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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Justin Kay <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 30 Dec 2016 16:53:04 -0500
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A few years ago I went to Estonia and got the opportunity to meet a
commercial beekeeper operating on the outskirts of Tallinn. The standard of
living in that part of the country is considerably less than in the states
or Canada, so he was able to make a decent living off fewer colonies than
most in the states would be able to.

Anyway, he told me that he (and everyone he knew that kept bees in Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania) melds down all the wax in the hive yearly, gives new
foundation, and lets them draw it all out again. That goes for brood comb,
and super comb.

He mainly melted down his own wax, and turned it into his own foundation,
by sending it out to a company. I questioned the effectiveness of doing
that, if it was to reduce toxins, pesticides or chemicals. He indicated
that he didn't think his bees would be healthy, at all, if he didn't
replace the comb every year. I also told him I thought that was a very
expensive procedure, and very time intensive. I only replace brood combs
every 5 years, and I'm probably one of the more "proactive" replacers. To
which he shrugged, and told me maybe that's why we're having such a hard
time keeping our bees alive.

Interesting to look at how others in the world manage their bees.


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