Fred's Fine Fowl Videos

July First! Things are happening around here finally :) :) :)

HAPPY WORLD/NATIONAL HONEY BEE DAY :) :) :) If it's helping the bees, it's helping all of us! :) :) :)

There are FLASHING lights in this video!

Know your Bees :) :) :)

Female Eastern Bluebird May 4th eating black soldier fly larvae.

These are black soldier fly larvae. I've been feeding them to the Eastern Bluebirds all spring. When it's raining or snow-covered, this has provided them with an excellent nutritional boost. They are also being exploited by Cardinals, Hairy Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Grass Sparrows, and many other species, but the Bluebirds don't normally come to feeders. I'll be following these nesting pairs throughout the summer to see how successful their reproduction is. We'll be looking in on them and sharing the progress. I expect great things. I attracted them to my feeders with Black Soldier Fly Larvae by GrubTerra https://grubterra.com/products/grubterra-5lb-black-soldier-fly-larvae?variant=31356933472369

Of all the years to start feeding Eastern Bluebirds with Black Soldier Fly Larvae, this was a good one! With the late-season snow and cold, knowing that they received a dependable source of protein for survival and calcium for those spring eggshells is just a feel-good thing. I knew that people fed, or offer mealworms but as it turns out the black soldier fly larvae are nutritionally better. https://grubterra.com/products/grubterra-5lb-black-soldier-fly-larvae?variant=31356933472369 I also hope that as they are nutritionally fortified, the Bluebird pairs will be better able to defend their nests from the House Sparrows that have killed so many of their nestlings in the past. We'll see.

IF you propagate plants for pollinators, you'll improve the planet for people in the process 🙂 🙂 🙂 The more you know, the less you'll mow. It's a great way to Bee. Happy Friday!

TODAY, it's in the 60's... finally... foragers are OUT... heavy wind gusts really challenge these honey bees.

We are having unseasonably warm weather, so I decided to give some of the foragers something to do. This is Ultra-Bee Dry Pollen Sub on egg cartons. :) This amount of pollen split among 21 colonies isn't enough to make a significant impact, nor would it boost brood rearing. Feeding pollen patties inside hives this time of year has also not proven to boost brood significantly and that's why I don't recommend pollen patties in fall, but they do serve to boost brood production for those who need that in spring. This was put out just to occupy the foragers and curb robbing stress. The reason I don't recommend pollen patties to my viewers in the fall is just to save you some $$$, it's not proven to result in significant wintering benefits.

Well, the weather has turned... let's see what winter brings...

Something is going on with these possums visiting the bee yard. The skunks have given up and this possum kept running between alarms in total confustion. There are six motion-activated night alarms in the apiary at the moment.

At 0300 Sept. 3rd. A large possum decided to visit the bee yard and snack on some bees. Well, foiled again... Happy Friday

"Something" has been climbing on the face of the elevated hives. I decided to put a camera out on the specific hive AND added a motion detector noisemaker. This is poor quality video, but the culprit was successfully routed. I have these noisemakers under review and will share my results and thoughts in the near future. So far, so good :) It's a large hungry possum, now suffering from ringing in his/her ears.

Are your Honey Bee Hives Safe from Skunks?
I am often asked about why I elevate my hives to a 16" landing board height, or higher. I explain that skunks will stand on tip-toes to coax bees out of the hives at night. Then I'm often told, "skunks don't expose their bellies to the bees and won't do that". As is always my practice, I test those theories. This landing board is exactly 16" from the ground. So, we've extended that height to 17 or 18" with the adjustable legs. This video was captured on July 21st. Are your bees defensive? This may be one of many potential causes.

Fresh rainwater and pollen... things are looking good around here :)