Hello John & All,

>I am tempted to rob down real real low-right , but I am concerned about
building the winter stores up quickly enough to get them through till
spring.
if I do this.

Surely you have got plenty of days to apply feed in North Alabama.

I like to open feed  my bees from barrels, but am concerned that temps
(anticipated highs in the mid 60's for awhile) might not provide adequate
conditions for proper evaporation of the syrup.

If you feed 2 to 1 the bees need only store in cells and cluster over. Takes
70 F. for bees to draw wax. Does not need sealed. All you need is the syrup
in the cells. Kelly used to sell a syrup feeder ( John might remember but
you youngsters might not) which you simply pulled the empty frame and dunked
the frame into and filled the cells with syrup. I saved many a hive in
winter with the one I had. However at times if the syrup was not warm to hot
you would get air in the cells which is why in my opinion the item was
dropped at Kelley.

>I should be feeding mostly sucrose.

After Pamela Gregory's talks (AHPA & ABF) and my article about the two
poison sugars in HFCS. Also  the bees in her tests living half as long on
HFCS as sucrose most the industry has switched to sucrose. I am now using
sucrose. I have not really noticed a difference in my bees by switching to
sucrose but the USDA-ARS research was sound and was identical to research
from the Mid seventies which had the same conclusion.

bob


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