I use feeder rims on my hives to make room for emergency feeding of dry sugar and protein patties in the winter, but once the bees wake up from winter and have enough to start building new comb, the rims have to come off before the bees fill in the extra space created by the rims with messy comb. That’s what this video is about. And, yup, I find some burr comb.
00:00​ — Introduction to what I’m about to do.
01:30​ — Removing cork from hole to make a top entrance.
02:15​ — Bees crowding inner cover hole usually means they’ve moved to the top of the hive in an effort to build comb downwards.
02:35​ — Using mist on the bees instead of a smoker.
03:00​ — Lifting inner cover full of bees and comb.
03:33​ — Shaking the bees off the inner cover.
04:05​ — Scraping burr comb off frames.
05:15​ — Removing left over dry sugar.
05:55​ — Removing the rim and replacing the inner cover.
06:38​ — Bees scenting and orienting, adding empty super.
Lots of chatting and explaining things throughout the video.
07:55​ — A look inside the hive to see how the bees are doing.
08:35​ — Inspecting the fresh burr comb for eggs.
09:00​ — With the inner cover in the “summer position,” the bees have to wander around the inner cover to find the inner cover hole to get into the hive. That’s why I don’t really get the “summer position” for the inner cover.
10:00​ — Honey bees are scenting to re-orient, but they’re okay.
11:15​ — Assessing the health of the cluster by its size.
11:40​ — Talking about reducing the hive down to a single deep (or two mediums) instead of reserving, because the bees tend to build up better when they can concentrate on a smaller space.
12:30​ — “The End.”