Hi Bill & All,

> Grew my own. The problem is not in the bee but in the
> particulates/solids in the honey. When ya gotta go ya gotta go.
>

When ya gotta go ya gotta go, meaning the bees or the honey? Or are you
speaking of going to the little boys room? Just Kidding!!
I will take that grew your own means past tense so you no longer breed your
own. So now you bring in someone else's bees in your location, not keeping a
local stock?

> You can overwinter bees on goldenrod and aster. Just not well.
>

This is contrary to what Mike Palmer stated in which he stated that colonies
winter good. MikePalmer, could you possibly give us the layman's take on why
the bees you are familiar with can winter good on such honey where other
beekeepers colonies could not do it to the degree of wintering good?

> Every scientific article I have read has sugar and hcfs as the best
> overwintering feed for the north since both are very low in solids. Plus
> they do not crystallize at the drop of a hat. There is also lots of info
> on granulated honey and its effect on an overwintered colony. Granulated
> honey does not liquefy instantly, but gradually and can ferment during
> the transition, another no-no for the bees well being.
>

I guess I can't argue with science, the facts have been proven with out a
shadow of doubt.

> As I said, when I stopped it my bees did much better. I would lose
> several colonies over winter but after I shifted, lost none for several
> winters, even with tracheal around. That was when others around me were
> losing 50-80% of their colonies. They were expert beekeepers and I just
> a novice.
>

I don't know but, there could have been other factors involved in you
success and there loses.

> I listened to George Imire and Tony Jadczak and they were right. (Plus,
> read a lot of science that confirmed their advice.)
>

Science is not to be disputed. I have heard of but not seen of studies that
say the opposite. I did read of one article, in the last year in ABJ, that
was recommending honey over sugar and hcfs. I guess it all depends on who
you listen to, and really though, how you manage the bees and the queens.

 . ..   Keith Malone, Chugiak, Alaska USA, http://www.cer.org/,
c(((([ , Apiarian, http://takeoff.to/alaskahoney/,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Norlandbeekeepers/ ,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ApiarianBreedersGuild/

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