Dear Blair,
 
Thank you so very much for your thoughtful letter on bumblebees! I am
going to try to get some colonies started next spring to be able to
study them. I enjoy the image of the queen keeping her brood warm like a
mother hen - I have seen this in wild bumblebee hives that I have found.
 
Regarding mite control - Apistan strips are generally used for
controlling Varroa after the fact. I have found that keeping colony
strength high so that bees don't get robbed by infected colonies - and
by providing feed when necessary so that my bees don't rob (also helped
by a strong colony) that I don't get them. There are other methods for
controlling both mites that are widely discussed in Bee Culture magazine
as well as the more recent books on beekeeping.
 
Regarding oil patties - I don't use them directly - but then I paint the
insides of my hive boxes sometimes with raw virgin Linseed Oil.
Important note - this is NOT the same oil as what you buy in the
hardware store. That oil contains cobalt salts as driers and is highly
toxic. Dont Use It!. Instead, the raw oil can sometimes be found at
natural food stores (Hain sells it in quarts) and at artistic supply
houses such as Daniel Smith in Seattle. I make woodwind instruments and
treat the wood with it and find it to be a general wood preservative.
Anyway, the bees lick the insides of the hive and it might be that the
extra lineolic acid they are getting from the linseed oil helps fight
the mites.
 
Also, I saw a note on the back of a recent Gardens Alive catalog that
the USDA recently did a study on mites Vs. hive color - that is the
color that the boxes are painted. It seems that the darker colors such
as the dark blue that I have painted my hives causes the hives to be
slightly warmer inside in the summer. The bees body temperature is
raised a few degrees and they have a bit more of a workout in order to
keep the hive temperature. Apparently, this is inimical to the mites
survival. I can't remember which mite it was - probably tracheal.
Anyway, hives painted white suffered an average of 85% or so infestation
- while hives painted darker colors and left in full sun only
experienced 15% infestation!
 
I don't know if I am doing something right or if I am lucky. I don't
have enough experience at this to really make a sound judgement.... All
around me, however, beekeepers are losing most of their colonies - one
Kitsap county beekeeper lost some 600 hives last year and I have heard
of similar losses. Wild swarms are down. But so far my bees are doing
just great and I am anticipating a good crop of honey this summer!
 
I have a few more questions regarding raising the bumblebees....
 
You kindly wrote:
 
"Put each female into her own nesting chamber a wooden box, with an
inner nesting chamber of straw and an outer chamber where the bees can
go out to defecate and feed from a sugar or honey water bottle...."
 
Question regarding these boxes - are they entirely closed while the
colony is establishing to keep the queen from abscondiong - or should
they be provided with an enterance of some sort?
 
You also wrote:
"Otherwise, females will also be reared. Watch out for larval ejection.
If the bees continue to eject viable larvae it may be a sign of worker
disputes, (often when the queen losses dominance or the nest is poorly
ventilated)."
 
What do you recommend for ventilation? What size of holes and when is
too much too much? Honey bees also require ventilation but in most cases
accomplish some of that by fanning....
 
And you wrote:
"there are some fine books on bumble bee biology and a few mention
rearing observation hives."
 
I have Bumble Bee Economics on reserve at the library - but what are
some others?
 
Again, I really appreciate your advice and information. Raising these
bees sounds like great fun!
 
Best wishes,
Casey Burns