"So far 5 of the hives have almost completely closed off the top entrance with propolis and several others have reduced them a little.... I've never seen this kind of closing up on this scale and so early."
 
Here in Missouri I don't remember ever seeing propolis like I see this year. At one yard of five hives, when I went to put in entrance reducers a couple of weeks ago I did not even bother with two, as they'd already closed the entrances over halfway with propolis. Of the colonies I treated with Apiguard, they not only glued the trays down as usual but several caked an eighth inch or more around the edges during the two weeks they were on.

"If I were the kind of person, who makes weather predictions based upon single-point observation of local events, I would predict a cold, nasty winter for these parts.  Hey!  Maybe I can start some kind of almanac fro agrarians  that uses that methodology?!?"

I thought maybe this year's cool summer was just more conducive to tree sap production or something. But I haven't checked the wooly worms yet!

Eugene Makovec

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