Just a quick question, have had my bee's in the hive for about 6 weeks now, they seem to be multiplying well. Started out with 2 - 3 LB packages of Italians, one in each hive from Hoehne & Son's in CA. They each have drawn out one full deep chamber of foundation and I find lots of brood and some honey. This last weekend I added another deep section to each hive to give them more room. They still seem to be feeding on alot of sugar water. In fact they are taking more now then I have seen in the past 6 weeks. I see lots of nectar sources around and lots of activity with many bees coming in with their pollen sacs full. Is this normal and should I keep feeding till I put on a super to try to get some honey or should I quit feeding now? I say I see lots of nectar sources, but the weather has been dry with no good rain in over a month so this could have an effect. I still haven't seen my queens, but it does seem like I have one with the amount of brood being produced and it seems populations have dramatically increased without a great number of drones, do I need to worry or just let em be bees? To those that replied as to my problems with the health dept after the newspaper article on honey, we are getting closer to a solution. We now can sell burgers and fries if we so desire as we meet nearly all the same requirements as a restaurant. We still have to deal with the state and that may be completely different story. Just wanted to thank those that replied to my call for help. Ben Pollard Classic Fermentations Amarillo TX