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Subject:
From:
Jerry J Bromenshenk <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 29 Mar 1998 12:25:08 -0500
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Hi all:
 
A couple of comments.
 
As far as I can determine, the notion that Mineral Oil smothers mites is a
"guess" promulgated by this list. It seems to be derived from the fact that
Vaseline smothers mites.
 
Studies of various oils and greases have come up with other explanations.
My first guess was that the bee became too slippery to hold on to (I'm
joking).  A better guess may be that the oil or grease interfers with the
ability of the mite to properly find and identify its host (with some
pretty good evidence that this is the case for the blind tracheal mite).
Using enough oil to physically smother the mites would be pretty messy -
and I would expect that much oil to be obviously harmful to bees.
 
Anyway, I am prepared to keep the subject open until someone shows me the
results of well designed experiments aimed at properly identify the
mechanism(s) involved.
 
As per moving bees:  We have successfully moved bees from Montana to
Maryland (@2600 miles) during the hottest part of the year on more than one
occassion.  Like many topics, this one gets complex when you cross
different climatic zones.
 
In the West, overheating is the main problem.  Our bees were screened
tightly.  None could fly or get to water, although all were in nucleus
hives.  Our on-board temperature probes proved to be very informative.
 
Unlike most commercial beekeepers, we drove during the day and stopped for
a few hours at night.  Why?  Because the bees can't thermo-regulate
properly when the truck stops during the day.  They can fan, but need water
and lots of air movement.  At night, when the sun is no longer beating down
on the boxes, they have a chance of cooling (don't need as much air flow) -
if they can get water.
 
During the day in bright sun, they can overheat in a matter of minutes.
But, driving down the road at 65-85 miles/hr (yep, 85 is legal in some
western states), enough air is forced through the hives that the need is
mainly water.  The first time that we made the trip, we pulled over and
sprayed the load with water  whenever the temperature in the hives began to
climb.  In the second year, we installed a drip irrigation system (with a
little misting nozzle under the cover of each hive).  An electric pump,
switch under the dash, and a tank of water on the truck did the truck.
Whenever the hive temperature began to climb rapidly (and it did about 3:00
in the afternoon in full sun), we gave them a short spritz of water.  No
stopping - and the temperatures fell almost immediately.  Surprisingly, a
small zip of water cooled things down fast and lasted for 1/2 hour or longer.
 
One lesson that we learned very quickly - refueling stops during the day
are when things can quickly escalate out of control.  Pull in to a fuel
station, stop, and the temperature begins to climb in less than 5 minutes
(down right scarey).  In our case, we added a small generator and fan to
move air through the load (during these stops or any roadside breakdowns).
Without the fan system - don't stop!
 
Even parked in the shade, without added air movement, the colonies had a
tough time staying cool.  At night, with a dab of water, they were fine (as
indicated by their overall condition as well as the temperature charts).
 
Typically, the western part of the trip is hot and dry and water is
critical.  As we near the east coast with its high humidity, we sometimes
had the opposite problem - the confined bees could literally drown in their
own condensation.  In fact, after three years, the only bees lost in
transit were from excess moisture - and in one case, it happened on an
overnight move of only a couple of miles.  So, when working under humid
conditions, be sure to provide plenty of ventilation and keep that air moving.
 
 
Cheers
Jerry J. Bromenshenk
[log in to unmask]
http://www.umt.edu/biology/bees

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