Charlie, many years ago I got the opportunity to run a farm store. So I
picked up a copy of the classic Morrison's Feeds and Feeding (written as I
recall in 1956) and read it cover to cover. Clear back then, the feeding
of livestock was well understood--although we have made great progress
since then. I'm in agreement with you that a beekeeper today would need to
do some serious research in order to obtain the information that is readily
available to anyone practicing any other sort of livestock husbandry.
>
> >For example this fall, due to industry recommendations, we fed dry sub
> for the entire month of November.
Interesting comment about "industry recommendations." Such a
recommendation was recently posted to a bee industry website. I took the
author to task for making such a recommendation without supportive
evidence, and the recommendation was taken down.
> > Many of those hives that were 7/8 and 45 lbs of food Dec 1, are now dead
> with 40 lbs of food remaining, Not good. I had assumed those bees were a
> result of summer bees living longer from the sub,
Summer bees would not necessarily have been directly affected, since they
consume neither pollen nor sub. The only indirect effect upon them might
have been from lack of jelly being fed to them by nurse bees.
> >that they are fall bees that did not survive despite adequate food
> supplies.
>
That is a plausible explanation. It is the diet available to the last
rounds of workers emerging that is critical. Ideal would be freshly-stored
high-quality natural pollen.
And yes, my local situation is different from yours, but not as much
biologically. During our drought years, we go into fall with very little
natural pollen, but rather with beebread made from fermented rust fungus
spores. Colonies quickly go downhill on this. What we do is to time it so
that the last rounds of brood have high-quality pollen sub available in
patty form. This is not as stimulatory as incoming natural pollen, but
allows for two things:
1. Stimulates late-season production of the bees that will become the
winter cluster.
2. Allows those bees to develop their fat bodies by feeding on the patties.
Our colonies then go into "suspended animation" until natural broodrearing
begins around Jan 1st. That early broodrearing is then dependent upon
either stored beebread, incoming natural pollen (much better), or the
feeding of pollen sub. These past few weeks have been cold and rainy, so
little bee flight. So we started feeding sub the first week of
January--temps in the 40's to 50'sF. Too cold for stimulatory syrup (with
our top feeder jars), which would have really helped.
We're gonna hit 'em with a second and larger round of sub during a break in
the rain tomorrow, and syrup if the weather warms slightly. Due to the
combination of fall drought-induced dearth, and January cold, rainy
weather, this is the most intense artificial feeding I've ever done. Will
let you know the results.
>
> >I would also cite a picture posted on facebook this week. Lots of dead
> in the alleyway of his winter storage.
>
Lots of dead bees in winter storage is normal. I am very curious about the
recent report on the apparent systemic bacterial infection (Serratia) found
in Wisconsin.
PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0167752
I've corresponded at length with the author, and am trying to recruit other
researchers to follow up.
>
> >We have two basic formulas as I know it, for almonds.
Yes, you covered them well. But there is also a third--to allow them to
shut down broodrearing during August dearth, and use that shut down to get
varroa under control. Then start feeding sub in early Sept through fall.
>
> >For example this fall I avoided wet sub, as much as I wanted to SHB
> would not allow wet sub in the hive.
>
I'm curious about this. A beekeeper at the Galveston convention told my
son that he also was worried about SHB larvae in his patties. But he found
that if he just left them alone, that they didn't seem to cause any
noticeable problem. What is your experience?
--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com
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