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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
Paul Hosticka <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 8 Nov 2017 12:44:07 -0500
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Here we are again.The thread is small hives live longer but we are talking about management to maximize honey production. A better discussion IMHO.

As Gene pointed out honey production is really a surrogate for revenue income. One must measure the labor and input costs as well as the pounds of honey. As Bob pointed out you don't really want the maximum population as early as possible but rather to reach it just before your local main flow. That can vary considerably with geography. Aah, all beekeeping is local. 

In defense of double deeps for me here. I willingly sacrifice a substantial amount of extractable honey believing that it reduces my input cost, both feed and labor. I also believe that with a long winter and the relatively poorer quality of our spring honey I am happy for the bees to consume most of it for their spring build-up. We also have a rather prolonged, on again off again, spring so I have found that no stimulative feeding in early spring greatly helps control swarming. I like to keep the girls a little on the hungry side, by no means starving, until spring settles in and a real flow is a few weeks away. To do this I want them to still be cleaning up the winter stores of 12 deep frames they had in Sept. I also believe that honey is the best insulation. I don't use any kind of winter feeding or wraping in a severe winter envionment. Requires wintering in doubles and alowes for reversing boxes in early spring as a marginable swarm control and the opertunity for a thorugh and perhaps last annual inspection of the bottom box. In late summer we still have a good flow going but it is also when I must control varroa so as to give time for winter bee raising in a healthy colony. The last full supers come off ( annual production typically 150 +/- ) and a LOT of bees are crammed into the doubles. Again I sacrifice honey as they plug the top box but it alows for treatment and greatlly reduces labor and feed.

Of course if your'e going to almonds and shakng packages everything would be different. And the real test would be to manage colonies with sister queens in the same yard. Some in doubles and some in singles and look in your wallet and feel your back at the end of the season. I'll think about it.

Paul Hosticka
Dayton WA

 

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