Randy;

I have not seen your post on the 200 alcohol washes but I observe a small
percentage of colonies that appear to serve as mite bombs when I do washes
in the fall.  This phenomenon makes me nervous about random sampling as I
want to find those potential bombs and give them extra attention and a mark
so I can go after the mites and be sure to follow up.   I try to wash every
colony around the middle of September to find the potential bombs.

Regarding large 'boomer' colonies in the spring.  I know you guys in
almonds need them since the hives are graded on size, but I don't like to
see boomer colonies coming out of winter in North Carolina as they almost
always are trouble for me.  They require close attention to prevent
swarming, need to be split usually, and in my experience, frequently fail
to make honey because they peak before the flow.  One reason I like
Russians is they come out of the winter in a relative small cluster and
then grow into a good sized colony that is less likely to swarm and more
likely to make honey in my climate.  I also agree on your past observations
on the big honey producer colonies - they are prone to crash, since their
large populations of bees support large populations of mites.  I have taken
a page out of your book and split them all after the honey flow and requeen
with cells.......

Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC

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