June 4, 2026
Plain Talk: Five Nice Hives (286)
In this episode of Honey Bee Obscura, Jim Tew heads into the bee yard to check on five package colonies installed earlier in the spring. What begins as a routine inspection quickly becomes a reminder of how rapidly healthy colonies can develop during a favorable season. Each colony is thriving, filling its equipment and signaling that additional space will soon be needed to prevent overcrowding and potential swarming.
Jim also revisits a topic familiar to many beekeepers: heavily propolized colonies. After several challenging years that limited regular hive inspections, he discusses the realities of managing frames that have become firmly glued in place. This leads to a field test of an oscillating multi-tool as a possible aid for cutting through propolis and freeing stuck frames. Working directly in the apiary, Jim evaluates whether the tool offers practical value or is simply another interesting beekeeping experiment.
Along the way, he shares observations about package colony growth, the effects of warm weather on propolis consistency, the challenges of working with plastic frames in heavily propolized colonies, and his continuing curiosity about beekeepers who successfully manage colonies in a single deep brood chamber.
As always, Jim combines practical observations, honest field notes, and thoughtful questions from a lifetime of beekeeping experience.
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Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
We’d like to thank Vita Bee Health for supporting the podcast. Vita provides proven tools for controlling Varroa—from Apistan and Apiguard to the new VarroxSan extended-release oxalic acid strips—helping beekeepers keep stronger, healthier colonies.
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Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.
Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
Cartoons by: John Martin (Beezwax Comics)
Copyright © 2026 by Growing Planet Media, LLC
WEBVTT
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Beekeepers, I saved you the
00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:05.120
trouble
00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:06.880
of putting you through the smoker
00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.840
loading routine.
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I'm back
00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:11.680
in my yard
00:00:12.420 --> 00:00:16.660
Of course the grass is just relentless.
00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:18.580
Bees are kind of calm.
00:00:19.780 --> 00:00:23.380
But one of the things I kind of wanted to do today was just to have
00:00:23.700 --> 00:00:26.180
a reassuring look.
00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:26.619
at
00:00:26.779 --> 00:00:29.340
the five packages that I paid for last
00:00:29.580 --> 00:00:32.540
spring, just a few weeks ago.
00:00:32.540 --> 00:00:34.780
I put them in very quickly
00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:37.660
I didn't go through a lot of heartache and
00:00:37.980 --> 00:00:42.540
in fact it's the first time in years I didn't even photograph the whole process.
00:00:42.540 --> 00:00:46.300
It's just another spring with more packages going in.
00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:56.400
So I thought we'd have a look at that, talk about packages, and then if you'll hang on, I'm going to finish an idea that I started with you
00:00:56.720 --> 00:01:00.960
weeks ago, and I've decided to do it.
00:01:01.160 --> 00:01:02.280
With you right here.
00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:07.000
So if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
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Misters, I'm Jim too, and I come to you once a week here at Honey Bee Obscura, where I just always try to talk about something you do with plain talk beekeeping.
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Welcome.
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Welcome to Honey Bee Obscura, brought to you by Growing Planet Media, the producers of the Beekeeping Today
00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:25.440
podcast.
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Join Jew Tew, your guide through the complexities, the beauty, the fun.
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And the challenges of managing honey bees.
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Jim hosts fun and interesting guests who take a deep dive into the intricate world of honey bees.
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Whether you're a seasoned beekeeper
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or just getting started, get ready for some plans.
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Plain talk that'll delve into all things
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honey bees.
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Right off the bat, good
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news, listeners.
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I don't have any plans on discussing any swarms today at any kind of depth that may come up.
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But
00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:04.640
I hope the swarm lecture series is over.
00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:06.000
That was truly
00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:07.520
an event
00:02:08.380 --> 00:02:10.060
To live through all those
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storms and the crazy ones and
00:02:11.980 --> 00:02:12.140
every
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well
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here I am talking about it.
00:02:13.660 --> 00:02:14.060
Just like
00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:15.980
I said I wasn't going to do it
00:02:16.320 --> 00:02:16.640
But
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:28.560
one day I was trying to tell you that these colonies, because of the dark years I just went through in my family's health life, that a lot of these colonies have not been regularly worked
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And it's
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kind of important
00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:33.480
to know
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that yes, B
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space
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is a real thing, and yes, frames are immovable, but no, they're not
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:47.200
If you don't remove them fairly regularly and keep the propolis scraped out.
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When I say that, that weighs on me.
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Is that something I'll look back on?
00:02:52.140 --> 00:02:52.620
sometime
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or a year from
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now and say, well that was wrong.
00:02:54.860 --> 00:02:59.900
I was telling beekeepers to get rid of propolis and that was a fundamental aspect of bee colony hep
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health
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or
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whatever.
00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:06.460
So these colonies have not been opened enough.
00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:09.060
In years.
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So they're heavily propylized.
00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:15.460
And I've done articles and whatever because I've become an authority at this.
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A hive tool, just a common pocket hive tool, is frequently useless
00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.840
in heavily propolized hives.
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In fact, I've got a small hammer
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that's only got about a six-inch handle, so it's easy to pack and carry.
00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.879
And I would frequently set the colony up on its end
00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:40.280
and then lightly tap
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on the bottom end bars and drive them out from the bottom
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or at least get them broken loose.
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enough to pull them out.
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Usually doing number two frame on either side
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just to not roll the queen up and all that burr
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comb that's always there
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So that's one way.
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The other thing is just really get some meaningful hive tools.
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I mean a wrecking bar, a crow
00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:05.420
bar.
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But it's got to be something much heavier
00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:09.540
than just a common hive tool.
00:04:09.540 --> 00:04:11.379
You're going to overspring it and snap it or
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whatever.
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I don't know.
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I've never done that, but I think it would happen.
00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:19.360
Now, as I was telling you about this cockamame
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idea I've got and this concept of slip shot beekeeping that I've been doing
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I wanted to know if an oscillating multi-tool
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could be used to cut through that
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propolis
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and then help me use a common hive tool
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enough to get it out.
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And just
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as I was beginning to explain that to you, a swarm began to issue.
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And what do you think I did?
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I got all excited.
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Gotta get a hive
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to
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and really did a poor job of explaining
00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:53.600
this
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idea that I was tinkering
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with
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And then today when I was coming back I thought
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well do you want to go back out there with something you've never tried
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one time
00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:04.380
with
00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:06.780
everybody looking over your shoulder
00:05:07.980 --> 00:05:11.500
And I decided I was gonna do it if it doesn't work it's no harm done
00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:12.060
I gotta
00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:12.900
I
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got a decent woodworking shop and I own these things for other reasons.
00:05:16.820 --> 00:05:22.580
I've got another tool that's got a lot more blade options, but it's it requires electrical power from
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the
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From the grid
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and the one I've got out here has fewer tool options, but it runs off batteries.
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Two objects today, listeners.
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One is
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let's just look at these packages, see where they are, see where I am with them.
00:05:41.460 --> 00:05:44.580
criticize the grass that's growing and then secondly
00:05:44.900 --> 00:05:48.820
see if this tool can be used to help me churn
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through
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Some of this thick propolis.
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Okay, step number one, phase number one.
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I can stand outside this
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package hive
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And
00:06:03.419 --> 00:06:04.300
tell you
00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:06.540
that it's okay.
00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:09.740
It's got good flight, they're bringing in pollen.
00:06:10.460 --> 00:06:11.740
It's been out now what
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about
00:06:12.220 --> 00:06:13.580
uh eight, nine, ten
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weeks
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So there's nothing wrong with this colony.
00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:19.560
And if really
00:06:19.880 --> 00:06:21.480
all I would want to do
00:06:23.080 --> 00:06:23.400
is
00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:26.840
open it.
00:06:27.080 --> 00:06:28.360
Gotta move the perpetual
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hive
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top rock.
00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:32.360
Is
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open it.
00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:36.520
Yep, this is gonna be
00:06:37.440 --> 00:06:41.039
They're up in the panhole of the inner cover.
00:06:41.039 --> 00:06:45.280
I didn't feed them much.
00:06:45.280 --> 00:06:46.960
So whatever they've got
00:06:47.840 --> 00:06:48.000
they
00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:49.919
made on their own
00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.160
Yep, it is one full
00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:55.800
box.
00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:57.240
It is completely full.
00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:58.760
It needs space.
00:06:58.760 --> 00:07:01.560
Or I'm going to have swarms coming out of this package
00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:02.440
colony
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They've got a little open area in the center where there's not a lot
00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:10.840
a great number of bees.
00:07:10.840 --> 00:07:13.080
And that means there's a brood nest area there.
00:07:13.080 --> 00:07:14.680
They've got it centered
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They look good.
00:07:17.520 --> 00:07:19.760
You know what I hadn't thought of listeners?
00:07:20.640 --> 00:07:22.640
This is huge.
00:07:22.640 --> 00:07:24.240
When I was working this
00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:24.800
this
00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:26.720
spring, this
00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:28.720
propolis was cold
00:07:29.380 --> 00:07:31.139
And now, this
00:07:31.300 --> 00:07:31.940
propolis
00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:32.900
and this hot sun
00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:36.100
is just turned to gum.
00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:39.540
So it's not going to be the same concept at all.
00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:41.960
So I wonder if that means
00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:44.120
if this is even an idea
00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:50.120
that it needs to be done when the propolis is harner.
00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:52.520
I'm not pulling a frame out of that one
00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:53.900
That colony is beautiful.
00:07:53.900 --> 00:07:55.259
I'm just not going to
00:07:55.580 --> 00:07:57.419
explore something that
00:07:57.979 --> 00:08:00.139
doesn't need exploring.
00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:02.139
Look at some of the others over here
00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:07.420
This is the one that I installed and it had a crack
00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:08.700
in the
00:08:09.020 --> 00:08:12.140
empty deep that I used up top to install them
00:08:13.099 --> 00:08:19.819
And they all begin to use that crack at the back of the hive as their primary entrance.
00:08:19.819 --> 00:08:21.979
So let's see what's happening here.
00:08:22.820 --> 00:08:28.420
A fairly nice day and there's still a bit of a nectar flow on.
00:08:28.420 --> 00:08:30.580
This is another full one.
00:08:30.580 --> 00:08:32.820
It's not as full as the other one over there
00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:38.600
Okay, I'm gonna try that gadget.
00:08:38.600 --> 00:08:44.760
Even though I've told you that it's going to be more seasonal than I expected.
00:08:44.760 --> 00:08:44.920
This
00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:46.680
this colony has a
00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:48.800
a frame
00:08:49.040 --> 00:08:49.680
locator
00:08:50.640 --> 00:08:52.960
for a queen cage.
00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:55.040
It's got a thick top bar
00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:58.720
with a slot cut in the top.
00:08:58.820 --> 00:08:58.980
so
00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:02.740
that you can lay a queen in it.
00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:06.260
Listeners, by the minute, I'm locking this idea
00:09:06.580 --> 00:09:10.180
about this oscillating tool less and less.
00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:14.440
This is not one of the colonies with a lot of it in.
00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:15.959
Alright, here goes nothing.
00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:20.920
And it cut right through that
00:09:21.420 --> 00:09:23.740
Now I'm gonna run it down between the end
00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:24.860
bars.
00:09:28.540 --> 00:09:31.259
And it seems to be doing okay with that
00:09:32.160 --> 00:09:34.800
My device is coming loose.
00:09:34.800 --> 00:09:36.480
So run it down between
00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:38.240
the other
00:09:38.880 --> 00:09:40.000
on the other end.
00:09:41.640 --> 00:09:42.360
on the other
00:09:42.520 --> 00:09:43.000
other in
00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:43.400
bar
00:09:43.640 --> 00:09:45.080
frame.
00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:45.480
You know
00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:50.760
it's gumming up the blade, but the blade doesn't seem to care
00:09:51.520 --> 00:10:01.280
And now when I come back to it, since the propolis is already soft, the frame is coming out fairly easily.
00:10:01.680 --> 00:10:03.520
Hope the queen's not on this
00:10:05.560 --> 00:10:05.800
It's
00:10:06.040 --> 00:10:10.440
got she's got a beautiful pattern.
00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:10.600
This
00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:10.839
is
00:10:11.319 --> 00:10:14.600
oh it's beautiful on both sides.
00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:15.880
It's beautiful
00:10:17.820 --> 00:10:20.140
And the opposing frame inside
00:10:21.100 --> 00:10:22.700
is full.
00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:24.540
These are nice bees.
00:10:24.540 --> 00:10:26.140
They deserve a better beekeeper
00:10:26.300 --> 00:10:27.820
than I am.
00:10:28.040 --> 00:10:29.800
Nice bees.
00:10:29.800 --> 00:10:31.480
I don't I don't want to see the queen.
00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:32.680
I don't want to do anything more.
00:10:32.680 --> 00:10:35.320
I don't want to run the risk of damaging her.
00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:36.760
This is the second one
00:10:37.560 --> 00:10:38.520
that could use
00:10:39.160 --> 00:10:39.400
more
00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:40.760
equipment
00:10:41.940 --> 00:10:44.820
Listeners, is there any of you who somehow
00:10:45.060 --> 00:10:46.339
keeps bees
00:10:46.660 --> 00:10:49.779
in a single deep?
00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:50.660
Apparently
00:10:52.880 --> 00:10:54.480
That was the idea
00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:57.120
in the old days of one hive
00:10:57.280 --> 00:10:57.920
body
00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:01.600
and then supers on top of it
00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:06.740
But every time I do this have have we pumped up our coins
00:11:07.060 --> 00:11:07.380
so
00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:08.259
potent
00:11:10.660 --> 00:11:10.899
that
00:11:11.459 --> 00:11:14.019
they can fill up more than one deep
00:11:15.300 --> 00:11:15.540
So
00:11:15.700 --> 00:11:16.500
are our queens
00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:17.940
that good?
00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:19.860
I don't know.
00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:22.740
I really don't know.
00:11:23.060 --> 00:11:23.380
But
00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:30.000
If some of you still keep bees in one deep, I'd like to know how you do it.
00:11:30.560 --> 00:11:31.200
How do you
00:11:31.520 --> 00:11:33.040
restrain swarming?
00:11:34.140 --> 00:11:34.380
control
00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:37.980
things like that.
00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:41.420
Here's the third one.
00:11:41.420 --> 00:11:42.060
Tops
00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:42.940
really stuck
00:11:43.260 --> 00:11:43.580
down
00:11:44.319 --> 00:11:46.880
Don't have an undercover on it or what?
00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:52.079
Yep, no undercover and it's
00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:55.360
chock a block full of bees.
00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:55.839
Chaka
00:11:56.079 --> 00:11:58.560
block full of bees.
00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:03.460
Here's the dirty secret.
00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:05.780
I got some whiting going on here
00:12:06.400 --> 00:12:08.720
So there's a bit of a nectar flow still going on.
00:12:09.280 --> 00:12:14.560
All the peripheral edges of all the exposed comb has a light layer of white on it
00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.839
A bit ago when I was giving you that lecture about
00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:20.800
using heavy-duty tools
00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:23.360
to get frames out
00:12:24.620 --> 00:12:29.260
I need to tell you that it's been my experience that it doesn't work well
00:12:30.860 --> 00:12:31.500
to do
00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:32.140
that
00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:32.700
with
00:12:33.020 --> 00:12:34.540
plastic frames.
00:12:34.540 --> 00:12:38.060
If you try to pry plastic frames that hard
00:12:39.260 --> 00:12:39.500
It
00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:41.740
just doesn't work right.
00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:44.779
This snaps over, breaks
00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:46.540
over.
00:12:47.260 --> 00:12:47.980
I'm gonna put a queen
00:12:48.140 --> 00:12:49.740
excluder on top
00:12:50.160 --> 00:12:50.240
just
00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:56.399
to use as an inner cover since I don't readily have one.
00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:00.000
Those frames of plastic don't pry out well
00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:07.260
So if you got plastic frames mostly and I do have a lot of plastic frames
00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:10.540
I have to preferentially go look
00:13:11.820 --> 00:13:12.140
for
00:13:13.380 --> 00:13:13.540
one
00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:14.900
of the ones that
00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:16.900
has a wood frame
00:13:17.380 --> 00:13:19.860
and work on that.
00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:20.020
So
00:13:20.180 --> 00:13:21.300
three of these
00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:24.980
are beautiful.
00:13:25.180 --> 00:13:26.220
And they did it.
00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:31.180
I can't take any credit for it.
00:13:31.180 --> 00:13:34.620
Oh, you know, before we start this one, why don't we take a break
00:13:34.780 --> 00:13:34.860
here
00:13:35.020 --> 00:13:36.220
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Okay, I'm back
00:14:19.899 --> 00:14:21.980
There's grass in the entrance.
00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:23.819
This one doesn't have as much
00:14:24.459 --> 00:14:25.980
entrance activity
00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:26.940
as
00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:28.300
the others did
00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:33.459
As soon as this is over, beekeepers, I'm gonna have to go straight in
00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:36.899
and take some kind of antihistamine.
00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:38.660
The grass is tall
00:14:40.380 --> 00:14:42.700
I've been reading about ticks.
00:14:42.700 --> 00:14:45.900
I've never gotten the tick back here, but this looks like tick
00:14:46.540 --> 00:14:49.020
conditions to me.
00:14:49.020 --> 00:14:49.260
But
00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:51.020
when I got the grass out, give the bees
00:14:51.180 --> 00:14:54.460
better entrance, they're moving in.
00:14:54.220 --> 00:14:54.380
more
00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:57.420
judiciously.
00:14:57.420 --> 00:15:00.380
Alright, let's open it up.
00:15:00.380 --> 00:15:04.140
See what happens here.
00:15:04.140 --> 00:15:07.820
This one has one of the insulated hive covers on it
00:15:08.040 --> 00:15:10.360
This is the first time I've used them, so
00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:13.080
can't give you a report.
00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:13.480
These
00:15:13.640 --> 00:15:15.560
have accepted it.
00:15:15.560 --> 00:15:16.360
Yep, this
00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:18.200
is full as the others
00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:19.660
Absolutely
00:15:19.820 --> 00:15:21.899
as full as the others.
00:15:21.899 --> 00:15:25.500
Let's do that thing I'm doing to see if this works.
00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:25.740
So
00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.540
I gotta go pick it up.
00:15:28.540 --> 00:15:32.459
If I really wanted to do this, I'm gonna pick out
00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:35.100
the second frame in.
00:15:35.260 --> 00:15:39.660
We'll smoke them back away from it.
00:15:39.660 --> 00:15:42.220
I'm just going to lightly touch it.
00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.880
And it immediately cuts through and then I scrape it off.
00:15:47.880 --> 00:15:50.120
Then I turn the device straight up
00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:51.240
and run it
00:15:54.680 --> 00:15:56.120
between the frame
00:15:58.600 --> 00:15:59.240
And then
00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:01.240
between the wall,
00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:03.880
it cuts through it,
00:16:04.040 --> 00:16:04.200
other
00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:06.200
end of the frame.
00:16:08.319 --> 00:16:10.000
Cut through the old propolis.
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:10.560
There's a lot of
00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:12.240
beer.
00:16:17.260 --> 00:16:19.260
It's a lot here.
00:16:21.180 --> 00:16:22.940
Well, I don't know
00:16:23.420 --> 00:16:24.940
what to say about this.
00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:25.980
It's working
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.960
A little bit better than I thought it would.
00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:30.560
There's a screw coming off.
00:16:30.560 --> 00:16:33.120
Of course it's got to come off right now.
00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:35.440
Let me see if I can take it out
00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:37.680
and put it away
00:16:38.579 --> 00:16:41.060
Okay, I got that off.
00:16:41.060 --> 00:16:42.740
Now I'm gonna try to
00:16:43.060 --> 00:16:43.380
do
00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:43.860
the
00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:45.060
vertical cut.
00:16:51.100 --> 00:16:53.660
And it goes right through.
00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:56.860
I'm laying the gadget down.
00:16:56.860 --> 00:16:59.339
I'll put a picture of it on the webpage
00:16:59.540 --> 00:17:00.260
I don't know.
00:17:00.260 --> 00:17:00.420
This
00:17:00.580 --> 00:17:01.380
is this a thing?
00:17:01.380 --> 00:17:01.860
I don't know.
00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:02.019
I'm
00:17:02.180 --> 00:17:03.940
I'm always playing.
00:17:03.940 --> 00:17:06.420
I'm always tinkering.
00:17:06.420 --> 00:17:08.100
I mean it's just beekeeping.
00:17:08.100 --> 00:17:09.939
We always do this.
00:17:09.939 --> 00:17:10.660
We used
00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:11.140
a
00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:11.980
We
00:17:12.300 --> 00:17:16.140
began to use leaf blowers to such an extent for removes
00:17:16.459 --> 00:17:20.780
that nobody actually manufactured a dedicated bee blower anymore.
00:17:20.780 --> 00:17:22.699
And I used them a lot.
00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:24.400
They got brood
00:17:24.560 --> 00:17:24.960
on the out
00:17:25.120 --> 00:17:25.440
on this
00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:27.680
on the number
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:28.880
two
00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:30.880
and number eight frames
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.560
and nectar is dripping out of the frame
00:17:35.120 --> 00:17:36.320
They have brood
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:39.920
maybe on the wall next right up front.
00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:41.360
So there's that.
00:17:41.360 --> 00:17:42.640
That looks nice
00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:44.000
putting the
00:17:44.320 --> 00:17:46.400
insulated top back on
00:17:47.840 --> 00:17:53.120
Would you think it's a problem to have it on in the summer?
00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:55.679
I don't know.
00:17:55.679 --> 00:17:55.919
So
00:17:56.080 --> 00:17:58.320
I'm just gonna put that back on for here
00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:01.720
Put the brick back on.
00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:02.919
I'm kind of
00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:05.240
crying crocodile tears
00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:06.039
here
00:18:07.080 --> 00:18:09.400
I think I'm done with this cutter gadget.
00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:11.480
It works okay.
00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:16.120
It might be helpful if I had really a lot of these to do.
00:18:16.120 --> 00:18:18.200
But I'm not sure I'm gonna put it in my
00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:19.200
Hive
00:18:19.600 --> 00:18:20.240
tool
00:18:20.560 --> 00:18:22.240
carrier.
00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:23.680
I'm over here in
00:18:24.320 --> 00:18:26.880
ridiculous grass.
00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:29.220
I'm gonna die of all this pollen.
00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:32.100
I've got good flight at this one.
00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:33.700
Got on another
00:18:34.260 --> 00:18:36.100
insulated top here
00:18:38.600 --> 00:18:38.920
And
00:18:39.800 --> 00:18:42.200
it's the same, it's full.
00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.800
Drones, I can see brood.
00:18:45.800 --> 00:18:48.280
Listeners, if you're a new beekeeper,
00:18:48.679 --> 00:18:49.880
Do your thing.
00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:50.200
Open
00:18:50.360 --> 00:18:50.519
them
00:18:50.679 --> 00:18:50.919
up
00:18:51.159 --> 00:18:51.480
and
00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:54.440
do your
00:18:54.679 --> 00:18:55.320
thing
00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:06.639
And if you're an experienced beekeeper, I can tell you right now, if you're in my boots, you need to go back to your shop.
00:19:06.620 --> 00:19:08.620
Put together five deeps
00:19:08.940 --> 00:19:11.820
and do things that are not really beekeeping.
00:19:11.820 --> 00:19:12.140
So
00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:14.460
I said I wasn't going to mention swarms
00:19:14.620 --> 00:19:16.220
all that much.
00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:18.780
And now I have to say this that if
00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:21.420
I think these packages would produce
00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:23.820
really late season swarms
00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:26.919
If I don't come do something with them
00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.880
to give them more room.
00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.120
I'm gonna put an inner cover on here
00:19:32.419 --> 00:19:32.580
under
00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:34.100
this insulated
00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:39.700
outer cover.
00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:40.340
Tops
00:19:40.580 --> 00:19:41.860
back on.
00:19:41.860 --> 00:19:44.580
Oh, it's hot in the suit.
00:19:44.419 --> 00:19:45.940
And I'm an old man
00:19:46.179 --> 00:19:49.460
and I got my hive tool, I got my smoker.
00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:52.900
I want to go back and sit down somewhere nice and cool
00:19:56.380 --> 00:19:57.340
I improvise
00:19:57.660 --> 00:19:57.980
a
00:19:58.620 --> 00:20:02.620
paper plug, let the smoker go out, put
00:20:02.780 --> 00:20:03.260
that right there
00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:04.700
and I'll come back out in
00:20:05.340 --> 00:20:07.820
an hour or so and put it all away
00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:11.360
I don't have a convenient chair out here.
00:20:11.360 --> 00:20:12.880
Stand in the shade.
00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:15.920
Oh, that's work.
00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:18.080
Alright, quick review.
00:20:17.840 --> 00:20:19.360
Five packages.
00:20:23.120 --> 00:20:24.000
They look so good.
00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.840
I gotta go build equipment
00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:27.280
and get that on.
00:20:27.280 --> 00:20:29.600
Probably won't paint it, just a hurry
00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:30.179
That
00:20:30.340 --> 00:20:30.820
'd be a
00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:32.820
fundamental part of slip shot
00:20:32.980 --> 00:20:33.940
beekeeping.
00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:35.139
I tried the
00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:37.139
oscillating multi-tool
00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:38.340
gadget.
00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:39.820
It worked okay.
00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:47.420
It worked better than okay, but it needs to be probably used when the propolis is cold and will shatter.
00:20:47.340 --> 00:20:51.260
instead of when it's gummy, even though it did cut through the gum reasonably well.
00:20:51.260 --> 00:20:52.860
The bees didn't go bonkers
00:20:53.020 --> 00:20:54.220
about me using it.
00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:56.700
So that's a real 60%.
00:20:56.700 --> 00:20:59.260
If anybody wants to give it a try
00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:03.640
And lastly, I ask if any of you are keeping bees in single deeps
00:21:03.800 --> 00:21:05.560
to give me some idea of how you're doing that.
00:21:05.560 --> 00:21:08.040
How do you suppress swarming?
00:21:08.040 --> 00:21:14.120
Alright, I'm going to go clean up, drink some water, and uh
00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:16.560
Maybe read a B book or something.
00:21:16.560 --> 00:21:17.280
I don't know how it's
00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:17.520
going
00:21:17.760 --> 00:21:18.880
on this afternoon.
00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:20.320
Beautiful day.
00:21:20.320 --> 00:21:21.200
Beautiful day.
00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:23.120
80 degrees.
00:21:23.120 --> 00:21:25.040
So I'll end on that note.
00:21:25.040 --> 00:21:26.640
I always enjoy talking to you.
00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:28.480
Thanks for keeping me company out here.
00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:29.360
I'm Jim.
00:21:29.560 --> 00:21:30.280
Telling you by
00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:03.840
Beekeepers, I saved you the
00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:05.120
trouble
00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:06.880
of putting you through the smoker
00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.840
loading routine.
00:00:09.840 --> 00:00:10.240
I'm back
00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:11.680
in my yard
00:00:12.420 --> 00:00:16.660
Of course the grass is just relentless.
00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:18.580
Bees are kind of calm.
00:00:19.780 --> 00:00:23.380
But one of the things I kind of wanted to do today was just to have
00:00:23.700 --> 00:00:26.180
a reassuring look.
00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:26.619
at
00:00:26.779 --> 00:00:29.340
the five packages that I paid for last
00:00:29.580 --> 00:00:32.540
spring, just a few weeks ago.
00:00:32.540 --> 00:00:34.780
I put them in very quickly
00:00:35.020 --> 00:00:37.660
I didn't go through a lot of heartache and
00:00:37.980 --> 00:00:42.540
in fact it's the first time in years I didn't even photograph the whole process.
00:00:42.540 --> 00:00:46.300
It's just another spring with more packages going in.
00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:56.400
So I thought we'd have a look at that, talk about packages, and then if you'll hang on, I'm going to finish an idea that I started with you
00:00:56.720 --> 00:01:00.960
weeks ago, and I've decided to do it.
00:01:01.160 --> 00:01:02.280
With you right here.
00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:07.000
So if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:15.479
Misters, I'm Jim too, and I come to you once a week here at Honey Bee Obscura, where I just always try to talk about something you do with plain talk beekeeping.
00:01:15.479 --> 00:01:15.960
Welcome.
00:01:16.080 --> 00:01:23.600
Welcome to Honey Bee Obscura, brought to you by Growing Planet Media, the producers of the Beekeeping Today
00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:25.440
podcast.
00:01:25.440 --> 00:01:30.800
Join Jew Tew, your guide through the complexities, the beauty, the fun.
00:01:31.160 --> 00:01:34.360
And the challenges of managing honey bees.
00:01:34.360 --> 00:01:41.240
Jim hosts fun and interesting guests who take a deep dive into the intricate world of honey bees.
00:01:41.240 --> 00:01:43.000
Whether you're a seasoned beekeeper
00:01:43.160 --> 00:01:45.880
or just getting started, get ready for some plans.
00:01:46.080 --> 00:01:47.840
Plain talk that'll delve into all things
00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.240
honey bees.
00:01:50.320 --> 00:01:52.080
Right off the bat, good
00:01:52.320 --> 00:01:54.320
news, listeners.
00:01:54.560 --> 00:02:01.440
I don't have any plans on discussing any swarms today at any kind of depth that may come up.
00:02:01.440 --> 00:02:01.760
But
00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:04.640
I hope the swarm lecture series is over.
00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:06.000
That was truly
00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:07.520
an event
00:02:08.380 --> 00:02:10.060
To live through all those
00:02:10.220 --> 00:02:11.740
storms and the crazy ones and
00:02:11.980 --> 00:02:12.140
every
00:02:12.380 --> 00:02:12.460
well
00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:13.660
here I am talking about it.
00:02:13.660 --> 00:02:14.060
Just like
00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:15.980
I said I wasn't going to do it
00:02:16.320 --> 00:02:16.640
But
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:28.560
one day I was trying to tell you that these colonies, because of the dark years I just went through in my family's health life, that a lot of these colonies have not been regularly worked
00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:31.159
And it's
00:02:31.640 --> 00:02:32.599
kind of important
00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:33.480
to know
00:02:33.959 --> 00:02:34.920
that yes, B
00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:35.400
space
00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:40.680
is a real thing, and yes, frames are immovable, but no, they're not
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:47.200
If you don't remove them fairly regularly and keep the propolis scraped out.
00:02:47.200 --> 00:02:49.040
When I say that, that weighs on me.
00:02:49.040 --> 00:02:50.880
Is that something I'll look back on?
00:02:52.140 --> 00:02:52.620
sometime
00:02:52.780 --> 00:02:53.340
or a year from
00:02:53.500 --> 00:02:54.860
now and say, well that was wrong.
00:02:54.860 --> 00:02:59.900
I was telling beekeepers to get rid of propolis and that was a fundamental aspect of bee colony hep
00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:00.540
health
00:03:00.780 --> 00:03:01.100
or
00:03:01.420 --> 00:03:02.860
whatever.
00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:06.460
So these colonies have not been opened enough.
00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:09.060
In years.
00:03:09.060 --> 00:03:11.140
So they're heavily propylized.
00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:15.460
And I've done articles and whatever because I've become an authority at this.
00:03:15.920 --> 00:03:22.239
A hive tool, just a common pocket hive tool, is frequently useless
00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.840
in heavily propolized hives.
00:03:26.260 --> 00:03:28.660
In fact, I've got a small hammer
00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:34.580
that's only got about a six-inch handle, so it's easy to pack and carry.
00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.879
And I would frequently set the colony up on its end
00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:40.280
and then lightly tap
00:03:40.440 --> 00:03:43.640
on the bottom end bars and drive them out from the bottom
00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:46.200
or at least get them broken loose.
00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:47.640
enough to pull them out.
00:03:47.640 --> 00:03:51.400
Usually doing number two frame on either side
00:03:51.720 --> 00:03:54.440
just to not roll the queen up and all that burr
00:03:54.600 --> 00:03:56.200
comb that's always there
00:03:57.340 --> 00:03:59.020
So that's one way.
00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:02.540
The other thing is just really get some meaningful hive tools.
00:04:02.540 --> 00:04:04.140
I mean a wrecking bar, a crow
00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:05.420
bar.
00:04:05.220 --> 00:04:07.700
But it's got to be something much heavier
00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:09.540
than just a common hive tool.
00:04:09.540 --> 00:04:11.379
You're going to overspring it and snap it or
00:04:11.700 --> 00:04:12.099
whatever.
00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:12.500
I don't know.
00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:15.140
I've never done that, but I think it would happen.
00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:19.360
Now, as I was telling you about this cockamame
00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:24.080
idea I've got and this concept of slip shot beekeeping that I've been doing
00:04:24.880 --> 00:04:28.000
I wanted to know if an oscillating multi-tool
00:04:28.320 --> 00:04:31.040
could be used to cut through that
00:04:31.280 --> 00:04:31.919
propolis
00:04:32.080 --> 00:04:35.280
and then help me use a common hive tool
00:04:35.440 --> 00:04:37.440
enough to get it out.
00:04:37.780 --> 00:04:38.419
And just
00:04:38.580 --> 00:04:44.659
as I was beginning to explain that to you, a swarm began to issue.
00:04:44.659 --> 00:04:46.099
And what do you think I did?
00:04:46.099 --> 00:04:48.020
I got all excited.
00:04:48.020 --> 00:04:49.060
Gotta get a hive
00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:49.460
to
00:04:49.840 --> 00:04:53.040
and really did a poor job of explaining
00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:53.600
this
00:04:54.800 --> 00:04:56.640
idea that I was tinkering
00:04:56.960 --> 00:04:57.280
with
00:04:57.740 --> 00:04:59.660
And then today when I was coming back I thought
00:04:59.820 --> 00:05:02.620
well do you want to go back out there with something you've never tried
00:05:02.860 --> 00:05:03.500
one time
00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:04.380
with
00:05:04.540 --> 00:05:06.780
everybody looking over your shoulder
00:05:07.980 --> 00:05:11.500
And I decided I was gonna do it if it doesn't work it's no harm done
00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:12.060
I gotta
00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:12.900
I
00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:16.820
got a decent woodworking shop and I own these things for other reasons.
00:05:16.820 --> 00:05:22.580
I've got another tool that's got a lot more blade options, but it's it requires electrical power from
00:05:22.900 --> 00:05:23.220
the
00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:24.440
From the grid
00:05:24.600 --> 00:05:31.160
and the one I've got out here has fewer tool options, but it runs off batteries.
00:05:31.820 --> 00:05:33.740
Two objects today, listeners.
00:05:33.740 --> 00:05:34.620
One is
00:05:34.940 --> 00:05:41.100
let's just look at these packages, see where they are, see where I am with them.
00:05:41.460 --> 00:05:44.580
criticize the grass that's growing and then secondly
00:05:44.900 --> 00:05:48.820
see if this tool can be used to help me churn
00:05:48.979 --> 00:05:49.780
through
00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:52.640
Some of this thick propolis.
00:05:52.640 --> 00:05:55.760
Okay, step number one, phase number one.
00:05:55.760 --> 00:05:57.920
I can stand outside this
00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:00.160
package hive
00:06:02.860 --> 00:06:03.180
And
00:06:03.419 --> 00:06:04.300
tell you
00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:06.540
that it's okay.
00:06:06.540 --> 00:06:09.740
It's got good flight, they're bringing in pollen.
00:06:10.460 --> 00:06:11.740
It's been out now what
00:06:11.900 --> 00:06:12.060
about
00:06:12.220 --> 00:06:13.580
uh eight, nine, ten
00:06:13.820 --> 00:06:14.460
weeks
00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:18.600
So there's nothing wrong with this colony.
00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:19.560
And if really
00:06:19.880 --> 00:06:21.480
all I would want to do
00:06:23.080 --> 00:06:23.400
is
00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:26.840
open it.
00:06:27.080 --> 00:06:28.360
Gotta move the perpetual
00:06:28.520 --> 00:06:28.920
hive
00:06:29.080 --> 00:06:32.120
top rock.
00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:32.360
Is
00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:34.600
open it.
00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:36.520
Yep, this is gonna be
00:06:37.440 --> 00:06:41.039
They're up in the panhole of the inner cover.
00:06:41.039 --> 00:06:45.280
I didn't feed them much.
00:06:45.280 --> 00:06:46.960
So whatever they've got
00:06:47.840 --> 00:06:48.000
they
00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:49.919
made on their own
00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.160
Yep, it is one full
00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:55.800
box.
00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:57.240
It is completely full.
00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:58.760
It needs space.
00:06:58.760 --> 00:07:01.560
Or I'm going to have swarms coming out of this package
00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:02.440
colony
00:07:03.640 --> 00:07:06.840
They've got a little open area in the center where there's not a lot
00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:10.840
a great number of bees.
00:07:10.840 --> 00:07:13.080
And that means there's a brood nest area there.
00:07:13.080 --> 00:07:14.680
They've got it centered
00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:17.520
They look good.
00:07:17.520 --> 00:07:19.760
You know what I hadn't thought of listeners?
00:07:20.640 --> 00:07:22.640
This is huge.
00:07:22.640 --> 00:07:24.240
When I was working this
00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:24.800
this
00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:26.720
spring, this
00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:28.720
propolis was cold
00:07:29.380 --> 00:07:31.139
And now, this
00:07:31.300 --> 00:07:31.940
propolis
00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:32.900
and this hot sun
00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:36.100
is just turned to gum.
00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:39.540
So it's not going to be the same concept at all.
00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:41.960
So I wonder if that means
00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:44.120
if this is even an idea
00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:50.120
that it needs to be done when the propolis is harner.
00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:52.520
I'm not pulling a frame out of that one
00:07:52.620 --> 00:07:53.900
That colony is beautiful.
00:07:53.900 --> 00:07:55.259
I'm just not going to
00:07:55.580 --> 00:07:57.419
explore something that
00:07:57.979 --> 00:08:00.139
doesn't need exploring.
00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:02.139
Look at some of the others over here
00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:07.420
This is the one that I installed and it had a crack
00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:08.700
in the
00:08:09.020 --> 00:08:12.140
empty deep that I used up top to install them
00:08:13.099 --> 00:08:19.819
And they all begin to use that crack at the back of the hive as their primary entrance.
00:08:19.819 --> 00:08:21.979
So let's see what's happening here.
00:08:22.820 --> 00:08:28.420
A fairly nice day and there's still a bit of a nectar flow on.
00:08:28.420 --> 00:08:30.580
This is another full one.
00:08:30.580 --> 00:08:32.820
It's not as full as the other one over there
00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:38.600
Okay, I'm gonna try that gadget.
00:08:38.600 --> 00:08:44.760
Even though I've told you that it's going to be more seasonal than I expected.
00:08:44.760 --> 00:08:44.920
This
00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:46.680
this colony has a
00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:48.800
a frame
00:08:49.040 --> 00:08:49.680
locator
00:08:50.640 --> 00:08:52.960
for a queen cage.
00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:55.040
It's got a thick top bar
00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:58.720
with a slot cut in the top.
00:08:58.820 --> 00:08:58.980
so
00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:02.740
that you can lay a queen in it.
00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:06.260
Listeners, by the minute, I'm locking this idea
00:09:06.580 --> 00:09:10.180
about this oscillating tool less and less.
00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:14.440
This is not one of the colonies with a lot of it in.
00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:15.959
Alright, here goes nothing.
00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:20.920
And it cut right through that
00:09:21.420 --> 00:09:23.740
Now I'm gonna run it down between the end
00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:24.860
bars.
00:09:28.540 --> 00:09:31.259
And it seems to be doing okay with that
00:09:32.160 --> 00:09:34.800
My device is coming loose.
00:09:34.800 --> 00:09:36.480
So run it down between
00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:38.240
the other
00:09:38.880 --> 00:09:40.000
on the other end.
00:09:41.640 --> 00:09:42.360
on the other
00:09:42.520 --> 00:09:43.000
other in
00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:43.400
bar
00:09:43.640 --> 00:09:45.080
frame.
00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:45.480
You know
00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:50.760
it's gumming up the blade, but the blade doesn't seem to care
00:09:51.520 --> 00:10:01.280
And now when I come back to it, since the propolis is already soft, the frame is coming out fairly easily.
00:10:01.680 --> 00:10:03.520
Hope the queen's not on this
00:10:05.560 --> 00:10:05.800
It's
00:10:06.040 --> 00:10:10.440
got she's got a beautiful pattern.
00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:10.600
This
00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:10.839
is
00:10:11.319 --> 00:10:14.600
oh it's beautiful on both sides.
00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:15.880
It's beautiful
00:10:17.820 --> 00:10:20.140
And the opposing frame inside
00:10:21.100 --> 00:10:22.700
is full.
00:10:22.700 --> 00:10:24.540
These are nice bees.
00:10:24.540 --> 00:10:26.140
They deserve a better beekeeper
00:10:26.300 --> 00:10:27.820
than I am.
00:10:28.040 --> 00:10:29.800
Nice bees.
00:10:29.800 --> 00:10:31.480
I don't I don't want to see the queen.
00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:32.680
I don't want to do anything more.
00:10:32.680 --> 00:10:35.320
I don't want to run the risk of damaging her.
00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:36.760
This is the second one
00:10:37.560 --> 00:10:38.520
that could use
00:10:39.160 --> 00:10:39.400
more
00:10:39.720 --> 00:10:40.760
equipment
00:10:41.940 --> 00:10:44.820
Listeners, is there any of you who somehow
00:10:45.060 --> 00:10:46.339
keeps bees
00:10:46.660 --> 00:10:49.779
in a single deep?
00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:50.660
Apparently
00:10:52.880 --> 00:10:54.480
That was the idea
00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:57.120
in the old days of one hive
00:10:57.280 --> 00:10:57.920
body
00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:01.600
and then supers on top of it
00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:06.740
But every time I do this have have we pumped up our coins
00:11:07.060 --> 00:11:07.380
so
00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:08.259
potent
00:11:10.660 --> 00:11:10.899
that
00:11:11.459 --> 00:11:14.019
they can fill up more than one deep
00:11:15.300 --> 00:11:15.540
So
00:11:15.700 --> 00:11:16.500
are our queens
00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:17.940
that good?
00:11:17.940 --> 00:11:19.860
I don't know.
00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:22.740
I really don't know.
00:11:23.060 --> 00:11:23.380
But
00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:30.000
If some of you still keep bees in one deep, I'd like to know how you do it.
00:11:30.560 --> 00:11:31.200
How do you
00:11:31.520 --> 00:11:33.040
restrain swarming?
00:11:34.140 --> 00:11:34.380
control
00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:37.980
things like that.
00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:41.420
Here's the third one.
00:11:41.420 --> 00:11:42.060
Tops
00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:42.940
really stuck
00:11:43.260 --> 00:11:43.580
down
00:11:44.319 --> 00:11:46.880
Don't have an undercover on it or what?
00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:52.079
Yep, no undercover and it's
00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:55.360
chock a block full of bees.
00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:55.839
Chaka
00:11:56.079 --> 00:11:58.560
block full of bees.
00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:03.460
Here's the dirty secret.
00:12:03.460 --> 00:12:05.780
I got some whiting going on here
00:12:06.400 --> 00:12:08.720
So there's a bit of a nectar flow still going on.
00:12:09.280 --> 00:12:14.560
All the peripheral edges of all the exposed comb has a light layer of white on it
00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.839
A bit ago when I was giving you that lecture about
00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:20.800
using heavy-duty tools
00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:23.360
to get frames out
00:12:24.620 --> 00:12:29.260
I need to tell you that it's been my experience that it doesn't work well
00:12:30.860 --> 00:12:31.500
to do
00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:32.140
that
00:12:32.460 --> 00:12:32.700
with
00:12:33.020 --> 00:12:34.540
plastic frames.
00:12:34.540 --> 00:12:38.060
If you try to pry plastic frames that hard
00:12:39.260 --> 00:12:39.500
It
00:12:39.820 --> 00:12:41.740
just doesn't work right.
00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:44.779
This snaps over, breaks
00:12:45.100 --> 00:12:46.540
over.
00:12:47.260 --> 00:12:47.980
I'm gonna put a queen
00:12:48.140 --> 00:12:49.740
excluder on top
00:12:50.160 --> 00:12:50.240
just
00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:56.399
to use as an inner cover since I don't readily have one.
00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:00.000
Those frames of plastic don't pry out well
00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:07.260
So if you got plastic frames mostly and I do have a lot of plastic frames
00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:10.540
I have to preferentially go look
00:13:11.820 --> 00:13:12.140
for
00:13:13.380 --> 00:13:13.540
one
00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:14.900
of the ones that
00:13:15.220 --> 00:13:16.900
has a wood frame
00:13:17.380 --> 00:13:19.860
and work on that.
00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:20.020
So
00:13:20.180 --> 00:13:21.300
three of these
00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:24.980
are beautiful.
00:13:25.180 --> 00:13:26.220
And they did it.
00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:31.180
I can't take any credit for it.
00:13:31.180 --> 00:13:34.620
Oh, you know, before we start this one, why don't we take a break
00:13:34.780 --> 00:13:34.860
here
00:13:35.020 --> 00:13:36.220
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Okay, I'm back
00:14:19.899 --> 00:14:21.980
There's grass in the entrance.
00:14:21.980 --> 00:14:23.819
This one doesn't have as much
00:14:24.459 --> 00:14:25.980
entrance activity
00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:26.940
as
00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:28.300
the others did
00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:33.459
As soon as this is over, beekeepers, I'm gonna have to go straight in
00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:36.899
and take some kind of antihistamine.
00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:38.660
The grass is tall
00:14:40.380 --> 00:14:42.700
I've been reading about ticks.
00:14:42.700 --> 00:14:45.900
I've never gotten the tick back here, but this looks like tick
00:14:46.540 --> 00:14:49.020
conditions to me.
00:14:49.020 --> 00:14:49.260
But
00:14:49.420 --> 00:14:51.020
when I got the grass out, give the bees
00:14:51.180 --> 00:14:54.460
better entrance, they're moving in.
00:14:54.220 --> 00:14:54.380
more
00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:57.420
judiciously.
00:14:57.420 --> 00:15:00.380
Alright, let's open it up.
00:15:00.380 --> 00:15:04.140
See what happens here.
00:15:04.140 --> 00:15:07.820
This one has one of the insulated hive covers on it
00:15:08.040 --> 00:15:10.360
This is the first time I've used them, so
00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:13.080
can't give you a report.
00:15:13.080 --> 00:15:13.480
These
00:15:13.640 --> 00:15:15.560
have accepted it.
00:15:15.560 --> 00:15:16.360
Yep, this
00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:18.200
is full as the others
00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:19.660
Absolutely
00:15:19.820 --> 00:15:21.899
as full as the others.
00:15:21.899 --> 00:15:25.500
Let's do that thing I'm doing to see if this works.
00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:25.740
So
00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.540
I gotta go pick it up.
00:15:28.540 --> 00:15:32.459
If I really wanted to do this, I'm gonna pick out
00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:35.100
the second frame in.
00:15:35.260 --> 00:15:39.660
We'll smoke them back away from it.
00:15:39.660 --> 00:15:42.220
I'm just going to lightly touch it.
00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.880
And it immediately cuts through and then I scrape it off.
00:15:47.880 --> 00:15:50.120
Then I turn the device straight up
00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:51.240
and run it
00:15:54.680 --> 00:15:56.120
between the frame
00:15:58.600 --> 00:15:59.240
And then
00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:01.240
between the wall,
00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:03.880
it cuts through it,
00:16:04.040 --> 00:16:04.200
other
00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:06.200
end of the frame.
00:16:08.319 --> 00:16:10.000
Cut through the old propolis.
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:10.560
There's a lot of
00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:12.240
beer.
00:16:17.260 --> 00:16:19.260
It's a lot here.
00:16:21.180 --> 00:16:22.940
Well, I don't know
00:16:23.420 --> 00:16:24.940
what to say about this.
00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:25.980
It's working
00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.960
A little bit better than I thought it would.
00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:30.560
There's a screw coming off.
00:16:30.560 --> 00:16:33.120
Of course it's got to come off right now.
00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:35.440
Let me see if I can take it out
00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:37.680
and put it away
00:16:38.579 --> 00:16:41.060
Okay, I got that off.
00:16:41.060 --> 00:16:42.740
Now I'm gonna try to
00:16:43.060 --> 00:16:43.380
do
00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:43.860
the
00:16:44.019 --> 00:16:45.060
vertical cut.
00:16:51.100 --> 00:16:53.660
And it goes right through.
00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:56.860
I'm laying the gadget down.
00:16:56.860 --> 00:16:59.339
I'll put a picture of it on the webpage
00:16:59.540 --> 00:17:00.260
I don't know.
00:17:00.260 --> 00:17:00.420
This
00:17:00.580 --> 00:17:01.380
is this a thing?
00:17:01.380 --> 00:17:01.860
I don't know.
00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:02.019
I'm
00:17:02.180 --> 00:17:03.940
I'm always playing.
00:17:03.940 --> 00:17:06.420
I'm always tinkering.
00:17:06.420 --> 00:17:08.100
I mean it's just beekeeping.
00:17:08.100 --> 00:17:09.939
We always do this.
00:17:09.939 --> 00:17:10.660
We used
00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:11.140
a
00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:11.980
We
00:17:12.300 --> 00:17:16.140
began to use leaf blowers to such an extent for removes
00:17:16.459 --> 00:17:20.780
that nobody actually manufactured a dedicated bee blower anymore.
00:17:20.780 --> 00:17:22.699
And I used them a lot.
00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:24.400
They got brood
00:17:24.560 --> 00:17:24.960
on the out
00:17:25.120 --> 00:17:25.440
on this
00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:27.680
on the number
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:28.880
two
00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:30.880
and number eight frames
00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.560
and nectar is dripping out of the frame
00:17:35.120 --> 00:17:36.320
They have brood
00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:39.920
maybe on the wall next right up front.
00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:41.360
So there's that.
00:17:41.360 --> 00:17:42.640
That looks nice
00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:44.000
putting the
00:17:44.320 --> 00:17:46.400
insulated top back on
00:17:47.840 --> 00:17:53.120
Would you think it's a problem to have it on in the summer?
00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:55.679
I don't know.
00:17:55.679 --> 00:17:55.919
So
00:17:56.080 --> 00:17:58.320
I'm just gonna put that back on for here
00:17:58.440 --> 00:18:01.720
Put the brick back on.
00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:02.919
I'm kind of
00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:05.240
crying crocodile tears
00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:06.039
here
00:18:07.080 --> 00:18:09.400
I think I'm done with this cutter gadget.
00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:11.480
It works okay.
00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:16.120
It might be helpful if I had really a lot of these to do.
00:18:16.120 --> 00:18:18.200
But I'm not sure I'm gonna put it in my
00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:19.200
Hive
00:18:19.600 --> 00:18:20.240
tool
00:18:20.560 --> 00:18:22.240
carrier.
00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:23.680
I'm over here in
00:18:24.320 --> 00:18:26.880
ridiculous grass.
00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:29.220
I'm gonna die of all this pollen.
00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:32.100
I've got good flight at this one.
00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:33.700
Got on another
00:18:34.260 --> 00:18:36.100
insulated top here
00:18:38.600 --> 00:18:38.920
And
00:18:39.800 --> 00:18:42.200
it's the same, it's full.
00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.800
Drones, I can see brood.
00:18:45.800 --> 00:18:48.280
Listeners, if you're a new beekeeper,
00:18:48.679 --> 00:18:49.880
Do your thing.
00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:50.200
Open
00:18:50.360 --> 00:18:50.519
them
00:18:50.679 --> 00:18:50.919
up
00:18:51.159 --> 00:18:51.480
and
00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:54.440
do your
00:18:54.679 --> 00:18:55.320
thing
00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:06.639
And if you're an experienced beekeeper, I can tell you right now, if you're in my boots, you need to go back to your shop.
00:19:06.620 --> 00:19:08.620
Put together five deeps
00:19:08.940 --> 00:19:11.820
and do things that are not really beekeeping.
00:19:11.820 --> 00:19:12.140
So
00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:14.460
I said I wasn't going to mention swarms
00:19:14.620 --> 00:19:16.220
all that much.
00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:18.780
And now I have to say this that if
00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:21.420
I think these packages would produce
00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:23.820
really late season swarms
00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:26.919
If I don't come do something with them
00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.880
to give them more room.
00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.120
I'm gonna put an inner cover on here
00:19:32.419 --> 00:19:32.580
under
00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:34.100
this insulated
00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:39.700
outer cover.
00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:40.340
Tops
00:19:40.580 --> 00:19:41.860
back on.
00:19:41.860 --> 00:19:44.580
Oh, it's hot in the suit.
00:19:44.419 --> 00:19:45.940
And I'm an old man
00:19:46.179 --> 00:19:49.460
and I got my hive tool, I got my smoker.
00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:52.900
I want to go back and sit down somewhere nice and cool
00:19:56.380 --> 00:19:57.340
I improvise
00:19:57.660 --> 00:19:57.980
a
00:19:58.620 --> 00:20:02.620
paper plug, let the smoker go out, put
00:20:02.780 --> 00:20:03.260
that right there
00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:04.700
and I'll come back out in
00:20:05.340 --> 00:20:07.820
an hour or so and put it all away
00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:11.360
I don't have a convenient chair out here.
00:20:11.360 --> 00:20:12.880
Stand in the shade.
00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:15.920
Oh, that's work.
00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:18.080
Alright, quick review.
00:20:17.840 --> 00:20:19.360
Five packages.
00:20:23.120 --> 00:20:24.000
They look so good.
00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:25.840
I gotta go build equipment
00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:27.280
and get that on.
00:20:27.280 --> 00:20:29.600
Probably won't paint it, just a hurry
00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:30.179
That
00:20:30.340 --> 00:20:30.820
'd be a
00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:32.820
fundamental part of slip shot
00:20:32.980 --> 00:20:33.940
beekeeping.
00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:35.139
I tried the
00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:37.139
oscillating multi-tool
00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:38.340
gadget.
00:20:38.220 --> 00:20:39.820
It worked okay.
00:20:39.820 --> 00:20:47.420
It worked better than okay, but it needs to be probably used when the propolis is cold and will shatter.
00:20:47.340 --> 00:20:51.260
instead of when it's gummy, even though it did cut through the gum reasonably well.
00:20:51.260 --> 00:20:52.860
The bees didn't go bonkers
00:20:53.020 --> 00:20:54.220
about me using it.
00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:56.700
So that's a real 60%.
00:20:56.700 --> 00:20:59.260
If anybody wants to give it a try
00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:03.640
And lastly, I ask if any of you are keeping bees in single deeps
00:21:03.800 --> 00:21:05.560
to give me some idea of how you're doing that.
00:21:05.560 --> 00:21:08.040
How do you suppress swarming?
00:21:08.040 --> 00:21:14.120
Alright, I'm going to go clean up, drink some water, and uh
00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:16.560
Maybe read a B book or something.
00:21:16.560 --> 00:21:17.280
I don't know how it's
00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:17.520
going
00:21:17.760 --> 00:21:18.880
on this afternoon.
00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:20.320
Beautiful day.
00:21:20.320 --> 00:21:21.200
Beautiful day.
00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:23.120
80 degrees.
00:21:23.120 --> 00:21:25.040
So I'll end on that note.
00:21:25.040 --> 00:21:26.640
I always enjoy talking to you.
00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:28.480
Thanks for keeping me company out here.
00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:29.360
I'm Jim.
00:21:29.560 --> 00:21:30.280
Telling you by
