Hive One`

[cam bishop]

I looked under the top box on Hive One and see there are no bees down there, so I'm judging by the small size of the cluster in the top box that this hive is dwindling. It may not make it through the winter.

Interesting. Judging from the varroa drops it's the last hive I would have guessed wouldn't make it. When do you think your hive will start brood raising in earnest up there, particularly with the mild winter?

I previously speculated that hive 3 would have problems, and it does seem to be having some. It's so hard to predict survival on an individual case for me. My hive that had DWV seems to be doing quite well and I was sure it would be dead by now. Maybe that OA vapor really does work.

[Allen Dick]

Generally the most prolific hives in a yard have the highest varroa loads and conservative hives with less brood have lower counts.

Queenless hives will have a zero count after three months if there is no drifting coming in since the longest life expectancy for phoretic mites is around 90 days.

Hive One has had the lowest counts going in and showed continued low counts all along. It also showed little sign of emerging mites. It could even be queenless.

> I previously speculated that hive 3 would have problems, and it does seem to be having some

Can't recall what the problems are. I should note that it has a whole box of brand new 5.0 plastic frames as its top brood chamber and is just now moving up into it. As I have commented, I am not very optimistic about hives wintering on new white comb, no matter how well it is filled and capped.

[Vance G]

It has been an exceptionally open winter but I have made the point repeatedly bacause all my colonies are still alive and look strong. All I have is freshly drawn last summer frames that look just like the picture above. I am still following your advice about not putting pollen sub on yet. It was in the forties F again today though down in the teens now. I sold 8 nucs for delivery 1 June today. A friend teaching a college class couldn't find anyone to supply him that late. That is one reason I am so hot to trot on getting my bees brooded up.