Gardening and beekeeping share to wonderful potenital to make glomy winter
days more bearable by allowing us to anticipate spring.
 
In that vein, and this being my first beekeeping spring, a question on feeding.
 
I'm in the southern end of the North Carolina piedmont. Data from the state
university tells me I'll see blackberry bloom the second week in April
(following two months of maple bloom and a month of dandelion), followed a
week later by some clovers, and a couple of weeks later by tulip popular.
I'm keen to catch some honey from the blackberry and the tulip poplar.
 
So, how many weeks in advance should I start feeding syrup and/or pollen to
stimulate brood rearing that will get me a healthy band of foragers by
April 12?
 
If it's 21 days from egg to bee, and another 10 for newly emerged worker to
move outside the hive, it seems I'd want to begin stimulating strong
egg-laying at least six weeks out (about March 1) through feeding both
syrup and pollen substitute.
 
Is that a good guess? Sooner? Later?
 
Thanks for your help.
 
Greg
 
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Greg Hankins                       Mt. Gilead, NC
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