No products in the cart.
Several factors during the past two months have prevented a post. Not least was my own beekeeping, or rather, bee-losing experience. How could I advise beekeeping when my efforts to “keep” didn’t succeed?
I have written urgently in previous posts about the absolute necessity of beginning early to prepare for winter—to keep mites under control and to feed during all non-nectar flow periods to keep the queen brooding. I wrote with a ring of guarantee. “Do this and your bees will survive.” A sort of ticket to success.
But, my experience of the past two months has reminded me once again that our hobby (or business) of keeping bees is more a craft or art than a science. There is no 1-2-3 set of steps that can guarantee success. No checklist. No method or mechanical procedure. Rather, we are only necessary, yet small participants in the complex, unique, and wonderful, synergism of insects, weather, parasites, and disease—a dance or, shall we say a school, sometimes exhilarating and often disappointing. And so I do have a bit of advice from the school of hard knocks: learn and start again. It’s beekeeping and it’s life.
What happened? Mites were under control. Feeding was rigorous and, for a while, productive—nice, healthy brood. Everything was on track early and well for a good winter. What I missed was the early signs of European Foulbrood. I have not paid much attention to this disease over the past several years—almost forgot about it. But by all appearances, the healthy brood I thought I had, possessed the inoculation of trouble and did not possess the immunity to withstand the onslaught. While I thought I had success, the process of demise was already at work. Early detection of EFB is just as important as with Varroa. In fact, it seems that once it it visibly detected it’s a little too late.
I’ll come back to EFB in a later post. In the rest of this one I want to give some last-of-the-year pointers on feeding. But I’ll say this much: don’t take success for granted and add EFB to the list of challenges to be conquered early.
There are two main purposes for fall feeding. One, to keep egg laying stimulated with an artificial nectar flow so that there are a lot of new bees to go into the winter. And two, to develop a store of food for the winter.
For those of us in northern climates, our opportunity to feed for brood production is over. A few prolific queens might still be laying a few eggs, and, in most cases, there will be some capped brood to emerge yet. But, for all practical purposes, brood rearing is done for the season. That’s a good thing. It gives the queen a rest, breaks the brood cycle, and allows for other benefits of dormancy. But, if brood rearing ended in August, the chance of survival is slim indeed. There might be a lot of bees in that hive, but they are old bees—too old to survive the winter. By February or March, they will be dead on the bottom board. At this point, any chance of survival will depend on the chance that there was a late brood cycle or two as a result of a goldenrod or aster nectar flow, that the genetics of your hive is a small-cluster winterer, and that the winter is fairly mild. This is not a likely combination, but since hope is all that is left, then, of course, hope—and learn.
For sufficient winter stores, we still have a bit of a chance. While the feeding that you did through August, September and October may have translated into brood that will be adequate for successful overwintering, there may not be enough “stores” to keep it from starving. A good hive that has a basketball size cluster will need around eighty pounds of feed to see it through a five-month (more or less) winter. That’s two deep brood boxes pretty full of feed (honey or syrup). The hive will have a certain (heft) when lifted from the back of the hive. That “heft” is something you learn but eighty pounds lifted from the back and bottom of a hive on a regular hive stand is going to take some effort. If you “heft” it expecting it to be heavy and to take effort but instead the hive about “jumps” off the hive stand, it’s light! There isn’t enough feed in there to last the winter!
There are a few options.
1) Pull frames of feed from other hives that have more than they need. Or use frames of feed, full frames, that is, from dead-outs. No, using frames of feed from dead-outs won’t cause any problems.
2) If you have really good warm weather in late October and into November, you can feed a thick syrup (1/3 water to 2/3 sugar) with frame feeders or top feeders. It’s good to put some Honey-B-Healthy with the syrup and remember that they will be much slower to take it because temperatures drop at night and the bees go into cluster.
3) Most preferable, feed with one quart zip-loc bags. Yes, it works, but you must do several things to be successful. First, make sure the bags do not leak when zipped shut. Second, use a pin to prick at least half dozen holes in the one side. It won’t make a mess, but it will ooze out enough for bees to get it. And third, place the filled bag with pin pricks down, directly on top bars. Make sure the bees have access to some of the pricks in between the top bars. You will also need a spacer of some sort to accommodate the bag height. If hives are really light, place two on the hive. Do this as long as you need to to put on the weight that the colony needs. Bees will take that syrup even when they are in cluster. This method can be used to “weight up” hives well into the winter.
4) And then there are sugar bricks. These hard, square blocks can be put directly on top of top bars and the cluster of bees will migrate up to it, soften it with their heat, and consume it. You will need a three-inch spacer to accommodate the brick. Our winter chip boxes (more on that in a later post) have space for them built into them. Using sugar bricks is an emergency measure, but it is often good insurance, especially when there is a question about adequate food stores.
That’s it for now. I’ll attempt at least another post in December. And then will be the Bee Expo. Don’t miss our deals for that and we hope to see you there!
-Jonathan Showalter | Beeline of Michigan
© 2024 Beeline Apiaries & Woodenware. All rights reserved. Site by ZIMMERMAN
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
Contact forms
When you send us a message using our contact form, you agree to provide us with your name, business name, email address, phone number and other personally identifying information including IP address. We only use that contact information to respond to your inquiry.
We use Google reCAPTCHA on this site. reCAPTCHA collects personal information from users to make the determination of whether they are human and not a bot to prevent SPAM. The reCAPTCHA algorithm checks to see if there is a Google cookie placed on the computer being used. An additional reCAPTCHA cookie will then be added to the user’s browser.
You can read Google’s terms and privacy for more information.
User Registration
For users that register on our website, we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit or delete their personal information at any time, except they cannot change their username. Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
Cookies
If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics on this site. Google Analytics gathers data about you as our visitor. It records what website you came from to get here, how long you stay, what pages you visit, what kind of browser you are using, and a lot more technical data, including your computer’s IP address. The tracking information helps us to understand what attracts people to this site and what they read. This helps us make good decisions about the design and content for this site. Occasionally we aggregate statistics about the visitors to this site. No personally identifying data is included in this type of reporting. We respect the bounds of the Google Analytics Terms of Service. If you prefer to avoid this tracking, you can opt out of Google’s advertising tracking cookie or use a browser plugin to opt out of all Google Analytics tracking software.
Our Partners
Our website is hosted by Digital Ocean in their New York City (NY) datacenter. They do not retain personal data that is stored on our site or sent through contact forms.
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?