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Fri, 1 Apr 2016 13:17:58 -0400 |
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I just supered up my bees as we are having an early spring in central North
Carolina but I thought I would throw in my observations on feeding dry
sugar with rims. Following Randy's lead I split all my bees after the
honey flow last summer and requeened with cells, trying to break the mite
cycle too. I still did alcohol washes and had to treat many with formic
but I went into the winter with half of 250 colonies as singles, some in
central NC and some at 3200 ft in the NC mountains. I treated with OA in
early December and was nervous about the stored honey situation as we had a
warm fall. I put 2 inch rims - left over from menthol days I think - on
suspect hives, laid on a sheet of newspaper, and poured on the dry sugar.
I tried to fill the rim. Net result: success! I think the sugar provided
insulation and absorbed moisture. Also, almost without exception the bees
ate most of the sugar. Those that did not had problems, and uneaten sugar
is a good diagnostic tool, be it dry or in a feeder, that something is
amiss.
I keep a 2 gallon division board feeder in all hives but will be pouring on
the dry sugar again next year.
Bill Lord
Louisburg, NC
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