Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[zaunreiter]

Those bees living there for years.

One of my survival colonies October 2015:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNwJirk8q-c


On the other hand I rescued another beekeeper's hives because despite he was treating, he was loosing the battle against varroa as can be seen in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSAvGqy3Dng

He was using formic acid 85% long term treatment and on top he used thymol (Api Life Var). Yet the varroa kept on multiplying and the colonies are about to crash.

I compacted those hives in size, reducing the hives to one box. I feed them some fondant and treat them with vaporized oxalic acid (read: sublimation). Will repeat treatments for some weeks now, three-four days apart.

[zaunreiter]

A bee tries to get rid of a mite that is riding piggyback on the bee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgtFh5-YtdM

[zaunreiter]

First cleansing flight of the year today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwQEju7k-TI

Bees go for water and forage for pollen. Brooding starts again, and thus the bee season.

Bernhard

[ingo50]

Hi Bernhard. Glad you are posting here again. Nice video.

[zaunreiter]

Been busy. I am a fulltime beekeeper now, making a living from it. Also my daughter was born last year and I am enjoying a wonderful time.

[Lacewing]

Congratulations! - Not only the birth of your daughter, of course, but in making a living from beekeeping!! I hope this year is happy and successful for you too - and that we do get to see photos and videos every now and then ...

[polenbn3health]

does somebody have pics or video of bee venom collecting? I started recently, and I want to see how other do that?

[beehio70hive]

I don't have any pics right now, I'll add some later, but for now you can check this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weNdUDdJCb8
i'm cooperating with those guys.
They have high quality collectors

[zaunreiter]

Winter is fading out, spring about to come. Let the new
life be born and a new cycle begin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KpnVKcULpQ

[honeybeesforus]

zaunreiter

nice video



beehio70hive

I ordered mine sets, I will put pics for few days when they come. And collecting of bee venom starting

[Ollie]

zaunreiter..

Wonderful video footage. Makes me feel happy spring is on the way. Had 2 whole days of dry but cold weather here in west of Ireland and even at 6 degrees bees were house cleaning.....

Being that much further north I don't expect our trees to be out for another 6 weeks yet, but the signs are there AND the bees have made it so far........

[Odisej]

Hi Bernhard

One of my friends works now in your country at Günter Friedmann's apiary.
Perhaps you know Günter. He's one of the first biodynamic beekeepers.

I sent your video 'Winter is fading out, spring about to come' and Günter also saw it ...
He couldn't believe this hapens in Germany and he likes to know where exactly do you live ?

I wish you all the best with daughter and your bees .

[zaunreiter]

I am living at the border to the Netherlands. Yes, it is much warmer here where I live. People jokingly say: it is the "northest part of Italy".

[Odisej]

Thanks, Bernhard.

You wrote few days ago below video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYFxqMrWuxI

'What micro-climate does...-2°C at night. +2°C at daytime, still the bees are able to fly or re-arrange stores inside the hive, when the winter sun heats the hive and or entrance.'

Are you talking about micro climate in your hives or ... ?
I'm very interested about this theme.

Have you ever measured temperature in the middle of the brood ? Is it higher than 36°C ?

Have a nice spring in "Italy" .

[zaunreiter]

Talking about micro-climate inside and outside the hive. It both matters much.

Never measured myself the temperatures but have a friend doing it. He is working with Professor Tautz. As far as I know they never found temperatures higher than 36 degree Celsius. Within the brood, that is.

[zaunreiter]

Professor Seeley found the small hives more advantageous for the bees:
https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/42437

[Barbara]

This certainly ties in with my experience, although my oldest colonies are in Nationals which are more than the 42 litres used in the study. I never stack them larger than a brood box and 2 supers though and as with the study, I also allow them to swarm multiple times each season.
I am always most confident about the survival of the established colonies in the smallest hives I have which are more or less leave alone hives. They are the first to swarm (late May as oppose to early June for the others) and therefore the first to settle back down to building up for winter. Of course I don't get any honey from those hives but they produce an amazing number of bees.
I am toying with supering those 2 small conservation hives this year to see if I can get a little honey from them and hopefully reduce the number of swarms they produce.

[zaunreiter]

Frost at nighttime (-1°C) but during daytime there is some sunshine the bees make use of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3AZKSnh1hQ

The bees also welcome the beekeeper.

[zaunreiter]

Second cleansing flight this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjY-RZppwB8

[zaunreiter]

Swarm choosed a log hive/bee gum I made last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbeNCwrxdl8

[rays]

Hi Bernhard,

I'm just curious to understand what happens when the weight of those combs attached to what appears to be a relatively flimsy polythene film of some sort causes it to start to fold and descend into the hive space. Or am I missing something?

From an external aesthetic point of view, it beautifully blends into its surroundings.

Ray

[zaunreiter]

The foil is secured later by some slats and staples. Not to worry much about as the combs will be attached to the walls on both sides.