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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Michael Palmer <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 16 Aug 2004 18:30:46 -0400
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>   Mike could you possibly give us the layman's take on why
>the bees you are familiar with can winter good on such honey where other
>beekeepers colonies could not do it to the degree of wintering good?
>Keith
>
> > I listened to George Imire and Tony Jadczak and they were right. (Plus,
> > read a lot of science that confirmed their advice.)
  Bill


First Bill, if Tony has given you a successful beekeeping plan, I would
stick with it. He's one of my oldest friends, and a great beekeeper. Surely
he knows how to keep bees in your part of Maine better than I do.

Funny, I've been thinking over this question all day, driving around the
western side of the Champlain Valley. Why can I winter my bees on
Goldenrod, and others say they can't? Even though I raise my own queens, I
haven't always. I don't think I am doing anything special.
         This morning, the yards smelled strongly of goldenrod. Although
Goldenrod begins blooming in mid-July, the flow here doesn't start until
closer to mid-August. It lasts about a month. When I smell that aroma
of...dirty socks?...I know the flow is on. This looks like a good Goldenrod
week coming up. Warm and humid, and the Goldenrod in full bloom. This is
the beginning of the Goldenrod/Aster flow.
         Is that one flow? Today, while the Goldenrod is coming in, I saw
no Aster bloom. There were a very few Small White Asters with a couple
flowers open...a couple out of thousands. Surely no Aster flow.
         I think the Goldenrod/Aster flow is actually two flows, that
overlap a bit.

         With all that said, perhaps it is the later Aster that is the
problem. I could see a scenario where this might be possible.

Suppose your bees don't build up in time for the main flow. For whatever
reason. Maybe the queens weren't great, or you split them up for nucs at
Dandelion bloom. Maybe the weather was terrible. Whatever, they don't get
built up until later in the main flow. So, the supers weren't full at the
usual harvest time in August, and they were left until mid-September, when
they were removed...full. Well, the main flow ended before the bees could
fill the supers. The remaining super space was filled in with Goldenrod.
About the time the Goldenrod was shutting down, the supers were removed.
The only thing remaining for the bees to work for winter stores is the
Aster...which could bloom well for another month.

         The bees pack the broodnest with Aster, which granulates, and
probably is poor winter feed. The pees winter badly, and it is blamed on
Goldenrod, when actually it is Aster.

Mike



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