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Subject:
From:
Blane White <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 18 Mar 2003 07:45:31 -0600
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Hi Everyone,
Mike asks about crystallized honey and wintering bees.

Mike it sounds to me that your colony died due to something other than
the crystalized honey.  First during cold weather the bees produce
enough metabolic water to be able to use granulated sugar so granulated
honey should not be a problem.  It sounds like the cluster was pretty
small which is due to some other underlying cause like mite problems or
disease or poor quality stores ( honey with too high ash content or
honeydew honey ).  My guess and it is only a guess from this distance is
probably mites or not enough room in the broodnest to rear enough young
bees in the fall.  A small cluster is usually dead in the spring if you
have a long cold winter.  What were your mite levels last fall?  Survey
work done by the WI state apiarist clearly shows increasing winter
mortality when varroa mite levels in the fall are 1% or greater using
the alchol wash method.  Tracheal mites will also lead to small clusters
that tend to die in the winter with enough stores still in the hive but
again the cluster dwindles down until it is just too small to maintain
temperatures.  The underlying problem in many winter losses is too small
a cluster of healthy bees which leads to starvation in the midst of
plenty of stores since they don't cover enough stores to make it through
a cold winter.  Many of these will make it through a mild winter but not
a cold long one.

As long as the hive didn't die out due to American Foulbrood ( AFB) you
can simply reuse the combs.  In the warmer weather the bees can bring in
water to dissolve the crystalized honey.

FWIW

blane


******************************************
Blane White
MN Dept of Agriculture
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