From: "From the Gussow's of Tucson,Arizona - Don't worry it's a dry heat!" <joslylaine4@mindspring.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 23:58:37 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: RE: SEEING IS BELIVING AND THAT GOES FOR READING AS WELL.

Hello to all Biobees:

First of all with me introduce myself: my name is Harvey and I have been
out of beekeeping since 1967. I live in Tucson AZ. Both Dee and her
husband Ed were recommended by Jerry Hayes at Dadant to help me out with a
swarm of bees that had taken up occupancy in a birdhouse. My primary
consideration was to salvage a perfectly good swarm of bees and make them
useful to nature in a more productive setting for themselves. I had
purchased what I needed at the local supply house in Tucson.

Since I had never cut out a hive in my life I really needed the help of
professional beekeepers, as I wanted to go back into beekeeping. Since that
time, May 24, 2001, this particular swarm has increased in size and
developed extraordinarily well, and beyond my expectations. Everything that
I have done has been on 4.9 cells. In June 30 days after they were inserted
into a modern beehive they were very much ready for a second hive body.
About a week ago Mr. Lusby examined the swarm in question and reported to me
that they are doing exceptionally well and will probably need a third hive
body within 10 days. I am now ready to move my bees to their new location
and preformed than necessary duties as a beekeeper. They have resided for
the last 14 days in one of the apiary sites. While there I could easily
observe what can only be described as a very healthy apiary. Who else would
be so gracious and forthcoming of knowledge than Dee and Ed Lusby. I find
the situation year a challenge for beekeeping merely because of the climate.

To see such healthy beehives and knowing something about their background
in beekeeping helps me to understand why they are in beekeeping.
Furthermore, I have been monitoring all of the mail messages on this site
for more than a month. My beekeeping experience was in Wisconsin. I had my
own bees, and during the summer as a teenager worked for one of the
beekeeping/packing companies. (Schultz Honey Farms Ripon, Wisconsin) while
working for that establishment the gentleman I was to aid as an apprentice
questioned the value of hybrid bees and cell sizes as being productive at
all. To further this claim I also interviewed a 87 year old beekeeper who
questioned the value of Hybrids in 1964 and the size of the comb bothered
him as well as he never used foundation at all but simply made his own
frames and dipped the top bar in wax and allowed the bees draw there own
combs as they saw fit. He didn't do any beekeeping when I knew him but he
sold me what was left of his extracting equipment and storage tanks. That
winter he died and I never have to thank him for his stories. They ran the
normal areas around highly productive fields with clover and alfalfa.
However in Wisconsin they never, or to my recollection, used spraying
devices on those fields for the purposes of eradicating insects. It is
quite obvious that either the farmers had the intent of using the alfalfa
and clover for foliage to feed to their dairy cattle either during the
summer or feeding them over the winner. So they availability of a nectar
source was readily at hand without the use of pesticides. My site for my
bees at that time was adjacent to the foliage site for the Department of
Corrections State Penitentiary for Women. That institution was running a
dairy cattle operation within the grounds of a state prison.

My experience in Wisconsin was miserable. Not only did I have proper
access to what could be described, as a Honey Goldmine of the surrounding
areas was an apple orchard. If taken in context I also had an advanced set
of other groups of vandals. The weather for certain and terrain were one
group of vandals. (You really have to have a good site to protect your
bees.) And then I had teenager groups of two legged vandals who made great
sport out of tipping over my hives. After three years are trying and
running out of capital I had to give up. I feel confident renewing my
association with beekeeping here in Tucson. With the expert guidance of Dee
and Ed who have been both patient and extremely gracious in they're quest to
keep me on track at this critical time. If anything more could be done with
or should be done with beekeeping it was always meant to allow me to succeed
in my beekeeping endeavor. I still have a lot to learn about beekeeping in
the desert. But my guides are well versed in successful beekeeping in an
adverse climate. Unlike Wisconsin, which has every opportunity to succeed,
the Arizona desert holds real problems all year-round.

I have not heard from one Wisconsin beekeeper since I began to monitor this
discussion group. If there are Wisconsin beekeepers they should heed the
call to smaller cells. I believe that the whole problem stems around
diseases had manifested themselves in smaller populations due to the cell
size of commercial beehives. There is also a lot to be said about getting
the most from your bees by providing them with what they need not what you
want them to do. Looking! Is the most important thing in beekeeping and
understanding what you are seeing? You must become the best observer of
your beehive and not the best follower of bad advice. No one can do this
for you; you must do it for yourself. A good insight into weather
conditions and climate and their effects on your beehives can very much
predict their overall welfare.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Respectively submitted to the group.
Harvey :)
F-K. G.L.-9.0