Hi

  I heard some years ago about a method giving the bees extra food in the
early spring. I believe it was a bee keeper in Canada that described the method.

  The method is described shortly;

  One gives the hive suggar in a lower concentration in early spring. Almost
befor the first own colected nectar. The suggar is transported into the hive
by workers. The queen will be fed with it to. The lower sugar concentration
makes her thin that it is spring and that fresh nectar is colected which
makes her laying mor eggs.
  In this way one makes the hive strong so it will be welkl prepered until
the spring realy starts.

  Do anybody know:
-  Which concentration, (water, sugar) to feed with?
-  When to start?
-  Does the hive need any extra protein as substitute for the pollen not
     colected?

  Gunnar