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Before we take a close look at mite detection methods, I want to share an insight I gleaned from an article in the July issue of the Bee Culture entitled “Asymptomatic, But Infested” by Zachary Lamas. According to that article, drones are very important in understanding mite load and hive health. Generally speaking, mites are attracted to the drones of a colony more than the workers both brood and adults. This means that when there is a large amount of drone brood and a high population of adult drones in a colony, the mites will tend to infest the drone part of the colony, not the workers. Therefore, during the months of June and July, when drones are most populous, the adult workers and worker brood will tend to look healthier.
However, when the drone brood and adult drone population decreases in August and September, all those mites from the drone part of the colony move to the worker part of the colony and the health of the workers and worker brood can deteriorate rapidly. This underscores my proposition of the last few posts that early detection and dealing with mites is very important.
I would love if someone would invent some sort of mite pheromone detector that would electronically alert me when the mite load has reached an unacceptable level. And then it would be a short step to automatically release an appropriate dose amount of an appropriate treatment. Done! Well, the Genesis 3 principle of earning bread by the sweat of my face is still in force. We continually need to take redemptive effort to deal with the effects of the Fall.
Mites can be seen with the naked eye. It doesn’t take a microscope as with nosema or tracheal mites. See the last post for images of what mites look like on bees and brood. If you see mites on bees its time to do something about mites. It’s a little late but better now than never. For every phoretic (mite outside of a brood cell) mite that can be seen on bees there are probably dozens reproducing under the cappings of pupa.
A better visual indicator is drone brood. When you separate the brood chamber boxes there is often drone brood that will be torn apart. That is a good opportunity to visually check for mites. Or take a cappings scratcher and fork into a patch of drone brood and lift them out of their cells. Check for mites. (Not for the squeamish, by the way.) Again, if there are mites in drone brood, deal with them.
Take a quart jar (narrow or wide mouth). Get a jar ring. Cut out a circle of eighth inch mesh screen (not all hardware stores carry this in small quantities). Open hive. Find queen (preferably) and set that frame aside. From other brood frames shake a quantity of bees into a dishpan. Pour bees into the quart jar—about an inch. Dump in about a tablespoon (or more if there is high humidity) of powdered sugar on top of bees in jar. Screw jar ring with screen circle onto jar. Shake well in all directions with your hand across the mouth (jar mouth, that is). Let jar set for a few minutes. Shake the jar vigorously like a salt shaker over a white, clean surface (a hive lid works well). Count mites. Dump sugar coated bees back in hive. (They’ll recover just fine.)
The number of bees in the sample was about 300. So divide the number of mites that you counted by 3 and you will have a reasonable idea of your mite load. If more than three, treat. However, remember, that the only good mite is a dead mite and the more mites you have earlier in the season, the more important it is to do something—immediately.
This is a much more accurate detection method, but with the obvious downside of killing the bees in the process. Again, a quart jar but with a normal solid lid, not the jar ring and screen. Sample bees the same as a sugar roll. Pour enough isopropyl alcohol in to immerse all bees well. Screw lid on and shake well. Pour alcohol through a sieve with screen large enough to let mites through into a catch container. Repeat the wash process with the same sampling of bees two or three times. Count the mites in the bottom of the container. Again, treat if the number of mites is above threshold.
As a visual detection tool, maybe, but not recommended for useful accuracy. Sticky boards are useful to determine the efficacy of a treatment. More on that in a later post.
Keep those bees. Find (and kill) those mites.
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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 must approve any items you wish to return. Please call the branch from which your order was shipped for verification. The product must be in as good a condition as you purchased it. 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 all returned merchandise that was shipped accurately but is no longer wanted, the return shipping cost must be the customer’s expense. For all replacements for damaged items, or mistake corrections, return shipping costs will be covered by Beeline. No returns or exchanges may be made 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.
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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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?