On Sun, 22 Feb 1998 13:47:38 -0600 "Excerpts from BEE-L"
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>From:          Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>
>To:            [log in to unmask]
>
>> I have always been of the opinion that you give the bees a nice
>landing
>> board.  Given the oportunity to choose, the bees choose the little
>hole.
>
>Astute observation.
>
>Why do we people always try to make bees do things our way?
>
>Check out http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Spring/mgmt.htm
>and  http://www.internode.net/Honeybee/Spring.htm for pictures of my
>answers to the question.  After years of trying to follow the books,
>I'm
>now trying to work with my bees not against them.  I do what they ask
>when
>I can.
>
>We don't scrape ladder comb any more and now regard bee space as more
>of a
>general principle than a *law* of bee behavior.
 
        Ladder comb, that's a good subject, bees don't put it there to
make the keepers miserable. If our lousy equipment was not so sloppily
made or built to one standard some of that problem would go away. Bees
apparently prefer to climb than jump. So do I.
        I only remove burr (ladder) comb when I suspect there are a bunch
of bees on the bottom of the frames that are going to squeezed down on
the separated comb. I will go the effort to prevent squashing a bunch of
bees, as most would I believe. If we remove it we'r just contributing to
their and our work load, the just rebuild it.
        This brings me to another somewhat related topic, Queen
Excluders. Seems as though the old wooden rimmed ones were designed to be
a separator in the bee space instead of a transparent device. This
doubles the bee space which is objectionable.Those of us who have had the
opportunity to use metal rimmed ones have discovered that by basically
keeping the space between bottom and top bar nearly correct burr comb
problems are greatly reduced. Perhaps the wood rimmed ones would work
better if the top bas of brood chamber were flush with super rim, thus by
placing on an excluder one would be providing a previously non existent
bee space? Comments anyone?
 
 >
>Bees know how to be bees without our assistance.  We just facilitate
>and
>help deal with the things that are beyond their reach -- if we are
>smart
>-- and profit to the extent that we help more than hinder.
>
>FWIW
>
>Allen
>
Alden Marshall
B-Line Apiaries
Hudson, NH 03051
[log in to unmask]
tel. 603-883-6764
 
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