I'm in South Saskatchewan, Canada. I add some bleach as per Randy Oliver to keep mold away. Also put it in a special built sugar brick frame in fall with 1/2 in. Screen and vent in the corners with newspaper to hold sugar. Works great!
I've never baked mine. Heat oven and turn off. Put sugar in oven and leave overnight to dry out. I use smaller 4 inch bricks and place them down the center over the brood. That way i can add one where its needed all winter long. Been doing it the same way with great success for 8 years. With our temps it seems they bring in pollen on their own so I've never bought or made pollen patties.
You can take a 6-8” plastic putty knife and press vertically all the way down through the sugar to make fracture joints before you bake. Then you can easily break the bricks into smaller bricks if you want smaller sizes for any reason.
I used sugar bricks this winter and found them to be wonderful on several levels: food, insulation, and any water that dripped into the center of the hive hit the bricks and made the bricks softer for the bees and kept the bees dry. When I pulled the bricks to feed syrup (rapid round top feeder) I put the remaining bricks in the freezer and pull the chunks out and put them on the hives when we have cold snaps. I didn't bake mine this year - but thanks to this video, I know how to do so, and I will do so the next time I make bricks! Thank you! 😊
That's a great idea ! I definitely see I have to drink lots of coffee to get up my speed at tamping that sugar! 🤭. Will be trying this this year on a few hives trying to replace the sugar brick for a pail of syrup.
I put a wire queen excluder over the brood chamber. Put a five pound bag of sugar on the excluder and make a couple small slices in the bag, much like you do the patties. Throw a shallow super on top and cover. Bees take the granulated sugar just fine without all the extra work.
A good quick way of Helping our northern placed bees to survive! Still having minus degrees celcius during night time. Today if we are Lucky we might hit the 50f. If we are Lucky. Not really spring yet, but on it's way. Hazzel and alder pollen so far. Long time till any dandelions blooming here! Lot's of love from Sweden!
This couldn't have appeared in my feed at a better time. By this time in March we're usually adding supers but it's been unusually cold and rainy, looking to continue for another week.
Thanks for video. I went out and checked my hives today. It was great to see them bringing in pollen like crazy. They had clean up the sugar I had on top from my winter candy board. They were not taking the sugar syrup like i thought they would from my top board feeder.
We get some awful dry cold here and at this time of year I put syrup on, for me the sugar bricks works best when they are on early . a container of syrup on the frames with a box over it works better for me. A good strong colony WiLL take it down even when it's below 0 at night.
Had to feed bricks all winter. The family had COVID during the important fattening of the hives (as I call it). the hives were light going into Christmas. I put three packs of bricks over the bees through the winter. So far so good. We have decent weather for a while. So, pollen patties went on and I'm still putting sugar bricks on top. I do make mine differently than you. I don't have the number of hives that you do. I take ten pounds of sugar and four cups of water. One teaspoon of vinegar for every cup of water. I heat it until it reaches 235 to 340 and maintain that temp for 15 minutes. Then it's cooled in water to 180. I use a blender for five minutes and then pour it into the pans. It's still soft and there's a conversion of the sugar because of the vinegar. It works fine. However, if all I have to do is your process, it's a lot easier to do.
Convenient variation to sectioning for desired size. Once you get the sugar pressed down in the tray take a wide spatula, press down to the bottom into whatever size blocks you want to use. After drying out they easy break where they were scored. A bit easier if you don't want to use the larger amount. We used you great mix ratio and shot a short demonstration video.
Really really appreciate this video! It's ostensibly warm here in northern Virginia and my bees are quite active. Going to make some of my first own homemade bricks to help them out.
A small nuc I have that I thought was not going to make it through winter fought through. I saw the queen the other day and the next I didnt see her and saw no eggs or brood. Checked it again the other day and woo hoo eggs so this will come in handy, Thanks!
Kamon, we know that a light syrup in the spring can be used to stimulate brood rearing and comb building. Do sugar bricks have any of the same effect? Can the bees use the sugar and combine it with water to make bee bread for brood rearing? Or is the sugar brick simply an emergency feed only to keep bees from starving? Thanks
Scott I don't know that it would be. It is the same sugar but less water content so if it does have some of the effect I would say it is at a reduced level but that is just theorizing on my part.
Great vid as usual,,,,,,my colony that died didnt freeze,,after closer inspection it was water dripping,,my fault for not tipping hive forward enuff,,,68 in Ashtabula,Oh an snow on the ground still
I would like to let southern Oregonians know to bee aware of the temperature fluctuations in January and February, this will cause your bees to become very active and eat through their stores much faster and have nothing to forage on. I had my brother in the hospital, and do to lack of attention i lost my walk away split I put in my topbar bee hive due to starvation at the end of February. (First year bee keeper here) i learned a good lesson and wanted to share this with all Oregonians. bee aware of January and February false spring. THE GOOD NEWS IS THE ORIGANAL PACKAGE I PURCHASED SURVIVED. I CALL THIS A SUCCESS.
Hello Kamon! I'm new to bee keeping and have learned an incredible amount from your videos! Your information is well organized and clearly and concisely presented. Keep up the great job! I also enjoy Laurel's giggling! When do you feed with sugar brick verses with sugar syrup?
All depends on your area, and how much rainfall you're getting that wipes away that nectar. Here in NC - Piedmont, my bees are bringing in lots of pollen and nectar and I'm only feeding 2:1 syrup on my smaller hives.
When it halfway consistently in the 60s I feed syrup. Bricks can be used but they are best for November December January and February here in TN. In other places much longer
I assume the thin brick you made would fit in your horizontal hive. I will be trying to make a thin brick for my horizontal long lang. Probably will have to leave off the cover boards.
Hello , This is Dave not Barbara . I use two of the sugar bricks in each hive this winter ,Two at a time they fit perfect . Most of the hives that all they used , No more wondering if they need more
Ha good video but you do not have to heat it just let it set out and they dry out over night and the bees love them I also add pollen sub to them so they can have some protein as well never had any problems doing it this way plus the sugar boards work great for catching any dampness it catches all the water.
Kamon, I have two questions. Can the bees store sugar from bricks in the combs; that is, do they add water to it for storage like nectar? And can/do the bees store dry pollen substitute like natural pollen? Great channel! I watch all your videos.
Yes goosevamtb they store sugar bricks in the cells after they add water to them just like nectar if they don't need 100 for heating the cluster. Dry sub is stored in cells as well
Great advice as always. Going to try and make the live chat with Bruce tonight. But wanted to ask, I plan to graft my own queens this year and use The Cloake Board method. Obviously need drone presence but have been trying to figure out favorable temps for virgin queens to be able to make successful mating flights.
Kamon, ive made my first batch of sugar bricks and they didn't do so well lol. I used 10lbs to 1 cup of water. Put in the oven for 1 hour at 170. Let sit for 2 days. Pick it up and it just breaks into large slabs. Ideas?
So you said "Ewww, there's drone brood right there." Can you explain that reaction? Or point me to one of your other videos that explains capped drone brood this time of year. I've got capped drone brood and I'm wondering if I need to start swarm strategy planning. I've got a small top bar hive and it is swarm prone. I battled it well last year with splits, but I think I sacrificed honey volume.
Kaymon: why don't you put sugar syrup in then in hive feeder as in hive 1. Conversely when do you take sugar bricks out and feed sugar syrup? Thanks from Texas
Love the name shiretook. Vegetable oil can be used but it goes rancid. Mineral oil works better and I am wanting to tinker with placing a bit of fruit (like a banana) in there to attract the beetles more
I went to a summer bee management class taught by Prof. Hamilton in Newbury, MA. He uses apple cider vinegar in the beetle blaster. I tried it and it attracted a good number of them into the trap. @@kamonreynolds
Good morning, Kamon, I have the Hive Alive pollen patties. I didn't find any directions for storage when I received the box. Do you refrigerate or freeze the box? Or do you just store it in a cool place? How do you like them? I noticed more poop around the entrance when I used mine. I switched back to the Mann Lake Ultra Bee pollen sub and the excessive bee poop cleared up. I stored my box in a cool place in my house - so I am not sure if it is the patty or my method of storing. Your two cents would be helpful. Thanks!
They should be ok to sit in room temperature for some time. Mine did not come with instructions and I have just started using them. Perhaps I need to see what Hive Alive says about them.
Always enjoy your videos. Always great advice. I do have a couple of questions off the subject of this video. Will you be selling Carnie queens this year? I wanting to add those genetics. Do you do raise any Caucasian queens to sell? I am also interested in experimenting with some Saskatraz. What are your thoughts on those? Have you had any experience? Thanks for all your help!
Saskatraz are good bees I think. But some of the one I purchased were not mated well. Unfortunately, I am sold out on queens this year. I only have carnies and don't have any Caucasians
In cold winter areas such as the upper Northeast, wouldn't it cause condensation underneath since there is no ventilation slots or holes by the front of it? @@briansmith6824
I'm in South Saskatchewan, Canada. I add some bleach as per Randy Oliver to keep mold away. Also put it in a special built sugar brick frame in fall with 1/2 in. Screen and vent in the corners with newspaper to hold sugar. Works great!
Bleach evaporates fast so the very next day your sugar bricks will be once again susceptible if that's a problem. Just trying to help save you a step.
Thank you for all the valuable information
I've never baked mine. Heat oven and turn off. Put sugar in oven and leave overnight to dry out. I use smaller 4 inch bricks and place them down the center over the brood. That way i can add one where its needed all winter long. Been doing it the same way with great success for 8 years. With our temps it seems they bring in pollen on their own so I've never bought or made pollen patties.
Great feedback thanks Sherry!
You can take a 6-8” plastic putty knife and press vertically all the way down through the sugar to make fracture joints before you bake. Then you can easily break the bricks into smaller bricks if you want smaller sizes for any reason.
Very helpful comment 👍
I use a table knife to gently cut a fracture line while the sugar is still damp.
*good season to all beekeepers.🤝*
I used sugar bricks this winter and found them to be wonderful on several levels: food, insulation, and any water that dripped into the center of the hive hit the bricks and made the bricks softer for the bees and kept the bees dry. When I pulled the bricks to feed syrup (rapid round top feeder) I put the remaining bricks in the freezer and pull the chunks out and put them on the hives when we have cold snaps. I didn't bake mine this year - but thanks to this video, I know how to do so, and I will do so the next time I make bricks! Thank you! 😊
I used sugar bricks for the first time this year. They are awesome. Easy to work with over all. I have been missing out. Thank you.
Sugar bricks a great way to feed this time of year! Thanks for sharing.
excellent How-To and advice. I'm gonna try it out this weekend.thanks
I did the same this year with pie tins. Worked great!
That's a great idea ! I definitely see I have to drink lots of coffee to get up my speed at tamping that sugar! 🤭. Will be trying this this year on a few hives trying to replace the sugar brick for a pail of syrup.
Double Expresso!!
Just to be twerpy about it- I used the bottom of the measuring cup to pack it all down.
I put a wire queen excluder over the brood chamber. Put a five pound bag of sugar on the excluder and make a couple small slices in the bag, much like you do the patties. Throw a shallow super on top and cover. Bees take the granulated sugar just fine without all the extra work.
A good quick way of Helping our northern placed bees to survive! Still having minus degrees celcius during night time. Today if we are Lucky we might hit the 50f. If we are Lucky. Not really spring yet, but on it's way. Hazzel and alder pollen so far. Long time till any dandelions blooming here! Lot's of love from Sweden!
This couldn't have appeared in my feed at a better time. By this time in March we're usually adding supers but it's been unusually cold and rainy, looking to continue for another week.
Hope your weather improves Miri!
Thanks for video. I went out and checked my hives today. It was great to see them bringing in pollen like crazy. They had clean up the sugar I had on top from my winter candy board. They were not taking the sugar syrup like i thought they would from my top board feeder.
We get some awful dry cold here and at this time of year I put syrup on, for me the sugar bricks works best when they are on early . a container of syrup on the frames with a box over it works better for me. A good strong colony WiLL take it down even when it's below 0 at night.
Easiest way to go. Great job 👍 thanks
Had to feed bricks all winter. The family had COVID during the important fattening of the hives (as I call it). the hives were light going into Christmas. I put three packs of bricks over the bees through the winter. So far so good. We have decent weather for a while. So, pollen patties went on and I'm still putting sugar bricks on top.
I do make mine differently than you. I don't have the number of hives that you do. I take ten pounds of sugar and four cups of water. One teaspoon of vinegar for every cup of water. I heat it until it reaches 235 to 340 and maintain that temp for 15 minutes. Then it's cooled in water to 180. I use a blender for five minutes and then pour it into the pans. It's still soft and there's a conversion of the sugar because of the vinegar. It works fine.
However, if all I have to do is your process, it's a lot easier to do.
Wow! Now those are hard! I'd love to see a video on those bricks after they've been in about two weeks, to see how much is gone
I will see about doing that!
Convenient variation to sectioning for desired size. Once you get the sugar pressed down in the tray take a wide spatula, press down to the bottom into whatever size blocks you want to use. After drying out they easy break where they were scored. A bit easier if you don't want to use the larger amount.
We used you great mix ratio and shot a short demonstration video.
Really really appreciate this video! It's ostensibly warm here in northern Virginia and my bees are quite active. Going to make some of my first own homemade bricks to help them out.
A small nuc I have that I thought was not going to make it through winter fought through. I saw the queen the other day and the next I didnt see her and saw no eggs or brood. Checked it again the other day and woo hoo eggs so this will come in handy, Thanks!
Thank you so much great video am beekeeper from algeria ..❤
Love the heart! Nice touch.
Looks good Kamon.
Kamon, we know that a light syrup in the spring can be used to stimulate brood rearing and comb building. Do sugar bricks have any of the same effect? Can the bees use the sugar and combine it with water to make bee bread for brood rearing? Or is the sugar brick simply an emergency feed only to keep bees from starving? Thanks
Scott I don't know that it would be. It is the same sugar but less water content so if it does have some of the effect I would say it is at a reduced level but that is just theorizing on my part.
I scored the brick before drying it in an oven. This makes it easy to break into smaller size if needed.
Great vid as usual,,,,,,my colony that died didnt freeze,,after closer inspection it was water dripping,,my fault for not tipping hive forward enuff,,,68 in Ashtabula,Oh an snow on the ground still
I really enjoyed this family recipe lol
That is the same pans I use. Great video sir.
I would like to let southern Oregonians know to bee aware of the temperature fluctuations in January and February, this will cause your bees to become very active and eat through their stores much faster and have nothing to forage on. I had my brother in the hospital, and do to lack of attention i lost my walk away split I put in my topbar bee hive due to starvation at the end of February. (First year bee keeper here) i learned a good lesson and wanted to share this with all Oregonians. bee aware of January and February false spring. THE GOOD NEWS IS THE ORIGANAL PACKAGE I PURCHASED SURVIVED. I CALL THIS A SUCCESS.
Hello Kamon! I'm new to bee keeping and have learned an incredible amount from your videos! Your information is well organized and clearly and concisely presented. Keep up the great job! I also enjoy Laurel's giggling!
When do you feed with sugar brick verses with sugar syrup?
Can you comment on when it is best time of year to use sugar brick vs when best to use syrup?
All depends on your area, and how much rainfall you're getting that wipes away that nectar. Here in NC - Piedmont, my bees are bringing in lots of pollen and nectar and I'm only feeding 2:1 syrup on my smaller hives.
When it halfway consistently in the 60s I feed syrup. Bricks can be used but they are best for November December January and February here in TN. In other places much longer
I had to rewind and turn the volume up when you were patting the brick mix 😂😂😂😂lol I did it six times😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Kamon has had too much coffee or to many Red Bulls :) Thanks for sharing!
Haha red bull would likely kill me! I can barely do caffeine in coffee these days!
I assume the thin brick you made would fit in your horizontal hive. I will be trying to make a thin brick for my horizontal long lang. Probably will have to leave off the cover boards.
Hello , This is Dave not Barbara . I use two of the sugar bricks in each hive this winter ,Two at a time they fit perfect . Most of the hives that all they used , No more wondering if they need more
We dry ours out in the room that we have our wood stove ,
Ha good video but you do not have to heat it just let it set out and they dry out over night and the bees love them I also add pollen sub to them so they can have some protein as well never had any problems doing it this way plus the sugar boards work great for catching any dampness it catches all the water.
СПАСИБО
Kamon, I have two questions. Can the bees store sugar from bricks in the combs; that is, do they add water to it for storage like nectar? And can/do the bees store dry pollen substitute like natural pollen? Great channel! I watch all your videos.
Yes goosevamtb they store sugar bricks in the cells after they add water to them just like nectar if they don't need 100 for heating the cluster. Dry sub is stored in cells as well
Great advice as always. Going to try and make the live chat with Bruce tonight. But wanted to ask, I plan to graft my own queens this year and use The Cloake Board method. Obviously need drone presence but have been trying to figure out favorable temps for virgin queens to be able to make successful mating flights.
Great Video. Curious why you aren’t just feeding 1 to 1
I can feed 1:1 just wanted to show the sugar bricks to those who still are experiencing winter conditions.
Kamon are you feeding all your hives or only the ones that need help?
Just the ones that need help
Thats the first time I have seen those plastic domes, what is their general purpose?
Kamon, ive made my first batch of sugar bricks and they didn't do so well lol. I used 10lbs to 1 cup of water. Put in the oven for 1 hour at 170. Let sit for 2 days. Pick it up and it just breaks into large slabs. Ideas?
How thick did you make them?
@@kamonreynolds they are about 1 1/4" maybe 1 1/2
So you said "Ewww, there's drone brood right there." Can you explain that reaction? Or point me to one of your other videos that explains capped drone brood this time of year. I've got capped drone brood and I'm wondering if I need to start swarm strategy planning. I've got a small top bar hive and it is swarm prone. I battled it well last year with splits, but I think I sacrificed honey volume.
Kaymon: why don't you put sugar syrup in then in hive feeder as in hive 1. Conversely when do you take sugar bricks out and feed sugar syrup? Thanks from Texas
Could you make a Special Video about the hive Bug?
Would it be best to add a little vinegar to prevent any possibility of the sugar going bad?
Now if we could actually get work done at that speed. :) wouldn't that rock :) TY, Blessed Days...
What oil did you put in your beetle blaster? Thank you for these helpful videos.
Love the name shiretook. Vegetable oil can be used but it goes rancid. Mineral oil works better and I am wanting to tinker with placing a bit of fruit (like a banana) in there to attract the beetles more
I went to a summer bee management class taught by Prof. Hamilton in Newbury, MA. He uses apple cider vinegar in the beetle blaster. I tried it and it attracted a good number of them into the trap. @@kamonreynolds
Does the SHB laying in the patty cause a future infestation?
You got fast hands.
Coffee! ☕
Lol
Kamon, what is that plastic dome over the hive? I have never seen one. Does it function as a top and protect the bees. Doesn't fly off? Thanks
What kind of mixer did you use on your drill? It looks "beefier" than a standard paint mixer.
Good morning, Kamon, I have the Hive Alive pollen patties. I didn't find any directions for storage when I received the box. Do you refrigerate or freeze the box? Or do you just store it in a cool place? How do you like them? I noticed more poop around the entrance when I used mine. I switched back to the Mann Lake Ultra Bee pollen sub and the excessive bee poop cleared up. I stored my box in a cool place in my house - so I am not sure if it is the patty or my method of storing. Your two cents would be helpful. Thanks!
They should be ok to sit in room temperature for some time. Mine did not come with instructions and I have just started using them. Perhaps I need to see what Hive Alive says about them.
I see you're using 9 frames in your brood boxes. What's the thought for that?
It's snowing today
Wowza! We are sweating here in the 70s
@@kamonreynolds We have been swinging from 60 to snow for a few weeks. Might need to upgrade to a apimaye.
Why not just feed sugar syrup this time of year I’m also in middle Tn and we can have several days of 60 plus degree days.
Yes feed syrup. Not everyone is as warm as we are so we can feed syrup
Where did you get the clear bubble cover from?
the hardware store. they come in big rolls. cut it down to size.
Always enjoy your videos. Always great advice. I do have a couple of questions off the subject of this video. Will you be selling Carnie queens this year? I wanting to add those genetics. Do you do raise any Caucasian queens to sell? I am also interested in experimenting with some Saskatraz. What are your thoughts on those? Have you had any experience? Thanks for all your help!
Saskatraz are good bees I think. But some of the one I purchased were not mated well.
Unfortunately, I am sold out on queens this year. I only have carnies and don't have any Caucasians
Thanks for the info! Looking forward to learning more from your videos. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us.
Kamon, I knew that you looked different in this video at the beginning and it’s because you don’t have a hat on I think.
these have seized into bricks much better than the apple cider vinegar ones you made. I wonder if the vinegar reacted with the sugar...
That is the only thing I can figure.
I made a 2nd batch of bricks yesterday and used half vinegar and half water and they turned out great. 1 hr in the oven at 180 F.
I use 1:1 water to ACV as well, no issues. I also add a Tsp of super Honey Bee Healthy to make them eat more.
what do you use for an inter cover
Reflectix from lowes
Does it stick naturally I've never seen that before or dose the propolis seal it
You looked like the bionic man there for a moment.
are you harvesting sugar honey too?
And why would we do that?
🤣
Can you tell us where to buy the tinfoil like covers ? Is there a name for them?
How long do you cook in the oven for and what temp?
..... What is the tinfoil looking thing for insulation and where can I get them lol
It is bubble wrap sandwiched by silver mylar. Home Depot has it.
@@briansmith6824 thank u!!!!
In cold winter areas such as the upper Northeast, wouldn't it cause condensation underneath since there is no ventilation slots or holes by the front of it? @@briansmith6824