Chris Slade wrote:
>
> In response to Rex Boys' last mail, I had not realised that to use the
> apidictor it was necessary first to thump the hive to produce the hiss.  This
> cannot be so very different to what I did yesterday to I hive that was
> quieter than the rest.  I pressed my ear to it and gave it a gentle tap (the
> hive, not the ear!).
>

Speaking of which, I have just started using a stethoscope to listen to
my hives, instead of trying to press my ear to it.  This way, I don't
have to stick my head into the snow while balancing on snowshoes, and
press my bare ear against a large, cold, snow-covered object.  The
stethoscope head can be slid under any packing that might be on the
hives, and easily moved around to make at least a rough estimate of
where the cluster is.  The sound is much clearer, because you listen
with both ears at once.  Also, while I haven't tried it yet, I see no
reason why I couldn't use a stethoscope while wearing a bee veil.  And,
when not in use, it could be just clipped around the neck with the head
in a vest pocket, the way doctors do it.

Given these advantages, and their very reasonable price (even a top-of
-the-line stethoscope only costs about $15, cheap ones can be as little
as $6, and they are available at most drugstores), I was wondering why
they don't seem to be widely used by beekeepers.  I've read many
recommendations that we should listen to our hives, but everybody
seems to do it by squatting down and pressing their ear against
it. Is there any particular reason for this, other than a desire to
avoid carrying around yet another gadget?

--
Tim Eisele
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