>Interesting! Would seem to me to be almost a failed
>semi-annual broodnest turn driven by climate with majority
>non-acclimitized bees and subfamily left the most in tune,,,,

Hello Dee!

Here in PA we had a rather great early start to the first flow followed by 
a near ceasing of incoming nectar and pollen during the second half of the 
first flow.  Although many packages and swarms were clearly suffering in 
July indicating a weather related broodnest stress.  I did however notice 
feral swarms coping better during that time. 

Also makes me wonder how much the
>artificial additives of treatments/feed/movement is
>effecting the needed acclimitizing.

Well, the majority of my feral colonies (although clearly showing sings 
of  a reduced flow) still managed a surplus.  Mid summer was different 
also in these feral colonies as they brooded up extremely heavy, while 
affected colonies I looked at had minimal brooding!   I feared the ferals 
might brood themselves into starvation, but it was clear upon close 
inspection that they were managing to maintain broodnest fundamentals and 
a honey cap, because I specifically checked for this in these heavy 
brooding colonies.  

Although I was concerned that they were light on stores during summer and 
yet brooding up.  Inspections revealed that these colonies were managing 
sufficient nectar intake to maintain broondnest build up and honey cap.  
And I believe this strategy actually benefited the ferals because it gave 
them the forager population needed to collect sufficient winter stores 
during the last short weeks of the season.  In affect, the ferals were 
hedging their bets as ‘bet hedging’ is a common strategy in all of nature.

Joe Waggle 
Ecologicalbeekeeping.com 
‘Bees Gone Wild Apiaries' 
Feral Bee Project:
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FeralBeeProject/

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