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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
allen dick <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 21 Mar 2003 09:27:18 -0700
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> Is the burr comb problem with the plastic frames a spacing problem or
> is it a material problem?  I have wondered if the plastic is similar
> enough to the wax combs to the bees that they just "continue" the comb
> so to speak resulting in the burring problems.  Any plastic frames
> that I have seen seem to have the same problem.

Could be.  Every material has its unique advantages and drawbacks.  I
noticed that Ross Rounds frames are always burred and laddered up.
Frankly, I have not been bothered by the problems some describe, and we
have about 10,000 black Piercos throughout our operation.  Maybe I
should say, "had", since it appears we have now sold down to about 400
hives.

I could speculate that the reason we have no complaints could be our
region, our bee stock, our method of operation, or perhaps -- I
suspect -- our philosophy.  I notice that some people regiment their
bees and demand precision in everything.  They regard the principle of
bee space as a law, rather than a guideline that the bees tend to
observe, but will break if they see fit.  Those beekeepers are offended
if the law is not observed 100% by their bees.  They force their bees
into clearly delineated spaces outlined by broad and well scraped wooden
bars and remove instantly any ladder comb the bees may build to assist
themselves in their travels.

Some say that plastic has no place in a beehive; others of us find it
quite acceptable and useful.  I'm one of the latter group.  I like
plastic.  It just happens that the topic of the day at
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/ is plastic pillows.  Anyone who
looks at he pictures on my site will see that I don't regard burr and
ladder comb as something to be scraped off the moment it is discovered.
After 30+ years, I have given up fighting and trying to impose rules on
my bees, and I just enjoy them.

Some time back, I posted on my site some evidence that Pierco foundation
performs measurably better in our region than the competitors' products
with larger cells.  Dave wrote that he likes the sheets, due to the cell
size, but not the frames.  Others use nothing but the one-piece frames.

What would I do if starting over?  I think I'd seriously consider 100%
Pierco black plastic frames in the broods and Pierco plastic mediums in
the supers.  I like standards, but I'm getting too old to lift the
standards full of honey all day long.  I should caution anyone thinking
of using Pierco mediums as broods, that Pierco uses the larger cell size
in the mediums.  That makes sense for honey extraction, but the smaller
cell size advantage that is built into the standards is not available in
the mediums.

As for the thinner top and bottom bars that have drawn such criticism, I
find them a good feature, and any additional brace and burr comb that is
built as a result to be an acceptable cost.  Broad expanses of wood have
no place in a honeycomb, and top and bottom bars are a serious
impediment to queens and bees in cold regions.  This wasted space, and
the gaps beekeepers impose in the brood boxes, drastically affect the
amount of brood that bees can cover in cool springs.

Whatever some may think, the combination of smaller cells and reduced
non-comb areas that Pierco offers permits more unrestricted brood
rearing.  These two factors result in the Pierco advantage we have
demonstrated.

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/

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