# Blinov Method of spring increase.



## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

So David add in the Blinov method links for those who did not see the other thread/threads.

Or if quick and dirty outline the method.

GG

p.s. did find this link


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Gray Goose said:


> p.s. did find this link


The guy in this link is trying the horizontal method in a vertical setup (creating too much work for himself).

So, he is confusing himself (and the audience) that way - working in two tiers but in a horizontal fashion. 
It CAN be done, but just way to much unnecessary hassle.
The original "Blinov" was specifically created for a single tier hive using deep Dadant frames.

Actually a modified "Blinov" method is much easier in the vertical setup - working vertically - by a box, NOT horizontally - by a frame (especially a small frame).
PS: the "modified vertical Blinov" - how I call it; never heard this term before; so here it is.

One needs to implement semi-separating the boxes so that the upper box is the brood box and the lower box is the feed box.
All you have to do - insert a plastic insert between the boxes with very limited passage so that the bees only have to keep the upper box warm.
Just fold the plastic by one inch - done; you got yourself a passage to the stores in the lower box.
And yet the air exchange between the boxes is limited - exactly the effect we want with the "Blinov" - ability by the colony warm up brood with lower energy output.
It is best to have the entrance NOT going via the lower box as the most bees are upstairs (to prevent robbing).


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

GregB said:


> The guy in this link is trying the horizontal method in a vertical setup (creating too much work for himself).
> 
> So, he is confusing himself (and the audience) that way - working in two tiers but in a horizontal fashion.
> It CAN be done, but just way to much unnecessary hassle.
> ...


so warmer brood nest , IE insulation.
or is the small size a trigger to fill it up?

looks like it starts at normal pollen time so Willows here.

it can be done this way, the divider just needs be 19 inch to cover both deep boxes.

is single divider verboten, and have the stores on one side the brood on the other? why the drive to 2 dividers.

GG


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## david stern (Dec 13, 2021)

jtgoral said:


> See how Gopka does the Blinov Method:


Here is one of the first. The text is Romanian.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Gray Goose said:


> so warmer brood nest , IE insulation.
> or is the small size a trigger to fill it up?
> 
> looks like it starts at normal pollen time so Willows here.
> ...


So first of all - Blinov was a guy way, way before anyone even knew of pollen supplements, pushing the early nucs, pollination business, and all that modern stuff.

The primary bee product was honey - so everything was targeting the maximum honey crop - you were targeting your colony development to your local main flow(s).
Everything was natural - including the bees themselves (meaning local bees).

First pollen comes up (whatever it is for you) - the good, worthy bees are waking up just in time.
So as the bees activate - you review your stock AND decide where the "Blinov" method is justified (because doing this means more work, not just doing things willy-nilly for the fun of it).

Normally, it makes sense in the colonies that are average to weak.
Very strong colonies may not need the "Blinov" - early swarming is always a consideration (maybe you'd rather avoid it).
But pick your own priority, naturally, and pursue that.

Dividers - IF gone horizontal way, I'd rather just make a very warm wall (using a warm divider for that) and have the 1)brood partition next to the entrance and 2)stores partition - away from the entrance. This guys in the video is just confused somewhat - and he also confuses the bees by his three partitions.

Classic Blinov is two partitions - compressed brood and stores divided horizontally.
This is how you then can also envision that, indeed, you can actually run the Blinov vertically just as well - a compressed, insulated and isolated, warm brood box (above) and the stores box below. Once setup that way, you need not to look into the bottom box for many weeks - you only monitor and adjust the top box as needed.
Much less frame flickering...


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## david stern (Dec 13, 2021)

In the video linked above by a Russian man at 20:00 minutes it appears he puts a small colony compressed with the Blinov method above a stronger colony and separated with an excluder.


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## jtgoral (Mar 24, 2018)

GregB said:


> The guy in this link is trying the horizontal method in a vertical setup (creating too much work for himself).
> 
> So, he is confusing himself (and the audience) that way - working in two tiers but in a horizontal fashion.
> It CAN be done, but just way to much unnecessary hassle.
> The original "Blinov" was specifically created for a single tier hive using deep Dadant frames.


He removes the bottom box and shakes the bees to a single Lang supper where he does Blinov, I think.....


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

david stern said:


> appears he puts a small colony compressed with the Blinov method above a stronger colony and separated with an excluder.


This is not the Blinov method.
Rather, this is a colony equalizing method in early spring.

What he is doing - boosting a weak colony using a strong colony below (at the same time keeping the queens separate by the excluder).
The stronger colony is forced to get outside THROUGH the weaker colony - thus some of the bees end up just joining the weak colony.
The only entrance available is via the weak colony.
The strong colony is force to eat through the paper first before they can get up.

And the weak colony stays warmer, of course.


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

jtgoral said:


> He removes the bottom box and shakes the bees to a single Lang supper where he does Blinov, I think.....


Yes - in the very end.
You are right.
This video is so long I got lost in all the moves. 
It did not have to be so complicated.

With his shallow frames, I'd rather make it 10x5 vertical "modified Blinov" setup.

Here is a schematic view of the Blinov setup - copied from an old book.
You see the brood compartment next to the entrance and the stores away from the entrance.
Important - as you see, with the Blinov you really insulate well because the entire project setup is meant to stimulate growth from early spring until the temperatures are steadily high.










Or this:


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

Ok the pic helps.
IF the hive was well insulated, then would there be gain?
A frame can be a divider as you have stated before.
If the foam/insulation is on the outside permanent, then is the space reduction, triggering anything or is this just a warm and feed stimulations only?

I am try ing to under stand what makes it work, as then some of this can be done different ways.

Example, my double wall hives, If I add a patty and some thin syrup, Am I in Blinov ville or is there more to it?

to me the frame flipping , begets more frame flipping, so this looks to be a lot of labor and potential queen squish and brood chill, for the gain. I can feed the double wall, with out the frame flipping , so what percent of the gain is the insulation, how much for the feed etc.

Maybe I would do "partial" Blinov, for partial gains and have less work and less risk.

All my 10 framers I put in 5X5 last fall for this reason some what, tighter and less space in the brood nest.
Maybe foam and a Pattie am I am there.

GG


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Gray Goose said:


> I am try ing to under stand what makes it work, as then some of this can be done different ways.


Really, GG:
a)keep them tight
b)insulate well
c)feed (from outside, however you do it) - so that the feeding area is considered by the bees *"the outside" *(thus they don't spend the energy warming that area).

The *C *is the least understood part - but that is the essential part of the Blinov.

You can use syrup; you can use fondant even; you can have honey frames behind the dummy wall - anything works.
Stick that patty if you want - just as well.
Stick a waterer above the frames too.

That is all it is to it - the ABCs.

Again, the Blinov comes from about 100 years back.
That explains the "why"s" - those come from 100 years ago.

You can skin the cat differently and still get the same.
At this time one needs not to be following the Blinov to the letter - you just need to implement the ABC correctly.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

GregB said:


> Really, GG:
> a)keep them tight
> b)insulate well
> c)feed (from outside, however you do it) - so that the feeding area is considered by the bees *"the outside" *(thus they don't spend the energy warming that area.
> ...


+1 
that was what I wanted to understand.

GG


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## jtgoral (Mar 24, 2018)

Gray Goose said:


> Ok the pic helps.
> IF the hive was well insulated, then would there be gain?
> A frame can be a divider as you have stated before.
> If the foam/insulation is on the outside permanent, then is the space reduction, triggering anything or is this just a warm and feed stimulations only?
> ...


This is how I understand Blinov method.

The queen will not lay eggs unless *all four are present*:

Proteins (pollen)
Energy (sugar/honey)
Water ( to make royal jelly)
Temperature.

The Blinov method provides *all except of water*:

Pollen on frame(s) outside the follower board
Honey/sugar on frame outside the follower board
N/A
Temperature in the broodnest *inside *follower boards easy to maintain by *crowded *bees covering "black" those couple frames.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

jtgoral said:


> This is how I understand Blinov method.
> 
> The queen will not lay eggs unless *all four are present*:
> 
> ...


Good additional info.
I have done each of them, separate, except the water, and seem some gain.
will add some sponges this year on a trial basis.
wonder it I can make a dummy frame with a couple 1 inch sponges, dip shake , insert.

GG


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

jtgoral said:


> The Blinov method provides *all except of water*:
> 
> Pollen on frame(s) outside the follower board
> Honey/sugar on frame outside the follower board
> ...


And to further clarify the "why's".

Blinov could not buy pollen patties at the time - today a patty can be alternative
Blinov could not cheaply buy lots of sugar at the time - today we can.
Water is water - then and now. But plastic bottles and similar trash is all over around - to water the bees. Blinov never knew of these.
Blinov had no access to many of the insulation options we have today - so might as well use the availability today.
(brought home another bundle of broken XPS pieces from the city dumpster last night - insulation is a non-issue).

So pretty much the same can be easily replicated once you know what you want.

Another clarification - for the Blinov to work well, the brood frames should be *really *crowded.
Say if the bees cover 5 frames, then reduce them to 3 frames - any extras will spillover into the feeding area (a non-issue).


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Here is an informational article about A.G. Blinov himself.
Good article - plug into Google translate and read.









Пчеловод Алексей Григорьевич Блинов | MEDBASHKIR.RU Интернет-Пасека Пчеловодческого Хозяйства "Саргаев А.А."


Район села Байки, окруженный густыми лесами, издавна славился как пчеловодческий. Этим промыслом, видимо, занимались многие в роду Блиновых, так, например, его дед, Максим, имел пасеку. Но именно Алексей Григорьевич ввел передовые методы содержания пчел.




medbashkir.ru





Here is a very significant paragraph:



> В 1894 г. в родном селе Байки, Бирского уезда, Уфимской губ., где он вел крестьянское хозяйство, А.Г.Блинов перевел свою пасеку из колод в рамочные ульи системы Дадана-Блатта.
> 
> Вскоре Блинов убедился, *что пчелы в этих ульях с весны развиваются медленнее, чем в колодах.* Тогда во время весенней ревизии он стал сокращать гнезда пчел, то есть делить их на две части.


It says:


> In 1894 ...blah blah.... A. G. Blinov converted his apiary from the log hives into the framed Dadant-Blatt hives.
> Soon Blinov realized that in *these hives bees in the spring were developing slower than in the log hives.* Subsequently during the spring revisions he started compressing brood-nests, he started dividing them into two parts.


So the bees in the (GV: vertical) *log hives were developing faster than in the framed Dadant hives* (GV: most likely 12-frame Dadants).
GV: also, keep in mind, Blinov operated in cold climate similar to USDA 3-4.
GV: basically his method is work-around of the issues created by an overly large, framed hive in the conditions of cold spring - it is just too big and cold of the volume for the bees to develop well.

Basically, the entire method is not necessary once you just revert into *well insulated and narrow-tall vertical hives* again.
Examples - 6-8 frame Lang/Warre/Alpine/etc.
Think about that for a minute.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

GregB said:


> Here is an informational article about A.G. Blinov himself.
> Good article - plug into Google translate and read.
> 
> 
> ...


I have 5F, 8F and 10F
it is suttle but they all behave different.
the "log" hive I read as thicker walled , IE insulation, and narrower, IE 5,6 7 frame.

I have moved forward with the wall hives in the 5x5x5 6x6x6 7x7x7 8x8x8 realm, with 2 inches XPS on the sides and 4 on the top.
Experimenting with the different hives has confirmed some of Blimovs findings.
I am also curious how the double wall 8F hives work. (6 with bees in now)
I may make 1.5 frame width dummy frames, and convert some of the 10F gear to 7x7x7 this fall "22"

so tall narrow and insulated, is not too hard to get to.

GG


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## GregB (Dec 26, 2017)

Gray Goose said:


> so tall narrow and insulated, is not too hard to get to.


Not at all.
Just for Blinov ~100 years ago - the only framed hive he knew was square Dadant.
For the time it was already a radical, mind-boggling mind-shift - from a log hive to a framed hive.

Well, it turns out - there are options with the framed hives. 
Be he was not aware at the moment. 

BUT to be fair - Blinov's methods is a good method for* long hives. *
That is where the method belongs.
The square Dadant is the shortest of the long hives, one can say.
Blind copying of the method into the vertical hives, 1:1 is rather silly.


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## david stern (Dec 13, 2021)

Thank you for taking the time to pass on your knowledge of the Blinov method.


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## david stern (Dec 13, 2021)

I've read and re-read the post a few times today. It's a stretch, with my limited experience, to take it all in. I will continue to try to digest it. I really enjoy reading through what you are saying.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

david stern said:


> I've read and re-read the post a few times today. It's a stretch, with my limited experience, to take it all in. I will continue to try to digest it. I really enjoy reading through what you are saying.


in beekeeping you often stretch,  some practice before spring is a good thing.
if it was easy any one could do it.

GG


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