>
> >Randy O and I looked at Kirk's bees last October. It was quite obvious at
> that time that the bees were in trouble. Small clusters on empty comb. Kirk
> said he might feed some syrup. I don't believe he did.


I hesitate to enter this thread, since Kirk is not on line to contribute.
However, I had the immense pleasure to visit master beekeepers Michael
Palmer and Kirk Webster last fall.  I was very curious to see how
Northeastern beekeepers prepared their colonies for the severe winters up
there.

Michael's colonies were three stories high, heavy and full of huge clusters
of bees.  Clearly ready for winter.

Some of Kirk's bees were in small clusters on combs very light on honey.  I
wouldn't have expected them to make it through a California winter.  Kirk
may have fallen into the trap of wishful thinking.  Nature apparently had
other ideas.

I've fallen into the same trap myself many a time.  The best predictor of
wintering success is a large cluster of young, healthy bees, with plenty of
high quality stores that they can work into.  Such a colony is able to
handle the loss of a large percentage of bees, yet still generate and hold
enough heat to move to honey, and to initiate early brood rearing.

After a couple of seasons of success, it's easy to forget the basics, and
forget just how unforgiving Nature is.  I heartily admire Kirk and his
philosophy, and wish him a speedy recovery!

Randy Oliver

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