Found something disgusting inside of hive today

[ElDoBill]

Annette, thanks, I have an SBB on the hive and I was going to leave it open all year for ventilation.  I have a migratory cover which I was going to replace with an inverted solid bottom board as a cover to provide ventilation.  I was going to put an entrance reducer on both, with the largest opening, the bottom to help keep out mice and the top to help keep out rain.   What do you think?  Regarding the small cell, I think Micheal is saying that trying to use two sizes of foundation is too limiting and too hard to administer. Next spring I want to checkerboard the hive to prevent swarming and I would like to use the small cell for some of the empty frames.  How many of the small cell should I use to begin the regression do you think?  I planned to do this this coming weekend.  I'll message you about getting together to look at the hive.  I'd like to know if I left out something important in preparing for the winter.   
Thanks again.

[Michael Bush]

>Does anyone know how long mites can live on the bees without the ability to propogate?

Months.

[annette]

Annette, thanks, I have an SBB on the hive and I was going to leave it open all year for ventilation.  I have a migratory cover which I was going to replace with an inverted solid bottom board as a cover to provide ventilation.  I was going to put an entrance reducer on both, with the largest opening, the bottom to help keep out mice and the top to help keep out rain.   What do you think?  Regarding the small cell, I think Micheal is saying that trying to use two sizes of foundation is too limiting and too hard to administer. Next spring I want to checkerboard the hive to prevent swarming and I would like to use the small cell for some of the empty frames.  How many of the small cell should I use to begin the regression do you think?  I planned to do this this coming weekend.  I'll message you about getting together to look at the hive.  I'd like to know if I left out something important in preparing for the winter.   
Thanks again.

It sounds good to me for the ventilation. Sounds like you can put the entrance reducer on the top on the smaller size. Only a small opening is required to rid the hive of condensation, but lets see if anyone else has a feeling about this.


Regarding the introduction of the small cell foundation, you need to ask Michael Bush as I am extremely inexperienced when it comes to this. As I mentioned before, I placed about 8 frames of just starter strips into my brood supers here and there between frames of brood and the bees drew out the combs really, really nicely. I just plan on introducing more and more of these starter strip frames in between brood frames when the spring comes. I also need to contact Michael and figure out if I am doing this correctly.

It sounds like you know what to do regarding the checkerboarding. Stay in touch.

annette

[Cindi]

Annette, you quoted, but you forgot to type something in the text box, or is it invisible, hee, hee.   ;) :)  Have a wonderful and beautiful day. Cindi

[Michael Bush]

>I was going to put an entrance reducer on both, with the largest opening, the bottom to help keep out mice and the top to help keep out rain.   What do you think?

How cold is it where you are?  Probably a top entrance is irrelevant as long as you don't have skunk problems.  I like #4 hardware cloth to keep the mice out.

>  Regarding the small cell, I think Micheal is saying that trying to use two sizes of foundation is too limiting and too hard to administer.

Well, I'm saying it's harder.

> Next spring I want to checkerboard the hive to prevent swarming and I would like to use the small cell for some of the empty frames.

When they are drawing comb to store honey they are reluctant to draw small cells.  When they are drawing brood comb is when they want the smaller cells.

>  How many of the small cell should I use to begin the regression do you think?

I'd feed them in as you can with the plan to be to replace it all.  I'd have enough on hand to replace it all and go from there.

>  I planned to do this this coming weekend.

Reduce the entrances?  Not regression, I hope.

> I'll message you about getting together to look at the hive.  I'd like to know if I left out something important in preparing for the winter.   

Do you have any excluders on?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#winter

[ElDoBill]

Thanks Michael,
>How cold is it where you are?  Probably a top entrance is irrelevant as long as you don't have skunk problems.  I like #4 hardware cloth to keep the mice out.<
The temps are running in the 70's daytime, 40's at night, heading into the 60's daytime next week.  I haven't had any skunk problems yet but I did see one about three weeks ago at day break running across the driveway.

I plan to reduce the entrances this weekend. 
I have a 2 deep super broodnest.  The upper super is full of honey and the lower super contains brood, pollen and honey.  I expect the colony to cluster in the lower super soon and move up into the upper super during the winter.  I planned to checkerboard the vacant lower super and reverse the supers placing the empty frames above the cluster. This checkerboarding I was planning on in the late February time frame when the temps start back into the 60's. I plan to eventually replace all of the frames with small cell.  I wanted to checkerboard with 5 frames of small cell at one time.  Is 5 frames too many to start with? I expect there will be a couple of weeks of indecision for the bees at that time. I thought I would rotate the remainder in as the brood cells become empty during the summer.

Thanks for the help.

[ElDoBill]

Annette, thanks, will do.