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To me if they are running with 75% of what I am looking for, then a culling could set me back. A few daughters from them could help in the evaluation process.

Irma was 1400 miles or 2250 km.
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End of Summer up date. Of the 6 TF hives, 2 have failed. This places me at 4 TF hive going into fall. These 4 have built into double deep status. With Goldenrod starting to bloom, and the cool days,...

Thank you guys for the well wishes.

Have 13 hives up and running. Of those 6 are TF. My expansion should take me above 20 going into winter. Goal is for 25, but that will depend on the summer...

Morning folks,

As an update, did not want people to think I have abandoned my pursuit. However we experienced a house fire. All data concerning varroa loads has been lost. I have spent the last...

I hope, with the data collected, I can have better insight into an answer.

This was where I show my ignorance. I assumed those were cells the bees were tearing down and throwing out the pupae to reduce mite prorogation.

Yes lharder, I think that will be the best path at this point.

I did OTS on my TF hives a month ago. Been able to increase that number to 6 TF. The queens are laying like champs. The only thing...

River, looking forward to reading it. In fact I am going to go ahead and reread all his stuff concerning what I am doing. Hope more nuggets of wisdom jump out at me.

msl, I keep my hives...

https://beeinformed.org/2017/05/25/2016-2017-loss-results-thank-you-to-all-survey-participants/

Treatment free hives start out that way. These are from cutouts that have been at least 2 years in the same cavity space.

Part of this is to test the limit of infestation before collapse. If it...

Cell size is 5.4, foundation is plastic with wax coating, (don't use natural comb due to any frame could be moved to a supper and must be able to handle an exactor and not blow out), frame spacing is...

Built a spread sheet to handle the data, and a scale system to help evaluate the hives.

For Example

Hive identification: HR3N2 Stands for Home yard Row 3 Nuc 2
DTG: 22Jun17 15:25 Stands...

Yes Siwolke, translate and use as needed.

Bee stock consist of cutouts that are at least 2 years old, VSH hives, and location of breading yard in a TF drone area.

Climate is warm winters...

Integrated Pest Management with organic compounds to conversion of Integrated Pest Management of Treatment Free stock with Separate Treatment Free stock with organic treatment to maximize honey...

How about a medium hive, with drone comb, and rotate that over to a bigger hive once capped or almost capped. Then run 2 cycles of worked brood, then drone comb again. This should in my mind balance...

The chance of moving the ball forward is a variable % chance of different factors. Starting stock, management, environment, density of feral stock in area, density of managed TF stock in area, number...

A colony with 60,000 bees will produce more surplus honey then a colony of 30,000 bees. It takes 12 bees their entire lives to produce a teaspoon of honey. So the more bees a production hive has, the...

First question is are you running a queen excluder. Second question is are you using comb that was used as brood comb last year, or the start of this year?

My bees used their left over stores to...

Darth Vader gives them milk and cookies, more might come over if you offered milk and cookies. :)

I agree Mike, if you can pinch an under performer, and bring in better genes, then go for it.

Are you going to rake drone cells from the under performers as well to keep those genes chance of...

Mike UK, I get your point, for me, its no man is an island. I have already talked with them, and it looks like its going to be a queen trading system being setup. The TF nehbor, has never done splits...

River, my splits get a gallon of syrup, they have in the past taken a month to take it all.They also get a frame of honey and a frame of pollen. I use solid bottoms with splits with a reduced...

I was 5 years away from concept design, 5 years from working out a system, I have read and reread TF post for a while now. The meat and taters I have are being converted to helping me set my system...

People can buy bees anywhere. If I say these bees I raise TF produce 70lbs without treatment at 10% mite level and produce X amount with treatment at mite X%, and I have notes of mite levels, hive...

Oldtimer, yes, those queens from several years, will be the TF stock.

Fusion, I understand the sentiment and appreciate your viewpoint on the genetics. However the bees that get treated are being...