Hi Bill & All,

> I do not and would not overwinter my bees on goldenrod and aster. When I
> did, they suffered with dysentery when they could not get cleansing
> flights. Once I stopped overwintering on them, the hives honey
> production tripled. Lots in the archives on the why and how.
>
> You will make it thorough the winter, but poorly.
>

I am wondering, do you breed your own stock or do you buy in new queens to
re-queen? Mike P. breeds his own stock and in time he probably has his stock
acclimated to his region with weather and forages. This is one good reason
to breed ones own bees to enable better wintering on local forage and local
weather conditions. I know this fly's in the face of those who think only
professional breeders should be breeding queens but real logic begs the
other approach of all beekeepers breeding bees and learning how like our
grandfathers did.

 . ..   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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