# BEEMAX HIVES?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

A lot of people have asked about them. I don't know anyone who uses them, so if you share you experience I'm sure it will be enlightening.


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## mnist (Jun 16, 2003)

I'll be interested to hear how others are doing with beemax hives since I bought a couple to try next year.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

I do not own any myself but know two beekeepers who do. From discussions from them I can pass on the following.

If your keeping bees in the backyard and are not planning on moving them, then they are an option to be considered. Light wieght and possible insulation values are pro's.

If you do pollination or move the hives at all, then consider staying with wood. I made this choice when considering how boxes slide in the back of my truck, the many times one fell from a stack, or I dropped one. The foam boxes do not hold up to much abuse. They will break, crack, and can be damaged when scrapping propolis, etc. Consider scrapping.

How about long term sun ray or heat damage? Can they be repaired if the edges are eaten by a groundhog? Is there any natural ability for moisture absorbtion like wood in the dead of winter? Wood has also shown the natural ability to fight off molds and mildew. Can the foam? Can you set a concrete block on top if needed?

Wood boxes can last 30-50 years if properly maintained. 
I asked this before when comparing these foam boxes to the movement a few years ago when the plastics hit the market, and do you now how long that lasted? Not long.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2003)

These are very good questions to consider and very wise ideas to keep in mind. 
I will not be pollinating so I have no plans for moving it. I think it would be a wise use for use with bee escapes in setting up to remove bees from a house attic since it is so lightweight. I keep a brick on mine. It works well. 
I have heard that some beekeepers in England have had good success with them and honey production is increased due to cooler hive temps and better survival in the winter due to heat retention in the winter.
Jason


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Sometimes an idea doesn't take off because of misunderstandings or bad publicity and sometimes they fail because they aren't very good. I have heard the hype on plastic hives but don't know anyone who uses them. Maybe they are that good. Maybe they are not. I would like to hear what you think after a year of using them.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2003)

Will do. I will certainly keep everyone updated on my experiences with the BEEMAX hive.
Thanks,
Jason


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## Flewster (Nov 3, 2003)

SO does anyone have any more to say about the Beemax hive since this thread has been around awhile???

------------------
You have to stop and smell the roses......but please watch out for my bees.


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## Guest (Dec 6, 2004)

My one and only BeeMax hive is going well. 
The population was extraordinary this Spring in comparison to my other hive and it is holding up to the elements well. I like the ventilated bottom board as well. Oh, and some care must be taken when using it stacked with other wooden hive bodies as the hive tool is unforgiving!
Jason

[This message has been edited by Jason G in Tennessee (edited December 06, 2004).]


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## clintonbemrose (Oct 23, 2001)

This spring I purchased 2 of the Nuc type hives. The ants promptly built their home in the tops boring a hole maze in it and gave the bees a hard time in both nucs. I took the tops and put a fiberglass coat on them to plug the ant tunnels and this seemed to fix the problems. After the swarms grew large enough I transfered them to a regular hive. These nucs seem to be just the ticket to create devides or catching swarms but you need to keep an eye out for problems. Why did the ants only use the top? I liked being able to put the syrup in the bottom to feed the bees. This worked great and I have ordered 5 more for this year.
Clint


------------------
Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan
Beekeeping sence 1964


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I can let you know in a year, since I've got some on the way from Betterbee.


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## Randy Bagrowski (Jan 29, 2002)

I've had 3 BeeMax hives for about 5 years now!. Actually they are the styrofoam hives that BetterBee sold (before they came up with their own mold) that were imported from Europe. Although they seem very flimsy they have held up very well.Hive tools do some damage but over 5 years time not enough to warrant me replacing them. I also found some deep scratches on the front of one hive indicative of a skunk!

I've broken one by dropping it but a little glue and you'd never know it was damaged.

I have 2 of them on the stryfoam bottom boards. The bee space for the entrance is 3/8 of an inch so I do not have to add 1/2 wire cloth in the winter to protect from mice. The downside to the bottom board is twofold
1. You cannot use the Oxalic Acid Evaporator via the front of the hive due to the 3/8 inch space. 
2. The screened floor area is small, something like 8 x 8 inches. You can monitor for mites but keep in mind that without the entire bottom open, you can only count mites that fall in the very center.

They definetley have more brood in them in the early spring but that seems to even out by summertime ( compared to my wooden hives).

The other "problem" I have is the bigger outside dimension of the box. I put standard wooden inner covers onto the BeeMax boxes. Since the standard inner cover is a little small, the bees have chewed the styrofoam away and made their own top entrance.

Overall, I like them, however; when its time to replace them I'll do so with wood!


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## Dick Allen (Sep 4, 2004)

A few weeks Canadian beekeeper, Allen Dick (not to be confused with Dick Allen







) posted these remarks on Bee-L

......
One thing we have now noticed is that the hives with high mite loads are all in polystyrene hives. On is in wood. The low infestation hives are all wood.

Just guessing -- unless this is a fluke -- it looks as if the longer broodrearing that takes place in styro hives may favour varroa! .....
http://listserv.albany.edu:8080/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0411A&L=bee-l&P=R676 

(BTW, those have screened bottooms, the wooden hives don't)


[This message has been edited by Dick Allen (edited December 07, 2004).]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

It's only an issue because of the Varroa. It's true an extra early and late brood cycle will give the mites more chance to reproduce, but I think we need to find a way to control them other than cutting out brood cycles.

Let's face it a late brood cycle is good insurance of young healthy bees to get through the winter on. An early brood cycle is good insurance of a lot of bees to raise the brood that will bring in the main honey flow. We feed to try to set this off, so why not use styrofoam to set it off?

If you want to short the bees one or two brood cycles, do it right before the flow when they could do more service bringing in nectar instead of raising brood. You can remove the queen two weeks before the flow and accomplish this AND get a new queen in the process.


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## Flewster (Nov 3, 2003)

I recieved my NUC and feeder and am very pleased.......i want to orer a few hives for trial but want to know if anyone has moved these types of hives? How do you hold them together while moving? Staples? Straps? Both?.........I do't plan on moving them to much but I do plan some movement to different locations............Any suggestions?



------------------
You have to stop and smell the roses......but please watch out for my bees.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

If I were moving a bee max hive I would make sure it's proplized together well and just strap it with two straps. One in the front and one in the back. These straps are available at most bee supply places but you can also find them at hardware stores etc. Just don't get carried away with the cinch.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

I've got my poly hives from Betterbee assembled, I'm trying to figure out the frame rests, and having no luck. Every way I've turned them leaves about 1/8" between the top bar and bottom bar of the frames. I stacked up two wooden boxes for comparison and got 7/16" with the same two frames! Is this just a variation between manufacturers? Also, when I put the frame rest in the way it seems it should go, with the long side vertical, I have to force the frames in, and I can hear the poly flexing when I put one in the center of the box.

So, anybody got some hints on how they should go in?

Edited to correct my measurements after double checking









[This message has been edited by dcross (edited December 11, 2004).]


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## Guest (Dec 11, 2004)

Oh, another thing. If you use these with wooden boxes there is a larger space between the boxes and the bees will build comb between the two boxes and fill it with brood or honey depending on what they want to do with it. It is about 1-2 inches of comb that is built between the two.
JG in TN


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I'm trying to figure out the frame rests, and having no luck. 

I laid mine the only way that seemed to make any sense at all and it still didn't seem quite right. I put it where the rest goes across the rabbet and down the inside of the hive. I glued them in. If anyone has a better idea, I'd love to hear it, because the bee space sitll didn't seem to come out right.


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## shoefly (Jul 9, 2004)

If you fog you have to be careful and not get too close to the styrofoam. It melts easily.

If the surface you set the bottom board on is not level the board will flex over time and gaps will open up.


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## Dick Allen (Sep 4, 2004)

I bought two hive bodies and two medium supers a couple of years ago. There was a slot for the frame rest to slide into and mine came out ok. Betterbee has an email address. Try asking them.


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## Guest (Dec 12, 2004)

I never put my frame rests in...more of an oversight, but no problems without them so far.
JG in TN


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I found this on the Betterbee site under the bee max hive bodies:

"Make sure the special frame rests are put in the slots correctly (like an L with the frame resting on top of the L) so that your bee space is correct."

Well, I have the mediums and first of all I don't see any slots. Second of all I don't entirely understand how the frames rest "on top of the L". Is that on top of the TOP of the L? Or on top of the Horizontal part of the L?

Do the hive bodies have slots in them?


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Yes, but if you put the frame rest in "like an L", so the frame ear rests on the short leg, the slot is below the frame rest, on the inside wall of the hive. If you put the frame rest in like a 7, the long leg will go into the slot. The L would make more sense to me, since it keeps the frame from touching the poly, but then the frames have to be forced in.


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## danno1800 (Mar 13, 2004)

Hi, I bought some styrofoam hives and didn't like them. They did not hold up as well as I would have liked when I tried to open them after the bees propolized them. I gave them to another beekeeper, however, and he loves them. Hope that helps. Good luck!


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## Dick Allen (Sep 4, 2004)

Both the hive body and the medium supers I bought had a slot cut for the L shaped bracket to slide into (about 3/8 - 1/2 below the shelf) . The L shaped bracket was 3/4 long and about 3/8 - 7/16 wide. The lower or narrow part of the L slid into the slot with the upper or longer part of the L upwards. That gave about 11/16 from the top of the L to the top of the hive body. The frames should rest on the top of the longer part of the 'L'

If yours didnt have a slot for the bracket, I suppose youd have to use a straight edge and exacto knife to make one. 

[This message has been edited by Dick Allen (edited December 13, 2004).]


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

All right, anyone wanna tell me how to get the little forehead slapping smilie on here?
Thanks, Dick!









(and one more little detail I can't believe I've missed for this long) 



[This message has been edited by dcross (edited December 14, 2004).]


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

>All right, anyone wanna tell me how to get the little forehead slapping smilie on here?


When you post a reply, look directly left of the message box you type in. There are the words 'Smiles Legend' in red letters, click on it and the legend will pop up to show you what to type to make icons in your message. You won't see the icons in the reply message box, but they will appear in the posted message.


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## JWG (Jun 25, 2004)

*Styrofoam hives (and ants)*

Tip: Don't stack unoccupied BeeMax type hives on pallets or boards that might harbor carpenter ants. The ants seem to like nesting in the hive boxes and they chew them full of holes.


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## Swobee (May 18, 2007)

We have one BeeMax out of 50. Seems to be doing average, but we'll know more later in the season. If I don't forget, I'll try to report later on.


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## dmharvey (Oct 2, 2007)

the only issue that i have run into with the poly hives is that if you winter italians in them they can sure use a lot of feed thru the winter, best results have been when there were russians and or carniolans in them. they will explode in the spring with brood so work on balencing brood early on is very important. also to continue to bee effective they need good paint at all times.


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## AnthonyBermani (Sep 7, 2006)

The durability of the BeeMax hive is a little disappointing. But I have experienced wintering success with them, so you must take the good with the bad and meet somewhere in the middle.


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## russbee (Mar 6, 2007)

My Beemax hives have produced on average 40-50lb's more honey than my standard wooden. Durability is somewhat of a problem however. The bee's do winter over nicely in them.


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## Flyman (Jun 11, 2007)

*BeeMax Hives OK*

I currently have 5 BeeMax hives with 2 brood boxes. I think they work great for a permanent beeyard. Don't know about moving them since I don't do that. Looking at maybe 15 more in '08. The wax and propolis that does get on them is easily scraped off with the hive tool and the frames are easy to remove if resting on the plastic strip.

The issue I have is with the bottom board. The SBB is OK, but it is hard to treat for SHB using Checkmite +. I was able to put SHB traps (that use mineral oil) over the SBB with no problem (using the shim supplied with the traps). When you do this you raise the bottom opening and mice can get in. Hasn't happened to me yet, but I can see it. I see Better Bee has a new bottom board that may address some of these issues. Looks a little pricey though.

Another problem is that these things fit together like they were machined. When the girls put a little glue on them, I think they would hold water. In winter, ventilation may not be adequate to prevent moisture build up. I am building an upper spacer with entrance holes between the top brood and the telescoping cover. This is also needed to feed pollen and stuff in the spring.

Don't think there are more problems than with wood (for a permanent beeyard), just different ones that can be overcome (so far).


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## Mabe (Mar 22, 2005)

*Some Beemax Tips*

Goodness, I thought more people in this forum used Beemax....you might want to do a search of past posts. There should be a lot there.

We use Beemax and the only reason we ever use wood is when we're short on equipment. That said, we keep the hives on our own back forty and only move a few around to peoples gardens in town. I'm a hobbiest and keep less than 30 hives at any given time. But hobbiests have more time to play, so the tips following might be really helpful!

Over the years, we've come up with a few tips and simple reworks for the poly Beemax hives. Most of these things we also do to the wooden hives. 

1. Use one of the polyurethane glues when you assemble your boxes. Follow the directions on the glue and scrape excess that will expand out of the seams till it starts setting up...about 20 minutes. Or you can just leave the expanded glue...it probably adds strength if you don't mind how drips look.

2. Bore 3/4" holes 3" above the bottom of the fronts of your brood boxes to provide additional entrances and ventilation. You can put them anywhere you want actually and use whatever size you choose...this is just what works for us. Mine allow me to stopper the holes with wine bottle corks.

3. Prime all exterior parts with two coats and finish with 2 coats of good exterior latex. Let it dry! Don't paint the night before you need equipment.

4. The Frame Rests go on like "L's". The short edge gets pushed into the slot and the long edge is straight up. You can glue them in or not. I glue.

5. Order the standard Screened Bottom Board unless you will be moving hives a lot...if you are, then order the one with the mite tray, it is easier to strap. Before you paint the standard board, cut a rectangle or curved opening in the rear base wall so you can do mite checks or fog through the back. Cut your hole to accommodate whatever tray you are using (we use a sheet of corrugated plastic sign board that we buy at the craft store and cut to fit). Keep the cut out piece of the base so you can close it for winter. Add some extra ultra strength hot glue and staples to the screened bottom board hardware cloth underneath. We've had some of those pop off in the past after a few years. Paint over the cured glue when you are painting the box.

6. Use your hot glue gun again to drop dime sized drops of hot glue in each corner and halfway down each side of the top inside of the Telescoping Cover. This lifts the cover a crack and helps to provide ventilation year round.

7. Use an Inner Cover. Betterbee sells one that fits Beemax dimensions, or build one. Cut a much larger rectangular or oblong hole in the inner cover and staple and/or hot glue #8 hardware cloth over it. The hot glue spacers you put in the telescoping cover combined with these nice open inner covers provide excellent ventilation. Another benefit of a larger screened cover hole is that you can peek in if you need to anytime without a veil or bothering the bees much. We changed to feeding directly on the upper bars a few years ago, so don't use the inner cover hole for that anymore.
Make upper entrances in your inner covers by clamping two covers (large spaces together) and boring a 1" circle hole to give each Inner Cover a semicircular entance. We also bore a very small circle on the small space side to aid in ventilation and to let bees escape that may have gotten into the attic.

8. Betterbee also makes a nice easy to assemble wooden Hive Stand to put the bottom board on. If you buy it, shear off about 1/4" of the top of the landing board so that front feeders fit. This is a minor design flaw that I hope they'll fix so I can quit having to do that. You can make your own hive stand also and we recommend that you use one to keep the bottom board from flexing too much and possible breaking. By the way, you can skip the rear opening in the bottom board and put it in the hive stand instead if you're using one.

9. Winter in Beemax in the north...

Check out Mountaincamp's feeding method. We do it. Works great with Beemax.

_Yes, Sheri, I baby the bees......_

We use a rectangle of "Reflectix" bubble foil insulation on top of the inner cover to go over that hardware cloth window we cut in it. We also use a piece under the hive for a radiant barrier. 
We cut narrow lengths of black foam pipe insulation and use it to close the lower entrance in stages in the fall till it's only 1" in the coldest part of winter. We also block any box entry holes we kept open for summer, but leave the upper entrance in the Inner Cover, which faces down, open.
If I am feeling industrious or it is going to be an awfully cold long winter I wrap the hives in breathable black landscape fabric...cheap and easy and it helps keep windchill down. It's a good idea to provide a good windbreak for the colonies as well if you live as far north as we do.

Hope this helps. If it is confusing I can post some pics after Turkey Day....just let me know if anyone is interested.

Mabe


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## Flyman (Jun 11, 2007)

*Need Pics*

Mabe....Really would like to see Pics of your items 5,6,7. I agree 8 is a problem that I address by planning off with a hand planer. Your vent solutions sound pretty cool (pardon the pun).

Tom


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## Beaches' Bee-Haven Apiary (May 22, 2007)

I've been using Bee Max for nearly two years now. We started with it and I've never used wooden hives, so I can't really compare pros and cons. All I can say is that I've been very pleased with them. They are surprisingly durable and light. Also the bees don't seem to propolise the frames as much. I went through a friend's wooden hive, and it was killing my wrist trying to go through it all. Whereas in the Bee Max the"L" shaped frame rests keep the bees from gluing the frames to the supers as much. I'm buying a wooden hive (w/bees) from someone in Georgia and an looking forward to comparing the hives this spring!

-Nathanael


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## WVbeekeeper (Jun 4, 2007)

I noticed that the beekeeper down in town had his two colonies in beemax hives last year. This year he switched back to wood. I guess after trying them for one year was enough for him to decide to go back to wood hive bodies.


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## Mabe (Mar 22, 2005)

Howdy Flyman,

Sure, I'll post some pics as soon as hubby gets back with the camera - it'll be about a week (You might even get to see some shots of bikini beekeeping)!!!

A couple more Beemax hints I forgot to mention before...(use on wood hives too)

Drill some drain holes in the bottoms of the plastic boardman feeder holders...

Try painting the hives camo and then you can touch up bashes and slashes in the field with a spongeful of whatever paint.....


Mabe


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## Flyman (Jun 11, 2007)

Boy, can't wait to see bikini beekeeping in Wisconsin this time of year. Thanks and look forward to the pics.

Flyman


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Flyman said:


> Boy, can't wait to see bikini beekeeping in Wisconsin this time of year. Thanks and look forward to the pics.
> 
> Flyman



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrgssrfRu4I

No bikini's, and no beekeeping, but you get the idea


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## Mabe (Mar 22, 2005)

That video was hysterical!!! How did I miss that one? 

Bikini was the result of Wisconsin hitting some record highs this past summer...with record humidity as a bonus. Not fun in a beesuit.....Warning!!!...old women in bikinis are scary!

Mabe


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## BeeAlaskan (Jan 30, 2008)

*building styrofoam hives*

we use the polystyrene hives up here in Ak . They seem to do well. Does anyone know a good place to purchase high density foam ? I would like to try to build my own styro hives. Also if anyone has any suggestions for building styro hives i would appreciate it...


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

http://nordykebeefarm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PN=1

Mating nucs.


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## Beaches' Bee-Haven Apiary (May 22, 2007)

BeeAlaskan said:


> we use the polystyrene hives up here in Ak . They seem to do well. Does anyone know a good place to purchase high density foam ? I would like to try to build my own styro hives. Also if anyone has any suggestions for building styro hives i would appreciate it...


I'd love to take a shot at bulding my own as well... but haven't been able to find the right styro.

One suggestion, and the only thing I don't like about BeeMax, is that the top and bottom edges suffer when I pry at frames or the supers. If you could put plastic (the kind used to make the L shaped frame holders) over the edges that would greatly reduce wear-&-tear.

-Nathanael


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

Swobee, have you taken any IR pictures of the BM hive?


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

I have a few BeeMax styro hives that I have been using for about 3 years. They are still in good condition and the bees have done well in them. They keep bees warmer in winter and cooler in the hot summers here.

I don't move my hives and I use a frame puller to remove the frames. I have also started using polystyrene telescoping covers on most of my hives and now prefer them to the heavier wooden covers. Of course, I keep a flat paving stone on top to prevent blow-off.


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## SpottedNewtFarm (Dec 14, 2020)

Dick Allen said:


> A few weeks Canadian beekeeper, Allen Dick (not to be confused with Dick Allen
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## SpottedNewtFarm (Dec 14, 2020)

Dick Allen said:


> A few weeks Canadian beekeeper, Allen Dick (not to be confused with Dick Allen
> 
> 
> 
> ...


this was my 1st season with Beemax hives. I bought them used (state inspected prior to purchase) from a new beekeeper who lost their bees to mite kill. As mentioned above I had a great summer with quick buildup. Despite both Hopguard and MAQS treatments plus a earlier then normal OA vapor two of three hives are dead (Dec 12). It’s true a vapor wand will not fit in the entrance of the hives. I ended up placing a feeder shim under the brood and got a provap. At the moment my wooden hives with slotted rack are doing well. I ran 10 frames and the boxes were very tight. If I use again I would do 9 frames.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

SpottedNewtFarm said:


> this was my 1st season with Beemax hives. I bought them used (state inspected prior to purchase) from a new beekeeper who lost their bees to mite kill. As mentioned above I had a great summer with quick buildup. Despite both Hopguard and MAQS treatments plus a earlier then normal OA vapor two of three hives are dead (Dec 12). It’s true a vapor wand will not fit in the entrance of the hives. I ended up placing a feeder shim under the brood and got a provap. At the moment my wooden hives with slotted rack are doing well. I ran 10 frames and the boxes were very tight. If I use again I would do 9 frames.


I am curious about the dates of the various treatments. The "earlier than normal" mention makes me wonder about late season robbing out of someone elses collapsing colonies. The difference in survival between wood and the Bee Max before winter has even arrived seems hard to fathom. Wonder if some other factor is at play?

Although I had a light mite count by peoples common experience, it took many OA vaporization repetitions at tight intervals before the counts would stay down. I lost track exactly but at least 8. I did another a couple of weeks ago without opening the hives or taking counts. It is what it is! I am quite sure I was treating someone elses mite problems.


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## SpottedNewtFarm (Dec 14, 2020)

crofter said:


> I am curious about the dates of the various treatments. The "earlier than normal" mention makes me wonder about late season robbing out of someone elses collapsing colonies. The difference in survival between wood and the Bee Max before winter has even arrived seems hard to fathom. Wonder if some other factor is at play?
> 
> Although I had a light mite count by peoples common experience, it took many OA vaporization repetitions at tight intervals before the counts would stay down. I lost track exactly but at least 8. I did another a couple of weeks ago without opening the hives or taking counts. It is what it is! I am quite sure I was treating someone elses mite problems.


I’d have to look at the dates but I participated in state apiary inspections and a USDA survey which was in Early October. I was told unofficially from the inspector they were seeing high mite counts despite treatments state wide so it was a bad year anyways. I usually do OA around Thanksgiving when brood is low but I did it in Oct because at inspection I still was averaging 5 mites.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

Here in the Richmond area, an initial mite treatment in October is sure to result in dead hives. We begin treatment in earnest in the middle of August and continue until October. Then another single treatment at Thanksgiving, and another at Christmas. Sounds like the mites got the upper hand.


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## SpottedNewtFarm (Dec 14, 2020)

JWPalmer said:


> Here in the Richmond area, an initial mite treatment in October is sure to result in dead hives. We begin treatment in earnest in the middle of August and continue until October. Then another single treatment at Thanksgiving, and another at Christmas. Sounds like the mites got the upper hand.


hopguard in June, MAQS in August, early OA in October and again in Nov


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

I need new glasses. You were clear about that in an earlier post and it went right by me. Not sure how effective the Hopguard in June was at reducing the mite load, but the other treatments should have taken care of any mites by my calendar. Hmmm. Pehaps you had a significant influx from other deadouts in your area? I like to do an autopsy on a dead hive if I am not sure what killed them. Kitchen table, bright light, magnifying glass, all the dead bees I can find, and the brood frames. Oh, and an EFB test kit if warranted. Have not gotten to the 400x microscope stage yet to look for nosema c.


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## massbee (May 11, 2020)

So I just want to toss my two cents in here on the BeeMax hives. 

I have been using these for about 12 years. I still have my original two that I bought back around 2004 or so and they have held up just fine. The only ones I have lost equipment on were the ones a bear got to in an outyard a couple of years ago.

Things I do here in New England that usually result in a 75% survival rate.

1) Bottom Screen stays open year round
2) No top ventilation in winter, inner cover with notch in the summer, wooden supers have ventilation holes drilled in them
3) Single Deep configuration


Why? the open bottom and no top ventilation in the winter is how they were designed. It works for me, no moisture issues.

Single Deep? A full beemax deep with honey will start to pull apart when you lift it or put strain on it. Plus, I just can't lift that much weight, I'm not that strong. Two deeps in the summer makes it difficult for me to inspect, so now I Just do one, throw on the excluder and stack up the supers.

Wooden Supers: Cheaper, and I don't keep any on in the winter so I don't care about the R value

Brood buildup: Brood tends to stay to the right or left in the box instead of the center. Brood buildup also starts to happen earlier, and I usually will have to supplement dry sugar and or pollen near the end of winter. Brood builds quickly.

Winter prep: Not much, compress down to one deep no later than October, apply miticide and feed. Once miticide is removed, add feeding shim and sugar cakes, put on lid, again no upper ventilation as screened bottoms are open. Around beginning of December on a day in the 40s I do an OA dribble. I do add a mouse guard but I don't reduce the entrance. Inner cover is a canvas cloth above the sugar cakes.


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## JWPalmer (May 1, 2017)

As I have posted before in other threads, I am a fan of the Beemax hive top feeder. They make a version that fits a standard Lang as well as their own hives. I got the first one used so who knows how old it is. The rest of the 20 something I own have been purchased over the past four years as my apiary has grown. They have held up well and are quite strong. There are two drawbacks, the polystyrene must be painted to protect it from UV degradation and yellow jackets can chew through the foam to get to the sugar syrup. Oops paint from the big box stores takes care of the first issue and aluminum foil tape, the second.


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## massbee (May 11, 2020)

Yep, Paint required, and that's ok with me. I've never actually had anything chew into the hives, including ants, which some people say they have problems with in the top covers. I do have some scratch marks on the front of the deeps, I'm assuming they are from some skunks, but none in several years.


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