I'm looking for some ideas. I am the editor of the newsletter for the Connecticut Beekeepers Assn. Due to the recent media coverage of Apitherapy last August we have a number of new, interested beekeepers raising bees for this purpose. Those who are using the bees for their own treatment prefer local bees. Assuming that more active, stronger bees yield more benifit. Now to the problem: how to get bees from a colony in mid-winter without damaging the colony. The first thing which comes to mind is putting a colony or two in the cellar of a home if it can be maintained at 10 to 12 deg. C. or so. However, spouses may not appreciate bees in the dining room so some kind of enclosure should be provided. Also, can the queen be tricked by lights on a timer into laying eggs before the winter solstice? This would augment the number of bees which can be drawn from a colony, if the bees would also take food suppliments. I apologize if this subject has been recently discussed, I've only been a subscriber for a month or so. If there is an archived discussion somewhere, could someone point me to it? Thank you for any ideas contributed. __________________________________________________ [ Chuck Howe - Editor CT. Honey Bee ] [ INTERNET - [log in to unmask] ] [ COMPUSERVE - [log in to unmask] ] [________________________________________________]