Missouri State BeeKeepers Association Meeting

[BMAC]

Well Here I am in Hannibal Mo at the State Beeks meeting.  One of the guest speakers here is Dan Purvis.  I have this far thoroughly enjoyed his take on beekeeping.  He may not be quite so popular with some of the college folks at this point, but good for him.

I actually had a chance to sit with him for about 1.5 hours after the meeting last night as we discussed queen rearing and such.  What an eye opener.  If any of you ever get the chance to see Dan or speak with him, I highly recommend it.  However be aware.  He is going to give you the plain truth about stuff.  Nothing else.

He is going to cover AI today during the meeting.  I can hardly wait.  According to Dan, his studies have shown that AI queens are just as viable as naturally inseminated queens.

[Michael Bush]

I had several late night discussions with Dann at HAS and went to some of his presentations.  I really like him as a presenter and as a person.  But he is very passionate and outspoken about what he believes and that often rubs some people the wrong way.

[BMAC]

Micheal I couldn't agree more.  He is very passionate.  He does rub people the wrong way.  I thoroughly enjoyed his talks.  I mentinoed that I bought a few queens from you.  He immediately knew who I was talking about and mentioned that he does not completely agree with the small cell concept.  I could not believe that more people did not want to talk with him after the meeting, but at the same time I was glad I could fully utilize the time to really start to dive into understanding queen raising.  It was fabulous.  I think most of the Beeks there just looked at him and said whatever.  You are out of your mind.....

None the less I was able to talk with him again just before the meeting ended today in the lobby of the hotel.  It was pretty exciting. 

The biggest thing that he is advocating is to cull all comb every 5 years.  Regardless if it has been treated with chemicals or not, it needs to be culled.  Also if it has been treated with chemical such as Cumaphous then it needs to be retired immediately. 

Again it was very enlightening speaking with him. 

[Brian D. Bray]

The biggest thing that he is advocating is to cull all comb every 5 years.  Regardless if it has been treated with chemicals or not, it needs to be culled.  Also if it has been treated with chemical such as Cumaphous then it needs to be retired immediately. 

Again it was very enlightening speaking with him. 

I've been giving this a lot of thought.  In the past, and even in photos posted here at beemaster, I've observed that after a number of years bees seem to move off the old comb and build more comb along-side, below, or above, the old comb.  Essentually  the hive moves in the direction of the new comb and the old comb is gradually abandoned.  I would guess that a 5 year cull of old comb would mimic that tendency.  The question is: Why do the bees abandon the old comb?  Could it be because of a build up of viruses and other pathogens in the comb (besides the chemicals) that cause this?  I tend to think that replacement of old comb after a few years will result in a higher/longer life span on established hives with new brood comb every so often.

[Kathyp]

i have a thought about the old comb.  i noticed abandoned comb in that hive i took out of the barn.  the hive had been there a good while.  the old comb was like rubber. it had a lining like husk.  you more experienced beekeepers will be able to give a better description, i'm sure. 
anyway, when i melted the wax, the old stuff didn't really melt.  the husky stuff just stuck together and floated to the top.

i wondered if the old stuff was so used and had been lined so many times, that maybe it didn't breath, or the eggs wouldn't attach, or whatever. 

my observation.....even though i don't know what it meant.

[BMAC]

Dan said some studies were done in the late 70s showing why it was important to cull comb.  He said every 5 years is the way to go and the best way to accomplish it is to replaced 2 frames per year.  Ensure you mark the frames with paint or something so that you know. 

The reason is exactly as you said Brian.  He stated that wax is just a sponge and so it hords all the viruses and disease and such.  Also it collects the pollution from the local area and and other chemical that comes along.  He made a valid point about this.  In nature when the comb is no longer usable the bees build new comb next to it and completely move off the old comb.  Wax moths come in and eat up all the old comb and the bees keep the moths off the new comb.  Thus ridding the colony of the old comb that is silk/chemical/virus laden. 

It makes complete sense.  Something that I will be marking and keeping track of this year.  2 frames per box per year.  That is the magic number for this rotation.