I love doing experiments.

This season I want to do only one experiment: to try Alpine hive.I have read about this hive last year from” The Beekeepers’ Quarterly”.Why I want to try this hive? Because constructor claims,” the average season honey crop per a hive exceeds the honey crop of more frequent hives, especially in seasons with not very favorable honey crop.” Now, I’m using Longstroth hive and Dadant. Anyway there are a lot of explanations. For this we have to go back in time.
As I told you I live in Arad,west of Romania, 40 km far from Hungarian border and 100 km far from Ex Yugoslavian border. Hundreds years-- till 1918- the area was under austro-hungarian overruled. So,the local beekeeping was influenced by the austro-hungarian beekeepers. Just take a look to the hives(frames) used in my area:
-Orszagos 19/22,5 cm ~855 sq cm
-Neizer 25,5/22cm ~1122 sq cm
-Kuncs 24/31 cm ~1488 sq cm
-Arady 26/30,5 cm ~1586 sq cm
As far as I know the measurements for Longstroth 1676.6 sq cm and Alpine Hive is 27/21 cm ~1134 sq cm ( Oh,God I hate math).
Years ago,with my friend, I was going with the bloom.My friend had Kuncs hive(frames). Our hives were roughly strong but every time he got more honey than me up to 5-7 kg. I keep asking myself why.
3 years ago I met a beekeeper not far from my out apiary who changed his hives from Lonstroth to shallow hive (like shallow supers). With this hive he got about 16kg/hive when other beekeepers in the area got 6-7 kg/hive ; I have to mention that the season was poor like last years .(Other beekeepers testimony, not his)
For long time I realized that the beekeepers in my area don’t persist(they are not headstrong like a mule) they have a good reason to use old hives.
This is why I want to try this Alpine Hive.

Legend:Above photo: old Dadant hive made from reed(cane) not from wood.8o years old yet in use.
Below photo from left to right: Orszagos,Neizer,Kuncs,Arady frames

2006, February 22

Local weather:6 Celsius degrees(42 F) sunny day .After 4 weeks of cold weather(lower temperature -16 C (3 F) I can visit my bees. For 3 days I try to visit my bees,but every time something happened so I have to postpone my visit but.... today I can visit my bees.
In the train on the way to my beeyard I I was asking myself how the situation will be.
16 PM I arrived on beeyard.
16:15 PM checked the first hive and I found:Disaster. The colony dead.Oh, my God! A good start.! A fugitive look did not tell me what was wrong. Anyway they had plenty of food and no sign of diarrhoea. I’ll check next time. I wonder what could be? You can see my face looking to the the hive.(click here)
Except of one weak colony (in my opinion) ALL THE COLONIES ARE OK. I have to make plans for coming season. For sure I’ll try to double my colonies.Well,I’ll try this year Roger Delon’s Alpin hive..
It’s still winter here(as you can see) so I have to wait.The spring will start here in 20 of March spring equinox.
Till then I wish you planty of flowers for your bees.

Enamoured

Enamoured
What happened if a 53 years old beekeeper will fall in love?
First of all it would be a problem. Well, I don’t know when to celebrate lovers’day. It would be 14 of February or 24 of February. The Valentine’ day is the celebrate in 14 of February is ideantical with Dragobete lovers’ day celebrate in 24 of February.Dragobetele is an old traditional celebration here in Romania. You can put equal sign between this two. The birds wedding take place in 24 of February. An old saying:if you have a chance to hear the hoopoe in this day you’ll be industrious(labourious) all the year round. It’s not my problem.
So, the answer is: if a an old beekeeper will fall in love he will love his bees.