What is the best setup for the beekeeper?

[TheCrazyBeeMan]

Okay I have been reading through all the small cell info and have come to ask some questions. What is the best setup for the beekeeper? My thoughts are a hive that uses 4.9 mm foundation for the brood area with a screened bottom board with honeybees that are feral survivors. Then for management of remaining mites use drone frames that are pulled and frozen to eliminate the mites that are there all the time.I really would like to eliminate all chemical treatments and wonder if this could be the right path to follow. I want to thank everyone ahead of time for any help they can offer.

Sincerely
TheCrazyBeeMan

[Frohnho]

I'm not on small cell. I don't use screened BB. I don't use drone comb trapping and I am totally chem, oil, and acid free. I average about 10% loss in late summer and fall and about 30% or 40% loss over winter. for a total of 40% or 50% loss every year. I think thats not much worse than Treated hives and I have chem free honey and wax. It is nice to be able to extract and eat honey from all combs and never have to keep track of "Good" and "Bad".

[Robert Brenchley]

What's your secret?

[Michael Bush]

>My thoughts are a hive that uses 4.9 mm foundation for the brood area

A good start.

>with a screened bottom board

I don't think this is necessary but it's nice for ventilation.

> with honeybees that are feral survivors.

Helpful, but again, I haven't found it necessary, just preferable.

> Then for management of remaining mites use drone frames that are pulled and frozen to eliminate the mites that are there all the time.

I had planned to do drone magnet to handle the mites if they got bad. They didn't. I wouldn't waste the bees resources unless you see a problem with mites. I would monitor the mites and see if you need to before you do the drone magnet.

[whitebark]

Michael,

Why don't you think screened BB's are necessary for IPM for mites? This seems to be one tool many people suggest.

[Michael Bush]

I think a SBB makes a significant difference if you are treating with anything that causes grooming or if you are treating with chemicals that are subject to resistance. Powdered sugar and FGMO cause more grooming and more mite fall that might get back on the bees. I've seen studies that showed that resistant mites often fall but then climb back up and that a SBB helps with these. But as a standalone (not treating with something else) system, I have not seen any significant decrease in the mites from the SBB.

I'm not saying you shouldn't use them. I have them. I like them. I use them to monitor the mites and I use them to facilitate ventilation in the hives. I just have not seen them make a significant difference and don't trust them to make a significant difference in the mite population.

[Hillbillynursery]

I agree with MB. I only have 3 SBBs. I move these around to check mite load. All the natural cell(foundationless frames) kept the mite load very low. The hives with large cell foundation with the SBB still kept increasing in mite load.

I think any of the varroa mite resistant bees would be just as good of a start as the feral surviors. Like russians or SMRs. Most of the ferals have good hygenic behavoir like removing mite infested brood. But some of the ferals I think the small cell is what is keeping the low mite levels.

I have pulled drone comb with drone brood but it was to get rid of the drone comb not to freeze to get rid of mites. I try to keep the drone comb to a minium as the drones allow more mites to mature. A hive will make drone comb some where, but I try not to keep it down.