Leslie ask: How do you know they are being eaten and not just chewed up and chucked out of the hive? I guess based on the way the colony develops and because there are no debris on the floor or ground. You also do not see any bees carrying patties chucks out of the colonies. I actually started this year (now) to use the patties as a way to test queen performance. I reckon that the colonies that lag on the pattie consumption is because the queen do not lay as the others. The larvae feeding is the demand the drives pattie/pollen consumption. I placed a small pattie (100gr) on each colony past wednesday. We will check next wednesday. We will do a visual evaluation of consumption. Those colonies that lag on pattie consumption will be the first to receive a new queen when possible or we will trash them for nucs. -- Juanse Barros J. APIZUR S.A. Carrera 695 Gorbea - CHILE +56-45-271693 08-3613310 http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/ [log in to unmask] *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html