Hi all
I think it's important to emphasize that if you have a system with which you are satisfied, there is no real reason to tinker with it unless you are aiming to improve it. For example, if I think winter loss is correlated with how much money I spend on it, and I see the law of diminishing returns kick in, then I settle on a cost benefit ratio that suits me. In other words, if I double the amount of winter prep, will I get results that are twice as good? I don't think so. 

Johansson:
> In spite of reverses, a colony has remarkable powers of recuperation under good conditions. One such cluster, the size of a teacup in April, occupied five deep boxes by September, and produced 100 pounds of surplus honey as well as 60 pounds of honey for wintering.

The point being, colonies can regenerate amazingly well, but if the goal is to have strong colonies in spring for pollination, that's a different story. 

PLB

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