There hasn't been any activity on this line in a long time.  Maybe due
to summertime activity?  I've been conversing with others but not via
this list, so I thought I'd post my last correspondence in an attempt to
stir things up a little.
 
 
Ed,
 
   Sorry not to have responded sooner.
 
   Concerning your questions...  I have ALWAYS used queen excluders.
I was always concerned about having the queen move up to use the honey
supers as brood chambers.  Did you ever experience this?  I really
can't say as to whether they make a difference or not since I've never
gone without.  When I first started keeping bees I used the cheap plastic
kind and they were a real mess!  Between burr comb and propolis, and the
fact that they lie in contact with the tops of the frames, I believe
they were more bother than anything.  I've since tried wire excluders
and have found them to be far superior.  Since there is a gap between
frames and excluder, the bees don't seem to fill them with 'gunk'.  They
still build burr comb on them/in them, but a few minutes in a warm over
will melt that and cleanup is relatively easy.
 
   About American Bee Journal (ABJ),  I found it to be very interesting.  A
bit more comercial than I needed (Honey prices in Argentina?!), but also
a good source of information that you won't be likely to find elsewhere.
Also some good tips - I remember one article written by the guy in Guiness
Book of Records for most honey from a single hive (400+ pounds!).  It was
particularly interesting.  Couldn't tell you when it was published.
Eventually though, I found I wasn't reading it very often and I let my
subscription expire.
 
   Ventilation: I have ventilated some years and other years I have not.
All my hives have inner and telescoping outter covers.  During honey season
I leave the outter cover propped up on the front of the top super instead
of lieing flat.  As far as between super ventilation I can't say whether
it makes a difference or not.  I don't recall if it made a noticable
difference in temperament of the hive or effected production (although I
don't keep records).  This year (The year of the record Honey Flow!), I
didn't provide between super ventilation.  So, who knows?
 
   Finally, Maxant.  I've heard of them, but I don't know anything about
them now.  Actually my only exposure to the company is seeing their ads
in ABJ.  I was on their mailing list for a while, but I never bought
anything from them so they either dropped me from their list or loss
of my business made them go bankrupt.  I assume the former but I really
don't know.  I get my supplies from a local bee keeper and Dadant
distributer who passes his discount for large orders on to us little guys.
You can't beat that!
 
   Closing with a disclaimer.  I'm a hobby bee keeper who read so much
that the only thing left to do was to just do it.  So I got a beginner
kit from Sears and started in '72 and have been at it ever since.  I
have no training other than reading and shooting the breeze with other
beekeepers and I only have a small apiary (currently only four hives
although I like to keep a half dozen).  Indeed it is nice to correspond
with others in the field.
§Aaron Morris        Ed Sterling          8/11/89 Bee questions