Treatment Free Commercial Beekeepers?

[hpm08161947]

On a large scale I do not know of anyone using paradichlorobenzene...... it would be very labor intensive on a couple thousand boxes. I do not know... but suspect that in upstate Ohio he may well use nothing.

[cg3]

Paradichlorobenzene?

Is that an assumption or a fact? Bt, sunlight, freezing weather?

[Solomon Parker]

Bt seems popular these days. I leave comb on the hives. 5-deep stacks, all year long.

[cg3]

I was leaving comb on the stack but SHB just showed up this year. Now I'm afraid to leave any extra space, at least until I figure out a strategy. But up in Householders area, the population contains many brass monkeys and bare-breasted witches. I'm not sure he needs to worry much about wax moth.

[jim lyon]

By using excluders we are able to keep our extracting comb free of brood and pollen and see little if any moth damage in them even when stored in the heat of summer. Any dark brood comb stays on the bees until October. We rarely fumigate with anything. Any product requiring each individual comb to be treated is never going to be used much commercially.

[beemandan]

I'm not sure he needs to worry much about wax moth.

You believe he'd risk his entire operation to chance?
I don't know him personally but it appears that he's been doing his method successfully for a while. Success in this business doesn't come with the roll of the dice....which may explain the paucity of tf commercials.

[beemandan]

We rarely fumigate with anything.

Of course, you aren't storing all of your brood comb sans bees between seasons. Can you imagine having to do that without some sort of fumigant?

[hpm08161947]

Of course, you aren't storing all of your brood comb sans bees between seasons. Can you imagine having to do that without some sort of fumigant?

In upstate Ohio, from Oct to March.... I doubt there are many wax moths flying....

[beemandan]

In upstate Ohio, from Oct to March.... I doubt there are many wax moths flying....

I'm seeing the word 'much' or 'many' describing the possibility of wax moth damage in Ohio. I really don't have a dog in this hunt but, as I said earlier, success in this business doesn't come by taking unnecessary chances. And with hundreds of brood boxes in storage every year....I know I wouldn't risk losing them.

[cg3]

I'm seeing the word 'much' or 'many' describing the possibility of wax moth damage

Maybe because we're just speculating. I'm not sure when he shakes his bees out, but in that part of Ohio there's a hard freeze in Oct., guaranteed.

[jim lyon]

Agreed Dan. You store brood comb in a warm place for even a month, cleanup might involve sending in the boys with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch.

[camero7]

In upstate Ohio, from Oct to March.... I doubt there are many wax moths flying....

I got some wax moth damage here on boxes in storage this winter. Never had it before and I'm north of that I believe.

[The Honey Householder]

WoW guys. My ears are burning.
After shaking the bees out in the fall I just stack the brood boxes up in the bee yards until all the brood hatches. Mid Nov. I start clean up. By the first of the year I start spraying HFCS into the frames an reseting the yards.

I would have commented before this, but I had packages that had to be put into the hive. One load down and one to go.

Sorry still chemical free.

Don't claim to be a beekeeper, just a honey producer. 1000 hives and shooting for 100 tons of honey this year, and yes still a 1/2 ton pickup does the job. I did add a fork lift in the warehouse to load all that honey. Not getting any younger.

TF HONEY PRODUCER Really who is counting.

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Ron, I am curious what your practice is to prevent wax moth damage.

[The Honey Householder]

BEES, 6-7 brood boxes full of brood makes a lot of bees.
After shaking I stack 6-7 brood boxes up on a queen excluder. I try and leave 5-10% of the bees behind to hatch the brood. Fall shake out are 8-10 lb of bees, so its OK to leave a few behind.

I sell tons of bees and with no brood it makes it easy to treat for the mites.

[Ian]

Paradichlorobenzene?

didnt even know what that was in reference to until the chorus chimed in.

I use our good old Canadian winter to control those nasty little things,
they get about one month of opportunity around here.

cold falls under treatment free

[Fishman43]

1000 hives and shooting for 100 tons of honey this year.

224 lb average per hive... You must have some great bee yards!

[Rader Sidetrack]

224 lb average per hive...!

Hmmm ...224 lb per hive? Here's what Ron said

1000 hives and shooting for 100 tons of honey this year,

This is what my calculator says ...
100 tons * 2000 lb per ton / 1000 hives = 200 lbs average per hive

[Barry]

I would have commented before this, but I had packages that had to be put into the hive.

Hey Ron, can you tell me how you start package bees every year, bring them up to "BEES, 6-7 brood boxes full of brood makes a lot of bees.", and then get a crop of honey off them as well? This has to require a boat load of feed. With hives full of feed, have you had your honey tested? How does one keep the honey and the feed from ever mixing? Somehow all your numbers just don't add up in my mind, but I'm happy to be shown where my thinking is off the mark.

[jim lyon]

Hey were all shooting for a 200+ lb. average but I am thrilled if I can eke out 100 though. The recently released 2012 honey report showed a national average of 56 lbs.