--- Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> How can you judge the bees unfit if you rob their
> honey?

Hello Bob,
I'm mostly referring to ferals I catch.  I have found
it is difficult if not impossible to properly assess
them if you provide artificial feeding.  So what I do
is to place them in my poorest location where they
have to work hard to survive, this has the effect of
spreading out performance grades between the colonies
(unfit will do real bad here, and the fittest will do
much better or even excel).  Then it is a matter of
assessing the queen performance and colony
performance, which is extremely easy as I have found
that poor performers will be much lighter, or
occasionally on the verge of starvation, these unfit I
eliminate as I find.  During my assessment of these
colonies, I restrict them to a single deep and winter
them in singles then assessment is completed by May.

In my full size colonies, I rob honey that is above,
it’s the bees responsibility to fill the broodboxes
below with stores not mine.  Baring a particularly dry
season, if they cannot manage to collect enough stores
for themselves as compared to the average for that
season, then this may indicate that they are unfit and
need eliminated as opposed to proped up and fed.  I do
extract from the broodnest when needed also, but have
never fed, other than occasionally equalizing stores
in the fall.

> You might look at the need for feed when choosing a
> breeder queen but not
> feeding production hives needing feed seems silly.

Production colonies are ready for the Locust and
Tulip,  I just haven’t seen the need to feed, the bees
get plenty good spring feeding from the Maple bloom.
Also, by not feeding these production colonies, I can
accurately assess (ref. Brother Adam)  fecundity,
foraging zeal, spring development and wing power.
It’s the style of beekeeping I choose, and it has
aided in the ability to identify colonies that are
fittest for my area.  Selecting from only the fittest
and not artificially propping up I believe has
accelerated success for me in organic beekeeping.


Joe Waggle ~ Derry, PA
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries'
My Site: http://www.biologicalbeekeeping.com
Organic Bee Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Organicbeekeepers/
Feral Bee Project: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FeralBeeProject/



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