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Date: | Mon, 8 Mar 2010 08:24:24 -0500 |
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Hi All
I have practiced various forms of PPB over the years. " Too soon oldt
too late schmart" comes to mind. Each spring I worry about the
preparations carried out last fall. Some years I find hives that
have apparently starved but still have frames of capped food on the
opposite side of the hive from the dead cluster. This year with an
unusually mild November( the summer we didn't have) and hive P8(never
clustered and were kicking drones out in January) to move me into
action, I used something I learned a few years ago on this list -
Fondant. I leave my 1.5" spacers on my hives all winter. All of my
hives were clustered down between the frames except P8 when checked
in early January. Hive note January 10, sun -4C(bees flying in
bright sunshine, rim space full of bees, bees very active, smoked
down, 1 kg fondant cake on topbars( fondant = 250ml water + 1kg sugar
+ 3/4 tsp vinegar brought to 235F cooled to 200F then stirred till
white then poured on wax paper). I have checked my hives several
times, on mild days, since then and fed each fondant when they broke
cluster, usually along the sidewall. All hives were alive yesterday
and flying in the sun +8C. I have never used fondant before and only
one other member of our local association had ever heard of it.
Thanks Bee-L.
Bob Darrell
Caledon Ontario
Canada
44N80W
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