Date: Dec 16 2000 09:25:47 EST
From: Erik Osterlund <honeybee@elgon.se>
Subject: Re: regressing bees

Hi Robert

If Understand those with experience the best I would assume making a box
full of frames with just small strip of 4.9 foundation at the top of the frames. Then prior swarming season when bees have some new bees, take all the brood frames withou the bees and distribute them to you other colonies, maybe making a split if it's a strong one, but then wait a little longer in season maybe. And take away all other frames. So these bees now have nothing but frames with starters, so they must be fed in some way. Honey preferably, maybe in solution to stimulate them to build combs. If no pollen is available that must also be fed. But this time of the year pollen should be available. Now the bees build smaller than in those combs they are born, hopefully, if they are not too big genetically. If they build about 5.2 mm cells, when all bees are born in those 5.2 cells, you start adding frames fully with 4.9 foundation. Best with the same kind of operation as the above, maybe next year, depending on how long your season is. Then when they are on 4.9 you feed them 4.9 to distrigute drawn 4.9 to your other hives starting in the middle of the broodnest of them.

Erik Osterlund