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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
granny1897 <[log in to unmask]>
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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 29 Feb 2000 13:41:23 -0600
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Three out of seven -- dead in October.  Central Louisiana.  Had Apistan in
for six weeks following the crop in July; took it out around the first of
September, weighed the colonies, and gave the light ones heavy sugar syrup
in top feeders.  All hives had robber screens on them, were in good tight
condition, and the feeders didn't leak.  Nevertheless, robbing started as
soon as we fed them.  The fights were stand-offs for a week or so, but
eventually three of the colonies were overwhelmed, including the most
productive hive in the yard.  The surviving colonies are now honey-blocked
(or were until we pulled some frames to give to the new replacement
colonies).

The victims were, I think, destroyed simply by the raiders, without the help
of mites.  The feeding was probably the cause, I reckon, although I have
done fall-feeding for years without significant raiding.  Not next fall,
though.

Incidentally, we have had another non-winter, are well into spring, and are
already seven inches behind our average rainfall at this point.  We finished
last year ten inches behind for the whole year.  Despite the dry weather,
the bees averaged 100 pounds per colony, including two trapped swarms.

Walter Weller

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