Hi all.
This is where we are at with feeding sugar.We have have some nice days
recently here in upstate NY USA zone 4,with sun and temps in the
40's(f),with good bee flight.As usual,we make the rounds of the colonies
to check for stores etc.This year we had 15hives out of 150 that were
light on stores and gave each a 5# bag of sugar.Most yards are accessable
only by sled due to the snow cover,and sugar is the lightest/easiest way
to go.We will check again in 2-weeks.
These hives were light on stores for 1 of the following reasons-warmer
early winter weather,improper strain of bees or error in the amount of
honey left on for winter.Possibly all of the above.At least these hives
will be alive and prospering due to our intervention and not deadouts.
On another topic,one of our honey customers said they saw on TV a
gardening show where the host extolled the use of feverfew blossoms at
the hive entrance for organic mite control.
Has anybody had any experience or control with this method?
Best regards to all,
Nick