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It’s that time of year. Important as beekeeping activities are prior to now, this is probably the most crucial. What should you be doing for your bees now for next spring?
Pull honey.
That is beekeeper’s jargon for “honey harvesting” or “honey removal” or “taking the honey”. In most of our northern latitudes the honey flow is over. Golden rod is just starting, and aster will follow but unless you are an experience beekeeper and live where those flowers yield nectar enough to give a crop worth harvesting, it is likely not worth trying to benefit from it. It will be bonus honey for the bees but nothing for you as a beekeeper to profit from or rely on for the bees.
Take as much of the honey as you can. Contrary to common notion, it is not better to let the bees have their own honey for the winter. That might sound surprising, but you will need to feed anyway, and they will need room in a double deep to raise brood and store what you give them. Go ahead. Take all the honey you can take, even down in the brood chamber. Comb that has been darkened by brood will not hurt the honey. It will be a little harder to uncap but take it anyway. If you would rather not extract from deep frames, just put it in the freezer and when you are making the last rounds in your bees before winter you can put it back on hives that are light.
Inspect.
Make a thorough inspection of each hive. Look at brood pattern. If it is solid and there are still eggs, the queen is good. If there are no eggs, either the queen has died and the bees are making a new queen or the queen shut down because of a dearth. Learning moment—you should have been feeding to keep that from happening. Valuable time has been lost, and the hive has been placed at risk. If there is no queen in the colony and they are not making a new queen, the situation is really grave. It is highly likely that there will not be enough bees or time for you to introduce a new queen and get the hive ready for winter. There could even be laying workers in which case it is too late. But if there seems to be hope or you want the experience, get a new queen as soon as possible. Put her and a frame or two of young brood and bees in and hope for the best.
Look for disease. Bees with deformed wings is a bad omen. Again, brood pattern will tell you a lot. Slumped, brownish pupa signal European foulbrood or parasitic mite syndrome—result of a cocktail of viruses vectored by mites. Mite load is probably high. Learning moment number two. More attention to mites and health prior to this would likely have prevented this condition. But hey, live and learn. Do different next year. For now, treat for mites. Requeening might help but, again, time is of the essence. And hope for the best but expect a dead hive long about November. Part of the learning curve.
Think about population. Remember that a hive overflowing with bees in August is good, but if most of those are old bees, the hive will look quite different in a month as those bees die off.
Treat.
For mites, of course. The treatment of choice for this time of year is formic acid. Shop Formic Pro Strips here. Just make sure the temperature will be less than 85 degrees for at least two days. Treat whether mite load is high or not. It most likely is and if it isn’t it soon will be as population naturally dwindles and mite reproduction explodes. Knock them back hard. Now.
Of course, SuperDFM would be a good treatment. And if there are signs of Nosema and American Foulbrood, those need dealt with also. But mites are the big one.
Requeen.
This is risky this time of year. But if you determine that your hive is worth saving or that a mediocre queen has to go, take the risk. However, don’t try to get the colony to raise their own queen by simply killing the old one. There isn’t enough time to get a new one raised, mated, and laying for a sufficient population of new bees for winter. Find a new queen from someone, kill the old one (make absolutely sure you find her), and introduce the new one as soon as possible.
Feed.
I fear that your eyes will glaze over, and your ears grow dull of hearing on this one because I have emphasized it so much before. But this is no joke. That queen must keep laying prolifically until cold weather and clustering naturally shuts her down. Remember, bees during summer and fall will not raise brood on stored honey. They must have some sort of nectar flow, either natural or simulated. This is why you must take responsibility and feed those bees. A good colony will take a gallon a week of thinned sugar water or high fructose corn syrup through the end of October at least. Don’t be afraid of overfeeding. You can’t. Feed heavily.
Honey B Healthy in the syrup is recommended. And pollen substitute won’t hurt even though there is a lot of natural pollen in the hive. Recent research indicates that some of the agricultural fungicides in use today are preventing proper fermentation of the pollen into beebread and so the pollen that is stored may not be worth anything.
I know this sounds like a lot of work and expense for little immediate profit. But what do you want? A healthy, heavy hive with lots and lots of young bees that will be alive next spring? Or a sickly, weak hive that will be dead by March and being forced to buy another nuc?
That’s why now is so crucial.
Product Pricing
Our products are priced for material, labor, overhead, and profitability. On our website, all product prices include a percentage to cover shipping costs in order to provide “free shipping” on most orders over $150. In our catalog, we do not bury the shipping expense in our product prices, and shipping costs are passed on in addition to the product costs. Due to fluctuating raw material costs, prices are subject to change without notice.
Payment Methods and Terms
Online checkouts accept all major credit cards through Stripe. A printable order form is also available. For mail-in or phone orders we accept US currency cash, money order, checks drawn from a US bank, or Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express cards. Please make checks payable to “Beeline.”
PRINTABLE ORDER FORM LINK
For mail-in and phone orders up to $500, we expect full payment before shipping. Over $500 we require 50% down payment before shipping, with the balance due within 30 days of the invoice date. After 30 days from the invoice date, the bill will be subject to a finance charge of 1.5% per month.
A fee of $25 will be charged for returned checks.
If an overpayment was made, we can either refund you or credit your account.
State Sales Tax
We are required to collect sales tax in the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Washington. If you are exempt from sales tax, we are required to file a signed tax exemption certificate. Please call or email us for that form.
Turn Around Time
Orders will be processed as quickly as possible. We will try our best to fulfill online orders within 2 business days and will notify you of any delays. Orders received after 12 noon will not be processed until the following business day. Skid-sized orders over 200 pounds may require up to a week or more, especially at peak season, which is generally January through June. Order early to ensure timely delivery.
Backorders
If your order contains out-of-stock items, we will contact you by phone or email with several options. We can ship your order without the backordered item and send the backordered item(s) separately, with additional shipping and handling charges. We can hold your order until the backordered product is available. Or you may choose to cancel that part of your order. We also have the option of filling your order in part or entirely from one of our other branches.
Limitations / Liabilities
We will be liable only for the purchase price which customers have paid for an item. We do not offer warranties, either expressed or implied, for products which we do not manufacture. Customer purchases glassware and wax foundation at their own risk. We cannot offer refunds on or exchanges for the following; Beeswax Foundation, Medication, Containers and Glassware or Bee Food. See shipping policy for further information for damaged and returned items.
Publishing Errors
We reserve the right to correct or adjust any price or product due to photographical or typographical errors.
Shipping Range
We ship online orders to all 50 states of the USA from the appropriate branch. Canadian customers may place orders by phone or email. We do not ship outside of the USA and Canada.
Free Shipping
On our website only, Free Shipping applies to most orders over $150 to the USA.
Pick Up Orders
Orders can be picked up at the nearest branch within store hours or by appointment. All orders picked up at a Beeline Branch receive a 10% discount from the website prices.
Michigan
Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 P.M., EDT. We are closed for most major holidays.
Address: 20960 M-60, Mendon, MI 49072
Email: sales@beelinewoodenware.com
Phone: 269-496-7001
Washington
Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., PDT, Saturday pickup by appointment only. Hours are subject to change August through December. We are closed for most major holidays.
Address: 19019 Moon Road SW, Rochester, WA 98579
Email: beelineofwa@norcell.us
Phone: 360-280-5274
Shipping Charges
For online orders, all shipping costs are covered with product costs, providing “free shipping” for most orders over $150. For all orders under $150, and for all phone and mail-in orders, shipping and handling will be calculated and charged at checkout based on weight and zone from our nearest branch.
For pallet-sized orders placed by phone, email or mail, all freight costs will be calculated with LTL carriers, either directly with the LTL carrier or through an LTL broker, to find the best price. Miscellaneous additional shipping charges may occur for the following reasons:
Shipping Estimates
When providing a shipping estimate for small or large orders, we will do our best to accurately calculate. However, in some situations, the shipping costs can change. If the cost increases significantly from the cost you were originally quoted for the same product, we will contact you before shipping.
We accept returns on eligible items within 30 days of the original order date. All returns must be approved in advance—please contact the branch from which your order was shipped for verification. Returned items must be unused and in the same condition as when purchased. Products must be returned to the original branch and must include the invoice number. Return shipping must be arranged through FedEx or UPS or delivered to your local branch.
For merchandise returned due to a change of mind, customer error in ordering, or no longer being needed, the return shipping cost is the customer’s responsibility. For replacements involving damaged items or shipping errors, Beeline will cover the return shipping costs.
Please note: No returns or exchanges are accepted on Beeswax Foundation, Medication, Containers, Glassware, or Bee Food.
All products shipped from our facilities are shipped F.O.B. and become the customer’s responsibility upon shipment.
Missing Parts
With the best of efforts in our stock-picking, we can still miss parts. Please check all orders immediately. If something is missing, contact us within 10 days of the invoice date or we cannot be responsible for errors or discrepancies.
About Beeline
Beeline Apiaries and Woodenware, LLC, is a limited liability company registered in the State of Michigan. We along with our manufacturing partner, Beeline of Washington, are intent on providing our customers with a safe and happy experience.
Our website address is www.beelinewoodenware.com.
Should you need to Contact Beeline Apiaries and Woodenware, LLC, you may do so in one of the following ways:
E-mail: sales@beelinewoodenware.com
Call: 1-269-496-7001;
Website Contact Form: www.beelinewoodenware.com/contact
Send mail to:
Beeline Apiaries and Woodenware, LLC
20960 M-60 Mendon, MI 49072
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Our Partners
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Zimmerman Design serves as webmaster for our site, and their staff has agreed to be bound by the terms of this policy.
Stripe processes credit cards using a tokenized process that does not store your credit card information on our website. You may opt to save payment information in your user account, but there is no way for your card information to be stolen from our website.
Additional Information
Data Protection
Communication between our site and your computer or mobile device is encrypted using a secure certificate.
Security updates to our website are automatically installed, with daily updates checked by our webmaster.
Data Breaches
If our website is breached by a third party, we will disclose to all users with accounts on this website the nature and extent of the breach, including any personally information that may have been compromised.
Changes to this Policy
This Privacy Policy is effective as of April 3, 2024. This Policy may be amended without prior notice. We encourage you to review this policy regularly to ensure you agree with the terms of ongoing use.
Call or email the branch nearest you to determine location eligibility. Visit our Locate a Dealer page to view a map of current Beeline dealers. If you are outside of 60 or 80 miles of an existing, protected Beeline dealer, you are likely eligible. Your nearest branch will be able to tell you if your nearest Beeline dealer is protected or not. If you are eligible, read our policy here thoroughly before deciding which level you would like to enter. Once decided, fill out the application form found in the policy document, and submit to your nearest branch. As soon as they accept your application, you are free to place your initial order. The total of this initial order will determine which level you are entering, and which discounts you receive.
To maintain your level, your total invoiced sales within 12 months (or if you have begun mid-season, we extrapolate your total based on your total sales in that time period) must exceed the Annual Total in the chart above. To move to the next higher level, your total invoiced sales to date must exceed the Annual Total of the higher level. For example, if you are a Worker Level Dealer, and wish to become a Queen Level Dealer, your total invoiced sales to date must exceed $30,000, to become a Queen dealer. This can happen anytime within the 12-month period.
Not able to reach the Drone Level, but still want to buy and resell? Sure! We will give you quantity pricing and you can resell as much as you want!
Please remember, all dealer discounts are taken off our low-volume pricing. Catalog quantities and discounts are disregarded. This pricing is usually the same as our catalog pricing, unless prices have changed mid-year.
Every year on November 1st, we will assess your dealership level, based on your total invoiced sales to date, and determine which level you will be in for the next year.
Read about pricing, advertising, production, shipping, placing orders, and dealership perks in our policy here.
We also strongly recommend associations, clubs, bee schools, etc. to pool their order for a “dealership” status. A primary objective of our dealership network is to cut shipping costs for the end customer, so any of these “dealership” methods helps everyone. Can you or someone you know fill a spot in our Dealership Map?
