Waldemar:
> Were these videos in the middle of an intensive flow?  [I
> did not catch much capped honey in the upper frames.]

Reply:
No, not in middle of intensive flow. In fact it is first workup for coming year and Ocatilla and pricklypear have not bloomed yet. Bloom started in middle February with mustard, fillery,verbina, poppie, aka various groundcovers only. So taking best of upper 1/3 for divides/splits by ripping apart and moving on when I can see first two full boxes or more of brood already layed in. Many of these were already putting honey in drawn combs in 4th and 5th in pyrimad setup. Getting ready to pop, and so using the upper best for more bees after so long a drough out here in western states. But still no cactus blooming which is normal preflow buildup for going into main flow of acacia (mesquite/catsclaw), so taking normal advantage of it. Just a normal workup with second to follow 21 days later for evening out brood for weakest then for more frames for then doing cricitcal mass cycle counting for main flow coming in another month.


continuing:
> My strongest hives will get to be the equivalent 5-deep
> high at the end of our spring/summer honey flow in early
> July and will have stored upwards of 150 lbs of honey.  The
> entire stack will be solid with bees from top to bottom. 
> This certainly is not the case in the fall or coming out of
> the winter.
> 

Reply:
Right.....this is first workup coming out of our winter months and now getting ready for active beekeeping year. Figure on decent years have to be done with first workup NLT 1-15 April for all yards, then second pass by middle May and then you let them roll........and go for the main flow that then ends sometime in July, only to re-start then late Aug/early Sep for fall.....

continuing:
> What is the nectar flow period by Dee in Arizona?  I
> believe the entire Southwest has been going through a
> drought.  Is that still the case?

Reply:
pretty much so. At least still not officially declared over. and mostrains so far this year,have missed south of Tucson, Arizona where I keep bees, having fallen north of Tucson up towards Phoenix area instead... But the main flow active period is you start end of Feb/beg Mar, workup Apri to mid May, Main flow end May till over in July, then summer lull and summer rains come, then fall flow Sep thru middle Nov.......

So I technically at beginning of decent pre=buildup now with prickly pear and Palo Verde, greasewood now hitting, that then goes into main flow in another few weeks. So now is time to take the strongest, and balance back to weaker, take up equipment if any and get ready to roll. 

Just normal workups in two average runs that takes about 7 days to go thru 600 plus colonies on a fast working for speed, due to price of gasoline and other. Nothing hard, with me and Ramona here doing/working, with Dean filming.

Also, setting up for more splits/divides following main flow, to get numbers back from last Aug/Sep setback in Central Colo Mtns of Arivaca/Moyza Arizona. But going for honey first.

D-



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