The forecast looks like winter, time to move the bees inside. Kayla and I moved the bees into the wintering shed.
Moving Bees Indoors for Winter
Really Digging this Thanksgiving Weekend
Testing Honey Moisture Content
Testing Honey Moisture Content
Here is the link to where I purchased the refractometer, it is pricey but very convenient:
https://www.itm.com/product/atago-pal-22s-digital-handheld-honey-refractometer?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpuC-s9Hf4wIVjpOzCh1zZwOyEAYYAiABEgKfS_D_BwE
Checking Honey Super Space After The First Pull
Checking Mini Nucs and final Queen Graft
I have had a bear of a time getting the Styrofoam mating nucs going in early spring with the cool weather, cut and assembled these mini nucs so I can multi level them, they are half length medium frames.
The plan is that with brood already in them, I can split them back to single depth to get a head start on early queen rearing.
I think there are about 75 of them, the plan is to sell local queen in larger numbers than we have been, with more consistency next season.
Dealing With a Failed production Double Nuc
In this video I identify a double nuc where one queen has failed, and show/discuss how we deal with the remaining colony.
We run our double nucs through the honey season to maximize growth and honey production in our beekeeping operation. I love this method, and for the past 7 years have run 85-90% of my colonies in similar configuration, over time identifying ways to maximize growth and honey profits at the same time, while building my awareness on how these units grow and react to our climate, and location.
I would love to hear your ways of maximizing sideliner operation growth and profits at the same time!
Honey Comb Replacement for Healthier Hives
Comb replacement increases the immunity of your honey bee colony, by reducing treatment residues absorbed by beeswax, and reducing the risk of harboring viruses in aged equipment. This is our replacement strategy, what’s yours?
Checking for Queen Mating Success
In this video I check for successful mating on some new nucs, and prepare them for the canola flow. I describe what I am doing and why, feel free to ask any questions for future videos of our sideliner operation.
Checking Graft Acceptance and Setting up Queen Right Cell Finisher
Checking on my 2 day old larva grafts for graft acceptance, and reintroducing the queen to finish the cells in a queen-right finisher.