> Okay Allen! thank you for your detailed comments - yes, with a
> large operation you certainly can't waste time with fussy
> operations and colony conditions which vary too much. Extensive
> vs. intensive management, as they say.
> I could afford to play around since I was only making about
> 1000-1500 sections. Still, the flows not being very predictable
> around here, I was pretty pleased with what I was able to
> accomplish. I did try supering with rounds on 2 brood boxes but
> it was more inconsistent and they didn't get finished as well.
> I could afford to play around since I was only making about
> 1000-1500 sections. Still, the flows not being very predictable
> around here, I was pretty pleased with what I was able to
> accomplish. I did try supering with rounds on 2 brood boxes but it
> was more inconsistent and they didn't get finished as well.
>
> Spring splits -- I should note that some of the best early comb
> honey crops (basswood/honeysuckle/locust) were "got" (with the
> swarming controlled) by just reducing a strong 2-story hive (on
> verge of q. cells) to one brood chamber, with the queen, and 3-4
> brood frames only. Plus a food frame or two; rest empty drawn comb.
> I did this first as a desparate swarm control measure (with
> suprising results).
We always gave them all the brood. Should have tried your method
more often perhaps.
We did break strong (swarming) doubles in half, put comb on both and
let them make their own queen in half -- the same thing, I guess --
but we preferred to do the breakdown before it got to that.
>
> Sort of like making a nuc and putting it back on the main stand.
> The rest of the brood was set aside to raise a queen and I could get
> an extracting super or two filled to boot. Anyway, these 1 - story
> hives supered with round sections would do amazing work (timing must
> have been important just the same). 5-8 supers easy before the
> darker honey started in. And once they were going at the sections
> they never seemed to even think about swarming. Given the
> propensity to work so well, they probably would have even made nice
> work of square sections. It was also interesting to see the queens
> laying right up to the hive walls in that single box; brood "wood to
> wood" in the frames.
>
> Which is to say that I agree with what you found through your
> efforts. Maybe someday I'll get back into sections again, at least
> in the home yard "dirty dozen". I know there is a big demand even
> still for any kind of sections.
> Reason why I sold all that
> equipment was the high cost of all the rings, labels, caps, etc. and
Yes, we're a dealer and that helps, but the cost of these parts
hasn't been keeping up with inflation, so they are becoming
relatively reasonable. The trick is to run at least 100 boxes (20
hives) and get quotes from several dealers -- Kelley, Dadant, etc.
prices drop quite a bit in such quantity. Tom Ross has been steadily
promoting round combs and the market for finished combs is expanding.
> I decided cut comb might be more compatible with the regular extr.
> equipment. (Unfinished sections are such a headache).
We usually put the robbed unfinished sections back on as bait, and
they would be seconds or often firsts in the market we sold into.
having some seconds to sell helps in some marketing plans.
> Plus I had
> trouble getting a good wholesale price on the rounds, problems with
> granulation - you know well! There is an art to it in many ways.
That's the truth. I wonder how prices will be with the increased
prices of bulk honey? I wonder what the latest word is on bulk
prices. I heard that Argentine honey is bidding lower now.
>
> BTW I only messed with the 2 queen stuff for about 3 years; then
> discovered the approach mentioned above -- never actually determined
> which would be the preferred routine as I changed back to extracting
> frames exclusively.
>
> Well, thanks again for taking the time to reply; always enjoy
> hearing from you. have a great one... JWG
Well we're 100% extracting now here too -- although I have 300 Ross
Rounds supers downstairs (probably sold). We may get in again later,
but we got out in preparation for a large dedicated pollination
contract that didn't work out for this year.
Comb is ideal for a small operation that doesn't want to mess with
extracting, and wants to make a big return. We usually made double
after costs on what extracting paid per hive.
As you say, the management is much harder, though.
Yeah, thanks Joel. Fun to discuss this. I'll post this reply. I'm
sure you have no objection even though your reply came to me direct
-- perhaps in error.
I think that some on the list have been following this thread. We
have several budding comb producers out there.
Regards
Allen
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>
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