Hiving our bees

[poiiihy]

aren't you suppost to remove some frames and put the whole box inside?

[mugsyjeff]

Hi there, that was April 07, how are the bees now? You must have learnt a lot since then. I hope it went well for you. cheers from Jeff, downunder.

[Frankenpalin]

bzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

[The25bear]

i.wuv bees!!!!!

[davis1way1]

I noticed that your hive-top feeder looked like it was just slats and that when you poured the sugar water in it went down thru the hive. Is this what happened? I did not think pouring sugar water down iside the hive would be a good idea. Thanks

[ZuniBee]

Pouring sugar water down inside the hive is definitely not a good idea! The hive-top feeder has two reservoirs to hold the sugar water and the slit in the middle is where the bees come up from inside the hive. The slats are just sitting inside the reservoirs. They float on top of the sugar water so the bees have a platform to land on. Prevents a lot of drowning of bees.

[ApiaryManager]

It may seem counter-intuitive, but, you get stung a lot less with latex gloves on.

[ZuniBee]

Yes, that was my very first experience with bees and I was extremely nervous. I was killing tons of bees and making the others madder! Working with gloves is very difficult! I got my first two packages from Dadant then ordered two packages from GA. This year I caught 6 more swarms and now have 10 hives. Got about 600 1 pound jars of delicious honey this year!

[DaveIsParamount]

I went to my first bee-keeping 'lesson' and they had me trying a few things, not long into it I removed the gloves to make things easier but you're totally correct, in the beginning gloves are very useful as little mistakes are bound to happen!

[DeerHunterPA]

Great video.....All I can say would be maybe stay a little calmer and don't think the bees are out to get you. I think you were probably killing bees as you went and that is what really got the girls wound up. It probably has to do with the clothing...I know how hard it is to work a group of bees in gloves. Also where did you get your bees and of what strain are they?

[airbear212]

when you kill one bee other bees will try to attack because the bees give off pheremones that get the other bees mad

[fotohogger]

I got hit on the eyelid and the arm today just trying to grab a sugar syrup feeder bottle.From now on I will have a smoker lit and veil on before entering apiary area. Left eye is swollen shut. Good video!

[RoadRunnerLaser]

I've been thinking about keeping bees for some time now... Did you practice manipulating a bee-less box of frames all suited up ? (you suited up, not the box ;))

I think clonking bees around and squishing them might be the kind of thing which gets them a little agitated - Just a layman's observation.

The gloves might have protected you but they cost your colony a bee or two, it seems.

I'd love an observation hive to start with, but I don't really have the facilities to keep one right now. :(

[judge6754]

Where is you  bees from???

[NJBeemaster]

having trouble text posting? Wondering if you tried my method of install as you mentioned in the video? I've never been stung yet doing it and you see I dress down in shorts.

[ZuniBee]

Yes, I tried your method and that is the only one I will use from now on. It is so much easier and less traumatic for the bees!

[NJBeemaster]

Forgot to mention in last post about the smoker, you better believe I smoke my packages lightly, and keep it rolling as I install - there is no better tool in the arsenal then your smoker. Glad to see your video hit count climb, I'm over 22,000 view of my install, that is sooooo cool!!!

[heyjuju]

Ah, figured that later on. Thanks great video.

[heyjuju]

What was the water being poured into the shallow super? Was it water? Never seen that.

[ZuniBee]

No, it was sugar syrup. A water ans sugar mixture to feed the bees so they will grow the hive faster.

[ZuniBee]

The liquid is a water sugar syrup to feed the bees. This helps them build comb and grow the hive faster.

[rodgerdodger5]

Why not use a smoker to make them docile?

[ZuniBee]

Good comment... Well, everything you read tells you that the bees are very docile when you hive them. Some people don't even wear a bee suit to hive the packages! So, since this was my first time hiving bees I didn't think I would need a smoker! I always use a smoker now.

[ZoxThePretender]

:? whats with the stick man. You are the first beekeeper that pokes his bees with a stick.

[ZuniBee]

It's called a hive tool and is widely used by beekeepers as a main tool to pry open packages as well as hive bodies and frames. But yes, I was very rough with them. The first time you handle that many bees you tend to freak out a bit!

[LETCA]

Wearing the full protective gear makes it possible to do that job without having a full-on panic attack when the bees decide not to cooperate! Great video.