From: grizzly bearnolds <mkittner@nisgaa.bc.ca>
Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 15:57:06 -0700
To: BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Regression Questions

>From: "deelusbybeekeeper" <deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com>

>If your bees can fly for short periods daily, normally for cleansing
>flights, up into October, then you should not count them as house bound
>until they cannot fly, period.

Point taken, thank you.

>When do they start short periods of flight daily in the spring?

I was not able to keep the bees during the last two winters, and this is
the result of various problems. We have kept bees for about ten years, some
years with good results, other years no good. What seemed to have worked
before, no longer does, and I am trying to understand and learn what may help.

>If your bees are not overwintering, which they should easily be.

Lots of people can overwinter bees well in these parts of Canada, so I
hear, but I'm not in touch with any of them. We are pretty isolated. What I
am learning new comes from beekeepers from bee email lists, and from
internet web pages. There is a commercial beekeeper in the next town (100
km South of us), who lost about 80% or more of his stock during 99/00, and
this man has kept hundreds of hives for 20 or 30 years. He started fresh
again last summer, overwintered them pretty good, and I got new bees from
him a few weeks ago. We learned our past ways from him, but he also changed
his ways of keeping bees, and as I said, I have to catch up yet in learning
and understanding, and then doing it.

>You have either a bad varroa problem on too big of enlarged comb, or could
>be too much chemical residue buildup for apistan in the combs necessating
>comb rotation and changeout,

This particular area in the Pacific Northwest has been tested and has been
declared as still being varroa free. I was assured by the town's beekeeper
that his bees are free, and that our area is still free. Warnings are out
all over not to import any bees from anywhere into the area, and this man
is one of the appointed by the beekeeping part of the BC government to
supply anyone with bees who wants them, so as not to get varroa infested
bee in just yet. I have not used apistan nor any other chemicals.

>or you do not have enough natural honey and pollen stores in your frames
>to assure adequate overwintering.

That is one of the problems, as I have learned these last months and as I
understand this now.

>Describe the internal makeup of your colonies going into winter if you
>would please.

Permit me not to do that just yet at this point. Everyone is busy and has
lots to do. I have been reading the Biological List since its start and
plan to follow the discussions. I am not yet ready to try reduced cell
size, my first goal is to successfully overwinter again, then I want to
implement more. As it stands now, I have three new hives with new bees,
they seem healthy and active, I am implementing a few changes, and as much
as I wouldn't mind talking about this - I have been writing and listening
to several good beekeepers on one of the other beekeeping lists for over a
year, and for now I want to try some of the suggestions they have come up
with and which have proven good with them.

The Biological Beekeeping List is pretty advanced for me, I feel I would
hold people back with my way of writing and communicating, and I want for
the time being just keep listening and reading. But I had wanted to let you
know that the topic of overwintering in a cold climate has been foremost on
my mind.

>It is nice to read that you wish to go back to biological ways and avoid
>the various treatments that cause harm to bees.

I have not done any treatments in all the years we have kept bees, and I do
feel guilty of not doing so, because some of the losses may have resulted
from not doing treatments. I don't understand chemicals and their use
frightens me. However, there are no varroa mites here, I have been assured
of that. I cannot be so sure of tracheal mites, however, the 99/00 year,
when my bees didn't survive the same way as town's beekeeper's bees, he had
his both tested because he assumed tmites and / or varroa, and neither one
was discovered. The losses were counted towards extreme winter conditions
(wet / damp / cold, not dry / cold, a constant flux in temperature and
moisture).

Anyway, I rather not burden you people with what is here for the time
being, for now just let me get along with what I feel I could change. And
when the time comes that I have solved the problem of overwintering, then I
want to do more, so I want to keep listening until then. A number of other
topics (other than cell size reduction) have been touched upon and were of
help to me. I am only a small time beekeeper and my ways aren't that
important. Reading and listening is what I want to do for the time being.

Yeah - and it was agreed upon that our " brrrr comb " needs to be lined
with wolverine fur, to keep the little bee babies warm.

Ma. / Nass Valley, British Columbia, CANADA
mailto:mkittner@nisgaa.bc.ca