Hello All,  We had sun today and about 50 F. I looked in about 20 hives
and all had capped brood about 7 inches in diameter on at least 3 frames.
That is in the top box. I was working fast and did not use the smoker. I
try not to smoke them and upset there work pattern. Plenty of pollen is
coming in and the bees look great. No drones in the hives that I looked at
and did not hear any flying. I do have some hives with a few drone cells
capped.
  I feel that the fall management that I did in 96 has made all the
difference in the world.Weather is part of it but it was still winter with
3 ft. of snow and a lot of rain.My new innercovers with a baffled moisture
excape has kept the moisture level way down in the hives. I used 1 and 2
inches of foam insulation on top of the bees with a hole in the middle of
it to let the warm moist air to go out thru the inner cover. I have lost 1
out of 50 hives and they just never stopped brood rearing and so went the
stores. All of my hives have at least 60 pounds on honey on them for
winter and some 80.
 I feel that the mint oil , honey and crisco was a help. I have my one
hive that did not get any treatment. It is doing just as well as the
others. I will do an either roll and check for varroa and sample some for
TM.
 I will get into some of the fall management changes that I made. It is as
simple as doing what everyone of the experts tell you to do. Start with
healthy bees.
 Best Regards
 Roy