Bee Gym

Hi : I saw a clip on another forum where someone in the UK was selling a device called a "Bee Gym" which is used for helping the bees scrub off the mites.He is selling them for 12.50 each and has a short film showing it in use in a hive.
Are any of you aware of the hive part and whether it works or not.Thanks,Blacksheep

Depends who you ask ...

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=31816

blacksheep said:

Hi : I saw a clip on another forum where someone in the UK was selling a device called a "Bee Gym" which is used for helping the bees scrub off the mites.He is selling them for 12.50 each and has a short film showing it in use in a hive.
Are any of you aware of the hive part and whether it works or not.Thanks,Blacksheep

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I can do you them at £5.50 and free postage......Just let me know how many you want
Fools and their money.....
Ask yourself a simple question if they really really worked would you only charge £12.50 for a solution to a major bee problem,that to date, no-one has solved!
Our resident three year old beekeeping expert Pargyle bought several, swears by them...or perhaps AT them.

But if you want to get in on a prototype of a new sure fire varroa killer, I can let you in at the ground floor for around £20000. It might take a bit more time than you are used to, but really lowers varroa loads.

There has been no evidence presented which suggest it work. Some have done rubbish observations which are meaningless and tried to use this to say they work. So we don't know but I think most people are sceptical.

Thymallus said:

Our resident three year old beekeeping expert Pargyle bought several, swears by them...or perhaps AT them.

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Actually ... I'm 65 now .. and I would be the last person to bill me as an expert. However, I don't mind being maligned when I get it wrong .. but

A. I have one Bee Gym.

B. I didn't buy it.

C. I don't SWEAR by them .. although there does appear to be a concentration of dead varroa on the inspection tray beneath where the Bee Gym sits.

What is it with you ??? Must you attack everything ?

pargyle said:

What is it with you ??? Must you attack everything ?

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I thought I had added a smiley, but obviously not.

Hi Guys: Well I saw the short film on Bee masters international site which I am also a member.It seems the bees like scratching on it !
At the present time I am doing the Mineral oil fogging as well as the sugar shake deal trying to combat the mites.I am not super high count with them but I want the numbers as low as I can get them.
For the hive beetles I am using traps as well as the small aluminum strips to prevent the beetles from getting into the hive.I don't know if you folks are using the small strips or not?They work like a termite strip on a house.Thanks,Blacksheep

Thymallus said:

I thought I had added a smiley, but obviously not.

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OK .. Apology accepted !

blacksheep said:

Hi Guys: Well I saw the short film on Bee masters international site which I am also a member.It seems the bees like scratching on it !
At the present time I am doing the Mineral oil fogging as well as the sugar shake deal trying to combat the mites.I am not super high count with them but I want the numbers as low as I can get them.
For the hive beetles I am using traps as well as the small aluminum strips to prevent the beetles from getting into the hive.I don't know if you folks are using the small strips or not?They work like a termite strip on a house.Thanks,Blacksheep

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I can't say that a beegym is the total answer ... it's just one of those things that may contribute to lowering the mite count - it's a passive device and as I don't treat my bees for varroa it meets my approval.

However, if you have a mite problem in your hives (if your bees are weak and showing signs of disease) the mineral oil fogging and the sugar shake are not going to be the total answer either.

A lot of people on here are now using sublimated Oxalic Acid which appears to affect the bees very little but has an exceptional knock down rate. If my bees had a problem with Varroa it's the first thing I would use ...

There's quite few threads on here which you may find interesting:

If you start here there are links to other threads.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=34548

blacksheep said:

Hi Guys: Well I saw the short film on Bee masters international site which I am also a member.It seems the bees like scratching on it !
At the present time I am doing the Mineral oil fogging as well as the sugar shake deal trying to combat the mites.I am not super high count with them but I want the numbers as low as I can get them.
For the hive beetles I am using traps as well as the small aluminum strips to prevent the beetles from getting into the hive.I don't know if you folks are using the small strips or not?They work like a termite strip on a house.Thanks,Blacksheep

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In the UK, we don't have termites and we don't (yet) have Small Hive Beetle so I, for one, do not understand what "strips" you're using.

The most common Varroa treatment here seems to be Thymol-based in the late summer/early autumn (fall) and an Oxalic Acid treatment mid-winter. The OA treatment has up until recently been administered in a sugar syrup, drizzled into the seams of bees but vapourisation (sublimation) of OA has become popular in the last year or so - Google Varrox. MAQS is available as a summer treatment but it has a reputation of upsetting the queens although I don't think properly conducted trials have been carried out to verify this.

As for the bee gym, I have not tried one and the guy who designed and manufactures it is a small-time operation and probably cannot afford to pay for full independent rigorous trials. He's relying on beekeepers like Pargyle, who has an open mind, to trial it and report back their results. The naysayers have not tried it but are quite happy to say it does not work - go figure!

CVB

I ordered one of the bee gyms and will try it out!Exchange rates are tough but dollar is less now.
The Small hive beetles are a real problem at times!They are worse in the July& August time frame.The strips I mentioned are thin aluminum and they fit on the edge of the bottom board where the box sits and it has a 1/4 to 3/8 inch over hand which is bend down ward at a angle of 35 to 45 degrees.When the beetles try to get up into the box the can not climb on the slick metal and they fall into the pan below with mineral oil and drowns them .The metal is A FLASHING MATERIAL and comes in various widths.the beetles really make a mess if not stopped.They put there eggs in the comb and when hatched the worms are very destructive. Cheers,Blacksheep

blacksheep said:

I ordered one of the bee gyms and will try it out!Exchange rates are tough but dollar is less now.
The Small hive beetles are a real problem at times!They are worse in the July& August time frame.The strips I mentioned are thin aluminum and they fit on the edge of the bottom board where the box sits and it has a 1/4 to 3/8 inch over hand which is bend down ward at a angle of 35 to 45 degrees.When the beetles try to get up into the box the can not climb on the slick metal and they fall into the pan below with mineral oil and drowns them .The metal is A FLASHING MATERIAL and comes in various widths.the beetles really make a mess if not stopped.They put there eggs in the comb and when hatched the worms are very destructive. Cheers,Blacksheep

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I know I am going off topic but, regarding the bottom board I saw a video on u tube, of a beekeeper using never wet spray. The small hive beetle slid down to the tray and couldn't get back up. The spray is allegedly food safe.

Hi: I use full screened bottom boards with the oil pan under it so if the bees chase the beetles and they fall on the wire they end up in the oil where they drown.The bees will chase them up into a corner and guard them to keep them out of the hive but if to many they will destroy the combs.

blacksheep said:

I ordered one of the bee gyms and will try it out!Exchange rates are tough but dollar is less now.
The Small hive beetles are a real problem at times!They are worse in the July& August time frame.The strips I mentioned are thin aluminum and they fit on the edge of the bottom board where the box sits and it has a 1/4 to 3/8 inch over hand which is bend down ward at a angle of 35 to 45 degrees.When the beetles try to get up into the box the can not climb on the slick metal and they fall into the pan below with mineral oil and drowns them .The metal is A FLASHING MATERIAL and comes in various widths.the beetles really make a mess if not stopped.They put there eggs in the comb and when hatched the worms are very destructive. Cheers,Blacksheep

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Ive ordered one too out of interest.

charlievictorbravo said:

In the UK, we don't have termites

CVB

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Oh yes we do or did and not too far from you! Not heard if they ever managed to eradicate them

www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article2991.ece


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Well ... As there are apparently a whole bunch of Village Idiots on here as well as me I thought I'd give you a bit of reading to get you set up for the winter ...

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8579

For those that haven't been around as long as some of us .. and have open minds ... well worth half an hours read over a cuppa and a digestive biscuit.

pargyle said:

Well ... As there are apparently a whole bunch of Village Idiots on here as well as me I thought I'd give you a bit of reading to get you set up for the winter ...

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8579

For those that haven't been around as long as some of us .. and have open minds ... well worth half an hours read over a cuppa and a digestive biscuit.

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Have to beg to differ. Waste of half an hour - except the occasional giggle.

PS - there are plenty of villages of there.

beebot said:

PS - there are plenty of villages of there.

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Which one do you represent?