Juanse, I agree with Allen and Peter--cull the dinks.

However, I take exception to Peter's statement:
"a 'Dink' is a dink and always will be unless something is done to improve
the situation"

With all the collapses in Calif these past couple of years, many dinks were
left behind during almond pollination to die.  A number of beeks, including
myself, have observed these dinks to rebound to major strength within two
months.  My guess is that they ramped up an immune response to a viral
infection, and bounced back.

I saw one of those dinks this afternoon.  We had left it in a yard, when it
was too weak to split for nucs, and then just passed over each subsequent
visit, since it just refused to die.  In fact, we started stacking some
supers on it just to keep wax moth out of them.

Today we were checking the yard, and the danged dink had put on four supers
of honey--better than any of the rest of the colonies in the yard.  Now
before Bob jumps me, I do not for a minute suggest that one nurse dinks--I
don't.  This one was just awkward because it had medium brood supers, which
don't fit the rest of my operation, so I left it alone (I run a few mediums
for those beginners who want medium nucs).  My point is, that a dink will
not necessarily always be a dink unless something is done.  Many
spontaneously recover.  It's just not worth the gamble and the wait (or the
space on the pallet) for commercial guys.

Juanse, you can also use the dinks to make nucs, so that you have a supply
of nucs with fresh queens on hand, should, God forbid, the spring momentum
that you are experiencing falter.

As per Allen's suggestion of shaking bees--this is a great method of swarm
control.  Here in Calif there is a market for shook bees in the spring.  Or,
shook bees make a clean start for new colonies, with few varroa or virus
problems (if the colonies are otherwise healthy).

Randy Oliver

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