I bought 20 nucs last spring and fed them sugar water, used IPM bottom boards, dusted for mites several times, (until the count dropped significantly, made sure they always had water and placed them in orchards and buckwheat areas, fed them pollen substitute. They each had about 40lbs of honey going into this winter. So far about 40% have either left without a trace or died out and fell on the bottom screen.
A friend of mine asked me to remove some feral colonies from his property that had taken up residence in some old equipment of his. They were in basically drier area with no help of any kind, on the ground with rotten bottom boards, holes all over the boxes, lid half off, no water in sight. And they were fine. When I found them they were as strong or stronger than any of mine.
Maybe feral is better? Mine are high maintenance and sick, the wild ones are no trouble and healthy. If my colonies had looked this good I would be swimming in honey right now.
A friend of mine asked me to remove some feral colonies from his property that had taken up residence in some old equipment of his. They were in basically drier area with no help of any kind, on the ground with rotten bottom boards, holes all over the boxes, lid half off, no water in sight. And they were fine. When I found them they were as strong or stronger than any of mine.
Maybe feral is better? Mine are high maintenance and sick, the wild ones are no trouble and healthy. If my colonies had looked this good I would be swimming in honey right now.