I saw a report on our local TV station about a beekeeper who was
complaining about the warm weather we are having and how his bees were
brooding up and needed more sugar syrup. So the advice to all watching
is to feed sugar syrup or lose your bees.

I have seen the same advice elsewhere on other internet lists and
occasionally it makes sense, where the weather is warm, spring pollen
and nectar are imminent, and the bees can fly without freezing to death.
But not in Northern climates in February/March.

Could only shake my head. The recipe is one for disaster here in Maine.
We continually have long periods of cold even into April, where the bees
have no opportunity to move and many lose hives to starvation with hives
loaded with stores. Especially in early April.

In essence, feeding syrup stimulates the queens egg laying and the bees
will fly out to search for more. Then you have a death spiral where you
need to feed more but that just adds more brood, more bees fly to their
death and you have to feed more which....

I checked my mongrel carneolans on open mesh floor and they are still
heavy but are closer to the top than normal, so they will get their
candy a bit early. I keep them cold and well ventilated all winter so
they brood up late. And only feed them candy in the late winter/early
spring. Usually they do not need it, but I count it as insurance. So
they will get it a few weeks early for me but about right for several
other beekeepers who feed candy about the end of Feb and early March.

We are getting reports of some fairly heavy losses from some beekeepers,
in the 50% range, it appears from starvation. Based on the TV report, if
feeding syrup is a common practice, then I can understand the losses.
And I will bet Varroa gets blamed.

It was 50F in the AM two days ago. It is 15F this morning and will
continue cold for the next couple of weeks.

Just frustrated so pardon the rant.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Me