From: Dave Cushman <dave.cushman@lineone.net>
Date: Mon Dec 18, 2000 4:34am
Subject: Re: girls on small cells, regressing bees

Hi all

To Dee mainly

----- Original Message -----
From: deelusbybeekeeper deelusbybeekeeper@e...

> Question:
>
> John, why are you watering down the honey instead of just liquifying it? On
> liquid honey bees will take it up and stimulte brood rearing and also comb
> building.

If you are raising bees in small colonies or nucs, dilute honey is mere
readily converted to broodfood it save the bees having to collect the water
which wastes time and wears out bees that are already short in numbers.

> > I'll feed Pollen or protein
> > too, any ideas?
>
> Various pollen substitute formulas are published, but even C.L. Farrar
> himself did not recommend feeding substitutes for more than 6-8 weeks
> maximum in his study. If you can feed real pollen it doesn't have the assoc
> problems.

There is nothing quite like fresh trapped pollen for raising good queens and
drones, pollen substitutes may work in USA weather conditions but in UK
there is little evidence that pollen substitutes confer any benefit on queen
or drone raising.

Regards Dave Cushman