Hello,
There is a gentlemen in my area that is a "full time bee remover".  He and
his employees cover a five state area and have spent a lot of time studying
bees in the wild.  He has removed some massive colonies over the years, and
in spite of the demise of feral colonies still keeps quite busy.  He sees
bees living the way they think is best, rather than what we think is best
for them.  His observations have lead to a number of conclusions with
respect to "what the bees like".  The first thing he tells you is throw away
your bottom boards.  The bottom entrance is there for the beekeeper not the
bees.  They prefer a smaller  opening near the top of the brood nest rather
than the bottom. All his commercial hives (he produces some honey and does
pollination) have plywood bottoms with no openings, except for a small one
near the top.

His favorite story he relates is when he became friendly with Charles Mraz.
He met Charlie at a point in his career when he thought he knew a lot about
bees.  Charlie told him "you've read all books and know what the experts
have to say, now why don't you go and learn from the best teachers, the bees
themselves."

He has a lot of ideas based on his observations of thousands of feral
colonies.  Some conflict with conventional wisdom, but they usually make
sense.

Ron Bogansky
Kutztown, (eastern) PA, USA


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