Hive disruption from FGMO treatment

[BeeBear]

I apologize if this topic has been covered and I have just missed it. Or maybe it's not significant.

I'm curious as to the tradeoff of the FGMO treatment requiring regular hive opening, and thus disuption of the hive environment. Yes, it certainly does force us to keep a close eye on the bees, but sometimes I think we tend to keep too close an eye on them.

I'll admit that I'm unclear on how much disruption the fogging creates, but it's a weekly event, so seems that it's often enough to be significant. Replacing the strings seems even more disruptive.

I've seen the folks here who are using this method with large numbers of hives, but it seems awfully disruptive both for the beekeeper and the bees.

[Kurt Bower]

Beebear:
I would agree with you, in that many beekeepers are far too invasive when dealing with their bees.
Fortunately as you alluded to, the fogging itself is not disruptive. Oh, I think that the bees may get a little agitated, but the fog simply helps the bees kick in their grooming behavior. Doesnt really seem to be a problem.
The cords are a minimal disruption as well. If you know where you want them all you have to do is crack the hive and slip them in. The process is about the same as dropping in pesticide strips and maybe easier because they dont go between the combs. I think the disruption comes into play when you start pulling frames and altering the patterns they have created in turn adding stress to the bees.
I can not speak for the commercial beekeeper but for me the time spent treating is not an inconvenience because of the satisfaction I get from not using chemicals.

Kurt

[Michael Bush]

I'd say the fog is less disruptive than smoking them. True a couple of bees on the landing board will start wrestling, but otherwise the hive is quite calm and undisturbed judging by the sounds and the bees coming in and out.

Dr. Rodriguez says he's testing a device to replace the cords without opening the hive. I look forward to it.

[Tia]

My bees actually seem to like the fogging! They seem a bit startled with the first hit, but by the third (I give them each 5 hits), they are very calm and seem almost appreciative (like, "Hey, get them off me!") I haven't been using the cords for the very reason that I thought it too disruptive, am I am looking forward to Dr. Rodriguez' article in the March 04 ABJ about his new method of installing the cords.

[Dr. Pedro Rodriguez]

Hello folks.
Yes, as promised, I keep looking for ways to make the use of FGMO cost effective and non-disruptive to the hive environment. With the introduction (will appear in ABJ, March issue), replacing the cords will become routine. Hopefully there wont be "opposition" to this addition to the FGMO procedure as there has been to other innovations that I have introduced. Reason: because most opposition is coming from people who have not even tried the system (as admitted by them hence causing disruption in the forum.
Best regards and God bless.
Dr. Rodriguez

[Oxankle]

Doc;

Bless yore old bones! Since I found out about your FGMO methods I have become a bee nut again. In the past month I have bought fogger and oil, built two TBH's, mixed emulsion, soaked cotton mop cord, fogged and corded my bees and those of a friend, and scattered beeswax, oil and wood shavings all over the wife's kitchen.

Have you any idea how much worse this will be when the weather permits actually WORKING
with the bees?

I have always been a hobby beekeeper, never tried to sell. Gave the stuff away to neighbors, friends, family. The year we extracted 50 gallons of honey on the 4th of July my wife made me promise to cut back. She has been looking crossways at me the last couple of weeks.

Looking forward to reading about your ideas for better placement of the emulsion cords. It appears that beekeeping will be fun again. You done good, Doc.
Oxankle

[Dr. Pedro Rodriguez]

Good morning folks from a frigid Virginia.
Yes, it is indeed a very cold day here but as The Good Lord provides, may be this weather will bring much needed water for nature to do its thing. So, may be our bees will benefit from an abundance of flowers this Spring.
On the FGMO side: Yes, going into ten years of FGMO research, I have learned many new things (which proves to me that we will never know everything there is to know about bees).
One of those newly acquired bits of knowledge is how easy it is to stress our bees. And of course, the myriad of responses that they may have in store for stress. One of my reasons for staying firm with FGMO is the MINIMAL stressful reaction to FGMO. If anything, FGMO is greatly beneficial because it stimulates hygienic behavior which prompts the bees to remove mites, and hopefully beetles.
During all these years my efforts have been directed at finding cost-effective ways for FGMO usage. The combination of FGMO/thymol application and the design and introduction of a method to insert the emulsion soaked cords without removing supers have shown a great potential for effective use of FGMO with minimum disruption of the hive environment and savings in labor costs.
Hang in there folks, the future looks even better.
For those of you who use the kitchen facilities to prepare your emulsion and to dilute the thymol, you might make peace WITH THE WIVES by a simple investment. Buy yourselves a Colman stove, (I used to use a very small when I started and since I have progressed onto a wood burning stove). It is easy to use and inexpensive. My wood burning stove comes in very handy too because I use it for making my FGMO preparations, sugar syrup, wax melting, and even ocassional B-B-Q's.
So, like our beloved honey bees, it pays to BEE resourceful.
Best regards and God bless.
Dr. Rodriguez

[stonybrook]

Hi Folks,

hello from Connecticut. I am using the FMGO/Thymol mixture for fogging, and I, Like TIA have observed the same behavior - the bees seem to like the fogging. They seem to be very active the 12 hrs or so after the fogging (I generall fog once a week, mid-evening when the majority of the workers have returned to the hive - I give 5-6 good puffs into the lower hive entrance & into any "imrie shim" or bored holes.). I will state for the record that the bees, in general appear to be much more active in the 24/48 hours after a FMGO/Thymol fogging, why this is, I have no insight but there is definately some correlation to the fogging and gathering atcivity.

regards,

-todd