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Offline TwT

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« on: April 01, 2005, 12:31:38 am »
I found this on ebay for sell, top entrance, kinda like Robo's designed box lol
look's pretty good ha Robo  :wink:





http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46527&item=7504936124&rd=1


THAT's ME TO THE LEFT JUST 5 MONTHS FROM NOW!!!!!!!!

Never be afraid to try something new.
Amateurs built the ark,
Professionals built the Titanic

Offline Robo

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« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2005, 10:25:34 am »
Ya,

I've seen them.  Not a bad design, but doesn't fit my management methods.

I don't like an upper entrance in the summer because it allows the bees to bring pollen in and store it with the honey.  It also creates excess traffic on freshly capped honey and stains it.

That design also doesn't allow for the use of a sugar board in the winter, which I use.

Should be interesting to see how much they go for though.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Agility Mom

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« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2005, 10:12:19 pm »
What is a sugar board?

Incidentally, I like your web ring. I've enjoyed reading the various beekeeping logs. Very informative, too.
Judy

Offline Robo

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« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2005, 08:41:21 pm »
Quote from: Judy Frey
What is a sugar board?


Hey Judy,

Good to see you around here again :D

A sugar board is basically a big chunk of sugar that goes in place of the inner cover in the winter.  When the bees move up to the top,  they don't run out of food.  It also helps with the moisture that would normally condensate on the inner cover.

Here is more details on my website -> Sugar board info

Here is a picture of one that was just taken off in the spring.  You can see where the cluster had been eating it.


click image for larger view
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



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« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2005, 09:12:32 pm »
Judy is having trouble with log-in problems, we are trying to fix as we speak - I agree Rob, good to see her around :)
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Offline Agility Mom

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« Reply #5 on: April 06, 2005, 10:47:27 pm »
Thank you both for the kind words.

John, I think the problem (I hope) is fixed. I have gone in and out a couple of times without any trouble. Thanks for responding so quickly to my request.

Robo,
I read the piece on the sugar board.  Apparently, boiling the sugar water like that must not injure the bees. I thought you weren't supposed to boil the sugar water. Is it because you cook it to such a high temperature?

In the video about queen rearing, they mentioned soft candy. I know it is for a different purpose then the hard candy but how is that made?

I had bad luck with my bees this winter and lost all three hives. I had wrapped them in tar paper with ventilation. I'd treated them with that acid for mites in the fall. I thought they had enough food but something happened. They had eaten a lot of the honey and there was some still left. Maybe they couldn't get to it or maybe I didn't do my mite treatment good enough. Anyway, I think I'll try to sugar board next fall. It seems like a great idea.
Judy

Offline Robo

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« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2005, 11:42:01 am »
As long as you don't burn the sugar, there is no problem.

Sorry to hear about your losses.  You mentioned treating with acid for varroa, but did you treat with menthol for tracheal?  I know there are a lot of folks that don't have problems with tracheal mites, and there are tracheal resistant queens on the market,  but I still believe tracheal mites account for a large portion of winter kills.  Since they are not visable to the human eye, I believe a lot of folks just figure "out of sight out of mind".  Did you inspect the bottom boards for dead varroa? This will give you a good indication if your varroa treatment worked, or if they where the cause.  You need to do your best to try and identify why they died so you don't go down the same path next time.  Don't assume starvation was the root cause,  because I doubt all 3 hives would starve and still have stores left.  Although they ulitmately died most likely by starvation because their numbers dwindled to the point of not being able to keep warm and move to additional stores, this is the secondary cause.  Just like a lot of people die from pneumonia it is not the root cause.  It is that their bodies have been run down by something else such cancer.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Agility Mom

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« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2005, 04:41:45 pm »
I did not use menthol and although I treated the hives for varroa, I have not done a good job of monitoring. I probably got what I deserved and the poor bees I am supposed to be caretaking suffered the consequences.  :cry:  

I'm turning over a new leaf and doing a better job when I get my new bees. You may be very correct on the tracheal mites. The bees seemed to be doing fine going into the winter even after I treated them so I don't think it was the treatment.

When I cleaned the hives out, it looked like one of the hives might have died early. The bees were pretty dried up and there didn't seem to be a lot of them. The others looked like they might have just died. There were quite a lot of bees with their tail ends sticking out of cells There was no bad smell in the hives, no sign of moth destruction or anything else that looked like disease.

The fellow that I am getting the nucs from is a former state bee inspector and requires that he inspect the hive bodies and frames you bring to pick up the nucs. Hopefully he won't find anything bad that way.

In what months are you putting on menthol? Do you keep grease patties on at all times (something I have done before but did not do this year)?
Judy

Offline Robo

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« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2005, 07:42:43 pm »
Judy,

Don't be so hard on yourself,  you had good intentions and most importantly are trying to learn from your problems.
It is good that you have someone with a trained eye looking at your equipment, but from what you say, I don't believe it was from foulbrood.  
I have tried grease patties, but find them a PITA to deal with when inspecting the hives.

I give the menthol in late August to early September depending upon the weather and Fall flow.  You still want the weather to be a little warm for the Menthol to vaporize.  I use the method of melting the mentol crystals in mineral oil and then soaking paper towels in it.  I then place the towels on the top bars of the brood chambers.  The bees chew up the towels and drag it thru the hive and out the entrance.  It seems that the menthol fumes get though the entire hive better this way.  No scientific evidence, just personal preference.

Best of Luck with your new hives.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline Agility Mom

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« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2005, 11:03:39 pm »
Do you have to heat the oil at all or will the menthol just dissolve without heat?
Judy

Offline Robo

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« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2005, 06:46:02 am »
You have to heat it.   I use the microwave.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



 

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