On  4 Mar 97 at 11:26, William J. Morrison wrote: Starvation amidst plenty
 
> Never store empty supers above a slotted inner cover.  That's what I did
> and the result was the starvation of a nice colony of bees.  There was
> plenty of honey in two deep hive bodies below, but during the late winter
> they moved up into the two shallow supers that I had put on to be cleaned up.
> The probable reason for the movement of the cluster upward through the slot
> (size = approx. 4 cm X 12 cm) into the empties was probably the fact that
> is was warmer there on a sunny winter day. The lesson is that cluster and
> honey stores must not be separated in cold weather.
 
While I don't argue with the lesson, stated in the last line, I might
question the cause of the starvation.
        If the cluster, (possibly not fed in the fall) started off too high in
the brood chambers. Then during the course of the winter the bees can only
go upwards looking for stores, of course, if there is no stores above then
starvation results.
        I have seen hives, dead, up against the inner cover with lots of stores
below and off to one side.
        My thoughts are that lots of fall feed drives the cluster down creating
the ideal cluster position. Low down in the bottom box, with lots of
stores above.
        Comments!
 
 
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