# Old Time Commercial Beeks



## kbenz (Feb 17, 2010)

hpm08161947 said:


> He said he checked his hives for QC every 11 days and was off to do it now... so off he went.


it'll probably hit me after I send this but what is QC?

cool story!!!


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

Queen Cells...


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

What could those old timers know? 

Crazy Roland
Linden Apiary, Est. 1852
5th gen and 6th gen with son Christian.


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## djei5 (Apr 24, 2011)

Roland said:


> What could those old timers know?
> 
> Crazy Roland
> Linden Apiary, Est. 1852
> 5th gen and 6th gen with son Christian.


You tell us!


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## Hokie Bee Daddy (Apr 1, 2011)

I love to talk to those guys too and honestly I enjoy talking to all beekeepers. I don't think I've ever met one that didn't have a smile on his face while he was talking about his bees. Beeks are a special breed.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

djei5 - Some of them know enough to keep their mouth shut, and smile. 

Crazy Roland


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## djei5 (Apr 24, 2011)

Roland-Two rules of thumb ( I have more than two) that I keep close. 
1) Information dug for is usually worth more.
2) Some people think blowing out other peoples candles will make theirs burn brighter.

I love to listen when the old wise ones speak!:thumbsup:


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Then take note of Rolands Posts. Especially when he writes about how his Father or Grandfather worked bees.


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> Then take note of Rolands Posts. Especially when he writes about how his Father or Grandfather worked bees.



@Roland (AKA Crazy Roland).... I am sure Mark is right. I bet you do have some pretty darn good stories. Would you mind sharing one about your father or grandfather?


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

OK, this is one about honey processing, not beekeeping. It seems my grandfather was making and selling candied honey, without the license from Cornell University. This ruffled some feathers, so they sent out an expert to investigate this usurpation of patent rights. The gentleman came to the shop, inspected how my grandfather saved some "seed", and mixed it back in with liquid honey. He then requested to view the area where it was then stored. My Grandfather showed him a lean-to section that had been added to the back of the building for this purpose. He then requested to see the thermostat setting for that room, which was the key provision of the patent, and my Grandfather pointed to the open window. Case closed, the gentleman departed empty handed for New York. They met again in later years and became good friends. SQKCRK may be able to guess the name of the man from NY, event occoured in the 40's or 50's.

Another story involves the first bee blower(In the July 1966 ABJ). It was built from a Wright chain saw engine(I still have it), and a custom made fan. It worked well but was noisy. So my father had a bright idea, build a wooden box around the engine and the fan, it would be quiet. It was, but the heat of the engine made the air hot, and in a little while, you could not hold onto the nozzle. We learned to live with the noise.


Crazy Roland


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Roger Morse?


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

The name sounds correct, but I will ask my father (89 years old) when I see him Tuesday.

Actually, there are not too many exciting things that happen to sedentary beekeepers, but I will try to think of more stories.

Crazy Roland


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## Ted Kretschmann (Feb 2, 2011)

You know Mark, give us all another ten years or so, we will all be in that fifty years range. TED


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Roland said:


> ... Actually, there are not too many exciting things that happen to sedentary beekeepers, but I will try to think of more stories.
> 
> Crazy Roland


And I imagine some of the more exciting things, they'd rather forget about. Seems like so many "exciting" things in beekeeping are either painful, or expensive.
Regards,
Steven


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Or painfully expensive. heh, heh.


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

If I have got my beekeepers straight, Roland is a 6th generation beek. I wonder if he has ever heard tales of how his great great great grandad got started? Hope I got my greats right.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

My son, Christian, is 6th generation, not me. My great great Grandfather(Christian also) was a beekeeper when he came from Pappendorf(near Dresden) Germany to Milwaukee in 1852. We still have the candle molds he brought with him. He was also a Wool Carder, and somehow the two seasons worked well together. His son, August, was a beekeeper and interior carpenter. Interior carpentry was done in the winter. Remember, this is before trucks, so there where no Apiaries, only an Apiary, with up to 200 hives. We still have his chest of block planes for making moldings. It appears he also made his own beehives(they are in the attic of the beekeeping museum in Cassville Wisconsin), and was experimenting with different frame counts in the hives.

Crazy Roland
Linden Apiary


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## Ozone (May 24, 2011)

sqkcrk said:


> Or painfully expensive. heh, heh.


Keep trying, you will financially get there.....


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## The Honey Householder (Nov 14, 2008)

Anyway you look at it, beekeeping has a lot of history. I've bought out 3 of the old timers in my area and always love hearing about the good old days. Once upon a time there was 4 comm. beekeepers in my county. There all gone now.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Partially due to the change in the definition of Commercial Beekeeper and also other things.


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

Roland said:


> My son, Christian, is 6th generation, not me. My great great Grandfather(Christian also) was a beekeeper when he came from Pappendorf(near Dresden) Germany to Milwaukee in 1852.


Roland, my wife's family comes from Koblenz. I have looked into the birth/death records in Germany and they are extremely complete. If one was ever born, married, or died in Germany there appears to be a careful record of it. I wonder if you have ever looked into what your ancestors did that never left Germany. You may well be a 6th... 7th or more generation beekeeper. Imagine what beeking was like pre langstroth... love those skeps.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Mine were from Bremen. No idea whether any kept bees. A Great Uncle in Iowa had some tho. Germany is big enuf that Rolands people and mine probably weren't neighbors, but, ya never know.


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> Mine were from Bremen. No idea whether any kept bees. probably weren't neighbors, but, ya never know.


Carlene thinks her people and yours were neighbors


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Germany or Iowa?


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> Germany or Iowa?


Germany... she is kidding though... Bremen looks like it is in the far north and Koblenz in the South on the river.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

The church records in Pappendorf Saxony where a little sketchy, and in hand written script. My parents went there to find out more, but had no luck. Since then we have communicated with a sheep vet who married a Diehnelt from Pappendorf. It is interesting to note that Christian in 1852 was also a wool carder, and that his son August, was a carpenter after wooden hives where invented. 

The Dadants would be so disappointed if they lost the title of oldest on generation count(they multiply faster). You should have seen the look on young Dadant when we called him a rookie for having started in the 1860's.(we have utmost respect for that family, all in good humor)

Crazy Roland Diehnelt


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## gregstahlman (Oct 7, 2009)

how many hives did your family have in 1852?? my great great grandpa had a few hives in 1880's but went fully commercial around 1902. he started in NY and around 1905 loaded everything up on rail car and headed west to Cali and Nevada. will have to ask my grandpa tomorrow how many hives my great great grandpa had in 1902. we have dozens and dozens of old photos of him dating anywhere from 1903-1917 showing all the working that was done in the yards. my favorite is the horse drawn mobile honey house lol. he kept a journal everyday recording weather, hives, price of honey, and general views of the industry.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I'll have to keep my eye out, but I think I have some of his equipment w/ his brand on it.  Nah, just kidding.

Where in NY did he live?

Horsedrawn mobile honeyhouse? Bet they took it to the apiary and extracted during a flow.

Do you have any of those photos digitized and available via the web? Post some here, maybe?

I don't know what my ancestors did back in the old country. I wish I did. There is a town or city that has our name, Berninghausen, and supposedly an Archbishop von Berninghausen, who had a coin struck. I wonder where that got put after Dad died? Maybe Tom has it.

Grandpa Frederich Wilhem spoke German, and Grandma too I believe, but not their kids, nor I. Not the popular thing in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Still that stigma thing going on.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

From memory, until my Grandfather bought a truck, it was common to have 200 hives, all in one yard. I will have to find the article from 1924 and my Great Grandfather's beeyard.

Crazy Roland


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I've seen pix like that from NY in the early 20th cent. My how agriculture has changed. From when therte were Creamerys in every Township and a halfdozen to a dozen farms to support them to now when there is only one cheese and milk/yogurt plant in our County. When the Amish stop keeping cows because there is no one to buy their milk, that says something. Times have changed.

Picture a bunch of Old Geezers sitting around the stove at a country store. "Yeah, I can remember when..." Spitting tobacco on the hot stove. Now it's getting together at Mickey D's. Sheesh.


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## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

SQKCRK - help me here. The gentleman from Cornell? who tried to shut my grandfather down for making candied honey without patent royalties was Dr. Dyce? Am I close? 

Crazy ROland


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Could use some help to get a user name for someone. Funny thing is I recognized a description of an older beek I recently read about on Beesource with a description a lady was stating about her uncle who lives states away. Beekeeping came up at a graduation party when a relative asked us about it. The lady was interested in beekeeping herself and talked about her uncle, Paul R. Said he was trucking his bees to Colorado and lost them due to an accident years ago and that he gives his honey away to his friends. Anyway, we have a nephew in common with this lady. What a small world.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Roland said:


> SQKCRK - help me here. The gentleman from Cornell? who tried to shut my grandfather down for making candied honey without patent royalties was Dr. Dyce? Am I close?
> 
> Crazy ROland


Coulda been He's the one who developed and Patented the process. Dyce Lab at Cornell, Ithaca, NY is named for him.

My buddie Jon, who knew him, said he developed the process for Canadians so their overwintered crop, which was in cans then, wouldn't ferment. They were having trouble w/ the honey crystalizing coursely and the water seperating causing fermentation.

He's probably the one, if it wasn't Roger Morse. Seems like a conflict of interest to be enforcing ones own Patent tho.


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