> > David's dry sugar method, which I saw demonstrated when I visited him, is
> > simple and works well in his area which is pretty far south.  Up here in the
Great
> >  White North (and it is white today), it is a prescription for rapid hive
> > death.

> Allen, please explain.  I know guys who do this in the northeastern US,
> and I have done it myself in snowy upstate NY.  Is it that much different in
> Alberta?  Dryer maybe?

That could be a very big factor, but we also get minus forty weather, sometimes
for a week on end, and sometimes accompanied by strong winds.  When this
happens, temperatures on the outer edge of the cluster are such that the bees
barely move.

In such conditions bees may need several pounds of feed a week and maybe more
when brood is present such as in February when we often get this extreme
weather.  By then the clusters are smaller and the bees older.  The extreme cold
means the air is very dry and also that any excess moisture in the hive
immediately freezes and becomes unavailable.

AFAIK, bees do not store any reserve feed in comb when using fondant or dry
sugar, and are very much hand-to-mouth.  Any interruption in contact with the
feed means death.

For us this means dry sugar cannot work reliably. Fondant stands a better chance
because it resembles honey in moisture content.  Nothing compares to syrup
already in the comb and capped.

allen
---
A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Diary/