Karen;

I am south of you a good bit in North Carolina.  We have had a cool spring
and I was reminded of the effect after making up a bunch of nucs and
placing them thoughtlessly in the shade (loblolly pines).  They went
backwards for several weeks, while another group in full sun did great.
Every year is different.  Our honey flow is just finishing up and again I
see the booming hives - some in 3 hive bodies - do o.k., but the hives that
looked fair to weak in early spring made the most honey.  The strong hives
require a lot of management to keep them from swarming - nuc removal,
reversal, etc,., and I don't think any of this is good for them.  The
weaker hives just expand slowly and seem to hit their prime just as the
flow starts with little more than a little feeding to stimulate them.  I
run Russians, by-the-way.  From what I see in random checks we have had a
pretty good spring honey flow.

I use the same system as you for queen rearing, except I shake bees into a
nuc/swarm box about 10 minutes before I place the graft in the box.  It has
worked for me for 30+ years.

good luck with the weather,

Bill Lord
beekeepingconsultingfordevelopment
Louisburg, NC

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