1) What would be the top three cities to keep honey bees in? 1:48 2) What's the difference between the single frame queen isolation cage and the double frame version? Do I need the double? 7:35 3) A retailer recently sent out a message stating that OAV should be done now. I wanted to get your feedback on that. 9:22 4) For light sugar syrup, is city water ok, or should I buy bottled water? 12:30 5) If I have Ross-Round supers on, is it a mistake to put a light sugar syrup on at the same time? 17:45 6) Since bees are supposed to be brooding up during the next few months, how can they do that without pollen coming in? 21:45 7) Is there a way to locate local drone areas? I'm concerned a new queen may not get mated with no other beekeepers nearby. 28:02 8) How much of a problem is there with losing hygienic traits through open mating? 32:20

@kennith.

5 ай бұрын

Thank you Adam.

@trishwestberg6982

5 ай бұрын

Much appreciated Adam!

great info about fat bodied bees,as a survival mechanism,to keep some brood going thru winter ...thats really a cool design by the designer

Wow, small world Fred. For about 11 years of my childhood, I too grew up in Flagstaff AZ. I loved it there.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

It was one of my all time favorite childhood homes. I went to Marshall Elementary :)

Hi Fred. Here it's been a mild early Winter. Then it Snowed lots in late November (not normal !) It was really balmy over Christmas and New Year : Way up North in Sheltland it was 19C 66F in early January (?) Weird weather for sure !?! Now we are due to be plunged back into a big Freeze with Snow in volume by the end of this Week. 🙄 Like you : the Bees were Hive bound with all that Cold. Then they were able to "be out and about." Wow what a sight to see all these Bees Orientating & doing Cleansing Flights. 🤭 I am lucky here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 to have Hazel Trees 🌳 covered in Catkins and also Willow too. Both are giving ample early Pollen. Nice. Bees are grabbing that when they can. 👍 However, we are due another deep Freeze with possible Snow at the end of this Week. The Bees and myself thought Spring had 'Sprung' in that Snowdrops are in Flower. Some Daffodils are starting to show. I even did some sourcing of Cuttings off my Garden Raspberry, Blackcurrants, as well as (budding up) Prunings off my Apple and Pear Trees. And several native Shrubs were found : to take some Stems Cuttings off them as well (eg wild growing native Elderberry : Bees, Butterflies, and other Pollinators love those 'dreamy' White Flowers.) Hopefully all will Grow, Root and thrive in time. And give plenty of Pollen through Spring and Summer. 🤞 Let's hope Spring does come soon but not to soon. Its awful when Fruit Tree Blossom gets a late hit of Air Frost. (Had this happen years ago.) Luckily I didn't have Hives back then. But oh my goodness: having no or little Fruit in the Garden that Summer / Autumn (Fall) was awful. . . 😖 Watched your Video footage on your little 'Timber/Curved Plastic Hive' (forget the Make) and seeing those gorgeous Swarm 'Stripey' Bees. So cute ! My Girls are mainly native local 'Black Bee AMM'. Smaller dark shiney 'Older' Bees, are easily spotted. But newbie Bees are more like little Fuzzy Teddybears ! They need their fluff everytime one 'shows ' itself to the cold Scottish Wind. These Local BB AMM are they say as "Hard as Nails". 😆 Think this Beek needs to go indoors, grab a Cuppa and a Choccie Biscuit and watch (catch up on) some KZread ! Hope that everybody's Bees are Thriving and Surviving Winter. And Beekeepers Bank Balances have not gone into 'meltdown' in bagging those low season 'Midwinter' Bees Sales !?! My Garden is full of Stacked Hive Bodies : ready to be used soon. While the Postie and Courier Guys topple under the number of Bee "Carton Boxes" full of nice 'must have' Bee deals. Just need some warmer Sunny moments : to Paint up : Poly Nucs, Mating Nucs, extra Hive Bodies etc. To also Re-Sheet Roofs with new Metal Flashing and of course make, nail and wire up tons of Frames ! Think I will be as busy as a bee getting ready for the Bees and the new Season. Hope all are getting theirs ready for Spring too. 😎

Yes the 2-fer! I knew I could count on you! No bees flying today in central NH with a high of 28 today.

I’m in Black Mountain, North Carolina @ 3,200’ elevation. The head clean water tributaries to the Broad River are in my back yard. We have abundant Sourwood trees. This will be my 3rd year of beekeeping and I’ve lived here for 24 years. I get two honey harvests from late spring to summer. I’m surprised Western North Carolina, South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee wasn’t on your top list. Good luck to ALL.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Hi Thomas, it sounds like you're in a fantastic location for bees and beekeeping. The list of top cities doesn't take into account the rural areas I'm sure. It's also based on keepers who report and fill out surveys. The BeeScape.org site is my go-to when I personally want to find out about a suitable location for bees to thrive :)

Wow, this is amazing , Fred Saturday.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

I'm glad you approve :)

Thank you for the reply about the water!

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

You are very welcome. :)

thanks for digging into beescape ,im suprised about the answer ,of portland,Austin tx,TX, boulder,...I was guessing something like wyoming,nebraska,Nebraska, some isolated location, with broad diversity of trees and flowers,I thought Boulder would be to cold,or too short of a season,...but I liked the idea of being against a preserve,to avoid developers covering the place with concrete,maybe a different approach to the question like which area has the most abundant resource ...Portland really suprised me,,guess I was thinking a monocrop would dominate honey production per acreage. thanks again😮

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

People really need to decide where they also want to bee :)

@Huntnlady7

5 ай бұрын

@@FrederickDunn LOL!

My well is 300'. Pipe lined 100' to keep any surface water out. Iron is a prob with some neighbors wells. Not mine.

Question: Good evening! I've been a big fan of your channel since the first episode. I've recently caught a late swarm in my swarm trap and I'm in the process of building everything I need for beekeeping. I'm located in Wisconsin Zone 5b, where temperatures can get as low as -30 degrees F. The bees have made it through the winter, which is exciting! I've been working on making deeps and honey supers, along with 300 frames for each. I'm planning to set up a full set of 4 Langstroff 6-teres high 10-frame hives. which include a bottom board, a rack, 2 deeps, and 4 supers with an insulated feeder and top cover. The feed will hold the rapid rounds with a sock thanks to you. I still need to build bee escapes and set up my bee building with a roof to protect the bees from wild animals. My main question is, once I finish building the 8x10 stand with a roof, how should I safely transport the bees, and fresh comb on the bottoms of the deep frames in my swarm trap, which are about 30 feet away from the swarm trap? I want to make sure I can give them their first treatment for Varroa mites before it's too late. Can you provide a timeline for the transfer process and any best practices for successful beekeeping? I understand that there are many factors to consider, but I really don't want to lose this late swarm in the spring from swarming or other possible destructions. The current temperature is still cold at 39 degrees F. Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated to give my miracle bee swarm a chance. Thank you so much for your time, and keep up the great work on your channel! Look forward to every Friday and occasional Saturday. I hope one day I can hear some ideas to make this situation a success. It always happens when you do not plan for it.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

My favorite method for transporting frames with or without bees and brood on them would be the Hive Butler Totes... most versatile and stable method I know of to date. I can't adequately address exactly when you should be doing those transfers, but would target warm days just ahead of a full dandelion bloom. I hope all works out for you and the bees in your care :)

Thanks for answering about light syrup feeding. I removed the feeder noticing they had not ataken any, they must not have needed it.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

That's great news :)

Fred, Seeing that I helped talk Tracy into coming to the upcoming seminar, a Hive Butler Tote will be something I purchase. I always worry about the frames when out of the hive in case I missed the queen, and I would think it would help keep down from starting a robbing frenzy.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

You'll see a bid difference in your bees when you park them in that tote :) I also use those Hive Butlers to put frames in my observation hives inside the building, they don't even fly off the frames :)

Thanks Fred. Great and informative episode as always. The info on the fat bodied bees regarding low pollen.

Thanks for another great episode! I agree with you that there are no absolutes. I hope you show more of the Layens hives this coming season. I know they are more off the beaten path but, like you said, there are no absolutes and I just want the best for my bees. (I feel like I'm putting you on the spot but, I want your true view of the comparison) I want to stay very small, and it seems the Layens model is the best way to do this, it's more natural with what I have seen from Randy and Jeffs cut outs, the size allows for more natural movement it would seem. I would really like a view on this that doesn't involve a lean toward already having Langstroth equipment. Honey output has no meaning to me, I would rather get none really. I'm in it for the bees period.

I love your supervisor. He keeps you in check.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

And, he misses nothing. He's always pointing out how I might be better organized, or compliments me when he finds things in order. (';').. what will the future bring?

Thanks for the explanation of the fat body winter bees.

I use an RO system from BRS. It is designed to make water for salt water tanks, but I use it for my house, fish tanks, and bee feed. Great system capable of making a lot of water.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing:)

Excellent presentation as always Fred . My thoughts on the testing of Honey at the show; Spare a thought for the people that are unknowingly ingesting the adulterations that have occurred to this supposedly pure product. Someone is eating the rest of those batches thinking they are eating " pure" Honey as opposed to something from the " Big Corporations".

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

It's definitely a complicated area where a lot of work goes into disclosing the adulterations as well as investing in processes that are not detectable. Pure honey is becoming more rare where large producers are concerned.

Thanks Fred. Great and informative episode as always.

I always appreciate when you mention Bee Weaver! But, as a regional local, I have to correct your pronunciation of the town they are located in. (Sorry! It's the grammar teacher in me 😉) The town name is pronounced: na·vuh·so·tuh. I think you've been saying : no•vuh•so•tuh. Keep up the great work, education, and entertainment! ❤

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

I'll do my best in the future, thank you for that :)

had a few days of sun,even git to 71 ° saw pollen coming in,but rain is back...😢,ill bee checking fondant soon,..i did see 1 deadout,on a weaker colony,

Iron water around here is in reference to water that turns rust colored. The cause is actually the anaerobic bacteria dying in an oxygen rich environment. I have learned bees might enjoy water with some life in it.... Maybe a protein source... I wonder if bees would utilize the "iron". Food for thought

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/mIqp2sqpZLe9ftY.htmlsi=Qb2sEu_ov3FHC6GK

Fab Q&A as always 👍🏻🇬🇧

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Thanks, Darren :)

Great information

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Thank you, Gloria :)

Fred, we did the same things as kids. We would only come home to eat.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

As a grandfather now, It amazed me how much freedom I had as a child. I also had a fantastic circle of childhood friends and we had really great adventures back then :)

In reference to Question #7 drone congregation area for breeding. I've pondered this very question until I checked on Professor Tom Seeley's reseatch his findings show ONE wild bee colony per SQ kilometer. Obviously this is location specific but one would think with a recent apiary moving out of the location, wild colonies in the area are likely. I'll making 1-2 splits this spring fingers crossed all goes well.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Yes, I think there are some bees and drones out there. :)

Here in Gainesville ga, the bees are flying and bringing in blonde/white pollen in high #s.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

That's great! :)

We sincerely thank you Frederick for your explanation. In Europe now a lot about biotech methods. The insulator is the best tool. Maybe we will make a film about it with you ( a form of interview, video-conference where we will be happy to tell you). Greetings

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much :)

👏👏👏👏👏 Thanks Fred !!

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Anytime, Red :)

HI Fred I use rain water for sugar water

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Sounds good to me :)

Hello, Fred. I live in southeastern PA. We had temps today in low 60s, so I decided to check my hives. One hive was completely dead. They had plenty of food stores, and a decent population. I had wrapped the hive in black tar paper, and thought there was ample ventilation through the bottom entrance and a tightly screened upper entrance. Today I tore the hive apart and found drops of moisture inside. There were no signs of any pests or disease. I heeded your advice about not having an upper entrance open during winter, but the moisture suggests that there wasn't enough ventilation. Also, I have several frames of honey that the bees didn't consume. Can I freeze those frames with the honey to make sure there aren't any pests/disease, and put them back in the hive for the spring bees? Thanks very much.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

I don not think moisture was the culprit. Why did you have upper venting? If the colony is completely dead at this time of year, I'd continue the evaluation in search of a cause. Moisture in a dead out is common.

In an isolated location, wouldn't bees very quickly lose resistance to nonexistent threats? So they could never be successfully removed to another area.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Since they exist, that's a great question for those in locations like that. You may have a point there.

I saw bees bringing in pollen already. Unknown source. Central Arkansas.

Love your sweatshirt! Is that your design?

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Yes, it's one of my newest renderings :) I'll add a link in the video description - freds-fine-products.creator-spring.com/apparel

Hello Mr. Dunn, I have a question regarding question number 4. I was wondering if you have any concerns about using rainwater for the bees. A few years ago, we installed a First Flush rainwater system. We use this water to replace the water in our Koi pond because we take the water from the pond to water our gardens. We are also connected to city water, but I am considering using the rainwater for the bees.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Rain water is more than fine. :)

Good evening Fred , Uk here. Nuc delivery time is coming up in early April. With the new colony what feed would you recommend to welcome them in? I can make fondant or syrup so would you make a light or heavy syrup and if so in what proportions of sugar to water?

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

If the weather is warm, nothing would be better than a light 1:1 sugar syrup to help them if it rains etc...

@brucklay227

5 ай бұрын

Thank you and God bless

Question I'm in Nova Scotia Canada we will get 2 degrees Friday can I add a shim and some food to a few hives I have that are light ?

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

I personally wouldn't attempt a configuration change during those temps. However, if they are completely out of resources and at risk of starving, you really have no option but to put something on for them.

hi and thank you so much for all the work you put into this channel. question: do you/we have a way to tell why hives do not over winter? year ago went into winter with 4 strong hives and go into spring with 3 strong and one not so much. this winter, two "died" before winter and now the other two are done. how do i tell what happened? i am 4yrs into this sport and still have much to learn. any input or direction would be much appreciated.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Hi Rick, I think you're going to need someone with experience to come and survey your hives in some detail. Knowing the history of the hives, stock, and mite loads etc will all be important in solving those losses.

@rickabrams3422

5 ай бұрын

@@FrederickDunn thanks fred. i kind of figured there's now way to just say "it's this" and problem solved. it's just one of those things where year previous 4 strong hives in, 3 strong out and one hive need some help in the spring. in my opinion: picture perfect so what changed? what happened? i don't know and don't know how to figure that out so i thought i'd ask you. regardless, thanks again for all your hard work with all these videos and responses. i have no clue how you do it all but you do. thanks again.

tried launching beescape,with no sucess,...maybe its being updated,..guess I'll try again later

I had to laugh a bit when you mentioned you now have a little more than 30 hives when only a year ago you were fretting about getting too close to having 20 hives. I guess perspectives change with time.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

I definitely have to reduce the number of colonies here. But, that's a good problem to have.

@mike2900

3 ай бұрын

I also had a chuckle.. I remember watching Freds first Q&A and I think back then, Fed had less than 10 hives.. I love this channel!!

Portland 😢😢😅😅😂😂

I'd have to pass on Austin, TX. Africanized bees there.

@Huntnlady7

5 ай бұрын

My thoughts exactly. Here in SE New Mexico, 50% of bees in our county are Africanized. I simply cannot let my queens mate naturally. Costs me a bundle to re-queen every year, I'm a frequent customer of BeeWeaver.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Definitely find a place/location where you personally want to be and then see if it also supports your honey bees :)

i watched a queen fly away twenty years ago and it still bugs me

@ruobe1

5 ай бұрын

i spent 30 minutes looking for her earlier and had just found her

@Huntnlady7

5 ай бұрын

Hah! Toughen up, Butter Cup. Happens all the time.

@ruobe1

5 ай бұрын

@@Huntnlady7 maybe to you

@ruobe1

5 ай бұрын

by the way how did you know my name?

@mike2900

3 ай бұрын

I was doing a relocation for a client years ago and was so pleased to have found the queen and decided to show my client and held the clip too tightly and watched her fly right out of there. I caught her a second time and wouldnt you know it, I lost her again.. it still bugs me too.. lol

If Honey was not pure then those people should be exposed and not allowed to sell as pure raw honey

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

True, faking honey is a favorite pass time for many long time producers though. New technology is making that very difficult.

Fred, I'm reading it takes 2 million flower visits to make a pound of honey. Also that the average bee visits 100 flowers per flight 50 flights per day 5000 flowers/day and an average colony of 50,000 thus visits 250 million flowers/day. (For pollen). This is all over every well known scientific internet page you read. So shouldn't the average high be making 125 lb of Honey a day then?? Where does the math go wrong? If they're visiting 250 million flowers a day for pollen they're likewise visiting 250 million flowers a day, and should be making 125 lb of honey a day! So are we to assume then that the vast majority of all flowers only make pollen and no honey? So that for like every 125 flowers they visit for pollen they strike out and there's only one with nectar. So they must be on a perpetual hunt for nectar, looking for that diamond on the rough, and the pollen is just a lucky bonus? We can see now how feeding them sugar water vastly helps their productivity and doesn't really hurt their pollen production at all. It saves them this terrible 125/1 risk/reward losing effort and boosts their effort 125x.

@iditarod4081

5 ай бұрын

Or could it be an either or scenario? So if say a hive wants to make 1 lb of Honey a day they visit 2 million flowers that day for nectar and 248 million flowers for pollen. That would mean that before they ever land on any particular flower they observe it whether it has pollen or nectar, and/or they instinctively know from evolution which flowers have which content ratio or all or nothing. So on any given day they probably run out and grab their 2 million nectar flowers first, and the rest of the day if there's time and it's not raining they might go out and grab the other 248 million flowers worth of pollen. Or maybe they just straight-up go for nothing but pollen and whatever nectar comes in it's a bonus. I wonder if easier for them to recognize the color of a pollen grain or the shimmering of nectar, before they pass looking for the pot of gold.

@iditarod4081

5 ай бұрын

I guess anyway you look at it nature is pretty cruel for every one flower they visit with nectar in it there's 125 duds. Assuming a hive makes about one lb a day.

@iditarod4081

5 ай бұрын

I wonder if they can more easily recognize shimmering nectar in a flower pot vs colored pollen on the stamen. Youd think as the day goes on they probably start skipping on the pollen flowers just looking for the booty.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

You will never hear me quote those numbers. Each flower, based on species, season, and rainfall etc... will produce wildly varying amounts of nectar. Assigning specific numbers would be a swag for sure. Every season has it's benefits and challenges, a milkweed doesn't produce the same amount of nectar as a cosmos, or goldenrod. Most of my colonies never need sugar syrup, while others would expire without it. Again, all wildly variable and there is no set formula.

@iditarod4081

5 ай бұрын

@@FrederickDunn maybe the nectar crop just can't hold as much as the saddle bags and fills up first, but they keep on going as long as they're out, not wasting the trip. If you could eliminate pollen from the fields they might just bring in nectar all day back and forth. I wonder what plants have little to no pollen, those might be best for comb/honey building season

Treat a hive even if you get the same results as not treating? Seems a bit contradictory. Correct me if I heard you wrong. 30 percent loss is what most are seeing across the board? Right? Many times I heard you say not to open the hive during extreme cold, but you say if they are starving to feed them, wouldn’t that require inspection? Wouldn’t a brood break help with many people’s mite problems, or a split? Enjoy your videos!!!! Excited for the upcoming treatment free and sugar free bee season, wish you would jump back on the train! PS did you really say there are no feral bees left? Come on, we can only see so far….(high up in the trees, abandoned buildings) What are your thoughts on impregnating cavities with bees? Why are we installing wood duck boxes and bat boxes yet we are letting the honey bee become commercialized cattle! Please don’t say because they are not native! I think they have earned a VISA since they were introduced in the 1600’s! Don’t you think this would be an awesome effort for the PA game commission since they have millions of acres of public land?

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

You always seem to have antagonistically phrased questions and comments. I wonder about the context of some of your phrases. For example, I said 100% of the feral colonies we were monitoring in trees did not make it, you've expanded that to all feral colonies including structures. Yes, brood breaks reduce mite loads, swarms do that as well. Honey bees are not a native species, that has nothing to do with how long they have been on this continent. I hope you find your answers and can find someone who agrees with the way you want things to be. It would be fantastic if treatment-free beekeeping could be accomplished with small backyard apiaries, but as I've mentioned to you before, nearby apiaries derail that practice for me here. If someone else is making a go of that elsewhere, then I applaud their efforts. A little respect in your line of questioning, and a less accusatory tone would be welcome. It's scientifically supported and repeatedly validated, that a single mite-bomb colony can sweep through and topple otherwise healthy low-mite colonies in the same apiary. I have a responsibility to talk about what works and why. It would be great if we all used survivor genetics that prevail against mites and other challenges. We're not there yet. A small backyard apiary isn't going to turn the tide against mite counts and required treatments. Not where I live.

@jkd0114

5 ай бұрын

Would you agree that pests such as varroa build up resistance to oxillic acid? So why continue to use it over and over? Why not promote superior genetics? I admire your passion for bees, hence why I always watch. Remember that challenging the status quo’s are how we move forward in bee keeping. I can see that you agree with me based on your views of sharing space with Ian Steppler! Loved that part of show!!! The backyard bee keeper greatly outnumbers the commercial bee keeper! I think we could win the nasty chemical battle as well. Sharing survivor stock!

@yvonnewagner5322

5 ай бұрын

When all your bees die from lack of help you might think differently. I don’t blame Fred for not answering you a second time Natural consequences will be your best teacher. Btw I am pro organic and wanted treatment free. Got tired of 100% losses. No need to reply; I won’t be back to debate. I hear there are debate clubs though; maybe look into that.

@jkd0114

5 ай бұрын

My bees live every year without treatment, sugar syrup and all the other super gadgetry that the “beekeeping industry” is pushing. The reason most beekeepers fail is because of poor advice! Let the bees be bees. Use top insulation and a bottom entrance. Use thick lumber. Let them swarm and artificially swarm (split) If you’re new to beekeeping one hive is NOT the proper way to keep bees. You want to have more than 1. Robbing is a natural tendency, it IS how strong bees survive. Good luck to new beekeepers. PS my bees are healthy and the reply is for new beekeepers that are generally confused by a bombardment of information that generally kills their bees! Check out Tom Seeleys videos on KZread, he will give you great advice!

Please learn more about Goal-Zero - they use ion exchange "RO BED" - not "RO MEMBRANE" - which removes only ionized particles such as metals - does nothing for organic contaminants such as pesticides/herbacides/etc. It sure looks good to have a "0" show up on the free meter they give you, but don't be fooled. Get any other water purity meter, and you'll see it reads over 100 - surprize! If you want actual filtered water, you have to use a reputable high pressure membrane, such as the 3M brand. Use activated carbon filters in front of your precious 3M membrane filter to remove bulk organics - JMHO.

@FrederickDunn

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@Huntnlady7

5 ай бұрын

Distill your water. Product is nothing but an Oxygen molecule bonded to two Hydrogen molecules. It takes four hours to produce a gallon on the counter-top distillers. Worth the effort. I had a taste for Calistoga mineral water, and after a year, I could no longer see at dusk. Found out that the minerals deposit in the joints and back of the retina. The minerals obscuring the retina is called cataracts. Minerals do not easily get expelled. "Spring Water" is loaded with minerals.