First Beehive Inspections of 2023 - Have the Bees Survived?
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Published 2023-02-27
#beehive #beekeeping #honeybees #beekeeping101 #hiveinspection #horizontalhive
I grew up on a farm on the edge of the Nebraska sandhills. A cattle ranch that bears our family name, founded in the late 1800s by my ancestors, is still owned and worked by my cousin. Life events have put me in the suburbs of a major metropolitan area in middle America, where my wife and I have raised our two kids. It's in this environment that I work to make as sustainable a life as I can, converting much of our backyard to grow food, including a garden, fruit trees and bee hives.
I attempt to use natural methods, as much as is possible, in my gardening and beekeeping. I garden organically and continue to learn to work with the soil and the plants, without the use of chemical supplements, herbicides or pesticides, to improve our harvest. Our honey bees are sourced from local colonies through swarms, trap-outs and cut-outs, and are kept, using treatment-free, natural methods, in Layens horizontal hives.
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All Comments (13)
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UPDATE: On March 1 I checked the small "Mom's house" hive again - and this time I found brood! Maybe the uninsulated hive is a factor for them lagging behind. I also opened the two hives mentioned at the end of this video and, based on the brood patterns, those hives look more like what I'd expect on May 1st than March 1st! This could be a busy and exciting spring - I just hope Mother Nature doesn't give us an unwelcome surprise.
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I like your hat.🤠I see bees.🥳
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"Let them be......" LOL!!! So exciting to see them all over winter successfully.
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I got a veil that looks just like yours. LOL
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Thx for the video, really like and appreciate the first look of the season!
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I’m going to try a layens hive this year. Figured it would be fun to play around with. Haven’t decided if I should introduce bees, or bait it and hope I get a swarm
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The bees are looking great! I think the first queen was just playing hide and seek with you. You'll find a big patch of brood in there in March.
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I have seen lots of "nectar" as well. I'm not sure if it's actually nectar, water, or relocated honey.
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One question I have about those larger frames, can you spin them or is it only crush and strain? I had to crush and strain my first honey frame last year and I didn't like destroying all the comb.
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Where did you purchase queens? I thought you were all in on local feral genetics.
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It's not too often we get to see evidence of bees feeding on their own actual honey, with all the sugar bricks, mountain camp, pollen patties, and fondant we see in other videos.
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Why do bees in a hive fight other bees from another hive when they’re getting robbed but on the other hand you can take a weak hive and combine it with a strong hive? Why wouldn’t they fight?
