Greg & Melinda Holley wrote: 1. Do I need to be checking my hive now to see if they still have enough food/honey? Just hefting the back of the hive will tell you if they are light. You can start feeding very early, if they don't take the feed now they will later. 2. Several people have given me old, dark honey they had for several years; is this okay to feed the bees? if yes, how do you feed it? Not a good idea. Honey may harbor pathegens such as AFB, EFB, nosema, chalkbrood. Only feed honey if you are sure of the source and that the source is disease free. Of course it is still smarter to sell the honey and feed syrup. 3. I would like to raise queens from my Carn. queen; if I try this having 3 other hives of Italians willthe new bees be a mixed breed with a bad disposition? The cross wil probably be fine. Your queens will probably mate with drones from another apiary anyway. Queens fly farther from the apiary when they make a mating flight than drones do to congregation areas.