Dear friends,
 
You will doubtless be happy to hear that I went out today to look at the
bees I described in an earlier post and was pleased to see that they
appear AOK.
 
I was concerned because some acarine (untreated) was found in the fall,
and I also tried some new wrapping methods, but all seems well.
 
I didn't open any today, but by the way they were hanging out and the
look of the bees I saw, and the lack of streaking, I am sure they are fine.
 
It has been a mild winter here in Southern Alberta, relatively speaking,
but we have had some cold snaps and wind chills down to minus thirty in
the last while, which is the critical period due to the brood rearing
going on.
 
All the methods of wrapping described earlier, including the 50 cents a
hive wrap, seemed comparable.  Losses look to be about 10% so far
(including weak ones).  I always figure that if I left hives unmanaged for
5 or 6 months in the summer I'd lose a comparable number, so that isn't
too bad.  Very little of the loss can be blamed on the winter.  Mostly it
is queens, poor bees, etc. The hives may have been poor when wrapped.
 
So, I have to restrain myself now until the weather settles.
 
At this rate, I may well have too many bees this summer after we spit. Hmmm.
 
More later.
 
Allen
 
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                        VE6CFK
Rural Route One   Swalwell   Alberta   Canada  T0M 1Y0
Email:   [log in to unmask]    or   [log in to unmask]
Virtual Art Gallery: http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka
__________________Why not drop by?____________________