Ideas for ideal northern hive?

[Michael Bush]

>MB: It sounds like that will be ideal then.

I think it would work. As would a lot of other configurations.

>What about hivetop feeders? Any problem there?

If you're going to listen to David Eyre, he'll tell you never to try to feed in the winter. The syrup will cause too much humidity, it may spoil and cause more problems. I don't know if he's right or not, but I don't leave feeders on in the winter.

>And do people close off the opening below the SBB somehow?

Most SBB come with a tray to close it off. If they don't you can easily cut some of the corragated plastic or even some cardboard to fit and staple some twine or wire to make something to hold the tray up. Make it like a letter "Z".

>I tried open feeding last year, but the yellowjackets became a nightmare.

I've never had yellowjackets that badly, but I suppose they could be bad.

>BTW, when people put styrofoam over the inner cover, do they leave the ventilation hole uncovered?

I just tried foam for the first time this year. I bought some to wrap the nucs and had some left over. I just cut it to fit and put it either on the top of the outer cover with a brick or on the inner cover with the outer on top or inside of a vent box on the inner cover. I didn't put a hole in the middle of the foam. It seemed to work fine.

>Can anyone refer me to (or create) a current discussion of the uses of FGMO vs OA alone or in combination, as well as the methodology and equiment currently being used. Some of the discussions I found were pretty old, and some of the links were no longer active.

Well I don't think the methodoloby for either has changed with the exception that some people are adding thymol to the FGMO.

There were several recent discussions on Oxalic and I put in the links to all the previous ones in that one.

The FGMO is outlined in the POV section under Dr. Rodriguez.

My short version is this. All I used was the FGMO fog. The cords were too mcuh work. FMGO fog is not a devastating killer of Varroa. It is an inert chemical that keeps the varroa population down. It is not what I'd recommend for a serious infestation of Varroa, but it's useful to keep it down. If you use it regularlly and monitor you may not need anything else. On the other hand if hives around you are crashing and mites are hitchiking back in large numbers, the FGMO fog alone may not be sufficient to keep the population down. Then you have your choice of adding thymol, adding cords, adding cords and thymol or going to the OA.

Short version of FGMO. Buy a propane fogger. Go to the drug store and buy mineral oil laxitive. Put it in the fogger. Light it up. Take off the outer cover on the first hive or two so you can see how things work. Blow the fog in the entrances of the hives until it's coming out the the hole in the inner cover. Watch that you don't back the fog up where it's thick around the flames on the burner. After a few with the lid off you'll get a feel for how much fog it takes and you can just leave the lids on. Fog them all at least every other week until fall then fog them at least onece a week until winter. Monitor the mites.

http://www.beesource.com/pov/rodriguez/index.htm

If you go to the OA, Top Bar Guy has as nice system as any for a small outfit.

http://wind.prohosting.com/tbhguy/bee/oxal.htm
http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000280.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000126.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000468-2.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000468.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000298.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000469.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000468-3.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/000058.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000449.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/000103.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000293.html

[GreenMountainRose]

>You can take two frames of brood and move them up to the new box

I've read other posts about this being done. Do brood make tiny little "feed me" cries to get the nurse bees' attention? If so, I'd love to hear what that sounds like!

>but I don't leave feeders on in the winter

I wouldn't dare, but what about the summer: how do hivetop feeders interact with the Beeworks vent system at other times of the year?

[Michael Bush]

Usually you don't feed in the summer. Usually you feed in the spring and fall. But most hivetop feeders will let air through them.

[east_stingray]

Just to add some insight... I have the type of hivetop feeders that beecommerce used to promote as "their" design... about 3 inches high, with a full width access at the front that comes over a dam board and is screened. I leave these on in the winter, but I turn them around backwards. If you have any significant tilt to the hive, the hot water vapor is going to go to the back top corner. This way, it gets up through the screen and the syrup tray acts as a drip pan. I've never lost a hive on this system.

[GreenMountainRose]

>Usually you don't feed in the summer

Yep... I meant the other six months of the year that aren't winter. [img]smile.gif[/img] It should only be about 2-3 more months before all the snow is gone around here. (sigh.)

[MountainCamp]

MountainCamp: >I have 10 out of 21 hives on SBB open.

How do they compare in results? Is there a difference in survival rates?

I went into winter with 22 hives. I lost (1) that figured I was going to because of a series of problems last spring and summer. (3) others hives that were below par, right now look like they will make to spring.
All (5) hives in Catskill are on SBB, and (5) in Round Top. So far, no differences. I did notice last spring when I first put them on, the queens tended to stay a little higher in the hive, but once summer started that moved lower.

Could you describe the empty box? What height is it? Is it like a super? That explains how people manage to put sugar in for the winter. I had wondered about that. That's where you put the internal jar feeders too? That will be helpful. I tried open feeding last year, but the yellowjackets became a nightmare.

Some pictures on www.mountaincampfarm.com

Basically just deep boxes made out of rough cut pine. Nice and cheap.