Overwintering: Early spring 2012 Update

Of the 5 hives going into the winter, 1 starved out by late December.  I inspected on a day above 55 at the end of December and that hive was dead, the one that had so many bees and had produced so much honey in 2011.  I suppose I pulled off too much honey in the fall, even though I left a full super on top of the two deeps.  It's too bad as that queen laid like crazy.  Despite moving some bees from this hive to boost others there were too many bees going into the winter.  They might have lived if I harvested NO honey.

The winter was unusually warm.  I think I shoveled the driveway only 3 times.  Seemed like everytime it snowed it was followed with weather warm enough to melt it.  The bees fared well.  The remaining 4 colonies have decent sized clusters and did not starve.  3 of 4 overwintered in two deeps and I began feeding pollen patties on Feb 24, 2012 and sugar syrup on March 7,2012.  1 of 4 overwintered with a deep and a shallow (started 2011 as a nuc) and I began feeding on Feb24 with pollen patty embedded in candy board. 

Candy board was a new thing for me, courtesy of Allan T.  For candy I used 10lbs of sugar in 2 cups water with 1 tsp vinegar and 2 tbsp Honey Bee Healthy.  Once heated to a uniform slurry, I poured it into a frame that had hardware cloth on the back which I lined with wax paper.  I embedded pollen patty in the candy and allowed it to cool and solidfy.  The entire board went on top the super and under the inner cover.

Fingers crossed for the best bee and honey year yet.