Just a quick question, have had my bee's in the hive for about 6 weeks now,
they seem to be multiplying well. Started out with 2 - 3 LB packages of
Italians, one in each hive from Hoehne & Son's in CA. They each have drawn
out one full deep chamber of foundation and I find lots of brood and some
honey. This last weekend I added another deep section to each hive to give
them more room. They still seem to be feeding on alot of sugar water. In
fact they are taking more now then I have seen in the past 6 weeks. I see
lots of nectar sources around and lots of activity with many bees coming in
with their pollen sacs full. Is this normal and should I keep feeding till I
put on a super to try to get some honey or should I quit feeding now? I say
I see lots of nectar sources, but the weather has been dry with no good rain
in over a month so this could have an effect. I still haven't seen my
queens, but it does seem like I have one with the amount of brood being
produced and it seems populations have dramatically increased without a
great number of drones, do I need to worry or just let em be bees?
 
To those that replied as to my problems with the health dept after the
newspaper article on honey, we are getting closer to a solution. We now can
sell burgers and fries if we so desire as we meet nearly all the same
requirements as a restaurant. We still have to deal with the state and that
may be completely different story. Just wanted to thank those that replied
to my call for help.
 
Ben Pollard
Classic Fermentations
Amarillo TX