www.studiobeeproductions.com
In my opinion, one of the most difficult urges a bee keeper needs to resist is opening their hives just to see what's going on, or check on how the queen's doing. It's been my experience, that the fewer times I pull frames in a hive, the more productive the hive has been. And herein lies the dilemma. We keep bees because we want to see how they work, but if we are constantly "checking" on them, the less productive they become. For me, the solution for not checking on my bees is to go wrangle some bees out of a house. That way, the bees in the yards remain undisturbed and productive, and I get my fix of interacting with bees.
I am very much aware of the two schools of thought concerning what should a bee keeper do to maintain healthy bees, do I step in and use artificial measures, or do I allow natural selection to run it's course. I truly believe that each bee keeper has the right to choose whichever method they feel is the correct path for them, and for me, I choose to go treatment free. My years of observation of feral bees only reinforces what I put into practice here at St. Joseph Abbey.
On this weeks video, the State Bee Inspector visits the abbey to conduct a survey to check on the health of our hives. They collect data and compile it at a national level to determine mite counts as well as overall general health of hives. To do this, it will be necessary to open 8 of our hives, remove a single frame with brood on it, take live samples as well as alcohol samples, and bounce the frame to loosen particles to be analyzed as well.
So why willingly participate in a survey that on the surface seems to conflict with the "natural selection" process as well as my policy of not "messing with my bees"? I can not in good conscious behave like the ostrich with it's head in the sand thinking that mites are of no concern. They are a problem, and they are present everywhere. I hope to prove by my participation that bees are capable on their own of overcoming obstacles counter to their survival by natural methods, as opposed to introducing chemicals or artificial means to suppress natural enemies.
I believe it is a good idea to collect data on a national level concerning mite concentrations, and as this is Mite-A-Thon week, I'd ask all who read this go to the site mitecheck.com and complete the survey. By showing the methods you employ to combat this natural enemy of the bee, it will also give a clearer picture of what really works to combat the mites. Personally, I stand behind the method I have chosen, and the health of our hives that you saw on this video, as well as what the State Inspector saw, prove the point that going "treatment free" is a viable option for bee keepers.
The video is a bit longer than usual, so you will have to allot a little bit more time, but I hope you find it time well spent. Again, take the survey on mitecheck.com and lets get some good info on concentrations as well as methods used to combat them. God's peace to all. Mr. Ed
16 сен 2024
