How To Hive Tool Test A Queen

[Countryboy]

This is an amusing video showing how I give a hive tool test to a queen, for those who do not yet understand what the hive tool test consists of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfCdserhzbg

[KevinR]

OMG! You killed Kenny!! ermm Queenie..

[Countryboy]

This is actually a short clip taken from a longer video I am uploading to YouTube. Once I get that video posted, you will see why I killed that queen. I took great delight in killing her too.

[Omie]

Poor thing! What a terrible brute you are!

[Countryboy]

Yes, I'm the poor thing. She's the terrible brute. I normally like to wear a t-shirt and veil, but her offspring convinced me to suit up. They lit me up like a Christmas tree.

This should give you a better perspective of the situation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmmtjFgdqz8

[pine_ridge_farms]

Nice job. I had to give one a hive tool test this evening. Spotty brood pattern. Love the videos!

[Omie]

Yes, I'm the poor thing. She's the terrible brute....

This should give you a better perspective of the situation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmmtjFgdqz8

The poor bees! You are so mean!

[KevinR]

Look like the bees I sucked up in a bee vac from a cut out.

They were bent on my death... They have calmed down a lot.

What bee jacket are you wearing? Looks like it's mesh, and the zipper for the hood looks better than mine.

[Adrian Quiney WI]

I am another who has been enjoying your videos. Informative, clear, and well done. Keep posting please.

[brac]

I will chime in and proudly say, I have the same jacket! He is wearing an ultra-breeze. Looks bee proof to me.

[Beeslave]

Great job on your video, But.....

Why was there never a cloud of smoke near the hive or smoke coming out of your smoker except at the end when you did the newspaper combine. Even then the smoke that come out was minimal and it was never blown "into" the hive. I agree that hive was aggressive but if that smoker was used properly they wouldn't be so bad.

Just like the media........

[Gregg]

I was thinking the same thing as Shannon when I watched the video, "where's the smoke"? I have encountered hives much worse than that (i.e., not even being able to see through the veil there were so many bees on it) when not smoked, that act completely normal when smoked.

[honeyman46408]

I have one or 2 like that now Gregg

[melliferal]

I will chime in and proudly say, I have the same jacket! He is wearing an ultra-breeze. Looks bee proof to me.

Good thing, too. Those bees looked like they were doing everything but calling him names. And I'm not even sure they weren't...

[Countryboy]

What bee jacket are you wearing? Looks like it's mesh, and the zipper for the hood looks better than mine.

It is an Ultra Breeze jacket. I have only been stung once through it, and that was when I was carrying a plugged out super. I pinched a bee between the box and my belly, and the box compressed the jacket just enough the bee could get her stinger through the jacket and into me.

My jeans on the other hand, are not sting proof...

Great job on your video, But.....

Why was there never a cloud of smoke near the hive or smoke coming out of your smoker except at the end when you did the newspaper combine.

YouTube requires I keep my videos less than 11 minutes. (They say 10 minutes, but you can go 10 minutes and 59 secs.) I recorded over an hour of footage to make this video.

When I edited the video, I tried to save the most important parts, such as when I was explaining things. It was not intentional, but blowing smoke at the bees was "dead time" that got edited out.

If you would really like, I can go back through the footage I recorded and find spots where I blow smoke at the open hive and tons of bees instantly go airborne. When I would smoke an open box, about half would go back down into the box, and the other half would go airborne.

It seemed as if the bees really hated smoke, even though it was cool smoke.

[melliferal]

I think an excellent epilogue to your video would be a new clip of the requeened hive, demonstrating how much easier the colony is to work; just to drive the point home, so to speak.