Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Finsky on April 04, 2005, 09:38:56 am

Title: Spring is coming to Finland
Post by: Finsky on April 04, 2005, 09:38:56 am
Yesterdays bees started to carry pollen. It is from Alnus incana. Day temperature is now +10C.

A week ago I started protein feeding. Radiated pollen is totally missing from Finland. In my pollen package it was a text in February:" These are the only radiated pollen in Finland 30 lbs".

So, I have tried to develop receipts how I can save pollen.  Last week end I use under 10 % pollen content.  I learned that I cannot replace pollen with soya flour. Patty will become hard like a sole. Instead it must replace with yeast and with sugar. Sugar must be used so much that yeast stops fermentation.

What a mesh in my summer cottage kitchen, but I was quite a happy because bees ate very quickly low pollen patty.  The yeast did not want to stay in it's 10 liter pot.

Also I have learned from internet reports that the hives, which have become severely sick from nosema, they are not able to recover until they get new hatched bees from another colony. Fresh bees replace the sick ones. When nosema is bad, bee’s alimentary tract will be severely damaged. That is why they are not able to feed they brood normally and the sick colony is not able to eat protein patty.

75% of field are was covered with snow. In western Finlad snow is away but in eastern Finland there is about  20 inches snow.

Spring schedule is now about 2 weeks ahead normal.

(http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/trees/alnrug_flowers01.jpg)