Hello everybody,

This is my first post on this NG. I've been just a
passive member of this NG for quite a time now, just
reading through the digests and learning allot. I just
started beekeeping (again) last Aug. and have 4 hives
at the moment. I started beekeeping years ago (early
80's) but the Varoa mite wiped them all out. And since
nowadays there are lots of ways to control Varoa I
started again.

I think my queens are all mongrels, the apiary I
bought them from said they are carniolans (black), but
they have mix color offspring, brown and black. I
treated them with "checkmite" strips when I just
bought them as a three frame nuc for 42 days as what
I've read so far, if my memory serves me right, is
this the right duration? I did not have the
instructions nor the apiary I bought them from.

BTW, I'm from the Philippines. So, there is no
problems here of overwintering the hives, but you
could compare it to the rainy season (July-November)
since the bees could not go out and look for forage.
Plus also the temperature difference, the temperature
here is mainly constant throughout the year (28-33 deg
C).

I have these questions I have in my mind for quite
sometime now and did not find the answers from the
limited source I got. When you start from a three
frame nuc do you place it on a full hive body with all
the frames of foundation? Or do you put the three
frames of brood at the middle and frames of foundation
at the sides?  What I did was to put one frame of
foundation at a time in-between the brood frames. As
soon as the frame is partially drawn and with eggs on
it I add another frame. Does this way of doing it
stresses the colony, because I've been noticing an
increase in chalk brood mummies? I've been constantly
feeding 1:1 sugar syrup while the foundations are
being drawn. Do I have to wait for a full cycle of
brood (21 days) before putting an additional frame of
foundation? I stopped feeding when I noticed there was
a slight honey flow but still continued to add frames
of foundation. When I inspected the hives again one
colony has destroyed the newly placed foundation.
Although they partially  drawn the foundation the bees
just ate the wax along  the wire  supports of  the
foundation. Does this mean they lack  honey stores and
in need of supplemental sugar syrup feeding? Or is it
something else that's bothering them? The frames were
old with some of the darkened (old) wax residue  on
the wire supports. And the new foundation was melted
(embedded)  to it. Please excuse me if  these query
have been posted in previous posts but I don't have
the liberty of  an own computer and browsing on a
rented one would be an additional expense, so I make
time with a rented computer as short as possible, just
enough to read and copy Bee-l digests. I also don't
have the privilege  of  going through some of the
beginner's and good beekeeping books as it is a rare
commodity here.  Can some of you point me, if you know
someone here in the Philippines  I could get in-touch
with.  Thank you, this NG has been a great help.

Regards,

Neon Rosell II
Trying to Bee a Beekeeper


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