I am a small-time beek and have two Italian hives on a metal/wood stand
about 1.5 ft off the ground and similar to Randy have them on a southeast
facing low
open hill with plenty of sun exposure.  They get plenty of warmth and stay
out of the tall foggy-wet morning grass in a CA East Bay metropolitan
valley.  Other than some spring weak build-up and a summer supersedure
issue they have done OK this season.  They have had good nutrition and are
still (late Oct) bringing in some pollen and late Fall nectar to raise fat
bees for Winter.  I have taken sticky-board and alcohol wash mite counts
since June and treated the hives for mites two-three times this season with
formic acid, fed supplement once in Oct, plan to do so again in Nov along
with 2:1 syrup.  So far I have not noticed any signs of DWV but have found
only minor wax moth larva damage.  I will be giving them an oxalic acid
treatment in Nov.  Given the circumstances, I'm pleased that average honey
production is about 30lbs/hive, low by most (if not all) honey

producers standards/targets, but as a small-time beek I'm just happy they
made it through the season!  Next Spring I will be using the hive with the
least mites (4 in 24hr NMD - 6 in alcohol wash) this season as my queen
breeder hive and going to split them in late March 2013.

Scott Ball
Livermore, CA

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