Dear Beefriends
 
The first half of the topic you have already seen. Unfortunately, there were
some my mistakes especially in number of total frames. With kind permission
of Mr. Aaron Morris I give you completed work in one piece.
 
A beekeeper Aloyzas Palskys kindly agreed to tell us of his experience on
getting honey yield seven times higher than annual average in Lithuania!
 
Special hive for northern areas.
 
Mr. Aloyzas Palskys, retired civil engineer of 62, 50 years as a beekeeper,
20 bee colonies.
He tried all kind of hives and left with very wide, 20 frames in line per
one colony, two storied Dadant tipe , double hive construction.
Annual honey average in 1994 - 96kg per colony per year. His best
achievement.
Annual honey average in 1998 - 70 kg/colony/year. 20colonies, in 10 hives,
total 1400kg is
his mostly often result. (average 15kg/colony/year for is Lithuania)
The main honey yield is while Raspberry blooming.
In midsummer one colony consists of 30-40 Dadant frames. (435mm x 300mm).
Optimum colony 10kg. Swarming fully controlled.
 
The construction of hive is based on these statements:
A double hive for two separated colonies, each up to 40 frames.
A hive must have good thermal isolation and air ventilation.
Constant temperature in a hive day and night as possible.
The condensed vapour in winter inside hive should not freeze.
The isolation material between inner and outer walls must be always dry.
Walls must be leak-proof for wind (air).
Venting ability of the air volume among brood combs has to be up to 16 times
per hour.
Avoid wasting of timber wood and inner volume of hive. (Using shallow frames
additional air spaces).
Using one shape frames for free operation inside hive.
 
Hive construction:
Hive is double (for two colonies besides), total 80 frames, walls are
wooden, continuous i.e. one great heavy box, brood level and upper level
(supers) consist of 20 frames 300x435mm each (only two storied). Hive design
allows in brood chamber level to keep an inside surface temperature plus 4C
(39F) when outside air is minus 22C (-7.6F). Hive front both rear and bottom
is double board of = inch wood with 40 mm (25 mm for suppers level) rock
wool inside. (Wooden boards and pipes in Lithuania are still measured in
inch). The outer side of inner boards are carefully wrapped by moisture
proof material. The outer side of isolation. (front, rear, bottom) is
wrapped by wind proof material as well as both hive sides/ends (without
interstice for isolation). As a heat isolator is chosen a rock wool: Very
low conductivity, doesn't absorb moisture, not eatable by insects and
rodents, chemically stable.
There are two main entrances for each colony. One as usual on floor level
and second right under the brood frame ceiling. There are two additional
entrances in right and left ends/sides. They are used for nucleus or in heat
of nectar flow. Also these slits are used to lay in a sheet of thick paper
before winter and to draw it back in spring, and so on.
 
Some features of practice:
 
Spring - till goat-willow blooming:
* If a checked queen abdomen remains less than others at the time change her
with spare one.
* Pull off a paper floor cover with all the stuff on it.
* Narrow the upper entrance to 1 cm (both main were left to winter 10 cm)
* Should be left winter isolation on brood box ceiling
* Arrange drinking-bowl in the warmest apiary place.
* All last year pollen in combs is given for bees while first nest
widening/expanse.
* Every week a part of comb honey is uncapped (by beekeeper). All last year
sugar honey should be fed till goat-willow nectar flow. This also stimulates
egg laying.
*  Only drawn combs are given to nest (all seasons).
 
After garden trees blooming:
* An upper line is started with 3-6 drawn combs (the same size as in nest -
300x 435 mm). Gradually all honey in lower (nest) combs should be uncapped
(by beekeeper) till raspberry blooming. Bees bring all honey up and prepare
space for eggs laying. Also they aren't idle, the swarming mood doesn't
appear.
* After garden blooming all thin honey combs without brood are lifted to
supers. Bees adulter this honey during one week.
* Bee nest is checked every 10 days, except flow time. If queen rearing
cells are found these combs are put to the end, besides additional entrance.
Bees are separated using an excluder board. Instead of common ceiling more
convenient is to use comb back separating (packing spaces) strips (on the
same level as comb back). This is the way for a good reserve queen to raise.
If the swarming mood remains are used other well known tricks. If nothing
helps - change the queen.
 
Raspberry blooming:
* A half of the wintering isolation under the roof is taken out. The rest
half is left for better temperature stability inside a hive on round
o'clock. Temperature fluctuation incline bees to swarming.
* In the beginning of raspberry flow the first wax foundations are put among
old (dark) combs in supers level. Bees don't like dark combs to draw. Five
foundations are drawn in one night.
* At the end of the flow a double hive usually includes (20+20) x 2=80
combs.
 
Common remarks:
* A nest is expanded as usually in lying hives.
* A bee bread (pollen) usually takes four frames in the warmest part of
nest.
* The brood usually exceeds to 15 frames. It means that a queen lays 3500
eggs during a day.
* An easiest way to form new nucleus is nectar flow time.
* If a colony is attacked by other one close for an hour the aggressor hive
entrance.
* More constant nest temperature - lower swarming probability.
* Full hive (40 frames colony) checking: Take out 6 super combs into swarm
box. Check the nest level, pull little by little super combs off (to free
super level space) and go on nest checking. Leave the pulled supers in their
new position and return the combs from the swarm box in free hive space
(supers level opposite side as it was in beginning).
* If a nest is too cool the bees block the upper entrance with their own
bodies.
* If a colony has only 30 combs at the end of raspberry blooming a queen is
changed with young one.
* Usually queens are changed every year. Some of the highest quality are
left. "Old" queen wing is clipped in spring. First year queen colony usually
don't swarm. More eggs in autumn. Since end of May queens are changed with
ones of good stock (from local breeders). Later are used separated swarm
mood nucleus. When a young queen begins eggs  laying 10 drops of balm oil
are shaken in both parts and a separating board is pulled out. The bees
choose the better queen, usually a new one.
* The Buckfast and Carnica races are used. Buckfast is better in moist
summer. Carnica is better in dry summer and takes melliferous dew
(plant-louse sweet excrement) as 7 to 3 compared to Buckfast for fir trees.
 
Preparing for wintering:
* A paper sheet is pushed/laid on hive floor.
* Combs containing 5 kg of honey are left and 10 kg sugar is fed. Usually 8
combs are left. Sometimes in especially strong hive 11 combs are left. After
the bees are fed and Varroa treatment is ended 3 combs with sugar honey are
taken out and added to nucleus. Sugar (syrup) feeding reduces a number of
the old bees.
* The main entrances are left 10 cm each (lower and upper). Special wind
boards are moved close to entrances in 1 cm distance. It helps against
titmouse (birds) and snow.
* Free combs are kept in beekeeper's house. The house is built on the same
design principal as hive is. In autumn the house is heated, becomes dry and
combs with bee bread (pollen) winter successfully.
* 4 spare nucleus (queens) are enough in spring for 20 colonies (10 hives).
* The nucleus are pulled close to main colony and only main lower entrance
is opened. Higher one is closed. Additional (side/end) entrances are closed.
* In late autumn an additional heat isolating cover is put on the ceiling
and both hive's ends. Bees are wrapped up with fourfold wadded guilt usually
used for children.
 
For Dadant hives:
Usually they have one entrance. For better air venting the entrance should
be divided in two parts with an inserted strip. Then bees blowing out are in
one side and blowing in are in the opposite side. Such way you distribute
the air flow.
 
Aloyzas Palskys
 
Translated from Lithuanian by
Rimantas Zujus
Kaunas
LITHUANIA
 
e-mail : [log in to unmask]
http://www.lei.lt
55 North, 24 East