bee ball

1. Is the honey from the bee ball better?

 

It turns out that beehive ball honey contains about one to two percent less water than honey from angular prey systems. The bees can better withdraw water from the honey around the brood chamber area in the bee ball because there is a higher heat level around the brood chamber.

 

In addition, honeycombs do not necessarily have to be hurled out of the beehive. You can also press the honeycomb wonderfully or let the honey run through a sieve. Honeycomb honey that is taken directly from the bee ball (preferably from the BK-20 ) can also be used and sold directly. Honeycomb honey is becoming increasingly popular and better paid than centrifuged honey.

 

2. Is the bee ball good for the bees?

 

Bees in the bee ball are more peaceful than in angular hive systems. This knowledge comes from many years of observation of bee colonies - not by myself, but by many other experienced beekeepers who have been using the bee ball themselves for many years now.

 

Example:

The bees of a beekeeper were stinging in a magazine hive. His dogs were repeatedly stung by the bees and they then avoided the vicinity of the magazine hive. After this colony had been relocated to the beehive, the bees presented themselves more meekly in the same location and the dogs could use the entire garden again.

 

3. How do honeycombs get into the bee ball?

 

Variant 1: 100 percent natural construction

Before you let a colony enter, you make a wax point on the three largest middle frames on the underside and spread honey on a width of approx. 100 millimeters on the underside of the frame. This gives the bees the direction of the honeycomb. The wax point helps the bees to build an evenly beautiful honeycomb structure.

 

Variant 2: middle wall / natural construction

The three middle frames with middle walls are prepared. To do this, you take a square middle wall and attach it to the frames with rice nails. For additional stabilization of the middle wall, it can be fixed with a wire, attached with two rice nails. The middle wall is melted into the wire. When the middle wall reaches about the middle, the bees fill in the rest with natural construction.

 

4. Why does the bee ball protect against Varroa infestation?

 

The Varroa mite is a parasite that is very harmful to bees and can destroy entire bee colonies. Today this parasite has to be fought constantly. The varroa mite is also present in the bee ball. In a direct comparison with angular hive systems, however, some beekeepers found that the infestation in the bee ball is lower than in the angular hive.

 

This can have several causes:

In angular prey systems, there are usually around 2000 - 3000 drones per colony from May to July. With the bee ball, there are usually only 300-500 drones. Because the Varroa mite likes to multiply in the drone brood, this could be a possible consequence that speaks for the lower Varroa mite infestation in the bee ball. Climatic factors, such as the active control of humidity, also influence the reproduction of the varroa mite.

 

As part of his bachelor thesis, Peter Schweizer examined whether the climate in magazine colonies can be influenced and whether this affects the population dynamics of the Varroa mite. The results indicate that active control of humidity by the beekeeper slows down mite development.

 

The study also shows: the higher the humidity, the stronger the varroa mite development.

 

Due to the shape, the dead wood and the construction, the humidity of the bees is actively regulated. Measurements show that the humidity is much lower than in angular hive systems.

 

This means that the risk of a Varroa infestation in the bee ball is lower.

 

5. Why is there less mold infestation in the bee ball?

 

The temperatures are lower in the corners and the humidity higher than in the middle of the room. This usually creates condensation in the corners (with 100 percent humidity), which forms the basis for mold growth in the beehive. Mold formation occurs more frequently in square beehives than in the beehive.

 

6. Has the bee ball been scientifically investigated?

 

Yes, beekeeping in the bee ball has been researched at universities and institutes at home and abroad for a number of years. The first scientific results confirm the advantages for the bees in the bee ball compared to beekeeping in conventional angular hive systems.

 

7. Propolis - peculiarity of the bee ball

 

Bees produce propolis from tree resin and their own secretions. You use it to seal slits and cracks. They cover the entire inner surface with propolis. Set the bees
Propolis against bacteria, viruses and fungi. In addition to components that are soluble in alcohol, propolis also has water-soluble components. If you put a drop of water on the propolis surface of a piece of wood, a tree cavity formerly inhabited by bees, propolis becomes wrinkled: This means that propolis can also absorb water.

 

During the production of the bee ball, the surface was deliberately milled very rough with special tools.

This is very possible thanks to the use of local spruce wood. This gives the bees the opportunity to bring a lot of propolis onto the rough surface. The sealing surfaces are made extremely precisely fitting, so that very little propolis is required here. After a colony of bees has moved into the beehive, the bees clean the inner surfaces themselves, sweeping small wood chips into the lower container. In one to three months the entire inner surface will be covered with propolis.