I just had a bit of feedback from our Sunday Bee Club meeting in
Milton, Wisconsin, which is about 25 miles north of the Illinois line
near Rockford.  We get drifting snows in the winter, and down to around
-20 degrees F (-15 C?)  Our club has three club hives that we started
this year on drawn comb on Duragilt or similar plastic foundation.  They
produced about 175 pounds this year which we sold at $.90 per pound.
 
   We had a "healthy" discussion Sunday on whether to wrap the hives,
with some interesting inputs.  There was concern that the plastic frames
would conduct heat away from the cluster, thus would need the extra wrap
to help keep in the heat.  (There were even some people there who owned
aluminum frames which did the same.  Museum pieces?)  Some always wrap,
some never do, and some think about it...
 
   We decided, (taking a tip from the Minnesota club cited in the bee
mags,) to experiment, and not wrap one, wrap one in tarpaper, and do one
with styrofoam boards all around, held on by rubber strips from tire
inner tubes.  All have top entrance holes drilled, though some people are
moving away from that.  We'll letcha know how they do...
 
   There was another suggestion, that being in a club allows, that we
pool our resources and get the 25%+ quantity discount on Apistan
(fluvalinate) strips, as we do on oxytetracycline (terramyacin.)  We're a
small club, but membership has its benefits!!!
 
   We have a regular "Bees in Cyberspace" feature at the meeting, of
which your inputs are a big part.  Thank you all very much!  They
appreciated your  inputs from the essential oils discussion here, in
particular.
 
   Other feedback:
 
-- on latex gloves vs leather, etc.  Get cheap cotton gloves and your
hands won't get so hot.  Keep latex ones for handling Apistan.
 
-- shop around for wintergreen or other oils.  We have paid from $2 to $5
for the same (small) size bottle of wintergreen.  There may be a price
difference in the natural stuff vs methyl salicylate, (which is
chemically supposed to be the same stuff.)  The club may buy this in
quantity next spring, (though there was some concern expressed about
adding yet another "chemical" to the hive that we take "pure" honey from!
 I think it will take a couple of years before the verdict is in on
oils.)
 
-- nobody used frame grips...
 
-- on solar wax melters.  Line them with freezer paper to make cleanup
much easier.  Use thick glass to minimize breakage.  Insulate well and
they work fine even on cool days.
 
-- on melting wax for candles, etc.  MINIMIZE the heat!  Cooking it
darkens the wax and leaves a dark residue if a double boiler is not used.
 Separate your cappings wax, especially if mechanical uncappers (which
cut to the same level every year) are used, as it will be new wax each
year, and much cleaner.
 
--  we raffled off a bottle of fine mead that was donated, and raised yet
another $10 for the club coffers!
 
--  It was noted that the "manometer" hive scale won't work around here
in the winter unless plenty of antifreeze was added!!!  ;-)
 
Happy Beeing!  (dat's me!)
 
 
Gerry and the other Visels at
[log in to unmask]