Al, its called bearding. they do what you figured out.
Keep an eye on swarm activity to be sure, and maybee add a aditional box if neaded. Unless you want a swarm but its a bit late…
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I lost my hive last winter. Had 20 lbs of honey in the spring and a thick layer of dead bees.
I have read that treating with vaporized oxalic acid works well to control varroa mites and won’t hurt the bees or honey.
Does anyone have reccomendations and when to treat?
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You treet whenever there is no brood in the hive. Oxalic only works on adult bees, not in the cells like formic.
When you install a swarm, when the new queen hasnt started to lay yet and in winter.
A way is allso to cage the queen for 21 days, let her go then treat a few days after. All the brood is hatched and the new brood is yet uncapped.
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Michael, I’m sorry for your loss. 
I decided to pick up beekeeping again, and have a show hive here at work (on camera when they want a weather picture) . last year work management contacted a local bee “preservation” group (company) that moved a 2 deep hive here. They asked me about doing it, I gave them a startup cost estimate, and they went with the “feel-good” company. I had spent a week preparing the “perfect” area, landscaping, wind block, etc. Just as they perscribed. The hive was pretty-painted by a local artist. The bees looked healthy (but got mean fast, so I was wondering if the queen was OK), but the “feel-good” company never came back to even open up the entrance reducer, let alone check on hive health. I had to stand by and watch. The bees were all dead, and the hive robbed out in Spring. This year, I offered to start again, since the feel good company had been ignoring our attempts to contact them. I got permission (since I said I would pay all expenses) to start a new hive. I got an order in literally past the last minute to get a spring package (It was a God thing, Praise the Lord!) MY bees are doing fine, although I need to check again…I’m still new at this mite thing. Need to do a sugar-roll or something 
As soon as the feel-good company got wind of my hive, they refused to work with me and took their painted-pretty empty-dead hive away. Time will tell If I did the right thing. Seems promising so far. I think they might have thrown a swarm when I was looking the other way. Bees! are crazier than ME!!
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My neighbor and I each set up 2 hives (2 deep) and bought 4 local nucs. $$$. All the bees seem to be thriving but no open hive inspections have been done.
On these warm 75 degree days I love sitting about 6 feet away and watch them buzzing. The blackberries are in full bloom now.
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I was inspecting the bees and playing with the new varroa counting app a bit so l ended up with lots of pictures. Thod l wuld share if anyone is interested.
I have 5 hives with 3 different hive systems. So far l like the Longstroth style the most. The Warre hive ( natural comb) just had a bad swarm installed, all bees were treated equaly yet the Warre hive just doesent do good. No varroa on sight from the other 4 but this one is terible. I dont want weak bees so l will leave them to nature and not help them much more…
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Mr bear came calling and was quite rude.
At least he didn’t destroy the hives, mostly just knocked every thing over.
I spent the day resetting everything and set up a motion light and trail camera. Hoping I can catch him having a shocking surprise.
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14 thumbs down on Mr bear. 20k volts on fence???
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Not sure of voltage but during testing it sure put me away
120v AC POWERED and advertised as good for15 miles of wire
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One of my hives survived the winter. Now that a few days have gone above 50 degrees they are beginning to get active.
On a 60 degree day about a week ago I gave them an oxalis acid treatment.
Bought a nuc of local bees and set it up in the dead hive.
Yesterday warmed up to 70 degrees and they were really happy.
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Has anyone ever used the horazonal hive system for rising bees here on this site and how has it worked out for you lately after this last season.
I am thinking about building one of these hives. I like the no heavy boxes to stack and lift.
The hives are set up and designed for a more natural way bees live and expand in building their combs in their hives. Also you do not need to disturb the whole hive when expanding it for bee growth.
Lots of free designs on horizontalhive.com by Dr. Leo Sharashkin and others have now expanded with their improvements and designs modifications. I am reposting this site that Al Frick @trikebuilder57 posted. Thanks Al it is a great site for natural bee keeping. It is also very inexpensive way to get into bee keeping by recycling wood to make everything. The frames that holds the comb sits in is taller and not as wide frame as the American commercial bee keeping comb frames. Very interesting reading of how the rest of the world keeping their bees and how they treat their bees to keep them healthy.
People are now building longer horizal hive boxes that fit more the commercial frames size so they don’t have to stack and unstack their boxes.
Bob
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Well I had 2 wild swarms I caught last year in a double horizontal hive, they did great, but became honey bound, and died over the winter. It was my fault I didn’t take any honey from them last summer, wanting them to have enough food for winter. They filled all 14 frames with honey, none left for brood, so there wasn’t enough bees to keep warm. 
The nuc I bought last spring is doing fine, they were the ones I was concerned about not making it.
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Are you using the conventional frames that the commercial bee keeps use or are using the taller Layens frames. I am looking for used wood to start building. Going to build the insulation box hive because of the cold we have here in the winter and very hot dry weather we have in the summer months.
https://youtu.be/C0V9U54jgow this is a good interview with Dr. Leo Sharashkin.
Bob
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Here are two more videos on showing the Layens horizontal hive with Dr. Leo Sharashkin at one of his conferences into his home town and at his home in Mo.
Bob
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Bob, scroll up abit to see my horisontal hive. In short, the bees liked it and its a joy to work with but im surpriced to see Als bees being honewbownd. In my experiances it was the opposite.
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Hi Kristijan, from what Dr. Leo says that is when they run out of room for making honey in the hive. By removing the honey comb or giving them more frames to work on prevents this. A good healthy hive of bees usually will make more honey than they need for the darth or winter months says Dr. Leo. I will scoll up and look at your hive. Thanks for your input.
Bob
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The Longstroth is the hive system that is mostly used here in the USA. Do you also use the Layens horizontal hive system? No box stacking and unstacking to inspect the bees. I like that concept in working with bees. I have always been fascinated with them and wanted that times to rise them,but life seemed to get in the way, or I did not live in the right place. I now live in the right place, and life you just move over it is time.
Bob
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Hi, Bob. I have not used a horizontal hive, but like you, It looks like a good thing to try. Dr. Leo S. has been on my radar for a couple years, and his results are hard to ignore. This year I have pre-ordered two-5 frame medium (10 frame box) Nucs which are bees and a queen established with some brood and food. They won’t be ready until the end of May, then I pick them up near Delphos, Ohio from a breeder of Carniolan bees about 60 miles away. One hive is for Fort Wayne, In WPTA TV (workplace) location and the other for home. Hope that doesn’t overwhelm me. Last years’ package bees hive failed early Fall, either from my incompetence, or disease, or CCD. I thought they were working hard, but they were getting robbed out in a frenzy… happened very fast, then the hive was empty of everything. No Bees. Bees can break your heart. Try, try again is my theme. Beekeeping: another rabbit hole… 
!!
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I thought while I wait to find more free materials so I can work on my gasification projects, I could do some wood working. No not make fuel, but to build some bee swarm NUK boxes. I had a piece of plywood laying around and other wood to make them.
From Brink’s Bees site he shows how to build three simple swarm traps out of one piece of plywood.
I drilled 1/8" holes in the corners just in case water got into the hive. The bees will probably pluged them up.
The frames have a small foundation strip at the top and vertical wire running down to help support the comb, because of the larger frames.
I made a sliding block that will vent, close, or open and partial screen entrance opening , just by changing the block around.
The frame design are a Langstroth frame and Layens hybrid. They are shorter only 12 1/8 " but wider than a Layens frame 19" wide.
Why the odd size? So the swarm boxes can also be used in a modifed insulated Horizontal Hive that I am building for the climate I live in. It will house three hives in one box hive. One colony on each end and one on the back side in the middle. Or just two larger colonies on each end with a spliter borad in the middle.
Bob
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