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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
James Fischer <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:07:54 -0400
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Dennis Murrell said:

> My small cell hives have continued to perform as I have reported
> in the past with no mite buildup, great overwintering and spring
> buildup. Different races/selections of bees did equally well when
> established on small cell comb.

Decent resolution digital cameras are now cheap enough that anyone
can afford one, ( http://shop.aiptek.com/?page=category&cat=1 ) so
there is no excuse for not documenting one's findings with digital
photos.  While photos of sticky boards may seem boring, they can be
powerful evidence if taken with good focus and with the board filling
the frame. Photos of the number of bees one sees on top bars are only
a vague indicator, but the point here is that anyone can at least gather
decent "raw data" and back up claims that hitherto have been considered
anecdotal or apocryphal.

> the bees started by building typical large cell size comb. In my hive
> that's about 5.3mm. Barry's bees did the same thing.

> After 5 weeks and in the middle of a sweet clover flow, the bees
> returned and finished building comb vertically in an area of the hive.
> Small cell size comb was constructed! Those combs that initially were
> drawn at 5.3mm near the top of the comb had cell sizes that gradually
> tapered to 4.8mm toward the bottom of the comb.

Again, photos (with a scale in frame) would be a help.

> I coming to the conclusion that if we managed our cars like we manage
> our bees, routinely pulling the engine apart, and exchanging or rotating
> parts, there would be alot of dead or poorly running cars.

Gee, Dad and I have been doing exactly that with a 1952 MG TD for several
decades, and we have so many rally trophies and ribbons that the bulk of
them have to stay packed in boxes to preserve domestic harmony.

As for "inspecting" beehives, I think that one has to stop and ask oneself
"what question will I answer?" "what is my goal?" before picking up a hive
tool.  My favorite "inspection procedure" is to simply take a walk with the
dog by the hives, comparing entrance activity between hives and groups of hives.

There's a lot one can verify by simply watching an entrance for a few minutes,
and glancing at the accumulated build up of "junk" on a sheet of cardboard
left under the varroa screen.

                        jim

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