BEE-L Archives

Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

BEE-L@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 16 Oct 2003 23:54:57 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (86 lines)
Allen asks:
Has anyone direct experience in these matters, and care to comment?

The Russian bee  is  difficult to introduce. The bees which were shipped
with my queen order did not want to feed  the queens in the cages. The bees
in the hives did not want to feed the queens either  while caged.

I suspect the Russian queens have got different pheromones.

Both of the above problems could easily be over looked by many beekeepers
and result in failure.

 My Russian queens came in a battery pack (large box with  queens caged
without attendants and bees  shook on top of the cages) and perhaps  the
bees  shook in the box were not pure Russian.

I doubt a hobby beekeeper buying a Russian queen with attendants in the cage
would not get Russian attendants as the attendants are  pulled usually the
same time and from the same nuc as the queen is caged from.

When I realized the bees in my battery box were not feeding my queens I went
to a hive and replaced all the bees in the battery box with young nurse
bees.  Did not solve the problem. The nurse bees I added were not Russian. I
hand fed  each  queen until installed by putting honey and water on the
cage screen daily.


 I have a hard time telling the Russian worker from a carniolan worker but
the Russian queens   look very different than  carniolan queens.

I have only had the Russian queens since April so really need to wait a
couple years to evaluate before commenting. About the only problem I have
seen so far  I do not like is the Russians  use propolis more than I like.

We were in a severe drought this year and had about half a normal honey crop
so hard to evaluate honey production on the Russians.

* About testing I had  planned on doing this fall on sucrose octanoate &
Apilife Var and had talked about on BEE-L:*

My  testing of sucrose octanoate and Apilife Var   was not done correctly
timing wise for me to evaluate like a researcher would so all I can say is I
used both and they seemed to control varroa. The exact percentages  of
control will not be available. I do plan to try again to conduct  accurate
testing next  spring.

I wrote my friends at Dadant and explained why I was unable to evaluate
their product correctly. Timing is important  and when timing gets out of
line many times the treatment will still work but the  results  in my
opinion are flawed.


I did come up with a  different method of using the sucrose octanoate than
removing every frame and spraying but  with out proper testing and proper
timing I can not say the alternate method is the way to go . I had hoped  to
be able to say for sure but  sadly I can not so those trying the sucrose
octanoate from Dadant next spring need to remove every frame until I can
verify my idea works through testing.

Another beekeeper is using the method but not sure if he is  testing  both
methods or simply using the  new  way. I will see   the beekeeper at our
state meeting next week and maybe find out.

About all I can say about Apilife Var (thymol registered under section 18 in
Missouri on Aug. 28th.) is that the product crumbles easily. Stinks and
burns the eyes if kept in the cab of the truck. Strong hives removed the
product by the time of the next treatment and weaker hives tried to propolis
around the product. Never did the product run the bees from the hive. Twice
pices of the thymol tablet ended up in a gallon feeder of syrup. I found the
piece when I refilled the feeder  as the tablet floated to the top. The bees
seemed unaffected.

At this point about all I can do to tell if the above products worked is to
put in a 98% control strip in for 24 hours with a sticky board and count the
dead varroa. I have still got around nine days to go before I can do final
testing on several yards. I will know in my own mind if they worked but will
have to guess  as to percent of control which is not what I had intended on
doing. I had planned on giving the list valid testing as done by bee labs.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ATOM RSS1 RSS2