>... brought them home and put them on the kitchen table to keep a close eye on them. Not one died, I left the piece of strip in for over 24 hours since I have been worried about what the heck was going on. They are healthy and happy so I know there had to have been something in the jar I picked up in the shop.

>I wonder what is in the shop?

I have had jars of bees in the same place at the shop for a while and they all have been fine. I really think it was the jar I used, though it looked clean it must have had some type of residue in it.

>Spaced evenly wherever the bees are and/or can be expected to cluster during the entire 42 days is the answer.

>Bees usually stay centered on their brood, but brood can hatch and bees can be forced down by feeding, so you have to think about what you expect to happen in your hives, then check and make sure you are right halfway through treatment.  (Strips can be moved if it is seen that the bees have moved).

I think I have the strips where they need to be then. All but one top brood box had frames packed with bees. I have had to move the bees to get the tab top of the strip on top of the frame there are so many bees. One top box is really light, 5 frames with bare foundation. That is what gave me the idea of putting a wet super on top. To get them to go up to get the honey, hoping they will not eat what stores they have right away in the bottom box, and they will have to go over the stripes to get to the wet super. I probably should move the stripes down but still leave the wet super there and keeping giving them wet supers as long as I can, I am afraid they are going starve. The nights are 35 to 20 F around this time of year with the days 40 to 60 F. If I feed with 2:1 syrup will they be able to evaporate it enough so it will not ferment? Or I have a bunch of shallow super frames that have capped cells in just the center and nectar on the sides, not enough capped to extract is that better to give then than wet supers? Is the temperature to low now for them to make wax on the deeps that are just foundation? The wet super I am giving them is honey, these incomplete frames are mainly nectar and I was thinking they would not be able to get the moisture out of it plus the cells are not full. Will putting dry sugar on the inner cover bring a hive like this through the winter get them through the winter? The hive #26 (6 mites / 58 bees) is a swam collected on 8/8 so I think they just did not have enough time to build up. I also of putting their full box back on the hive they came from hoping mother and daughter queens could get along for the winter and share, saving the few frames from the second box for emergency food.

> 6 mites / 58 bees

>That seems to indicate a serious level, with some irreversible harm already baked in the cake, , but still a good chance of over wintering success if the mites respond to Apistan.

It seemed so much better than the numbers I got from the hives in the hay field I was relieved to see only six mites. I guess that was false relief.

I am very grateful for your replies it keeps me thinking and helps me trust my judgment with some of the problems I am getting seeing. I did email the state inspector but I do not think he reads his email so I will call him. He was down in in the beginning of August and went through every hive with me. That was very helpful.

Karen

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