time finding time for the channel. Hopefully we can cover that more 2020.

[@junglie]

All beekeepers need to look at paul stamets video's on saving the bees...

[@chrisgambrell8618]

Kamon how often are you doing alcohol washes and are you doing them on every colony? Have you tried other methods of mite counts other than alcohol wash such as CO2, etc. with any luck?

[@kamonreynolds]

I have not tried CO2, I ussually take an alcohol wash from most of the colonies atleast once a year

[@chrisgambrell8618]

Ok. When doing a wash are you checking for the effectiveness of a treatment or the level to see if a hive needs to be treated or not? If a hive doesnt have a certain number of mites show up are you treating them anyway?

[@russellkoopman3004]

@@chrisgambrell8618 Most larger bee keepers sample 5-10% of their hives and treat if it is warranted. They don't have the time for 300-1000 hives.

[@user-md4di6yg2p]

Top 5 reasons beekeepers are dying?...oh...wait...I get it now...

[@gbrehmo43]

Hello there. I have found that both of my hives are dead. What do I do with the hives to restart this spring?

[@matthewklump7586]

I would shake the dead bees out. Don't worry if you don't get them all, as The New bees will clean them up. Then I would stack them up and put screen on the entrances to keep out wax moths and other critters.

[@capt2903]

What is your recommended monitoring schedule. Should I be in the hive once a week. Once every 2 weeks. 21 days. Or is it as needed so to speak

[@kamonreynolds]

every other week and during busy parts of the season once a week. I'll try to cover that in a vid

[@wilsonsoldgrove8010]

Can you add or direct us to a list of best pollen to inferior pollen? I’d love to plant on my farm accordingly.

[@barbaravickroy7563]

Wilson - interesting article in BEE CULTURE re; pollen protein levels in diff. plants www.beeculture.com/pollen-quality/

[@natserog]

So if your colony going into winter does not have pollen --honey alone will not keep them alive?

[@kamonreynolds]

It will keep them alive. But once they try to rear brood in winter they will be held back significantly As the winter bees start raising brood they change into a nurse bee. When they go from winter bee to nurse bee they start aging much more rapidly. At this critical stage, the colony either grows as it makes new replacement bees or goes backward. They won't die but they won't be what they could have been and you only get one shot at the spring flow.

[@paulchristu996]

Good reason to add some protein powder to sugar bricks inserted near end of winter; not earlier though because they’ll need to take cleansing flights.

[@lenoretalon9958]

Kamon and beekeeper bride. Question totally off subject. Can you freeze bee bread? Planning ahead. I need an answer from someone I trust. -

[@kamonreynolds]

I take frames of bee bread freeze them and then use them for queen rearing colonies. Make sure they warm up a bit before usage :)

[@russellkoopman3004]

The quality of the bee bread does diminish over time so use within a few months if possible. It wouldn't get noxious so much as it losses it's quality.

[@kamonreynolds]

Agreed

[@olusegunadebayo5306]

Major deal breaker is the weather.

[@russsherwood5978]

how do the wild bee,s deal with all these problems? thank ya fer the video an tips

[@kamonreynolds]

They swarm alot and most of them die. 70% on average. If a tree empties a new swarm takes it's place. Just my opinion

[@russsherwood5978]

@@kamonreynolds thanks ai used ta harvest wild honey before ai became disabled, only took less then half the comb, then placed a sugar/water feeder out fer them the rest of the summer

[@bbqburch8204]

Why do my pollen patties get rock hard. They won't stay soft and pliable .

[@jimhagler2242]

Can I or should I feed ultra bee all winter? I am in Ft Worth, TX

[@danskisbees7348]

Hey Jim, hope you're enjoying the snow, lol. It probably isn't a good idea to feed pollen substitute all Winter, you don't want the queen to increase egg laying and have the hive swarm because we aren't managing the brood chambers this time of year. Now that being said, you still want them to have enough to survive the Winter. When I see my foragers really searching for pollen, a few days later, I'll set out some Ultra Bee Pollen Substitute, just enough for them to build up some stores. I set some out about 2 weeks ago. I gave them just enough for them to be able to empty it that day, I did it for 3 days, I have real pollen coming in now. On a few of my weaker hives that I want to build up, I have small portions of Ultra Bee Pollen patties in them. Supposedly, the weaker hives won't always benefit from open feeding pollen substitute. Since our bees are active in between cold fronts, I also feed sugar syrup about once every 1.5 to 2 weeks, just enough so that they can save their honey for when they're clustered during the cold fronts. If you want to build up your bees, mid February would be a good time to start.

[@FloryJohann]

I give my bees very small amounts of patties because for the reasons Dan mentions. If you give to much patties in winter or even dry pollen sub, the Queen may make a lot brood, which sounds pretty good at first glance. That brood needs to be feed and will eventually hatch and eat a lot of the stores and if the food is gone they will die off. Bees do not slow down nor ration when the food stores dwindle down. Remember that new a brood that hatches is house bound and doing in-house-chores and has to eat also. A lot of winter bees would eat until they run out of food. Honey and sugar may keep the bees from starving , but may have little or no nutrition. Also to note is that winter bees may live longer.

[@jimhagler2242]

Thank you Dan and J&B Homeliving for your insightful replies. It is encouraging to hear support and knowledge from experienced beekeepers. Best regards to you both...Jim...Jackson Trail Farms, Reno,TX

[@FloryJohann]

@@jimhagler2242 Thank you Jim. I consider myself new to beekeeping entering my 4th year. The first 2 years all my bees died on starvation and mites. Last year I put in practice what I learned and I was able to keep my bees alive and I even made my own queens. One more thing about your question. You can feed the bees pollen before the honey flow so they raise brood to increase the army of bees before the honey flow starts.

[@jgflight2002]

Hey Kamon, would I be able to buy some queens from you? I live in Huntsville,AL.

[@kamonreynolds]

Hey John we aren't taking any orders at this time. When we do it will be after nuc season and in quanties 10 or larger. sorry

[@chriscrane5327]

Hey nice channel I watched the video but you forgot 1 that is slaughtering honeybees & they came from Japan they just invaded the UK is in the lower USA states have been seen in Washington State near the border of Canada so you may wanna be on alert just in case they get into your area so watch out for the Asian giant hornet

[@MsAriabll]

I haven't seen a healthy bee in years. I think they have too much insect poisoning added to their diet.

[@Retetionretention]

Tjh

[@allglad]

bee prepared....he heh

[@aaronparis4714]

Everyone is gonna lose bees

[@amyjomoody1560]

I think our "controlling" is the #1 threat. Bees are smarter than we are.