Search:

Actually...colonies in my TBHs hardly move over the winter. They are on one side of the hive and cluster moves up on the comb. There is at least 10cm of honey on top of each comb and they use that...

Big Bear : those are spacers for Gerstung frames that are used in AŽ hives that are popular here. The frames are used "on the side" in this hive. Pushing them in and out and spacers are originally in...

The simplest way is to let them swarm next year. Once they swarm the second time wait for 10 days and then just shake bees from comb into Lang that will be on the same place and TBH was.
You will...

Joseph : I don't use wires at all. A little heigher comb ( 26cm - Gerstung frame). Have no problems with brood frames and I do comb honey. Don't extract from those...
...

JPK : we can agree that we don't agree ;)

It is not TBH that is at fault here. Certainly there might be some problems due to lack of information on actually beekeeping with TBHs if we compare it...

I have average temperatures as Michigan and have no problems with overwintering TBHs ( Bush design ).

If you think about it...people overwinter in 2 deeps, some even in 1 ! ! ... so go and make...

Why not go the way to let them swarm and the second time they swarm you do the shakeout 10 days after when there is no brood and the queen is mated....

bakerboy : I only use bead of beeswax. Works pretty good for me.
Remember to keep hives level ! Remember beespace at both ends of the hive !

I use just these kind of top bars now. Bead of wax...

Yep, making mirrors(not lenses) for newtonian telescopes. It is a hobby of course :) and it is phenomenal that beeswax actually works. All of a sudden I can make a ton of polishing laps :) Usually...

Yep,

this is a lap for polishing. I find beeswax polishes the mirror very fast.

For grinding other materials are used such as ceramic tiles, glass, etc.... adding grit of course

Yes, bees can and will collect beeswax :)

I left a lap for polishing made from pure beeswax outside yesterday and bees started collecting it and taking it into the hives....
...

Yep, natural comb and I let them swarm. Nothing else.... 3rd season now treatment free and those hives are all I wanted. Treatment free, swarm or two or three, couple of kilos of honey and gentle,...

The only hive from which bees(natural swarms) absconded and it happened twice was TBH with open screened bottom :)

Most of empty hives are those that actually were treated. I heard your argument from numerous beekeepers that treat. I have proven to myself that they are very wrong but the thing is that I cannot...

I see a lot of talk about loses of natural guys. I see pretty much the same pattern of loses with conventional guys. Some who treat loose most of their hives also but I guess some of you feel better...

With first swarm the old queen goes out. She is already mated....

With afterswarms it's a gamble but success rate is high.

Sometimes if you give a swarm frame with eggs or brood they will kill...

I see bees going straight from the hive into the raspberry patch when in bloom. It is 2 meters from the hive. When fruit trees are in bloom I also watch them rushing from the hive to the fruit trees...

Of course they do. As do measurements of others. Seeley, Taber and Spivak are not the only ones who made thousands of measurements. Many people did and still measure and their findings are different....

I bought package bees and nucs in the beginning from two different beekeepers. It seems that those that came(queens) with packages are doing better than those that came in nucs. Since I leave my bees...

I don't know and I never claimed I had the answer. When science will answer that question I will gladly listen. Until science only contradicts with my own observations and only tells me it is not...

I already did in this thread...twice. Data taken from over 70 wild colonies in span of 20 years. Conclusions you can read in the article about bee comb. Use google translator or hire a translator. I...

I for one didn't assume nothing. I responded to your claim. European bees do in fact build smaller than 5.4 cells and I have a way of proving it.
You on the other side didn't take into account all...

Conclusion : we have the same goal but different paths. There are many ways. We all keep bees. On foundation, small cell, natural comb. Some treat, some don't. We all have bees. Life is good.
Let's...

peterloringborst:

See. Some of the links say the natural comb cells are actually smaller than that on foundation ;) Did you even read the first link you posted ?



It's a no brainer ;)
...

Can you please provide the documentation you talk about. I am only interested in European bees. No need for African and Asian bees.
Thank you.

Are we talking average cell size or average worker...