In the first week of May I put in two packages, one Starline and
one Midnite. The Starlines have been doing the best, in almost two months
they have filled two deeps and a shallow with brood and honey. Just two
weeks ago I gave the Starlines a super that they had to clean out cos it
was full of dead bees from last year that had starved. I actually had the
shallow super on top of the second deep, but they ignored it for a week
and started to draw out the second deep, so I swapped them and they
cleaned it out and filled it with honey and had the 7 frames of the deep
on top of it filled (there was a feeder inside taking up space). So I just
replaced the feeder with 3 frames of foundation and added two shallows.
 
        Is there a possibility of them swaring this quickly, after only 7
weeks?  I didn't get down inside the bottom deep to see if they had any
swarm cells. But I'm just wondering. I figure they will need all that
honey when the flows stop later in the summer.
 
        The midnites on the other hand have been much slower on the take
up. They started with two deeps as well. They only took one feeder worth
of sugar syrup where the Starlines took *three* feeders of syrup. At the
same time I swapped the supers on the Starlines, I did they same with the
Midnites. The Midnights have cleaned up and have mostly repaired a super
that had waxworm damage and are just starting to think of the deep on top
of that. I gave them a shallow super and replaced their feeder with three
frames of foundation, not that they needed it, but I was there.
 
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Dave D. Cawley, Maitre d' |
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