First report from USA trip

I’m on half a way on my tour around US to visit AŽ hivers and some research labs. I can’t do a detailed report on a way. I’m to busy with activities and travel and I would like to integrate all experience together.

I started at Boston Airport and then visited Suzanne. I saw a lot of progress including new shingles on the roof of beehouse.

From there I traveled to the west with first academic target at Lansing, Michigan, where I checked archives of Frank Benton. Between I was able to visit Mastersons’ Garden Center in East Aurora: https://mastersons.net/

They are doing great with the beekeepers, not only offering equipment ans supplies but also mentoring as well. They have also interest for our way of beekeeping as well.

After short visit of Niagara Falls I had a nice welcome by Evelyn. She brought together some AŽ hivers from her area and I had presentation for them. On next day I had an opportunity to see different hives well populated in her beehouse. I could recognize difficulties derived from the construction of the hives, but I can’t go in details right now. I’d like to see more and then I will try to compile all observations in special report.

I had a short break with my son at his relatives in Milwaukee and then continued the trip to twin cities. There I firs met beekeepers of Ames Farm. Brian showed high interest in AŽ beekeeping. He already has a hive, but has some more ideas how to use them. I have visited some spots of brothers’ Jagers, for beekeepers most important Father Francis Jager. I checked also his historic library at St. Paul and visited Bee Lab. I presented them our beekeeping and talked about Jager’s heritage.

From there I went to Stillwater where I have a friend C. I. Abramson that we worked together on ethanol consumption a while ago. From here my way is going back to east and first major stop will be in Georgia. I might do some stops before. I hope, more details after finishing my trip.

Who is interested in AŽ hives?

I prepared Google form to collect some information about beekeepers that are interested for keeping bees in Slovenian style. I hope it will work well. I used it for another data collection, working with young researchers from several high schools. In one way it is a lot of fun. There are several simple questions and at the beginning the path of questionnaire is split based on existing experience of keeping bees in the AŽ hives. You can also write your comments and questions as well. At the end of the form you will get promotional code for 3$ off on the price in my Creative space shop. I will keep this active from now to as long as I will stay in US. It is a good chance to get your copy and if you will have a chance to meet me, I can also sign the book.

A long ago with beekeeping research youth camp at the queen breeder Jalen.

I will appreciate your contribution of data, regardless of buying book. Please, be honest and answer in the best possible way. Don't repeat your entry! There is only one general code for all participants. Please, don't share it over social media, rather invite people to visit my blog or direct them to Google form.

Trip announcement

I'm planning my trip to USA to visit beekeepers, bee labs and friends. I already have tickets (for me and my son) for the 18th of July arriving to Boston. I will stay for a day in New Hampshire and then continue my trip toward Minneapolis/St. Paul (I will rent a car), where I will visit Bee Lab on 24th of July. I do have some wishes, like checking historical library of Francis Jager at St. Paul and also check archives of Frank Benton in Lansing few days before. After this visit, I hope, I can write more about this two beekeepers with strong connections with Slovenia. So, I do have some possibilities on the way from NH to MN. I do have some connections on this way, but especially missing in the area of Buffalo, New York, on the 20th of July.
My plan is to leave Minneapolis on 25th of July and going toward Stillwater, Oklahoma, where is my friend Prof. Dr. Abramson. On the way I could make a stop, stay in OK for a day or even 2 and then continue in the direction to Georgia. I've got already welcome messages from AŽ hivers in Georgia. My first calculations are to arrive in Georgia on 30th of July. From there I will continue my trip toward NE, be in DC area on 5th of August and arrive at CapeCod at 8th of August. This is my approximate root that can be slightly adjusted with stops, eventually some dates,  but not much with additional loops of hundreds of miles.
I will appreciate possibility for "couchsurfing" for me and my son for exchange of beekeeping talk with the host. Organized  groups are welcome for talks or workshops. In such case donations for further development of AZ type of beekeeping will be appreciated. Please send any suggestions to my personal email: janko.bozic[at]bf.uni-lj.si (replace [at] with @) or by personal message on Facebook. You will find me in AŽ hivers group.

My planned path. Some deviations are possible.

Most wanted days and locations for new contacts:
1. Buffalo, NY on 19th of July
2. Potential stop around Kansas City on the way from MN to OK, app. 25th of July
3, Memphis area on the way from OK to GA, app. 28th or 29th of July.
4. NC or VA, app. 3rd of August
5. DC area, app. 5th of August
6. NY area, app. 6th of August

I'm looking forward for new beekeeping contacts and experience!

QA: What to do with queen less nuc?

Regardless of the hive system we often come in situation that we have queen less colony and we don't want to keep that colony further, especially if that is a small nuc used for queen rearing. If there is a pasture and no false queens jet in the queen less nuc, then the simplest way is to just add combs to other colonies together with bees. I'm usually sprinkling the bees with the water and then just add the comb into another hive. In AZ hive the best place is in honey section to reduce chance that added bees would attack the queen. Actually that is very unlikely. Just recently I did quit unusual operation. I had several small colonies in 5 frame nucs with new queens already laying eggs  for a while (covered brood present) and I tried to help these colonies with brood frames. I added one full frame of brood and one additional frame with more honey reserve. I didn't brushed the bees away in mother colony. I just waited few minutes with combs on comb stand and then I sprinkled them with water and put on site of the nest. Between existing brood frame and new added frames I left one comb, mainly empty and a bit of honey reserve, already present in the hive. In 5 hives I didn't have any problems with the queen and they are doing great. Just in one hive where I already had some kind of queen acceptance problem already earlier, I found emergency queen cells. In general I would say the method is fine but there could be surprises as well. During the season and nectar flow I'm not complicating using paper sheet to join bees together. That safety is recommended for very low nectar flow and in the fall before overwintering. If there is no pasture, bees are much more sensitive for bees from another hive and in the fall we don't want to jeopardize with queen loss.

How to find Slovene words for beekeeping therms?

You will like

http://books.google.si/books?printsec=frontcover&id=t86rbO9g4eMC#v=onepage&q&f=false

Go to page 187 and you will find Slovene words for listed English words used in the dictionary.

You can use also search for English words here:

http://bos.zrc-sazu.si/c/term/cebelarski/

or this newer search engine - you can choose English interface:

http://www.fran.si/145/cebelarski-terminoloski-slovar

At fran.si is better to choose advanced search engine to search for English words.

http://www.fran.si/napredno

But the results give you list of Slovene words. I suggest you to use rather this site:

http://isjfr.zrc-sazu.si/en/terminologisce/slovarji/cebelarski/iskalnik?ustreznik=drone&jezik=ang#v

It doesn't have English interface but it will give you list of english words that you can then get Slovene description. Just in place of word "drone" as seen below on screen print, write English term that you would like to get Slovene description. Hint: You can also change world "drone" in provided link and you will get result directly, of course if that term exist in dictionary.

 I hope you will enjoy with this great tool!  

Innovative frame construction for pre-wired foundations

I used pre-wired wax foundations during my study in USA (very long ago 😉). I always missed such possibilities in our AŽ hive. I did innovative design and tested in my hives as well with the student Alen Skubin for his undergraduate thesis. Since we were not able to buy prewired foundations in Slovenia, we made them by our self. Alen prepared special device to do that. You can check English abstract and figures in his thesis (most interesting from Fig.17 to Fig. 32). I wrote about that also in the book. Yesterday I did honey extraction from few such combs and it went great like Alen described. Here is link to mentioned thesis:
http://www.digitalna-knjiznica.bf.uni-lj.si/zootehnika/vs_skubin_alen.pdf
This works great in classical arrangements of frames in AŽ hive.

Such a frame from my experimental hive. When it is built it is ridged enough and flow nicely over round bars.

QA: Isn't it strange to turn comb upside down into unnatural position?

Yes, for most World's beekeepers that sounds weird. It is also hard to except by the beekeeper that wants to be as much as it is possible to the natural situation in a hive. In the past that was also hard to except by Slovenian beekeepers as well,  but nowadays many are practicing that. Many questions arise from the beekeepers like: (1) wouldn't drop out fresh honey from the cells, (2) wouldn't have larvae problems staying in the cells. I'd like to play with demonstration that even water will not flow out of the cells if the comb is turned in horizontal position and cell are facing straight down. Also larvae don't have a problem to develop and also bees for feeding the larvae. Of course, typical frame from the Langs' hive can't be turned upside down. I'm experimenting with new frame design that I will be able to use in my new experimental hive for AŽ type of beekeeping. I'm using plastic tabs to hang the frame in Langstroth hive body and I have a chance to re-position taps to other side and hang the frame back in the hive in the way that empty space to the wooden bar is on the top. Bees usually fill such gap with beeswax cells and reinforce the structure. This is grate during extraction if such comb become comb in the honey section of the hive. In AŽ hives we don't need to handle with the taps, we can just turn around the frame. We have two possibilities, just horizontal flip or diagonal and turning also front side to the back along with upside down. This usually brings honey reserves on the comb toward hive entrance. Bees instinctively remove food source from entrance side to the top and the back. In this way we are stimulating bees to use reserves from frames in brood section and to enlarge brood area.  In this way we are also enlarging comb area for two rows of the cells. If we are doing that during regular examination the such action doesn't mean extra time. In general I prefer completely build comb in the whole frame.

My experimental frame prepared for upside down position in my experimental Langs' hives that are used to practice transfer into AŽ type of the hive.

Oh, flipping of the frames  for extra comb building need some fresh nectar flow that bees will do it well. When you are rearranging the brood location regardless flipping changing the position, enlarging space for brood be aware that bees need to take care for proper thermoregulation. Don't do that if it is expected significant drop of temperature in next few days.

QA: Extra combs from OA treated hives, hive ventilation

I will try to collect some question and post some answers that I would fill they might be of the wider interest. This two I've got in this spring.

Q1: If you use oxalic acid fumigation in the fall, does it affect the honey left over from winter?  Can you extract that honey or is it best to just feed it back to the girls?
A1: Oxalic acid as it is used in the hives leaves some residues in the honey, but levels are far bellow of the limits for the food consumption. From that point of few “honey” as you mentioned can be consumed. But regardless of that, winter stores are not real honey, because in most cases it is based on sugar feeding. At list never sell such extracted “honey” to the consumers. There are several possibilities. Full combs if they are not dirty (potential Nosema infestation) can be used for making splits. Nice partially field can be used back in colonies, but better in the brood chamber. Scrap the wax covers of the honey and bees will empty the cells and use for the brood. The safest way of use is to extract and use for fermentation for med or if not perfect taste, distill for brandy (be aware of legitimacy for doing that!).

Q2: Under what conditions would the rear door flap(s) be opened? One or both upper and lower? My recollection is that you said in very hot weather or in winter if you have foam in the back and wish to let condensation escape. Does it help with air flow when they are drying honey for example.

A2: It is true that flaps were constructed mainly to insure ventilation during transportation. Later have been recognized that at list upper one can be opened also during the winter when you have installed foam inside. I open them also during high nectar intake to make them easier with ventilation of the hive. If the bee house is not to bright, too much daily light than this will not disturb them. In such case is good to shade the windows as well. In hot regions it is also good that bee house has at list good passive ventilation, taking colder air from the back or side and release it at the top.
It is good to mention her that some professional beekeepers are using only foam through out the whole year, no extra doors at the back. Especially when they build several hives together as a chest.

Upper flap opened in this new hive (upper door opening in the book)

Springs developments

This year we had early and warm spring after quit normal winter for Slovenia. Two weeks ago I went with my wife and her sister family to Solčava and nearby valleys. We hat great lunch in Robanov kot where they have also nice old bee house like their neighbors. This one is without bees but neighbors do hive few colonies inside.

Few days later my bee house was like that:

Although we had some cold days and majority of Slovenia hat freeze, likely, my hill is something special and not much damage. At some locations is some damage to Black Locust flowers, but much, much better then in other regions where beekeepers are used to drive their mobile bee houses.

This week I visited one young beekeeper with well established beekeeping with new beehouses. Suzanne takes her trips there as well.

I'm playing this year with some new technology experiment. I hope it will come out fine for AZ style of beekeeping. Here is one detail, which is just work around during preparation of occupied frames for new hives which need to be built jet.

The best think that happened is final setup of my book for print-on-demand. I didn't changed much, just prepared for  US latter size and make it ready as required by CreateSpace. That makes book available simple through on-line ordering direct at CreateSpace or soon also through Amazon On-line stores. And I can get them for reasonable price as well.That is link to my store at Creative Space:

https://www.createspace.com/7110096

I hope all that will make me better comunicator with all AZ hive adopters in coming months .

Janko