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Can you send me a fille attachment to the following email address
This way I can see how they look?  Thanks

Greenpasturefarms@verizon.net

Ray

Check it out, when insecticides are sprayed publicly we should be aware and keep an eye on our bees.

here is the most recent spraying schedule from the govt.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wnv/wnvspray.shtml

and then when looking up the pesticide used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

seems relevant to our bees (since they are insects) especially when the effects are noted as:

"Effects on Bees
Since sumithrin is a broad spectrum
insecticide, it is perhaps not surprising
that tiny amounts of sumithrin kill
bees. In a test submitted to EPA as
part of sumithrin’s registration, 0.07
micrograms killed honey bees. This
puts sumithrin into EPA’s highest toxicity
group for bee toxicity. This toxicity
group includes any pesticides that
kill bees in amounts of 2 micrograms
per bee or less."

(cut & pasted from the below document link)

http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/sumithrin


this is just a 2 sec look on google. i intend to research more deeply.
anyone interested in compiling info found please continue this thread.





 

hey there- i thought i would pipe in too..
i took a couple of one day organic beekeeping workshops over the summer and it seems screened bottom boards from that point of view are the way to go. one of the beekeepers (ross conrad) keeps bees up in vermont, the other (chris harp) in new paltz, ny which are 2 places with even colder climates than us here in nyc. both find there are benefits to using them.
as i also recall from andrew's class here in the city, he uses & recommends them as well.
the airflow helps the bees is what i understand. in winter the combined moist and cold is what they have a hard time with. open bottom offsets the condensation created from the heat of the bees clustering. ross has an organic beekeeping book you can find in the nyc library for more info on this.
this is my 1st year with bees so i have no idea how things will turn out but i feel as though the screened bottom board was the right choice in light of my learning. i used a jigsaw and simply cut into my bottom board and stapled the 1/4" hardware cloth as andrew suggested. looks a bit rugged but works perfectly. the mites are falling below the hive as they should. and the relentless summer heat on my brooklyn roof hasn't phased them. so far so good. good luck!

I use screened bottom boards and like them.  That said, this will be my first overwinter with them, and I'm not sure yet whether I'm going to leave them totally open or slide the corrugated grid boards in (which would still allow for more ventilation than a solid board) come wintertime.  The screens have been totally open since Spring with the exception of twice when I did 24- and 48-hour varroa counts with the grid boards -- haven't counted / seen any varroa but I'm not sure that that necessarily has anything to do with using the SBBs.  (For IPM purposes, doing a mite check with the grid boards, which slide under the screens, is very easy.)  It is very hot up on my roof and I can't help but think that the extra air flow is a good thing.  Even if only half of the good stuff about them is actually true, there really isn't any downside that I can think of to using them.  That said, it may be easiest for you to wait to switch over to a SBB until Spring (when you reverse your hive bodies)?

I have been using the old fashioned full wood bottom board and
would like you opinions about the IPM screened boards which
leave the bottom of the hive open in winter -  Has anyone here been using these?
Opinions?  Is is a good idea to switch?

Sue,

Hi there! I was talking to some local beekeepers here and they all said their hives seemed slow moving this year too. I started feeding my new hives 2:1 about a week ago and after inspecting my hives this morning I'm happy to report that they are now building out comb in my honey supers and storing honey. The golden rod is popping here too so I'm sure things will pick up soon. We'll see how much honey I get out of my older hive, I've not been feeding them as they started storing honey over a month ago. However they seem a bit slow too, may its the prolonged heat we've been having?

Hi BusyBee,

I have no idea if I am reacting properly but about two weeks ago I decided to start feeding 2:1 sugar. I also added a pollen patty. I made the decision after googling like crazy and seeing that many in the northeast are deciding to feed similarly now. After a week everything looked about the same. This week it seemed as if at least one hive has strengthened and is storing honey at a better clip. I am still concrned but at least now all comb in all boxes is drawn and the bees are flourishing throughout. Everything just looks better. I don't know much about nectar flows yet but I have noticed that the goldenrod and knotweed(ugh) are flowering. Maybe that's helping.

If anyone with more experience has some ideas I'd lovce to hear from you!

Sue

Hi there!

My bees are in Sullivan County and I am experiencing the same problem. I have 3 new hives and they are very slow at drawing out comb in the honey supers. I also have one hive that is now 2 years old and it is also is slow with storing honey. I am too am worried. Normally late September seems to be the right time to start feeding but I am also thinking about starting early. Does anyone else have thoughts on what to do?

Hola! Hi! It so happen that I am a bookkeeper, and like the sound of beekkeeper. So all of you who have beekkeeping or bookkeeping problems refer to me. I myself am looking to put all the gear and dive into a hive.

CEO from the Bronx

Is there an experienced beekeeper that would be available to inspect my hives for disease?  I found some uncapped brown brood.  I have 2 hives in Crown Heights Brooklyn.

Lynn Berg