Mites?

[Finsky]

Wouldn't be easier to have small cell bees and mite resistant bees
kirko

Where you get mite resistant bees? I bought them but they do not kill mites.

No authority recommend small cells and regressed bees. Oxalic acid works fine and it is surely minimum work.

Those drone brood areas are usefull even if you do not have mites. However bees make dronecells here and there. Witch special area they need not to make them everywhere.

I like normal system and it works fine. I do not keep bees for mites.

When someone tells about regressed bees, ask how much he gets honey per hive.

.

[Cindi]

Back on to the small cell stuff.  My Asian instructor when asked about the small cell bees and mites, said basically that there is no proof that the small cell bee has less mites.  He keeps over 1,200 hives in Langstroth deeps.  Well, it seems that some people really believe in the small cell ,that is good.  This is what makes the world go round and an interesting place.  Everyone has their own ways of doing things and their own opinions on what works and what does not.  Form your own opinions, work them to the best of your knowledge and have a happy life in so doing, have even a happier one in this new year of 2007.  Greatest of days.  Cindi. 

[Michael Bush]

>No authority recommend small cells

Because no authority has done a serious test of it.

>My Asian instructor when asked about the small cell bees and mites, said basically that there is no proof that the small cell bee has less mites.

Has he tried small cell?

[Brian D. Bray]

All the tests on small cell have been limited to one season or less.  This is not enought time to adequately regress the cell size down to 4.9 because even with small cell foundation the bees raised on 5.4 comb will build 5.1 comb.  A real test of small cell should involve 3 seasons in order to fully regress the comb size, the bees, and see the effect on the hive as a whole.  Those who swear by small cell have used it for at least 3 years.
The scientific method is great, but too often acedamia trys to prove something on a time frame that is not supportable of the results being sought.  It's like baking--the cake doesn't turn out well if not baked in the oven long enough.
When acedamia discovers their error of length of time we might get better result.  Even some of the tests I've read in Bee Culture and American Bee Journal are short, hardly supporting the conclusions.  One test of 4-6 weeks is an indication not proof, yet acedamia cites it as proof.

[Finsky]

But why to make that whole system when mite is not a broblem. Why to do such which is not needed? Varroa is very small problem in beekeeping.  I don't mind to argue about that thing. Everyone may bless theur own opinions.

I like big bees and I keep them. I have had regressed bees and I do not like them.  Some like black horsed and some brown horses.

Norwegian  horse is quite nice. It is very popular here. They say that vikings used that horse.



And regressed horse from Island seems very same

[Michael Bush]

Norwegian Fjords are what they are called here.  Very nice horse.  Quite popular.  A regressed work horse from the look of them.  :)

[Kirk-o]

You Know I think Dee and Ed Lusby have been useing small cell for a very long time they are very successful.They don't treat no essiential oils no medicine no dope nothing they even make there own foundation.I think small cell is they way of the future.Michael Bush uses small cell and has his bees draw there own comb so the wax is pollution free also .
kirko

[Michael Bush]

Dee and Ed started regressing and stopped using ALL chemicals in 1983 because of the Tracheal mites.  They have not used any chemicals in the hive since that time.  That's 23 years.

[Jorn Johanesson]

Hmm..reading all the posts about the drone stuff.  I have to agree with Michael about the bees wasting resources in raising drones with the drone foundation.  I don't think that I would encourage excessive drone raising, I would go for more workers.  Treat with formic acid in spring and use other natural methods for the varroa control and eradication throughout the summer.  Then the bees would not have to raise so much drone in the drone cell foundation.  My thoughts on this.  Great day.  Cindi

Just this. Mites prefer drone brood because of the lower development time for drones. If you then remove drone brood you will have removed the most of the infections without using chemicals be it formic or what so ever. That’s the way the bee’s original natural get away with it. Abandon hive leaving the drones back with the mites. You just mimic this by removing Drone brood. And please remember that is the only legal way to remove mites with in the summer when supers are on.

[Kathyp]

i have a friend with a couple of Fjords.  she loves them.  seems most of my friends have imported or fancy registered horses :-).  i have owned a good many, but as with dogs, the best horse i have ever owned is a mutt.  i'll have to see if i can find a couple of pictures of her before the winter coat and mud came on :-)

[Cindi]

Finsky,
What an awesome picture of those two people on the horse.  The smile on the face is remarkable.  Now if I were to be seated on a steed of that beauty, I would have a beautiful smile too.  I love the markings and colour, simply astounding beauty.

Horses are beautiful, there is no other animal in my eyes that has this beauty.  And yes you are right.  some like black, some like brown, if all liked the same colour, what a boring world we would live in.  And this goes for the colours of the apis meliferra too.  Great day. Cindi

[Finsky]

Horses are beautiful, there is no other animal in my eyes that has this beauty. 

Do you have still same when you have met this Russian beauty

http://www.horse-of-dream.vsau.ru/

[Cindi]

Horses are beautiful, there is no other animal in my eyes that has this beauty. 

Do you have still same when you have met this Russian beauty

http://www.horse-of-dream.vsau.ru/

Finsky, ha, now that is a horse of a different colour.  It think that it needs braces!!!!  Too bad I can't read Russian.  My Lithuanian friend would get a real kick out of this picture, and I think he could read the text too.  Got any other funny ones that you could post on the forum.  Love any kind of funny picture stuff.  Great day.  Cindi

[hummingberd]

Everytime you kill a drone, the bees spend the effort to raise another one.  Had you NOT killed the drone the bees could have spent those same resources to raise a worker.  Drones are NOT expendable.  Drones are expensive.

The less drones that are in the hive, the more drones the bees will raise. -michael bush

I'm curious to know if anyone has done any research on raising drones that are free of varroa, or resistant to varroa, and then inserting them into the hives.  Or even if people have tried to cut out drone brood and then add a bunch of drones that are free of varroa. One would conclude that this would discourage the worker bees from producing more drones, and would help with the varroa, correct?   This would be interesting to try...

-K-