Spring beekeeping - swarming honeybees, expanding colony numbers, honey production and re-queening
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- čas přidán 19. 05. 2024
- Let BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/justalex and enjoy a special discount on your first month #ad Beekeeping has been hectic recently. Swarming bees, splitting colonies, harvesting honey and getting some new queen bees for my colonies.
Get queen bees and nucs here - www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/
Check out my Instagram - / alex_smith1809
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Business enquiries - justalex@kymamedia.com
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Hey alex i am really happy your youtube channel has grown enough for you to get sponsors, but please be mindfull of what sponsors you accept, because better help is not a good company. They have on multiple occasions sold user's data that the users thought was confidential conversations to their therapist to third parties. I hope you are able to steer clear of better help sponsorships in the future!
I commented something similar, thank you for pointing it out, they're really not trust worthy!
checked specifically for this comment
Idc
Proof?
@@gr8belayr Literally 2 seconds of Google, how can you be that lazy 🤦♂️:
What Is the BetterHelp Scandal? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced a proposed action against the online therapy service BetterHelp, Inc. for mishandling consumers' private health information, particularly regarding mental health issues, and using it for advertisement purposes.3 Apr 2024
Alex, just want to let you know you inspired me. At 48yr of age, I decided to take a sabaticle, I bought a converted campervan and will be travelling Europe over the next months with my dog! Quite nervous but excited at the same time 🙂
Enjoy :)
Sabbatical* Don't hate me, just saying.😊
I knew we’d be getting a new episode soon with spring in full swing. Can’t wait to watch 40 minutes of beekeeping
Hi Alex, I don't think we can thank you enough for the quality of your content and most of all for this place of positivity, creativity and serenity that you offer. Internet is a vast platform full of a lot of overwhelming things and some affect most of us negatively. Your channel really represents a safe isle, calm and of interest, where we can learn about nature. You are doing what you like and sharing it without ambition to change yourself for digital attention. The beautiful values and authenticity that you share are very precious. I am glad I discovered this channel. I wish you all the best.
thanks!
hey alex, im not sure if you knew this, but i would look into better help again, they had quite alot of controversies
Let’s go bro🤘, you’re literally the reason I started beekeeping. You gave me courage to start something totally alien to me.
Never a better time to be on CZcams than when Alex posts. Amazing content alex keep it up! ❤
True. Couldn’t wait myself either. Love this guy and his interesting content
I'll never have bees, but I'll watch it anyway because your films are so interesting
A couple of your old videos when you started “Just Alex” have popped up in my feed today. We never watched the channel you did with your brother, but myself and my husband found your channel just after you went on your own. We have loved every video you have made and I just wanted to tell you that I’m so happy that your channel has been successful. We cannot think of anyone more worthy to do well in life. We look forward to more of your great videos. Thank you “Just Alex” 😘
Hey Alex,
I'm going through a bit of a rough time but your videos never fail to make me happy and bring me ease. Thanks for posting your adventures 😊
It is lovely to see how much more confident you are now handling your bees & Hives! You handle it like a real pro now !
btw I recommend looking for better help. They aren't good at all.
it's so cool that you post such long videos :) This shows how you care for your fans and do this with passion. It's also more fun to watch!
Better than most people uploading 10 minute videos with 3 minutes of real content
I am too high for this video but I’m having fun anyway 😂
Hi Alex, followed you and your brothers journey for a number of years, your both talented lads ands should keep up the good work! I'm sorry you seem to have diluted your passion for fishing.
Working close together with relatives and loved ones can be difficult but always remember that no one loves you more than your bro!
Wish you and Carl the greatest success on your chosen paths!
very humble of you to describe your brother as a fisherman on this video, your no amateur yourself!
Keep up the good work!
Great work Alex! As a fellow beekeeper I have learned a few things from you, so thx for that! Just a side note tho: are you sure you should be judging the performance of your queens this quickly? Bees have a rhythm in which they lay drones and worker bees and I'm not sure you wanna kill a queen, just because it has been "under performing" for a few day/weeks 🤔
Also a piece of advice regarding the swarm you caught. If you keep the swarm box locked for 2 days after catching it (watch out for good ventilation), there is less chance of them moving on again or moving back into old hive
2 year old queen is past midlife. The risk of failing over winter is FAR TOO HIGH! Get started now and you have time to recover if things go badly.
No need to lock them in. Hive them before sunset and give them one frame of open brood donated from another hive without bees. Over night they will become focused on feeding and attending the nice smelling brood.
@@sinisterhipp0 I personally am a fan of letting the bees manage their ecosystem as much as possible and so far when the queen was really bad, the bees would make their new queen regardless and kill the old one
@@sinisterhipp0 true, that is also an alternative
I have seen this myself in my colonies; one colony put on heavy brood early in the spring and then laid off, while another colony kept their numbers quite small till mid spring, and then went into a crazy brood bonanza. Now the latter colony is significantly larger than the former, and I'm actually a bit concerned about the former at this point.
That said, I do think it's a good idea to retire queens after a few years of service. It's best to do it early enough for them to ramp up for your nectar flow if you do it in the spring. You could leave it up to the bees, but managing them directly here gives you a bit more insurance for the season.
I love how you upload/schedule so early, I'm rarely up this early but always a treat to start the day with a relaxing video.
Same, I'm a little sick and couldn't sleep longer. I couldn't think of a better video
I've loved watching your bee journey, all your videos make bee keeping seem a lot more possible for anyone to try. Thanks for being so inspiring!
I really appreciate the effort you put into educating the audience about your endeavors, especially beekeeping.
Finally a new video after a WHOLE month waiting. been waiting for that one for a long time. Love your content btw.
MAN i can watch hours of this been waiting for months
You lost me at second brood, queen cell, nuke box. You are indeed sooooo insightful to watch!
Ageist! You killed the Queen!! It really does feel so wrong. Well, long live the Queen!!! 👑
Thank you Alex for the wonderful content! It truly makes people’s days better!
All those queen cells would have made some easy splits using just 2 frames.
Cut them off one frame and add them to another without damaging them, almost guarantees a successful split.
Great content as always!
Your original beekeeping video was the first of yours I ever saw and really one of the final pushes for me to get my first colony this spring. In fact you inspired me to record the experience and just posted a vid of it yesterday 😅
Keep up the good work sir 👏
That was a hypnotic bee behaviour class, Alex. My head is swarming with it now 😅. Very enjoyable actually.
And, Betterhelp, going by comments, well, touché.
Man i really love your bee videos 🤩 You have come so far as a beekeeper. I can't wait to be able to have bee's You're videos have definitely inspired me❤
The bee keeping videos are my favourite, so peaceful and relaxing 😌
Thanks for sharing your experience as a bee keeper and showing the process and hard work of bees and bee keepers! cant wait for the next video
Alex I just love EVERYTHING about bees. Looking forward to another video!❤ If you can, I would love to see more videos about bees. What a lovely little creatures ❤
Great episode with all the queening and splitting. Yeah, hope you can remember it all. What a reward, though, you get a snack of fresh honey. Must taste heavenly, and the aroma hypnotic. You should be making a profit by now. Congrats!
Just when i thought all hope was lost, Alex comes to save my day. Gonna watch now
Hi Alex, myself and my Mrs are in the south West of the UK, yeovil to be exact.
I've been a keeper since 2016 .
We've been through all the ideas, highs and lows of the start and the continuation of bee keeping .
If anyone sees Alex's videos please become a bee keeper .
We've 10 hives, I can easily make another 5 hives, we do splits .
It's like watching your videos from our past .
Love your videos.
As a note , candles we tried with candles over a period of time .
If we could go back , I would use the wax
Cappings , I would use it all for using it to coat plastic foundation , giving the bees a massive head start.
Selling candles depends on location , price etc .
Put your earnings back into the hives , but not into so much gear .
I've loads of boxes we don't use .
Just trying to help out
Hi Alex, as a follow up please watch one of our favourite bee keepers .
Jeff horchoff bees .
He's from South East louisiana
Awesome commercial bee keeper .
Brilliant bloke
We use Buckfast honey bees , I used to re queen the hives.
But now we let the hives re queen themselves, letting nature take its course .
Hope you look at your comments , by the way love your videos
We use and have for a few years , paynes , Maisemore 6 frame nuc broods and supers.
Plus paynes brood and supers .
We also have 12 frame paynes and Maisemore national boxes .
We prefer nuc boxes as it's much easier to heat the boxes.
Good job on your vids though
Brilliant! Looking forward to more bee stuff! I see Somerset is having an influence on you with the Hot Fuzz references 👌🏼😂
Great content, keep it up 😌👍🏼
Just Alex here from Puerto Rico a beekeeper, try to use a wine cork, shape it to fit ur smoker spout and plug it to stop the smoker and it saves fuel and shut off good luck. Lov ur videos even the gardening.
Enjoying this latest episode as usual bud, one daft thing, twist and lift that crown board or such like, saves potentially lifting frames If stuck down. Daft I know, one thing our mentor told us. 👍
Was always less interested in your Bee videos! This one has definitely changed that!! Very interesting world I knew NOTHING about!!
fermented garlic in honey is actually quite good. look it up
Loved the latest 2 videos
Thanks!
You are one patient person facinating. In a way I agree with the previous comment, be careful who you have as a sponsor
All the best to you Derek. Keep these vids coming
I learn something new from each of your bee videos 🤝
THE GREATER GOOD!! Christ that got me!
It's from the movie "Hot Fuzz" if you have never seen it.
Wondering... remember this is just a question.
When requeening the original hives with the newer brood, instead of killing the older queen... couldn't you give them a smaller box with just her one frame with some of her brood and two empty frames... put her elsewhere close by then checking on them time to time?
Am walking with you every step towards my goal on apiculture
*Bees are looking great, Alex.*
Love these long videos. Thanks for sharing your beekeeping journey! I get so excited when I see a new upload from you 🐝
A new beekeeper so its nice to see your updates and learn some hints and tips
Hurrah! I find your channel the most interesting and relaxing on CZcams! Fascinating as always!
Love how this was only last week some content creators have forever !
Great video! Just a tip that might make things easier. In regards to the new hive and the frames. You really don't need to replace them after a few weeks. The bees will draw out and reattach the comb to completely fill the frame, and usually chew the rubber bands and drag those out. You'll be left with normal frames. It's a personal choice of course, but might make things easier. So you don't have to remember as much!
Hello Alex! So nice to watch another of your lovely videos in the amazing realm of bees! Have a nice day!
Just what I neeeded
Hi Alex, I really love your videos. Calming, informative and inspiring. Another thing I really like about your channel is authenticity. You are just being you...thank you for inspiration. I am aspiring to get into a beekeeping soon :)
Thanks! I hope you managed to try beekeeping one day!
Just started this vid, and before i forget, what a great vid i know it will be.
I must have gotten lucky and have REALLY kind bees cuz I don't work with a suit at all and only have gotten stung twice and both times were my fault cuz I wasn't paying enough attention where I was putting my fingers and gave them a lil squeeze that they did NOT appreciate. Just started with my first two hives beginning of May this year, so I'm very new. Love your videos🥰🐝
I've done this mostly cuz I received my bees weeks before my suit finally came in, so it started by necessity, just smoking myself well before opening the hive. It's worked so well so far that I just didn't bother with the suit. Did buy a separate veil, just to be safe tho.
Some tips for you you can split after the summer solstice after the honey is removed and treat once you have mated queens just before the new brood is capped. Treat for varroa at least twice per year. The first one as early as possible. Use aptlifevar is cheap and works. I kill all my queens after the solstice. Bring them through the winter as a strong nuke. You are doing a fantastic job with your bees and videos. Thanks
My heart swells with joy every time I see you upload! Love your content!
I started beekeeping about the same time as you alex 2 years ago. After studying and researching for years i taken the plunge into beekeeping 2 yrs ago and its so fulfilling.
Keep up the good work Alex good luck with the splits
Side note: also another way to prevent swarming in large hives is to use the checkerboard method
Im from Germany, never had anything to do with bees, but the videos are so relaxing to watch. Glad i found you channel
Thank you for the update s love your videos ,I have just started bee keeping, n you Chanel helps so much ,in fact your mostly to blame lol keep up the goodwork
I love how much research you put into your hobbies. I just know those are some of the best looked after bees!
Great video, I learned a lot watching this, fascinating, I’d love to keep bees
Thanks!
Thanks For the video Alex❤
always happy to see another video of yours, cheers
Absolutely fascinating video! A big WELL DONE to you, Alex!
Thank you for your bee videos Alex! You are the last push I needed to take the plunge and I now have 2 hives! Xxx
Hey Alex,
Thx to your Videos im now an beekeeper to! Im From Germany and 17 Years old in the next Weeks i will get my first new colonies. Im so exitet, thx you for your amazing videos!
I love your videos Alex. They're so chilled and informative.
Thanks for the video!
Actually, I've fermented raw garlic in honey and after a while say a few months, the honey tastes wonderful and I use it to season my dishes that adds a beautiful complexity to the taste.
Thanks for all your content so far! Keep the good stuff (and vibes) coming. Your beekeeping is inspirational.
Fascinating video, there's more to keeping bees than you think, you are so good at explaining things Alex you would make an amazing teacher,
thanks!
Thanks for another good video. I really look forward to your bee updates.
beautiful surroundings you have right there with your bees
Great video, fuck better help! Just so you know they sell everything you say to anyone willing to pay.
Amazing creatures, the symmetry of their work, just art.
Good stuff! For a new beekeeper, this was a great instructional how-to video on colony expansion! Just a quick pointer for your neighbor who had the swarm. If possible, move that swarm to another property several miles away. When they stay in their own yard, they often think they didn't swarm and will leave. But when moved outside of their foraging area, they are convinced they swarmed and won't leave the new box. At least this has been my experience in 30+ swarms.
About bloody time. Been waiting for your latest vid for what seems like ages. You’re definitely in my top 5 subscriptions. Quality content 👍
Ah thanks!
I didn't know beekeeping could be brutal but so is life I guess.
I’ve learned so much just from this video! Will continue watching future videos.
Fantastic content as usual, Alex. My wife and I love to watch your videos together on Sunday mornings; your calm nature and unaffected presentation is meditative. Thank you for sharing all of this with us.
thank you!
Love to see how your bees are doing!
Now that you've dipped your toe into brewing, have you considered making mead? Honey is by far the biggest expense in meadmaking so having your own bees would make it pretty easy! It's my favorite alcohol personally and a great way to use up your honey if you harvest a ton this year. I personally find meadmaking a pretty simple, easy process, all my brews have been probably less than 8 hours of effort on my part, it's mostly waiting
Just a heads up, after they get the comb built out so it sticks to the frames the bees will often chew through the elastic bands and drag them out of the hive! So they might end up removing them before you do. They love keeping a clean house! :)
Fantastic video Alex! Cheers
under a minute! i love your videos, Alex
Youre content makes me so inspired
hello, we have such a tactic in collecting wax in the apiary. We simply add an empty frame to the edge of the hive and the bees expose it with wax and cover it with the drone and then we cut the wax and this also prevents the varroa destructor mite from spreading because they often lay in the drones
Another fantasticly informative and entertaining video Alex. Thank you 👌🏁
Great video Alex! Just to note - queens are not marked on their “head”, the colour is applied to their thorax :-)
Haaa, that's were the ones you gently brought us came from :) It was the sweetest gift!
Better help sells personal and medical data
Very interesting and great explanation.
I always appreciate the work you put into these videos
thank you for the lovely bee update ! i love your music choice in this video too
May I recommend you use double the number of elastic bands when framing comb? Hook two bands diagonally across one side to create a bottom to lay the comb into and hook the remaining two diagonally over it. It works a lot quicker and there is less damage of breaking the comb while trying to thread it between the bands.
Wow! you learned so much about beekeeping already, a great watch.
I love your videos! Happy world bee day!!
May20! 🐝🐝🐝
Lolol the greater good! Loved this video. All the nature sounds! Beautiful scenery! I can't wait to start beekeeping