You know there's a honeyflow when:

Joseph Clemens · April 22, 2006, 03:19:51 AM

Yesterday, I opened a few strong hives to give emerging brood to a couple that needed a little boost. I scraped some burr comb, full or honey, onto a nearby piece of wood, they were covered with bees when scraped. Today I noticed the burr pieces were still full of honey and not a single bee was bothering with it. Our Mesquite has begun to bloom in earnest.

Jack Parr · April 22, 2006, 06:08:07 AM

What have you done about Verroa??? What is the secret that you seem to have found?

From what I understand everyone has Verroa? So what's the story?

Joseph Clemens · April 23, 2006, 07:41:20 AM

Honestly, I don't really know why Varroa don't seem to be a serious problem. Some of my strongest hives, 4 medium's full of brood, bees, and honey have managed to produce several frames with nearly all drone brood. I randomly opened some drone brood and open drone brood in nearly every hive I examine, but haven't yet found a Varroa in drone brood this season. I haven't "rolled" bees in anything to check for mites and haven't used a sticky board under SBB. I did see a mite on a newly emerging worker, it also had DWV. Their actually seem to be about 1% with DWV, so I am sure the mites are there. I have managed to get to where nearly every comb in brood areas are small-cell.

Some speculation has been made that our dryer, hotter, air might be the reason. I'm just glad that I haven't really had to worry so much about Varroa or TM.

You might consider my signature inaccurate if you consider small-cell a treatment, but when I first read about it, it simply sounded like a "fun" thing to do. I didn't actually see a Varroa problem that I hoped would be remedied by the small-cell. I like seeing the tinier cells and that makes beekeeping a little more, "fun" for me.

newbee101 · April 23, 2006, 08:30:34 AM

Joseph, Do you ever swap out old comb with new comb? Some of those scientists believe that DWV may "live" in the comb. I had 2 hives with DWV and they both died.

Joseph Clemens · April 23, 2006, 08:33:42 AM

I haven't done so regularly, but since you mention it I think I shall try swapping out the comb for new foundation on those that seem especially prone to DWV and see if that helps.

Jack Parr · April 23, 2006, 08:58:56 AM

OK. So what kinda queens do you use? Self produced, purchased ? Maybe you have AFB genetics, somehow, in your hives. From what I have read, the Lusby women has AFB genetics in her bees :?: Have you heard of this :?: Have you discussed your appearent success with so-called experts, other than this board of experts, of course.

How long have you been using the small cells?

Jack Parr · April 24, 2006, 07:26:11 AM

Make that AHB's as in Africanized Honey Bees.

AFB is for American FOUL Brood. Bad mistake on my part. Didn't mean to offend.