Long Lane Honey Bee Farms is a family beekeeping business designed to encourage, assist and educate others in the wonderful experience of beekeeping.
Visit Our Website at: www.honeybeesonline.com
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We are David and Sheri Burns at Long Lane Honey Bee Farms, www.honeybeesonline.com
If this is your first or second year in keeping bees, you probably have realized that there are always challenges.
Many of these challenges are baffling, like your queen started out laying well, but now you cannot find her and you can't find any brood. What the heck do you do now?
Not to mention thousands of varroa destructor mites are roaming through your hive biting your bees and spreading viruses that could potentially kill your bees in the winter. You do not realize it because you cannot see them that well.
Not to mention the other issues of when to add another deep or another super or should you place the super on top of the other super or below it? Or should you use a queen excluder? What do you do if the queen lays eggs in your honey super? When do you need to feed your bees? I hear these questions every day because I mentor over 200 beekeepers around the country through my beekeeping coaching program called BeeTeam6.
This week beekeepers have been sending me their pictures asking me what's happening to their hive. Many report good news, and ask questions about how to deal with healthy and rapidly expanding hives. I'm instructing them what to do next. They are so thankful to have a certified master beekeeper to seek advice from.
We can only take 2 more beekeepers into BeeTeam6. After that, you can sign up on our waiting list and if and when someone drops off we will work through our waiting list in the order that you signed up on the waiting list. Avoid the waitlist and sign up today!If beekeeping is more challenging than you thought, we can help!
Do You Know The Early Warning Signs That Your Hive Is Going To Swarm?
I've just made another video explaining why hives swarms and what to look for to detect a swarm before it happens. Please tell others about our beekeeping videos and subscribe and give us a thumbs up! Thank you
Click below to watch my newest beekeeping video just out!
We are David and Sheri Burns from Long Lane Honey Bee
Farms and honeybeesonline.com. I just made a NEW ONLINE COURSE, "How To Control Varroa Mites."
We all know that varroa mites are the main reason most colonies fail. Mites transfer deadly viruses throughout the colony by going after the fat bodies and blood of bees. The bite from this parasite quickly spreads viruses that will eventually weaken and kill your bees. This is one of the fastest spreading parasites in the world. If you ignore mites, or believe you do not have a mite problem, you are wrong. There is so much chatter and misinformation out there about dealing with mites that I've put together a concise, to the point, short course to equip beekeepers with easy to watch and understand videos on how to test and combat mites. Time to cut to the chase and learn specifically how to stop losing colonies due to the varroa destructor mite. Once you make your pre-order purchase you will be sent an e-mail around July 15th containing the video links to my specific videos for this course and a worksheet to help you take notes while watching the video if you choose.
What to expect from this online "Mite Control Course."
Several "how to" video presentations on various control methods such as:
- Green Drone Comb
- Oxalic Acid Vapor Treatment
- Formic Acid Treatment
- Powdered Sugar Dusting
- Screen Bottom Boards
- Breaking the Queens Brood Cycle
How To Test For Mites
- Video presentation on how to perform a mite test.
- How to calculate your findings to determine if you should treat.
- Selecting the appropriate treatment approach based on your test results.
5 Reasons Your Bees May Be Lagging Behind And What To Do About It.
It's not fun to be worried about your bees. If you have more than one hive, maybe one is not keeping up with the other. Or if you just have one hive, maybe you are seeing less and less bees. In fact, even though they should be in 2 deeps with a honey super by now, why are they are still only in one deep. Uh oh!
What are some reasons why bees lag behind? Will they build up before winter, which is only in 179 days?
1. Queen Issue
Usually a queen issue is the number one reason a colony may be lagging behind. If the queen has been replaced by the colony there was a 30 day delay in eggs being laid by a queen so their population is down drastically. Always monitor your queen every two weeks and buy a new queen the moment you see your queen is gone or failing. We have queens available that can be at your house by July 3rd. Click here now before they sell out.
2. Poor Weather
Bees will lag behind when rainy weather delays the number of days they can fly and forage for resources. They need to be able to fly daily to bring in food for their colony to grow. The only thing we can do during inclement weather is to feed bees. If a colony is not on every frame in the deep boxes then continue to feed 1:1 sugar water and add one teaspoon of our pollen powder your sugar water along with honey-bee-healthy.
While it may be too late to start a colony, we are still selling nucs if you need to strengthen a weak colony. Call and secure your nuc 217-427-2678 during our business hours below.
3. Varroa Mites
When a colony is infested with varroa mites they can quickly become sickened by viruses and die early, greatly reducing their numbers. Continue to test for varroa mites every 30 days and calculate those numbers and select one of the proven methods which will reduce mites. If you assume you do not have mites then your colony will eventually fail due to these viruses. Consider taking our NEW Mite Control Course.
4. Pests and Diseases
It is nearly impossible for new beginners to fully grasp the many pests and diseases which threatens colonies on a daily
basis. Usually new beginners bury their heads in the sand and convince themselves that all is well or if it is not, that it will get better. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If something is threatening your bees, you must act quickly before it is too late. Small hive beetles, wax moths, ants and robber bees can quickly weaken or destroy your colony. And, being able to identify American or European foulbrood, chalk brood and other brood diseases can give a new beginner the edge they need to quickly assess and remedy a bad disease.
5. Time & Energy
Beekeeping requires a certain level of time and energy to do it correctly. Sometimes life happens and we cannot sacrifice any time to do what is necessary to keep our bees strong and healthy. In these situations, it is understandable. However, even a few minutes a week can greatly improve the overall health of our bees. Make time, no matter how small at first, to invest in your bees.
Consider taking our New Beginners Bundle Course. Knowing what beekeepers wrestle with the most I put together three classes that will equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to be much more successful in your beekeeping endeavors.
This bundle is for 3 of my top courses:
1. Basic Beekeeping
2. A Day In The Apiary
3. Getting Your Bees Through The Winter
These three courses will give you the information you need to be successful. The basic course will ground you in the fundamentals. The Day In The Apiary will show you what to do out in the bee yard. Getting Your Bees Through The Winter will help you prepare your bees for winter. Save money when purchasing these courses as a bundle. When you order this course you will receive an email with the video links that you can watch in private, on your schedule, on most devices. Still not convinced? Read testimonials from some of our students by clicking here.
Fall is only 89 days away. During fall your bees will need fed. To survive winter, you need lots of bees of winter physiology. Bees in the summer only live around 40 days. Winter bees, those raised in the fall, will live 6 months. If you fail to feed at the right time your colony may not raise the number of winter bees needed to survive the winter. Plan ahead and get your feeding systems in advance. I started feeding as soon as the nectar flow stops here in Illinois which for me is around August 1st.
Bees can keep their colony cool by bringing in water and using it as evaporative cooling. They carry it in their honey crop instead of nectar. On really hot days, when temperatures reach into the high 90s (f) bees often reduce nectar foraging and forage for water instead. Bees can run one gallon of water through their colony in one day to keep it cool.
You can help your bees on hot days by keeping water around on your property. There is no need to put it next to the hive. Instead, place it in your apiary in something like a bird bath with small wooden sticks so bees do not drown.
Consider ways to give your hives some shade on really hot days. Place a large piece of cardboard near or on top of the hive for shade in the middle of the day.
Elevate the back of the top cover to help bees ventilate and pull the hot air from inside the hive. A small popsicle stick will do the trick just below the top cover.
Sheri and I work hard to provide packages, nucs, queens, equipment and classes for the beekeeping community. We pride ourselves in meeting the needs of our customers. We appreciate your business.
We are David and Sheri Burns from Long Lane Honey Bee
Farms and honeybeesonline.com. I am working hard coaching 200 beekeepers across the nation. They email, call and text me for issues or worries they have about their bees. I'm also working hard to produce video just for them and to write informative articles. We have a few open spots if you are interested, just click here.
Dutch white clover (Trifolium repens) is loved by honey bees.
Sometimes people try to plant specific plants around their home to help bees have an abundance nectar source. Honey bees will go to areas where there is a large amount of flowers such as white clover. A few plants around your home will attract a few of your very young bees learning to fly, but the true foraging team is out to bring in the mother load of nectar and will likely fly over what you plant.
In my video today (link provided below)I'll examine several common floral sources around most homes. In my video I will also tell you about a poisonous plant around your home that you may not realize. But just remember your bees will fly over most of what you plant and find a field of dutch clover.
If you are like me, you cannot bring yourself to mow down the most loved flower by honey bees, dutch yard clover. When you mow down your clover you are destroying the main floral source honey bees rely on in the summer. To help your yard look purposeful rather than deserted try mowing around the edges of clover patches so it looks organized.
It doesn't matter what you plant if you are lacking the beekeeping knowledge to maintain a healthy hive. False information, assumptions and bad advice is causing many beekeepers to lose their colonies. Many books cover broad topics but may not focus on specific issues you will face as a beekeeper.
Consider taking our New Beginners Bundle Course. Knowing what beekeepers wrestle with the most I put together three classes that will equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to be much more successful in your beekeeping endeavors.
This bundle is for 3 of my top courses:
1. Basic Beekeeping
2. A Day In The Apiary
3. Getting Your Bees Through The Winter
These three courses will give you the information you need to be successful. The basic course will ground you in the fundamentals. The Day In The Apiary will show you what to do out in the bee yard. Getting Your Bees Through The Winter will help you prepare your bees for winter. Save money when purchasing these courses as a bundle. When you order this course you will receive an email with the video links that you can watch in private, on your schedule, on most devices. Still not convinced? Read testimonials from some of our students by clicking here.
Here Is Our Brand New Beekeeping Video. In this video David looks at flowers bees like and he follows a small hive that is attempting to replace their queen. Watch this hive over six weeks to see if they will kill their queen or keep her. Click on the play button below.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHANNEL AND GIVE US A THUMBS UP.
Be Prepared To Feed Your Bees This Fall
This fall your bees will need fed. To survive winter, you need lots of bees of winter physiology. Bees in the summer only live around 40 days. Winter bees, those raised in the fall, will live 6 months. If you fail to feed at the right time your colony may not raise the number of winter bees needed to survive the winter. Plan ahead and get your feeding systems in advance. I started feeding as soon as the nectar flow stops here in Illinois which for me is around August 1st.
1. Check and control mites. Perform a mite test every 30 days and use Green Drone Comb, powdered sugar dustings, screen bottom board and breaking the queen's brood cycle to control mites.
2. Give your colony room to expand. When 5 frames are drawn out in a box, add another box.
3. Slide the entrance reducer to allow 1/2 of the entrance to be open to aid flights in and out.
4. Do not harvest honey unless it is capped over. Harvesting frames that are not fully capped may result in fermentation of your bottled honey giving it a nasty vinegar taste over time. Your customers or friends will not be happy.
5. Make sure you have supers on hand now in case you need to add additional supers. Always have one they are working on and an empty one they can go into. Otherwise, you might miss capturing the honey flow.
7. Do not split your hives now. It is too late in the season.
8. Only feed from the top, not the entrance. As the season progresses entrance feeders can increase the chance of your hive being robbed and killed. Only feed from the top.
9. Purchase your harvesting equipment now. Knives, buckets, strainers etc.
10. Be prepared for your bees to become slightly more defensive the larger they become and the hotter it gets. Fall colonies are much more difficult to work than smaller, spring colonies.
Sheri and I work hard to provide packages, nucs, queens, equipment and classes for the beekeeping community. We pride ourselves in meeting the needs of our customers. We appreciate your business.
are David and Sheri Burns from Long Lane Honey Bee Farms and Honeybeesonline.com. Life is made better with bees. Beekeeping is so enjoyable, entertaining and soothing. UNLESS! Unless you thought you knew what you needed to know before your bees arrived, but now you realize you have so many unanswered questions.
Wait! Don't freak out just yet. Pour a cup of tea or coffee, get
cozy on your couch and choose one of our ONLINE BEEKEEPING COURSES. From the comfort of your home you can get the answers you need to calm your worries and get on the right track with your new bees. Our courses are NOT Webinars and they are NOT timed classes with other students. Our courses are links to David's course videos that you can watch all at once OR pause, rewind and watch over and over as long as you want.
Click on the courses of your choice below and find out why smart beekeepers keep getting smarter.
We are ready for another year of great, quality queens raised here in Illinois. We will begin taking orders on May 21st at 10 a.m. and if all goes well we will start shipping on Monday June 3rd. Click here to go to our queen page. Now it says "Sold Out" but at 10am on May 21st you can add your queens to your cart. Keep an eye on this page because we will place our quantity available each Monday and as soon as it reaches that quantity for the week, you will have to wait until the follow week to order. We ship UPS overnight around the US.
We
are David and Sheri Burns from Long Lane Honey Bee Farms and Honeybeesonline.com. Life is made better with bees. Beekeeping is so enjoyable, entertaining and soothing. UNLESS! Unless you thought you knew what you needed to know before your bees arrived, but now you realize you have so many unanswered questions.
Wait! Don't freak out just yet. Pour a cup of tea or coffee, get
cozy on your couch and choose one of our ONLINE BEEKEEPING COURSES. From the comfort of your home you can get the answers you need to calm your worries and get on the right track with your new bees. Our courses are NOT Webinars and they are NOT timed classes with other students. Our courses are links to David's course videos that you can watch all at once OR pause, rewind and watch over and over as long as you want.
Click on the courses of your choice below and find out why smart beekeepers keep getting smarter.
The new bee season has made beekeepers so happy that they signed up for our Beekeeping Mentorship Program. They are able to call, email or text Certified Master Beekeeper, David Burns any questions or concerns they have about their bees. Members are calling and asking for guidance about catching swarms, making splits, controlling mites and more. Some are seeking help in evaluating if they have a queen in their hive. Join our mentorship program today. You can join for 6 months, or join on a month to month basis.
Our family beekeeping business has been around before beekeeping was trendy. We know you have so many options. Many people prefer to support a small, family business and we appreciate the support.
Take a look at our work horse of a hive! Comes with 2 deeps and 1 honey super. All include wooden frames with beeswax coated foundation. Also includes an inner cover, top cover and a screen bottom board. Fully Assembled and Painted!
These hives are built right here in Central Illinois. We are a small American business with an EAS certified Master Beekeeper to help answer your questions.
Please Bring Us Your Empty Package Cages
Our cages are plastic so that we can reuse them each year. Next time you visit us, we would appreciate receiving back empty bee buses. Please DO NOT BRING ANY WOODEN CAGES.
Spend The Morning With David Inspecting And Learning The Art Of Working Hives
Saturday June 29th
A Day in the Apiary Workshop is a 1 day class from 8:30am-11am Central time. Held almost exclusively in the bee yard with an emphasis on inspections, being able to identify the queen/drone/workers and the ability to identify problems, diseases or pests in the hive. Participants must wear appropriate protective clothing in the yard. Even if you are superman, you are required to wear long pants, closed toe shoes and hat with veil (or beekeeping jacket/suit). In case of rain, the class still meets in the Training Center and you will be given a date to come back for the outside portion of the class.
David is selling his S70 Bobcat Skid Steer. It's a 2015 model with only 100 hours. Comes with forks, bucket, snow/rock plow and narrow and wide tires on rims. Heated cab, diesel kubota engine. If you are interested call the office during business hours 217-427-2678. Tues-Sat. 10am-2pm Central Time.
We are glad you are keeping bees. Thank you for supporting our family business for all your beekeeping needs.
Sincerely,
David and Sheri Burns
Long Lane Honey Bee Farms
217-427-2678
Our New Spring/Summer Hours 10am-2pm Central Time Tues-Sat.
Happy Summer! We are David and Sheri Burns from Long Lane Honey Bee
Farms and honeybeesonline.com. Slow down summer! We all stay so busy enjoying all the summertime activities that before we know it, summer is gone.
We are excited about our "Getting Your Bees Through The Winter" course available as an online course. You can now take it from the comfort of your home. You must start preparing your hives for winter in August. We worked hard on making this course everything you need to know to prepare for winter!
Also we are excited about one of David's most popular courses now available online.
A DAY IN THE APIARY WITH DAVID
David recorded his Day in the apiary course and now you can enjoy this course online. It is RAW, UNEDITED footage. Watch the video below for some snapshots of this course...
We are now taking Pre-Orders For A DAY IN THE APIARY WITH DAVID. Sign up now.
David's Newest Invention
Over the years David has struggled with a way to inspect colonies without having to lay a frame down smashing bees. Over the last decade you've probably noticed David laying a frame down on its side to capture a queen. For months he worked to create a new product to work frames without smashing and killing bees. He did it!
ONLY 3 DAYS UNTIL OUR WINTER-BEE-KINDS GO LIVE
Beekeepers Around The Country Rave Over Our Winter-Bee-Kinds
In just 3 days, on August 1st, our Winter-Bee-Kinds will be available for purchase. If you've never heard of our Winter-Bee-Kind, it was invented and created by certified master beekeeper, David Burns. He created a way to provide winter ventilation, upper insulation (to control condensation) and winter food for bees. David has a proprietary mix that meets the winter nutritional needs of bees.
For many years beekeepers have relied on the WBKs to get their bees through the winter. Obtaining a Winter-Bee-Kind requires planning!
Even though they go on sale August 1st, they cannot be shipped until cooler weather, in November due to the food content. This means that those who place their orders first will be the first to be shipped in November. YOU MUST QUEUE UP NOW!
For those placing their orders on August 1st, you'll be the first to receive your WBK sometime in November. So be ready to place your order in three days! If you try and order prior to August 1st, it says, "SOLD OUT." But you will be able to follow this link and order on or after August 1st.
You've Made Some Mistakes This Year. Why Repeat These Same Mistakes Next Year?
Now it's time to stop making silly mistakes that caused your colony to become queenless, weak or fail entirely. Beekeeping seems easy. The fellow down the road has some hives and he made it sound easy. The books made it sound simple. Different YouTubers made it sound uncomplicated. Yikes! They were wrong. It's not as easy as it looks. You need a mentor.
Testimonial: "As a new beekeeper, the amount of information available is overwhelming, and often maddeningly contradictory. Also, the situation in MY hives never seems to quite match what the books and websites cover. I longed to be an apprentice to learn from a master, or to have that person come look at my bees and tell me what's going on. But that simply wasn't available to me...until I became a member of David's Bee Team 6! Now I have a certified master beekeeper a phone call, text, or email away. I can send photos so that it's like he's looking over my shoulder into my hive with me. From persistent chalkbrood, to supersedure cells, to marking the queen...David has been there as my guide. He's calm and cheerful and understanding even in the face of a tearful phone call from a distraught new beek. Also as a Bee Team 6 member, I get newsletters and videos with timely info-all of it goes into my three-ring binder, and I refer back to it all the time. I also took his online courses-and I can tell you that they are invaluable! In a world where normal apprenticing isn't practical, David's Bee Team 6 is the answer!"
Rhonda Morton
Corning, NY
Certified Master Beekeeper David Burns saw a problem and came up with a solution. The problem: New beekeepers making mistakes and failing to properly manage bee hives resulting in high losses. The solution: David's mentorship/coaching approach that allows beekeepers to view important videos and read articles pertaining to seasonal issues. And the opportunity to call or email David's personal cell phone when you need advice from a certified master beekeeper.
We are glad you are keeping bees or thinking about it. Thank you for supporting our family business for all your beekeeping needs.
We know you can look around and maybe even save a buck. Thank you for supporting a small, American, family business. Our hives are still built right here in Illinois. We raise all our queens here in Illinois. We appreciate your business.
We are David and Sheri Burns from Long Lane Honey Bee Farms and Honeybeesonline.com. Spring has sprung! It's great seeing the bees flying out and foraging so early here in Illinois.
Many of you will need to make spring splits or else your colony is likely to swarm. Be sure and watch our videos below on making splits. If you are unsure of what you should do, be sure and sign up for our ONLINE SPRING MANAGEMENT COURSE by clicking here. You can take this course from your home, on your schedule. Take the course anytime! You'll receive a certificate upon completion. The course is made up of videos from certified master beekeeper, David Burns. David will walk you through how to make splits, when you SHOULD NOT reverse your bottom deep boxes, swarm control, how to keep your huge hive as one hive for more honey production, and more. Sign up now.
Some Of You Are Getting Started Brand New!! Watch My Videos Below:
Your Hive Made It Through Winter, But Is Your Queen Good?
Now that your hive made it through winter the question is do you have a good queen? What if she died in the winter but you still have bees? Are you tired of buying new queens? Are you frustrated waiting on a queen to be shipped to you? Not to mention you don't know the traits of the queen you are getting. Will she lay well? Will her offspring make lots of honey?
The old paradigm was to just buy another queen. Now, the new paradigm is to raise your own queens. Wait! You can do it. Now you can take David's ONLINE QUEEN REARING COURSE from the convenience of your home, on your schedule, at your pace. Pause the videos and come back to them when you are ready.
Let this year be the year you discover the enjoyment of raising your own queens. One queen shipped to your door is $78. Take our online course for $59 and raise all the queens you need, for less than the price of one shipped queen. Maybe you could start your own queen business for extra income. This class is an essential investment for beekeepers!
Take All The Class You Want, But There's Nothing Like Going Through A Hive With A Certified Master Beekeeper
You've been to conferences. You've watched plenty of powerpoint presentations. You've listened to dry scientists recite their findings. But you aren't getting better at beekeeping. You need to be guided along an inspection with a certified master beekeeper. Join David in a hive. Let him walk you through what to look for, and enjoy David identifying various discoveries in the hive. Here's a list of days you can sign up and come to A Day In The Apiary With David. Choose your date below:
If you have bees, they may swarm. Have a hive ready to put them in. Fully painted, fully assembled, Amish built here in Illinois. American made! Order now.
2 Hives Are Better Than One
Starting with two hives has so many advantages. You can swap frames to balance your hives during the year. If a queen dies, just move a frame of eggs over from the other hive. Check out our Freedom Kit
Don't Waste Your Time Chasing After Ineffective Feeders
The old paradigm of beekeeping used entrance feeders which work well UNTIL it turns cold in the spring and bees cluster. With our Feeding System, the sugar and protein is placed above the cluster so they can consume the much needed spring food on cold spring days without breaking cluster.
Our Last Basic Beginners Class for 2018 Is Friday, April 13th
Come join EAS Certified Master Beekeeper, David Burns on Friday April 13th for his last basic class for the 2018 season. David will guide you through all the various opinions and wives tales and help you choose proven methods to be a successful beekeeper. Come and learn the new paradigm to beekeeping from David. There are still a few spots open! 8am -1pm, Friday April 13th Click here to sign up now for this onsite class at our Training Center.
If you cannot make it to this class and you missed all the other basic classes we offer, take our Online Basic Beekeeping Course by clicking here. Even if you've been keeping bees for awhile, you still need to get the fundamentals under your belt.
I'll Show You How To Feed Dry Protein To Your Bees
I've just produced a video showing many things such as a waggle dance, finding the queen, but I want you to observe how I feed my bees protein through pollen substitute powder in the open. Please subscribe to my beekeeping YouTube channel. I've been on YouTube producing Beekeeping videos since 2008! At the bottom right of each video you can subscribe. We now have over 12,000 subscribers with over 2.9 Million Views!!
What Will You Do When Your Bees Don't Read The Same Books You Do?
There are so many books on beekeeping but bees do not always go by the book. Clubs are full of opinionated people but can you trust them?
Let's face it, knowing what to do and when is the tricky part of beekeeping. Let me be your mentor. I have a special mentorship program called BeeTeam6 where you can call, email or text me concerns or questions you are having about your bees. Plus you receive a weekly tip and a weekly instructional beekeeping video. Even if you are not keeping bees yet, this is perfect to help you gain the education you need before you start. Or if you are starting this year, why not have the extra peace of mind by having someone you can consult. SIGN UP TODAY!
I'm glad you are keeping bees or thinking about it. Thank you for supporting our family business for all your beekeeping needs.
