Harvesting Queen Cells: The Easy Way to Make New Queens .
I’m taking you into the yard to demonstrate an essential intermediate beekeeping skill: Harvesting Queen Cells. Whether you’re looking to save money on buying queens or you want to maintain your own high-quality stock, learning how to properly harvest and transport these cells is a game-changer for your apiary.
As a Certified Master Beekeeper, I’ll show you exactly how to identify healthy, capped cells and the delicate process of removing them without causing damage. We’ll also cover the tools I prefer for the job and how to securely place them into queenless nucs or a queen castle for hatching.
In this video, you’ll learn:
How to spot the best queen cells for harvesting.
Why I prefer a razor blade over a standard hive tool for this task.
The “Rule of Verticality”: Why orientation matters during transport.
Installing harvested cells into a Queen Castle or mating nuc.
Record-keeping tips to ensure you never miss a hatch date.
Essential Links & Resources:
Take Rays Beekeeping Course Here: https://www.honeytopbees.com/rays-beginner-video-course/
Visit the Honey Top Bees Store: www.honeytopbees.com
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10 Spring Questions Every Beekeeper Needs Answered NOW
🌸 Spring Beekeeping: 10 Common Questions Answered 🐝
Spring is one of the most important—and most confusing—times in beekeeping. In this video, I walk through 10 common spring beekeeping questions and give you clear, practical answers you can use right away in your own apiary.
Whether you’re working with overwintered colonies or starting fresh with packages or nucs, this video will help you avoid costly mistakes and stay ahead of your bees during the buildup season. 🍯
📋 In this video we’ll cover:
✅ When to add boxes
✅ How to prevent swarming
✅ What to look for during spring inspections
✅ Feeding strategies for spring buildup
✅ And more real-world tips straight from the bee yard! 🌼
Whether you’re a beginner beekeeper or a seasoned hobbyist, spring management is critical to setting your colonies up for a strong honey season. Don’t let your hives swarm away or struggle through the buildup—watch this first! 🚀
❓ Have a spring beekeeping question I didn’t cover? Drop it in the comments below! 👇
🔍 Related topics: spring beekeeping tips, swarm prevention, hive inspection checklist, when to add a super, feeding bees in spring, overwintered colony management, package bees vs nucs, beekeeping for beginners, spring hive management, buildup season beekeeping
📚 Resources & Links
🎓 Ready to level up your beekeeping skills?
Take Ray’s Beginner Beekeeping Video Course — everything you need to start and manage your first hive with confidence!
👉 https://www.honeytopbees.com/rays-beginner-video-course/
🛒 Shop beekeeping supplies & gear:
Visit the Honeytop Bees Store for everything you need in the bee yard!
👉 www.honeytopbees.com
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Queen Excluders: Killing Your Honey Production?
Queen Excluders: The Ultimate Deep Dive
A comprehensive deep dive into queen excluders, addressing the ongoing debate on whether they are truly “honey excluders” or an essential tool for beekeepers. As a certified master beekeeper, I explore the science behind how these devices work as a biological sieve, allowing workers to pass while restricting the queen to the brood chamber.
I cover practical advice on when to add and remove excluders, how to troubleshoot issues like drone trapping or a honey-bound brood nest, and expert tips for managing strong colonies effectively. Whether you use metal or plastic excluders, or even choose to forgo them altogether, this video provides the insights you need to optimize your honey production and maintain a healthy hive.
Key Topics Covered:
-How Queen Excluders Work: Understanding the biological loophole used to separate the nursery from the pantry [04:29].
-Timing is Everything: When to put your excluder on and, more importantly, why you must take it off before winter [05:07], [06:07].
-Drawn Comb Dilemma: Why you should never use an excluder with undrawn foundation [06:30].
-Pros & Cons: The benefits for honey purity and pest management [08:05], vs. concerns like wing damage and drone trapping [10:01], [11:11].
-Hacking the System: Tips like providing an upper entrance or rotating frames to maximize efficiency [14:23], [15:02].
Links & Resources:
Take Rays Beekeeping Course Here: https://www.honeytopbees.com/rays-beginner-video-course/
Visit My Store: www.honeytopbees.com
Interested in the Vapor smoker shown here? Use promo code Ray20 for a 20% discount!! Go to https://apisolis.us/shop/?ref=413
The Demaree Method Actually Works! See The Results in this Inspection!
We perform a three-week follow-up on a Demaree split in Hive 14. As a Master Beekeeper, I’ll walk you through exactly what to look for when inspecting a split to ensure your swarm management is on track and your honey production is maximized.
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We’ll cover the critical pillars of a hive inspection, including:
Queen Status: Verifying her location below the excluder and performing a quick clip for safety.
Brood Patterns: Checking for fresh eggs and larvae in the new brood nest while seeing how much of the old brood has hatched out up top.
Nectar Management: Assessing how the bees are backfilling frames as the spring flow begins.
Action Steps: Demonstrating how to “checkerboard” frames to provide the queen more laying space and keep that swarming impulse suppressed.
Whether you are a beginner or looking for advanced beekeeping techniques, understanding the Demaree method is a game-changer for keeping your bees at home and filling your honey supers.
Take Ray’s Beekeeping Course Here: https://www.honeytopbees.com/rays-beginner-video-course/
Shop Honey Top Bees: www.honeytopbees.com
#Beekeeping #DemareeSplit #HoneyProduction #MasterBeekeeper #HiveInspection #HoneyTopBees
Why I’m Splitting This Observation Hive
Join Master Beekeeper Ray Hewitt from Honey Top Bees for a detailed look inside an observation hive! In this video, Ray performs a critical spring inspection and a walk-away split to manage an overcrowded teaching hive.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced beekeeper, you’ll learn valuable techniques for hive management, including how to identify when a hive is ready to swarm and the step-by-step process of moving brood to a nuc box to create a new colony.
In this video, we cover:
Evaluating hive health and brood patterns in an observation hive.
How to find a marked queen bee in a crowded colony.
Performing a “walk-away split” to prevent swarming.
Adding fresh frames to give your bees more room to grow.
A look at the unique indoor setup of an observation hive.
🐝 Take Ray’s Beekeeping Course Here: https://www.honeytopbees.com/rays-beginner-video-course/
🍯 Visit our store for beekeeping supplies: www.honeytopbees.com
Don’t forget to Subscribe for more expert beekeeping tips and tricks!
New Beekeeper? Here’s How to Install Your First Package of Bees
Ray from Honeytop Bees demonstrates how to install a package of 10,000 honey bees into a temporary bee hive, a critical step for beekeeping for beginners. This guide covers the process for both temporary nucs and permanent setups, ensuring every new beekeeper can successfully introduce their queen bee and colony. Learn how to become a beekeeper with these essential tips.
Links Mentioned in Video:
Take Rays Beekeeping Course Here: https://www.honeytopbees.com/rays-beginner-video-course/
Visit the Store: www.honeytopbees.com
Interested in the Vapor smoker shown here? Use promo code: Ray20 for a 20% discount!! – Go to https://apisolis.us/shop/?ref=413
Your Beehives Are Probably in the Wrong Place
Ray, a certified master beekeeper from Honeytop Bees, shares 10 essential tips for optimal bee hive placement. Learn how to consider factors like foot traffic and sun exposure to create the best environment for your honey bees. This guide is perfect for anyone interested in beekeeping or urban farming practices.
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Ray’s Guide to Successful Walk-Away Beehive Splits
Learn the art of successful walk-away beehive splits with Ray’s comprehensive guide, perfect for beginner beekeeping enthusiasts and experienced bee farmers alike. In this informative video, Ray shares his expertise on how to split beehives, ensuring a thriving colony of honey top bees. Whether you’re interested in backyard beekeeping or large-scale bee farming, this video provides valuable insights and tips on beekeeping for beginners, covering essential topics such as hive management and honey bee health. As a seasoned beekeeper from South Carolina, Ray’s guidance is tailored to help you navigate the world of beekeeping, from setting up your first hive to harvesting honey from your bustling colony of honey bees. With Ray’s expert advice, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful beekeeper, capable of maintaining healthy and productive beehives, and enjoying the many rewards that come with beekeeping, including a bounty of delicious honey. By following Ray’s guide to walk away beehive splits, you’ll gain the confidence and knowledge needed to take your beekeeping skills to the next level, making this video a must-watch for anyone interested in beekeeping videos and bee farming videos.
Resources for Beekeepers:
🎓 Take Rays Beekeeping Course Here: https://www.honeytopbees.com/rays-beginner-video-course/
🍯 Shop Honey Top Bees Gear & Products: www.honeytopbees.com
Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE for more beekeeping tips and hive updates from Honey Top Bees!
Moving a Beehive? Here’s What Goes Wrong and Tips to Get it Right
Moving a Beehive 🐝 — What Goes Wrong & How to Avoid Disaster (Beekeeping Guide)
Thinking about relocating your bee colony? Moving a beehive is one of the trickiest parts of beekeeping — and if it’s done wrong, it can lead to lost bees, queen stress, overheating, or disorientation of foragers. In this video, we break down the real issues that happen during hive moves and share what actually goes wrong so you can learn from it and keep your bees safe. Whether you’re moving just across the yard or planning a long-distance transport, these tips and lessons will help you avoid the most common pitfalls.
👉 What you’ll learn in this video:
✔️ Why hive moves fail when done incorrectly
✔️ Mistakes that stress or kill colonies
✔️ Important precautions before lifting a beehive
✔️ How to plan, pack, and transport safely
📌 Perfect for:
🐝 New and experienced beekeepers
🚚 Anyone planning a hive relocation
📚 Beekeeping equipment & management enthusiasts
🔔 Like, comment, and subscribe for more practical beekeeping tips — from hive setup to honey harvest!
📷 Follow for more beekeeping content
#Beekeeping #BeehiveMove #BeeSafety #HiveTransport #BeeManagement
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