>Any tips from other northern beekeepers and finding those hives

> short on winter bees ( but full of old bees) in October?


Hi Bob,
I find a paper by Drs Matilla and Otis to be of interest:

    Abstract  .        1.   Each autumn in northern regions, honeybee
colonies shift from
populations of short-lived workers that actively rear brood to broodless
populations of
long-lived winter bees. To determine if dwindling pollen resources trigger
this transition,
the natural disappearance of external pollen resources was artificially
accelerated or
delayed and colonies were monitored for effects on the decline in
brood-rearing activity
and the development of populations of long-lived winter bees.
 2.    Delaying the disappearance of pollen resources postponed the decline
in brood
rearing in colonies. Colonies with an extended supply of pollen reared
workers longer
into October before brood rearing ended than control colonies or colonies
for which
pollen supply was cut short artificially in autumn.
 3.    Colonies with extended pollen supply produced more workers throughout
autumn
than colonies with less pollen, but the development of the population of
long-lived winter
bees was delayed until relatively later in autumn. Colonies produced similar
numbers of
winter bees, regardless of the timing of the disappearance of pollen
resources.
 4.    Mean longevity of autumn-reared workers was inversely related to the
amount of
brood remaining to be reared in colonies when workers eclosed. Consequently,
long-
lived workers did not appear in colonies until brood rearing declined, which
in turn was
controlled by the availability of pollen.
 5.    Dwindling pollen resources provide a powerful cue that initiates the
transition to
populations of broodless winter bees because it directly affects the
brood-rearing
capacity of colonies and indirectly indicates deteriorating environmental
conditions
associated with the approach of winter.
Ecological Entomology (2007), 32, 496–505

I have been asked the question as to when to stop feeding colonies protein
supp in fall.  This paper suggests that a very late pollen flow or feeding
may actually be detrimental to wintering.

Randy Oliver

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned 
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html