that their design is based INSECTICIDES
not on the hive made by
TW Cowan as early as 1860 I think Alan Morley (Bee
but on the first hives made Craft, October, page 38) is
by WB Carr a decade later. way off the mark when he
suggests ‘We can surviveThe Cowan hive was a
without chemical spraysmassive double walled hive
and insecticides’.made from one-inch-thick
timber with inner brood Over the past 50 years the
box, supers and an outer world population has
square casing. increased by 117%, whereas eti
hland used for growing crops W
JOn the other hand Mr Carr T
has only increased by 12%.produced a much lighter The Chivers hive was probably based on the WBC hive
This is due in no small parthive with a shallow brood
to the important partbox over which supers were it. But, of course this only I think the Americans may
pesticides and fungicidesadded, called the works on small-scale farms. be wasting their money
have played in enabling looking at pesticides as aBebbington Hive. This was
farmers to improve crop There have been no cause of so-called Colony
the precursor of the first production continually. recorded cases in Britain of Collapse Disorder. I think they
generation of single-walled anyone dying through should be monitoring the
WBC hives with a fillet Wheat is vulnerable to around absorbing pesticides due to effects of viruses and putting
covering the joint between 20 different pests and the production of more into finding alternative
boxes. This naturally had diseases during growth and species-specific treatments. treatments for varroa.
the disadvantage of being after harvest. If chemical Today’s ecologically aware
difficult to separate as Chris treatments were withdrawn farmers are more careful I think many of the losses
Evans found when his tomorrow we would probably when applying chemicals in the US are down to what
boxes were propolised lose over 40% of production, and there was only one I call Colony Compromise
together. over 80% of some crops. We reported case of honey bee Disorder. Re-using hives
would have to dig up an area poisoning last year in the where the bees have diedWB Carr got round this
the size of Wales to UK. without treating them, using problem by providing a
compensate. old comb, moving beesstraight-sided lightweight The problem with
many times a year, etc. Inouter casing with fillets. The Great efforts are being made clothianidin (a neonicotinoid)
one survey from America itinner boxes did not have to develop methods of in Germany was, I believe,
clearly states that thosefillets so that they could be biological control. A system caused by misuse, as are
beekeepers that have aeasily separated. called ‘push–pull', most problems with
strict hygiene regime havedeveloped by scientists at pesticides. As I understand
It was not until after the first not suffered high losses. InRothamsted, is proving very it, the ban that was brought
world war that James Lee of another survey a higheffective in parts of Africa. in has subsequently been
Uxbridge devised the sloping proportion of losses wereThis involves growing plants lifted. So, until alternatives
telescopic-sided classical due to starvation, which isin and around the crop are found, we must live with
WBC hive we know today. just negligence.which either repel (push) or pesticides and herbicides
Karl Showler, Hay on Wye attract (pull) pests away from and use them to exist. Peter Tomkins, Herts BKA
Bee Craft digital December 2008 Page 23
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32