TheCanadianOx

After a rough winter for many Canadian beekeepers, my hives are again filled with life. It is so nice to have that energy back 😁.

I enjoy watching the river of atmosphere that I live under. This is a hyperlapse video featuring - Beò, Sémø's "This Life of Time". Made with iPhone 13 Max Pro, supported by DJI OM 5 and edited with DaVinci Resolve. All music via Artlist.io account.

Enjoying the beautiful golden thaw of the Canadian Savannah. This is central Saskatchewan in April. It is still nippy outside and not that pleasant to stand and eat a face full of wind for too long 😁. The temp is dropping down next week but we are very close to the final turn into spring. I am a Transport Canada certified RPAS (drone) pilot. All footage has been obtained in a safe and legal manner. Music as per Artlist.io account. All this is possible because of DJI and all the beautiful tools they create - filmed on a DJI Air2S.

This is another view of Loreburn Saskatchewan in February 2022. The temp went all the way up to +3 above freezing so I thought I would get some quick filming in. 😁 Back to -10 to -20 for at least another week after today. If you cannot see the beauty in Saskatchewan, you just don't know how to look. Please be aware, I am a Transport Canada certified RPAS (drone) pilot. All footage was obtained in a safe and legal manner. All music via my subscription to Artlist.io.

A crisp January morning in central Saskatchewan. Shot on a DJI Air 2S by a Canadian Certified RPAS pilot. Not only am I learning drone use, photography, videography, I am also learning DaVinci Resolve 17 editing software. Video quality/entertainment value should improve with time. :)

This is a look at Loreburn Saskatchewan on a mild January afternoon. This was filmed in 4K on a DJI Air2s. I could not love DJI more if I tried. 😍 Please note, I am a Canadian certified RPAS pilot. Music via Artlist.io membership.

My dog Brinks really likes the drone. He follows it around and watches it. He will come smell the machine when it is turned off but he isn't scared of the drone at all. I set the active track so the gimbal keeps the camera on the target while I pilot the craft. Even after losing the target, the gimbal/camera can recover the target lock when the target becomes visible again. Very neat tech, I will be filming lots once the snow melts. Filmed on a DJI Air2s by a Canadian certified RPAS pilot in Loreburn Saskatchewan.

Any one else miss those early summer afternoons? Turn up the quality to 4k 😁

This is a native pollinator to Saskatchewan and it's commonly called the Leaf Cutter Bee. Lots of neat info on these little critters but here we can see one fly in and open the flower.

Feeding the flocks of chickadees who live along my backyard. 😁

In this clip you can see two European honey bees using their proboscis to lick up some dropped sugar water feed. This is the same way they get nectar from the bottom of the flower. The bees fold their tongue up and under their jaw. You can also see the "fur coat" that electrostatically grabs the pollen.

This is zoomed in and reduced by 50% speed and you can see the bee grab the petals of the flower so it can pull them apart so it can get the nectar that has collected below. You have no idea how long I chased bumble bees for this little footage.

This is a Furrow Bee and it is a indigenous pollinator to Saskatchewan. These little guys are fast and can be a challenge to film. Like honey bees, the Furrow Bees kind of belly flop land and then they do this little wiggle dance so the bits of pollen will stick to the pollen collecting hair on the outside of the bee's body. The bee will basically roll around in the pollen and then will use it's legs to brush the pollen into more workable balls. If you are wonder "What's the difference from regular bees?" the answer is simple, most of the honey we consume if from the European Honey Bee or Apis Melifera. Humans have brought the European honey with them all over the world. One notable difference to other animals transported around the world, more bees mean more pollinating plants. What I mean is invasive species can take up the resources that would normal go to the indigenous animals BUT the nature of pollinators in general is "More Bee's, more flowers". The way they collect food is so in line with nature that more bees will create the extra food needed to support them. Talk about not only sustainable but something now human I have ever proposed, better that sustainable. filmed July 4th 2021

This is a zoomed in, slowed by 50% video of one of my hive entrances. The balls of color on the bees legs are pollen. They collect pollen in the fur they have all over most of their body and they comb the pollen back to the hind legs. Notice the different colors? The bigger darker looking bees are "drones", these are the male bees and the do not have stingers. The entrance to the hive is a fun and busy area to watch.

In this clip you can see one bee grooming a second bee near the entrance to the hive. One of the biggest threats to honey bees right now is Varroa Mites. Some bees seem to have a more aggressive cleaning habits. The more aggressive cleaners are showing a resistance to Varroa. These bees are not showing that trait per say but the act of cleaning remains the same.

I am always amazed that these little birds can remain in the blowing snow at -40c while while just on a branch. You would think they would build a nest or burrow but they don't. For those down south, it is so cold my phone shut down after about 6 minutes on a little tripod. I do not stay out that long in -40 if I can avoid it. 😁

This is the activity on the front of one of my hives over about 6 hours. When the weather is warm, bees will gather on the outside to keep the hive at the correct temperature for the eggs/larvae inside.

Just a short video of a busy little Apiary in August of 2021.

I am a nurse and I parked my bike outside the ER at the hospital I was working at. This is a patient and family who came out, hit my bike and ran away. This is a low res copy as the RCMP too k the high res version from security. The guy who hits my bike with his truck told the police he hadn't hit anything. Even in 2009, people should have realized there are cameras everywhere. If he had just picked up the bike, I would have had the "accidents happen" attitude but in the end I think he lost his license and his insurance.

A jellyfish between a dock and the break water. This is very early on a cold morning in October of 2012. I do not know what species of jellyfish it is but if someone does, please say which type of jellyfish it is in the comments below. :)

This is a peak inside a "honey super". All those bees are making comb or filling it with honey. A hive in a cold climate like Canada can have up to 80,000 honey bees (Apis Melifera). In the winter, with the help of the extra bees, a hive can generate heat by individual bees flexing muscles. This heat generation will keep a hives +35c inside while outside it's -45c.

A yule bonfire in -15c Loreburn Saskatchewan. As another year passes, may the new one be better than the last.

I was enjoying a nice hot summer night in July and I filmed the firefly's playing in the street light. At first you may think its just the lights reflecting of regular bugs but watch, they put on a show. I will take firefly's over fireworks any day of the week.

Some may find this odd but if find listening and watching mesmerizing.

You have no idea how much fun it is to brand a woodworking project. These were some of my first "supers" used in bee keeping. The boxes were treated with spar varnish on the outside before the bee's move in.