I had an unusual call yesterday from an author, David George Gordon. He was working to have one of his earlier books updated and republished, a book about eating insects. The book provides information about various cultures that eat insects as well as some recipes. He needed some help preparing for a photo shoot. He wanted to include some photos of recipes in the updated book. The help he sought was to purchase some live bees, pupae and larvae that he could use to prepare a particular recipe, "Three Bee Salad". I arranged to sell him one frame of brood and honey from my modified Warre hive. I told him that I would like to read his book and write a review for my blog and website. He offered to send me an advance copy. The new improved book is due out in July, 2013. He has a website at www.davidgeorgegordon.com for those who are interested.
As it turns out, I had actually read one of Gordon's books before. I just didn't recollect his name. The particular book was titled "The Field Guide to the Slug". Obviously, the author's name was less memorable to me than the book title. It was an interesting book that provided a great deal of useful information about my primary gardening nemesis, the slug. Yet, it was written in a light-hearted, whimsical style that made it an enjoyable read.
The subject of eating bees and bee larvae has come up several times in the past year. When a bear attacks a bee hive his primary goal is to eat the larvae, not the honey. I have one customer who was inspired to try eating the larvae after watching a BBC documentary on honeybees. He described the larvae as tasting better than the sweetest creamed corn he ever had. While I was impressed with his enthusiasm for his new-found delicacy, I've been reluctant to try them myself. It isn't that I couldn't eat an insect as much as it just feels wrong to eat my bees.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Warre Hive Update
My modified Warre hive has done okay this year. I didn't end up with an unmated queen from a large secondary swarm that ended up being a drone layer (my previous Warre hive experience). I say my Warre hive is modified in that it has moveable frames like a conventional beehive. What I wanted to experiment with were the smaller dimensions of the Warre hive (12x 12 inner dimensions of the brood nest) and the "quilt" as a moisture abatement mechanism. I want to see if those factors have a positive impact on the bees making it through the winter. I am unwilling to give up moveable frames and the management they allow the beekeeper. Also I am unwilling to sacrifice my bees on the altar of 100 percent natural beekeeping. Therefore I want to be able to use the more benign and natural miticides like Hopguard or Apilife and I want to be able to feed my bees if they need it and be able to give them medication for Nosema Cerana.
I realize that one hive doesn't make a very good experiment, but I haven't had the time or energy to make more than the one Warre hive. I need to have at least ten conventional Langstroth hives in order to maintain the queen banks at the bee store. That is about all of the beehives I currently have time to manage. I want to see if the Warre hive beats the average of the ten Langstroth hives when it comes to overwintering during the next five years.
We had a relatively good blackberry nectar flow this year. The Warre hive drew out comb in three and a half deep boxes (eight frames each with a comb length of 12 inches). I'm not aware that the Warre hive swarmed, but I didn't install a marked queen so I can't absolutely swear that they didn't. I harvested three deep frames that consisted of close to 100 percent capped honey. That allowed me to reduce them back down to three deep boxes, the equivalent of a two deep eight frame Langstroth hive. I am treating them for mites with Apilife VAR, which I consider to almost be an herbal treatment as the the active ingredients are thymol, eucalyptus, and menthol. I plan to feed them several gallons of 2:1 sugar syrup with fumagillin for Nosema.
I intend to use the three frames of honey to do cut comb rather than extract them. However, the SAF extractors I sell at the Beez Neez will accomodate the shorter frames from my Warre hive. It just isn't worth my trouble to extract three frames. Besides, I can always use more cut comb honey.
I realize that one hive doesn't make a very good experiment, but I haven't had the time or energy to make more than the one Warre hive. I need to have at least ten conventional Langstroth hives in order to maintain the queen banks at the bee store. That is about all of the beehives I currently have time to manage. I want to see if the Warre hive beats the average of the ten Langstroth hives when it comes to overwintering during the next five years.
We had a relatively good blackberry nectar flow this year. The Warre hive drew out comb in three and a half deep boxes (eight frames each with a comb length of 12 inches). I'm not aware that the Warre hive swarmed, but I didn't install a marked queen so I can't absolutely swear that they didn't. I harvested three deep frames that consisted of close to 100 percent capped honey. That allowed me to reduce them back down to three deep boxes, the equivalent of a two deep eight frame Langstroth hive. I am treating them for mites with Apilife VAR, which I consider to almost be an herbal treatment as the the active ingredients are thymol, eucalyptus, and menthol. I plan to feed them several gallons of 2:1 sugar syrup with fumagillin for Nosema.
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I intend to use the three frames of honey to do cut comb rather than extract them. However, the SAF extractors I sell at the Beez Neez will accomodate the shorter frames from my Warre hive. It just isn't worth my trouble to extract three frames. Besides, I can always use more cut comb honey.
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