USDA develops solar-heated beehives WASHINGTON of freezing to death over the winter, honeybees in cold climates can now stay warm and healthy in solar-heated beehives, thanks to a new type of beehive cover developed by the beekeeping in dustry and the U.S. Department of TWIN-WALL IV has: • Multiple Openings. • Multiple Supply Channels. • A flow Regulated By A Ratio Of Openings. • Sturdy Construction. • All Channels Continuous. • A Large Cross Section Of Flow Channel. • A More Uniform Watering. • Drops That F'all Directly To Soil. • A True Drip Flow. Growers Comment: Since Twin Wall IV Made By The Pnoneers Of Drip Irrigation 1 A litter/tertilizor/rogulotlon holder auembly (top view) iti I Praaaara G(|« I ‘ Phiali Valvea 11 I Uadar Taaka £ £ \ (N»t Shewal \ m— Metiatlag _ _ ' SkU L/j FUtar ||>' ' Prcaaura Cafe ' -r Praaaar* / ~ Ratalatiag f r Valve [ 1 ’ °*' on v * l, * Inject fertilizer into your drip lines; lasts for year, easy and simple to operate just add your liquid fertilizer in tank and adjust valve to control fertilizer flow, flow meter shows how much fertilizer it is injecting. This is a way to get your fertilizer to your plants at a critical time, increasing yields! IMj”-60G.P.M. Capacity - without filter - 30 G.P.M. Capacity without filter Can also be used for smaller setups; like garden hose etc VINLY LAYFLAT; Header Line for Your Drip Irrigation IW’ - 300 ft. roll - $llO.OO 2” 300 ft. roll-$138.00 3” 300 ft. roll- $207.00 4’-’3OO ft. roll-$255.00 We will cut shorter pieces for 2* per ft. extra charge. Jiffy 7’s -1000 per box - $39.50 Wall-O-Water - Wafer filled plant proctors - $1.50 ea. $48.60 per case of 36 Promix 5.5 Cubic ft. bale - $17.50 - cannot be shipped UPS. Tomato Cages - #lO Wire Heavy Duty - .85 ea. - $75.00 per 100 NOW WAREHOUSES IN 2 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER Zimmerman Farm Mkt. Supply Zimmerman’s Drip Irrigation Paul M. Zimmerman Menno M. Zimmerman RD #3, Mifflinburg, Pa. 17844 RD #3, Ephrata, Pa. 17522 717-966-3794-717-966-9192 215-445-4144 Agriculture. In USDA tests, survival rates were nearly 100 percent for honeybee colonies in hives protected by the covers during Wisconsin winters. That compared to losses in unprotected hives during severe winters of up to 50 DRIP IRRIGATION HOSE Since 1960 1 •/»* Or r FPT Inki riinnin Twin Wall IV Drip Irrigation 5 mill 5,000’ Roll -10,000’Rol- l-7,500’R011-3,000’R011-6,000’R011-2,000’ 3,000’Roll 6,000’Roll- 2,000’ Roll - •4,000’R01l- 8 mill 10 mill 14 mill T-TAPE A DRIP IRRIGATION HOSE J FOR ROW CROPS Standard Weight 4 ml. 2,000’R01l- $68.00 15,000’R01l- $278.00 Heavy Weight 8 ml. I,ooo’ Roll- $51.00 7,500’R01l- $178.50 Dura Tape 15 ml. 450’R01l- $34.50 3,500’R01l- . $98.50 All prices on drip are less 6% Cash Discount Or less 3% if paid in 30 days. Chapin Twin Wall IV is the leader of all drips in quality and performance. However, We still have others available upon request. FERTILIZER INJECTOR: BLACK PLASTIC MULCH Rex-Low Density - Extra Strong 4’x2,000’ Roll -$27.00 4 , x4,000 > Roll -$54.00 LINK TUF-AGRI PLASTIC 4’x2,000’ Roll - $28.00 - Black percent. The covers are box-like struc tures of translucent plastic that trap infrared rays from the sun like a greenhouse or a car with its windows up. They also help retain heat generated internally by the bees themselves. $ 99.50 $190.00 $178.50 $ 88.00 $165.00 $ 78.00 $144.00 $225.00 $195.00 Lancaster Farming Saturday, January 25,1986-D5 “Natural sunlight and honey provide the fuel,” said en tomologist Eric H. Erickson of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. “The covers cost little to make and virtually nothing to operate.” According to Erickson, honeybee colonies in covered hives achieved their high winter survival rates while consuming 20 percent less honey than bees in uncovered hives. “That means 20 percent more honey for commercial use, which should come as welcome news to beekeepers concerned over the economics of destroying colonies to avoid the cost of winter upkeep,” he said. “Up to now, beekeepers in cold climates have often had to choose between shipping their colonies south each winter or purchasing new colonies each spring,” he said. “Either way, it could be an ex pensive proposition.” Erickson and his staff, who have been evaluating the covers for several years at the agency’s bee research laboratory in Madison, Wise., recommend the covers as a cost-saving to beekeepers in the northern half of the United States. When he inspected the covered hive in midwinter, Erickson found that bees were moving about freely compared to the immobile clusters typical of uncovered hives. “It’s important for bees to avoid forming an overly tight cluster within a hive,” he said. “Bees in uncovered hives have to huddle against the cold, and bees packed too densely often starve because they don’t move about within a hive and don’t find enough honey.” In addition to keeping bees warm, the plastic covers can keep ft <9\ BREAKING MILK RECORDS! Lancaster Farming Carries DHIA Reports Each Monthl Insure against the jl unexpected Kids and farm animals, both unpredictable. And both can cause accidents on or off your property. That’s why you need the protection of an Old Guard farm insurance policy. Call us today. Old Guard MUTUAL INSURANCE COMRANV 2929 LttHz Pike, LancMler, PA 17604 717-569-5361 BAILEY INSURANCE MGMNT., INC. 221 Locust Street P.O. Box 379 Oxford, PA 19363 (215 ) 932-9141 BAKER & RUSSELL, INC. LIGHT M. BOMBERGER R.D. 1, Box 188 1099 Cedar Crest Drive Shippensburg, PA 17257 Lebanon, PA 17042 (717)530-1252 ( 717)272-5633 them dry. Without the cover, moisture will condense and freeze inside a hive during winter and then melt to soak the bees when the weather warms. “Honeybees have hairy bodies and if they get wet they can chill quickly and become quite sick,” Erickson explained. “With a plastic cover in place, moisture will condense on the cover itself and there won’t be any frost or ice inside the hive.” Beekeepers have tried different types of covers in the past with varying degrees of success, ac cording to the scientist. Rolls of insulation wrapped in tar paper were too costly because they gave more protection than necessary for beehives south of Canada. Covers made of styrofoam have worked well, but lack durability. “Our covers will easily last five years, and probably 10,” Erickson said. “You can make them from the kind of sheet plastic that’s available anywhere building supplies are sold, and you can probably recover their cost with extra honey saved in just one winter.” He said that anyone who can build a box can build the beehive cover. “Make sure the plastic is translucent so that sunlight can get in,” he said, “and that the box is just big enough to allow two inches or airspace on all sides of the hive.” “And don’t forget that even during winter, bees need to get outdoors. You’ll need to insert a short piece of one-inch diameter plastic pipe through the cover and directly into the top brood chamber. This will allow bees to leave the hive without getting lost under the cover.” P> BLUHM INSURANCE AGENCY 68 E. Tioga Street P.O. Box 430 Tunkhannock, PA 18657 (717) 836-2250
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