A list member recently wrote I think, in trying to summarize, for myself at least that what I have heard is: (1) Late winter syrup feeding is not the best way to ensure survival. Fall feeding in order to provide adequate stores in the is best. True. Dry sugar is the next best if needed. (I must say though several persons stated that the bees "dilute" honey to a 50/50 honey/water mixture anyway before consuming and implied that syrup could be fed any time. Conflicting information! Hmmmm.....maybe this conflict is based on the location of the bees.) Yes, and the other management factors, such as hive ventillation, winter temperatures, position of the cluster, wrapping, etc.. *Combs of honey* added to the hive are still the very *best* if you want the bees to amount to anything in the spring. Candy boards are also a very good solution that will work for almost everyone anywhere. I have never heard of them failing if used right. Dry sugar will often prevent *total* starvation, but is not the best method in many (most?) situations. Some people can make it work. But don't bet the ranch on it until you've tried it on a limited scale and observed what works *for you*. It is an expert technique that can be a stop gap measure, but *in my experience* it does not provide sufficient feed that bees can rear brood in any amount. Weak hives have trouble with it too. If it is fed on the inner cover, the bees have to be strong enough to maintain heat to get it - and be close enough to it too. How much can you get into the hive? Will it get all wet and then harden? How much are you willing to waste? In many areas - at some times of year - bees cannot use dry sugar. There has to be enough excess moisture in the hive for the bees to dissolve it. And it has to be warm enough for the bees to remain in contact with it. Bees will often just throw it out the door if conditions improve. Sugar syrup - as a necessary evil - is in my experience, much better than dry sugar, but remember it is dry and drafty out here in this part of Alberta. Fed in late February or March in shallow hive-top feeders, or preferrably division board feeders near the cluster in an insulated hive - if the weather co-operates, 67% syrup can work quite well, however, feeding causes the bees to consume far more feed than they would if they were just eating stores from the combs. (2) Upper entrances (vents) are needed to allow moisture buildup to escape. I think that from what you have offered, the higher the vent in the hive the better. (i.e. vents in inner cover rather than auger holes in the upper bodies) Well, we have reached the conclusion that in our area, auger holes are as good as higher entrances and better in some ways. But it is dry and windy here in winter. The unfortunate part of this is that, as questions are answered, new ones take their place. Can one have to much ventilation? This is one of the reasons we favour auger holes at present. We are in a dry, windy area. What if the inner cover was modified to include screened openings and the telescoping cover lifted 1/4" thereby allowing plenty of venting space at the very top of the hive? Many people have played with this. Basically, if the bees can see light, they will worry themselves at a screen trying to reach it. Otherwise, no problem. Some space above the top bars is important to allow bees to move back and forth. However too much will cause the bees to cluster there instead of on the frames in the spring, resulting in burr comb and possible less brood. You *can* overdo ventillation. Basically, a 3/4 square inch hole is enough. Simplest is best? Remember bees do need *some* humidity to raise brood without stress. The centre of the brood area is deliberately kept quite humid. However there have been designs that may offer some small benefits. There was a design from Ontario where a hole in an inner cover was connected by a tunnel to the front of the hive, so the vent was above the cluster, and less light came in. I tried it and it was good, but made no noticeable difference in eventual results. Would this increase or decrease survivability? Would it increase or decrease evaporation of water and conversion into honey during honey flows? I think that this was at least partially covered in recent discussions and during the summer. It is a perennial topic that merits continued examination. New hive ventillation designs are always being developed. Many claim amazing results in wintering, honey production, etc. I hate to admit it, but a lot of my hive ventillation is accidental (Knot holes, gunshot holes, lids blown off, wood peckers at the handholes, hives knocked off their bases by cows, hives lying on their sides, etc.) It doesn't seem to improve my results ;) But then maybe I'm not doing it right. David Eyre has intimated some time back that he has a new hive ventillation design; perhaps if we ask, he will explain it? I would imagine that the details would interest the list. BTW if you would like to take another look at previous discussions here, they are available at one of my websites. Some are stored there and some are at sunsite - courtesy Adam F, but the links are reached through the URL in my sig below. They are also available any time at [log in to unmask], by email. Simply send an email saying get bee-l log9512 '95' means 1995. '12' is Decemeber. July 1995 would be get bee-l log9507 You can get up to 5 logs at a time. They will come as separate email messages some time later. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The advice on this list comes from far and wide, from the practical beekeeper and the academic, from the oldtimer and the relative newcomer. None has the monopoly on truth. Those who manage to stay in this business are those who have management techniques that - while they may not be the *best* in any particular year - do not result in *total* losses in any one year. I hope that my comments here are constructive. My main message is: Try it. Observe carefully. Try it again a different time. Observe. And visit your neighbour - see what he has been doing for the last 20 years in *your area*. Regards Allen W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper VE6CFK RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta Canada T0M 1Y0 Internet:[log in to unmask] Honey. Bees, Art, & Futures <http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka>