Andrew Dubas <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


>Also is it possible to over winter a 5 frame nuc with out feeding it ? Does
>not seem possible. Here in the Northeast a lot of beekeepers lost many
>colonies. Including me. The hives that remain are generally weak. All were
>medicated and strong going into fall. They all seem off to a slow start.

I'm from Massachusetts and during the last 10 winters wintering 5 frame
nucs was never a problem. I winter some on top of hives others on the
ground. this winter was longer and harder than the last 10 years. the first
55 degree day we had was 4/5/01 the previous day that warm was early
Nov.  I started out with 86 full size hives. have lost 10 so far.
last year at this time 2nd week of april I was reversing brood chambers
to keep up with the bees, this year probable more like 1st week of May.
out of 18 5frame nucs I have 5 left. out of 10 1/2 frame five frame nucs
i have 2 left.  Normally  I lose very few during the winter but most
starved out even with feeders on as they coudn't get to the feeders, and
all the hives that survived were on the ground as it appears the ones over
the hives expanded faster due to the heat from below.

 I treated some with apistan and some with checkmite and found little
difference percentage wise as to survival or cluster size but this is
somewhat hard to say as I treated all the hives that were showing pms with
checkmite but since i had already purchased the apistan treated the rest
with apistan and apicure.

 I am treating all with checkmite this spring and was wondering if others
using checkmite in the spring had noticed a loss of brood around the areas
where the strips were hanging.  I coudn't check to many of the hives as I
was putting in the strips when it was 40 degrees and windy(best day I could
find) the few that I did check had eggs through sealed brood, when I could
check this past thursday which would put me about 30 days into the
treatment I found queens, with eggs laid but no lava or brood. when I
checked this weekend they seem to be progressing better and the strips will
be coming out this weekend so I can check again.

Mike Bassett central Mass and Conn