In a message dated 9/19/99 5:35:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< I have combined some lesser quality hives with stronger ones this fall
 with great success except for the following,  I now have several hives
 that are empty of bees but full of honey and pollen ready for next
 springs splits, I know it is ill advised to put paradiclorabenzine on
 comb with honey for human use, but what about for the bees use as in this
 situation, is it ok to stack these up with empty extraction supers and
 put on the PDB just like normal or will the bees reject it in the spring?
  Any experience in this matter will be well advised. >>

    Wax worms are a summer thing. Why are you using PDB in the winter?  Are
you storing the supers in a "warmroom?"  I've stored supers for years in
unheated storage, with almost no wax worm damage during the winter.  The only
time I've ever seen them work in the winter, is in a stored brood chamber
(not a super), where they got started during the warm weather in fall, and
made themselves an insulating blanket of webbing. Even then, they slow way
down, and usually the damage is confined to a small pocket.

     Mice are a worst hazard for stored supers.

     My suggestion is to do your best to keep the mice out of them, then put
them back on bees in late winter. If they are full, they could go on top. If
they are only partial, put them under the brood nest. That way they won't
have to heat empty space during a spring storm. DON'T use PDB on supers with
honey.

Dave Green    Hemingway, SC   USA
The Pollination Home Page:     http://www.pollinator.com
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