✈️👨✈️🐝 Back from the skies & into the hives! Your favorite airline pilot beekeeper is here with a HUGE Zone 9b update after a couple of weeks away. We're talking end of the flow, crazy weather, and queen dramas! You won't believe what the hive scales revealed!
🤔 How did a mid-flow drought bring honey production to a screeching halt, and what revived it? (Hint: 📊 + 🌧️)
🧐 What's the real success rate when introducing virgin queens, and what's the plan for breeding mite-resistant genetics from just one survivor?
🤯 Ever wondered what happens to mini-mating nucs when left unattended for two weeks, or seen a truly "honey-bound" hive?
📍 Highlights in this episode:
✅ Jaw-dropping hive scale data: See exactly how rain (or lack thereof!) impacts nectar flow during a critical period.
✅ The Missouri Mitehunter saga: From five queens down to one – the highs and lows of breeding for mite resistance.
✅ A stunning look inside a super honey-bound observation hive and what it teaches us about bee behavior.
✅ The unfiltered truth about mini mating nucs when you can't manage them daily (spoiler: absconding alert!).
✅ Updates on the double queen hive experiment: lessons learned on timing and setup for better honey production.
✅ Wrestling with a massive Demaree hive: insights into late-flow management and using "stinky boards" for harvesting.
✅ A sneak peek into the upcoming Harbo Assay to quantify mite resistance in the new queen line.
🎙️ Phew! That's a lot, right? If you made it through this jam-packed episode, tell us your biggest takeaway in the comments below! 👇 Hit subscribe so you don't miss our next bee adventure!
#BeekeepingAdventures #Zone9bBees #HoneyFlow #QueenRearing #MiteResistance #HiveManagement #BeeData #BeekeepingTips #EndOfFlow