>that's why their story says 1997, only 10 years, here's a quote and I will add the link
Here's what Dee says:
> BTW Dee, what year did you FIRST start regressing (not all the way to
> 4.9mm but at all) and stop using chemicals altogether?
>
Reply:
Summer/Fall of 1983 we first noticed when we had purchased a quantity of
new
duraguild foundation from Dadant to modernize the family operation and
noticed
how large it seemed compared to what was in hives, something was wrong,
for
secondary diseases started that hadn't been seen in a long time. Mainly
EFB and
chalk. By the following spring/summer we were all over the local lab as
to
why and also sorting thru hives in the field frame by frame and
comparing sizes,
talking deeply with Ed's Dad and Grandfather and up in attic for what
was
saved back from previous purchases, to compare sizes and found 11
different ones
and that was frightening. We immediately stared putting all the small
down and
the large up and complaining as to why all the
variation...............Dr
Levin then was right with us.....for he too wanted to know what was
going on and
why the different sizes as he said he never knew this part and then he
let us
check deeper and deeper and read all we wanted to at library at
lab.........Dr
Levin was good, he really cared and worked with us and was the one that
kept
us writing to others to get info to find out what was going on after he
found
out my background. So basically we have been sizing down and changing
back
since 1983/84 and it has been a long, long ride to back before 4 gilt
edge stuff
and other like aluminum foundation, radiator foundation types, etc.
Never used chemicals, essential oils........and drugs only was TM that
was
for actual treatment and not across the board treating, and then we
phased it
out as we didn't like and burned much of what we found pulling it out,
and
basically did old shakedowns to stay ahead. By early 1990s we were into
propolis
paddies instead based on stuff Ed's grandpa had done with the labs early
on with
propolis used instead for foul in the 1960s before TM came on the
market, and
that took some nail biting and pulling of information from old family
files,
etc and then getting information found again at lab and grumbling
too.....ole
Dr Levin wasn't aware of this part either like the cell size changing up
and
up. Then we got into checking into breeding changes with him telling me
who to
write to check things out.
Now in saying this we did use PDB for super storage/frame storage and
even
wrote on that for Trachael mite control for equipment, but too like the
TM
phased that out when we phased in with the propolis paddies. From
propolis paddies
on in early 1990s we have been melting down everything. For when we
first
regressed we only fed new frames of smaller foundation into the
broodnest area and
put the bigger combs up. With second regression down we had learned our
lesson on this for comingling frames/supers for interchangeably
needing equipment and think it was a good part of our hitting wall in
year
eight with fouls, so when we went down second time and started retooling
wax in
1996 to get ready to shake down this time completely, we decided to go
all the
way, and also because Dr Erickson said prove it with SC as we had
started
fighting with him big time over the sizing by then for what local lab
wanted and
we wanted.....and we decided we wanted clean and no more foul......and
that
was bottom line, the hell with drawing line in sand as to what was right
for EU
this and so-called AHB that, for Nature didn't work that way.
Sorry I wrote so much....hard to explain it's been going on so long for
us
Dee