In a message dated 11/04/03 05:02:05 GMT Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<  Last frost here in VA is April 15th.  The first blooms
     of interest are in May.  All feeders were off by March 2nd
     this year.

In my part of Dorset in deep south UK the last frost is generally mid May but
dandelion wine time is now and there is bloom everywhere including oilseed
rape.  We are in a spell of bright days and frosty nights.


" If a beekeeper is foolish enough to put supers on that early, this might be
 a problem, but one adds supers JUST before the bloom, not months or weeks
 before. >>

At a beekeepers' meeting last weekend we looked at a hive that had wintered
very economically. There were masses of stores left, nectar coming in, an
expanding brood nest and they were in sore need of a super in which to shift
the spare stores to make room.  Fortunately the beekeeper had not fed sugar
last autumn so the spare stores about to be shifted into the super, which we
added, are undoubtedly honey.

Chris

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