Totally chemical free beekeeping questions

[bulldogger]

I am curious if there is anyone with experience going totally chemical free (with overwintering) year after year. I wonder how all the "wild" bees do it? Every summer my garden has little honey bee workers whether or not my bees are doing good or failing. I did not medicate my hives last fall, and lost both hives. One to freezing/starvation and another just up and went queenless(and died fully within a week of my finding out). Last year was my first attempt at beekeeping and I understand I have a lot to learn.

This is a question which has been bothering me all last year. If we cant do it, why (or how) can they?

[drew]

You are assuming that hives live forever.

Do they?

Experience tells me they can live for about 2 years when started from fresh clean starts.

"that tree has had bees in it for 10 years" I love to hear that one. I hope that is true. More then likely they have died out from time to time. The friendly wax moth among other bugs will come in and clean up what was left behind. Then a new swarm will smell that empty "home" and move in, giving the impression that it has had bees forever.

Most swarms out there are from managed hives.

I do get the feeling though that bees left to there own are starting to do better, and that there are some out there.

Bees are very prolific, a hive will issue MANY swarms in a year, when left to its own. Which is a good and a natural way for there survival.

OK I will quit now I could go on, hopefully you get the idea..

KEEP BEES WITHOUT TREATING! Nothing says you can't. They will/may live for awhile. When and if they die, you can replace with swarms or package bees.

[jacquelinefreeman]

We overwinter our bees and don't use any chemicals on them. After really poor success using purchased bees (and no chemicals), I decided to change everything around and move to feral bees only. I also changed the hives from langs to top bar and warres.

The top bars were okay though in the past I had some problems with spring dampness causing moldy comb until we started screening the bottoms to keep the air flow better. The warres seem to work well and those bees look healthy, too, though this is only my second year with that kind of hive. What I see so far though I like a lot and will start all my new hives in warres this year.

While not 100% successful, the purpose of going feral is that hopefully you can find bees that are more resistant to diseases and keep collecting swarms from them. I encourage swarming and letting them do pretty much whatever they want to do, figuring that even with all I have learned, the bees still know best. Even collecting swarms, I never know if the bees are truly wild or just from some chem-beek's weak hive and compromised from the start. I've collected some hives that came in weak from day one and others that seemed to thrive from the get-go.

I give them the best environment I can, including gardens with medicinal herbs to build their strengh, and I let the weak hives die off. A hive we collected about four years ago is our strongest hive (my husband calls them our "uber-hive"). This hive usually throws off two swarms a year and one year gave three. They build fast and continue to be strong. Downside is they also tend to be cranky, not nearly as friendly as other bees but I'm willing to live with that if they keep on being as strong and healthy as they are.

warmly,
Jacqueline Freeman
Friendly Haven Rise Farm
www.FriendlyHaven.com/classes.html

[bugleman]

I look forward to getting some mean swarms this year. Of course they won't be in the back yard though.

[ryanb]

So far, 100% chemical free. I had 5 hives going into winter. One of which I expected not to survive. They didnt have long enough to build up. My other 4 came through with no problems so far that I have been able to see.

I am told it's the second year though that varroa really take their toll on the hive. So, this will be a telling year for me.

[bulldogger]

You give me hope! I was starting to think I was a foolish newbee with a weird dream.

I had also thought about the wild swarms. I am looking forward to a good early swarming spring. The weather seems nice enough to encourage it. I just wish my hives had survived so I could watch them warm up! I am going to try a top bar this season with a swarm.

Any one else got some good (or bad "learning") experiences?

[Shawn Ostwald]

I have kept bees 3 years no chemicals, started with 1 package and have made 4 hives and splits from those all chemical free, using small cell management

[bugleman]

Shawn,

Do you do any Drone trapping?

[drew]

4 years running the hive in Hillsboro, has gone no treatment of any kind, and has requeened itself successsfully after swarming.

The other note, if you look at the brood frames, you have shot gun pattern, but look closer, the queen is laying tight patterns the workers are yanking out the brood. At this point in time this hive is headed up by a VERY hygenic queen....

If anyone would like they could use her for breeding if they like.
She will be placed in a four frame nuc in few weeks.
I ask for a year old queen in a 4 frame nuc in exchange....
Why, long story, it is what I do, her job with me is not done yet..

[bugleman]

Drew?

How was thier relative honey production in compairison to other hives in the same apiary?

I might take you up on your offer. I have started an apiary that is "survivor stock" only. The plan is to use only low impact control methods.

[drew]

This hive sits alone in someone's backyard in Hillsboro.
It did swarm last year and put up 60lbs.

The in town location are totally different then the rural for honey production.

[bugleman]

Drew,

I am too busy right now to take you up on your offer. Hopefully someone else will step forward or maybe ship her to WSU for thier program.

[drew]

That is a thought I hate to see it go to waste, come end of June her time with me is done.
Any contact info for me for WSU..

[Thom]

I've been chemical free for probably the last six or eight years. I used to depopulate but now the bees do that for me. My only surviving colony last year was a swarm of survivor bees that lived in the woods. There were no other beekeepers within miles. They are very defensive and kept a large population over the winter. I am hoping they create some queen cells so I can split this colony and hopefully keep a good thing going.

[bugleman]

Drew here is what I have

Walter S. (Steve) Sheppard, WSU Department of Entomology, 509/335-5180, [e-mail]

I would have more time in June if that doesn't pan out. Maybe we could work here into our club project.