>Hi, bee-l-friends.
>
>I'm Vladimir from Minsk, Belarus (former USSR).
>I have few questions
>
>1. BEE-L discutions about plastic foundation lead me to try them. Can
>anybody help me to recieve information about bee-equipment producers (or
>traders) working (or wanting to work) for eastern europe and post-soviet
>countries?
>
>2. Do anybody have experience of quin-breading in conditions of hobbiest's
>apiary (10-20 colonies)? I'd like to have step-by-step advise.
>
>3. What is a degree  candy usage importance in spring? May be it'd easier to
>use syrop? Or, do anybody know a simple way of candy making. I've never hold
>it in hands - only heard abut it.
>
>
>I've returned into list after three monthes of being out. It'd be good for
>me to restore correspondence with everybody who wants. It's pity but I've
>lost all my previous correspondence including adresses (hard disk crushed).
>
>My e-mail is previos           [log in to unmask]
>
>yours
>
>Vladimir Obolonkin
>Minsk,Belarus                 today: sunny, -12 C, no wind
>                              bees sleep (I hope)
>
>Vladimir V. Obolonkn
>Minsk, Belarus
>[log in to unmask]
 
Vladimir;
        Send me your address for mail and I will have several distributors
send you their catalog.
        I have had success in raising my own queens, and find that it is
not a hard process.  This has been just for my own use however and have not
raised them commercially.  I live in a cold climate in Vermont and find
that by the time my queen cells have hatched, and that I have a good supply
of droans flying, that it is borderline in time for the new nuke to buildup
enough stores for wintering.  Special attention needs to be given these
nukes in suppliment feeding and honey sharing to get them strong enough.
Sometimes it is necessary to borrow bees from one hive to introduce to
another to assist in buildup. I am this year going back to ordering queens
because I can get a full 30-45 days jump on the summer.
        It is my belief that candy feeding is only done in the winter as an
emergency backup. I have fed syrup all winter with success.  I used to take
sugar and just moisten it enough to stick together. I then would crumble
chunks over the top bars. This would harden as the moisture evaporated.
When the moisture laden air came up from the cluster droplets of moisture
would form on the sugar. The bees would suck this up and lap at the base of
the droplet. Worked fine except the bees I felt had to work to hard to get
the sugar. I have a friend that lays one ply of toilet paper on the frames
and poors one cup of sugar on top of the paper. The sugar hardens and the
bees dispose of the paper and thesugar then becomes readily available. I
have a candy recipe around here somewhere but I find it. When I do I'll
send it to you.
        George
 
George & Lorraine Willy
The Village Inn of East Burke
Box 186
East Burke, Vermont
05832