[LEAD PIPE]

I finally had a nice day today, 65 degrees, so I checked the hive. I put in a pollen patty and a paper towel saturated with canola oil about 2 weeks ago and they weren’t touched. So I removed them both. The hive has good stores and they were still bringing in pollen. The queen looked good. When I put the hive back together I put the inner cover flat side down. I shimmed up the outer cover about 1/16 of an inch and moved it all the way forward. I tried to install the mouse guard but I'm not sure how to put it on. I have one that looks like corner bead for sheet rock, however the holes are way to small for bees to get through, how do install this?

My bees stopped taking syrup a about a month ago but why didn't they touch the pollen paddy I made? Why didn't they tear up the paper towel?

Why are my bees turning black?????

 

[xC0000005]

I have no idea why your bees didn't touch the pollen patty, but the swarm I have now won't touch them either, for some reason.

 

[MountainCamp]

This time of year the brood rearing is winding down and as you said that are still packing away natural pollen. Was there any brood?

As bees age they lose their body hairs, this can make them look darker.

[ November 01, 2005, 05:57 PM: Message edited by: MountainCamp ]

 

[Michael Bush]

I've never seen them interested in pollen patties in the fall.

Older bees are darker. Robbers are darker. Maybe they're robbing some hive somewhere.

 

[victor schrager]

Can robber bees come from neighboring hives in the yard, or do they come from "somewhere else"? Do they tend to rob most in the fall, or at any time?

 

[Michael Bush]

>Can robber bees come from neighboring hives in the yard, or do they come from "somewhere else"?

Both. Usually the hive next door.

>Do they tend to rob most in the fall, or at any time?

Anytime there is a dearth they will rob a lot. Anytime there is a flow they will be unlikely to rob.

Once there's been a killing frost in the fall there is a dearth, until the first blooms in the spring. Sometimes there is a dearth in the middle of summer due to drought.