Hello from Berlin

A few bees took the opportunity today for the first time this year to enjoy some sunshine even though the temperatures were a bit cool (still well below 10C/50F). Thought I'd mention this joyous sight and then introduce myself.

Kevin Pfeiffer, born in SD, USA. Spent almost 20 years in southern California and now have been iving in Berlin, Germany, for the last ten years or so. Plenty of online beekeeping forums here (Bernhard Heuvel's Warré Forum is certainly worth mentioning), but I like to read and write in my native language every now and then.

I'm a small-time hobbiest beekeeper -- not interested in selling honey (or even centrifuging it). For now just one hive (but a second to come this spring, I hope), in a horizontal hive box called the "Bienenkiste" which is worked by tilting the box forward on end and then removing the bottom. Semi-fixed natural comb which is normally not removed (other than the top bars in the honey chamber at the rear). Harvested honey comb will be pressed.

Here in Germany, in case anyone is interested, the most common varroa treatments are formic acid (dissipated by evaporation after the honey harvest) and oxalic acid in a sugar solution (dribbled in the early winter when brood-free). Some are also fumigating by heating oxalic acid (not yet legal in DE) or using thymol-type products. Non-treatment is rare (I think) and would probably get you booted out of any beekeeping club here -- the country is small and beekeepers are in relatively close proximity to one another.

Best wishes,

Kevin Pfeiffer

Welcome aboard, Kevin. Glad to have you here. There's lots of good folks here to talk in your native tongue with. :) What race of bees are you keeping?

Ed

South Dakota to California to Germany? Sounds like either the allure of good beer or a good German Fraulein. :) Welcome to Beesource.

Which sort of bees? This sort (click to view)...

Attachment 4511

Carnica, I believe (most common around here), but there are some Buckfast bees around, too. No guarantees as to purity. These bees look (somewhat) young to me (fuzzy) -- would they be from new brood, or still the "old" winter bees?

-K

I think you gotta have a few more posts before you can post attachments....maybe a moderator will come along and ok it. :)

In my newbee mind really fuzzy bees are indeed young bees...I'm not sure if older bees lose their hairs naturally from rubbing on things or if it's predominately robbers that lose their hair from having it pulled out while on robbing raids.

Ed

Attachments are moderated in this forum.

Guten tag Kevin, and welcome.

Hello Kevin ...nice to see what people are doing over there and the kind of bees they are keeping! I lived over there near Ludwigsburg and then Darmstadt. Love it! Never did bees over there though. I wish I did ..more met some who did.

Take care!

Great to hear from you! How do market your honey??

Very nice looking bees, Kevin! Ok folks, is this what Carniolans look like over here? I've led a sheltered life as a newbee beekeeper. :)

Ed

Welcome Kevin!

Welcome to the site!

Thanks to all.

A bit more flying today. After things cooled off in the evening I finally got the hive moved (back a couple feet from where it sat). I placed a piece of wood across the hive entrance before doing this. Afterwards it opened up a bit and 2-3 heads poked out to see what was going on, but they stayed inside, satisfied that the opening was still there. Just in time -- I think the big(ger) cleansing flight will be Monday or Tuesday.

-K

I wrote "Carnica" up above -- "Carniola".

Yesterday the first cleansing flights in Berlin took place. The German Bee Journal keeps bees on the roof of their office building; you can see their busy workers here: Bee Journal Live Webcam. (A certain consolation for those who are deskbound on the first day of the new season.)

-K

My thermometer said only 5 degrees (42 or so Fahrenheit), but the sun was warm enough to draw out a few adventurous souls out of the south-facing hive.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-e...2/CIMG8519.JPG

-Kevin

The internet/web is a small place these days! :)