# No Brood Leaving the Winter Shed This Year



## HarryVanderpool (Apr 11, 2005)

Ian, your bees are confined for a very long time in the shed due to your climate.
Does the end of fumigillan production concern you?
How do you intend to deal with nosema in coming years?
:/


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

I actually quit using it because “I thought “ it made the bees worst later on. 
I don’t know if it was right, but a I know is my field trials convinced me to quit using it..,

Does this have any reason on why further investment wasn’t put into this product... ?

Just one beekeeper’s opinion. And yes nosema is a HUGE concern we have NO answer for other than shrugged shoulders 

....I’m this close to a rant .... 🤐


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

WOW! 

I saw the video of your bees going to town on the dry Ultra bee. No lacking for appetite, that's for sure. 

My guess is your broodless state may be related to day length.

As helpful as you are to others, good Karma has _got_ to be on your side. Let's hope it's the start of a new discovery and the best thing that ever happened to you, despite as shocking as it may seem right now. You just never know. 

We'll be wishing you all the best. I expect you'll soon see spectacular solid brood patterns and a quick build up once pollen/sub is available.
Hope your weather continues to improve.

Please keep us posted.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Interestingly enough, we moved ours out 4 weeks ago because we thought the weather was fining up. We were wrong. They flew twice in 4 weeks and not for very long.

First pollen came in Friday afternoon for a hour, and then they hit it hard the last two days.

When we moved them out of the barns, they had two small patches of capped. My friend saw the exact same thing, 500 km north of us. The reason they brood inside has nothing to do with daylight. Maybe they keep a small patch all winter?

This is the latest we've ever seen pollen come in. On a normal year we have pollen the last week of March.

We winter 2300 doubles outside and they are in excellent condition. Even the monsters that have a box and 3/4 full of bees only have a couple of very patchy frames of brood. They need natural pollen to really get going in our conditions, that's all there is to it


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

No pollen here yet, 
It’s April 24 !!! It’s gotta be close


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

We just got our first pollen on the 23rd


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

First pollen here yesterday. I put sub on the last week of March. The better sheltered yards and strong hives mostly turned it into brood. Smaller hives pretty much ignored it until this week. It was just too cold.


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

Ian, have you delayed you early queens?

Pushed our first ones back to the week of may 14. 

Last year, we were don't splitting then, this year, I still fear that will be too early.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

I've wondered about day light length and brood rearing with Ian's metal shed. Either some light leaks in or it is not the only trigger. I could not picture how the bottom center hives would get daylight even with a door open. It must take a few warm days as well or instead of daylight. If I follow Ian, trouble keeping the temp down is usually the push to move them out. Also the push to brood up?


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## B&E (Dec 27, 2011)

No one that Winters bees indoors allows any light to get in. It has nothing to do with it. There is no way for the bees to know that the days are getting longer when they are inside of a barn in complete darkness.


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

I've got a question how much pollen did your bees put in the combs last fall? Wondering if they had enough to start brooding this spring before they brought in the spring pollen.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Salty, last year the hives left the shed brooding ( ask B&E because we argued about that last year lol, he won)
This year not a stitch and weeks later. 
Dan, I think that is a big factor. I’m noticing yards that cane out smaller were the yards I ran short on late summer pollen. That **** seed alfalfa caught me off guard. I assumed it was producing when NOT A THING came off it. 
But I’m regards to late winter brooding, there are pollen frames found in all


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Brian, I’ve actually completely switched off imports and shifted my entire queen needs to a self sustaining management model . 
So I’ll go with the flow, no more queen shipment stress


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## Dan the bee guy (Jun 18, 2015)

Thinking about that late summer pollen. Could that be the reason bees didn't start raising brood? The bees were a little weak so they were waiting for new pollen to raise brood and not use what little body fat that they might not of had? Trying to figure bees out is starting to make my head hurt.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

yes 
Without feed inside, they wait 
Supplement has stimulated them, we need pollen..., bees are a lot nicer when they have bellies full of pollen


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## Andersonhoney (Jun 21, 2016)

How did the hives that received pollen ate come out of winter? With or without brood.etc?


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## Live Oak (Oct 11, 2008)

Hi Ian, I noted that you put some Ultra Bee dry feed out for your bees. Are you using the 1,500 lb. totes or 50 lb. bags? Ultra Bee is a great substitute for real pollen until the trees start producing. I am a good bit further south from you but I am still able to get my bees started building brood in January. This can be a double edge sword though. I lost several hives during a very unusual warm spell followed by a very hard freeze a few weeks ago. Still licking my wounds and now making up my losses with splits and nucs. Have you tried mixing Ultra Bee or Purina Hearty Bee with your sugar syrup and feeding the mixture to your bees in while they are still inside the storage shed when you have a solid suspicion that you will be able to move the bees outside in a few days to a week. Not a lot but just enough to give them a nice protein kick to get the brood process started?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Andersonhoney said:


> How did the hives that received pollen ate come out of winter? With or without brood.etc?


Well, small, but I’m predicting by mid May after a bit of back work I’ll coUnt under 10% winter losses. 

What does that mean? I don’t know


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Live Oak said:


> Hi Ian, I noted that you put some Ultra Bee dry feed out for your bees. Are you using the 1,500 lb. totes or 50 lb. bags? Ultra Bee is a great substitute for real pollen until the trees start producing. I am a good bit further south from you but I am still able to get my bees started building brood in January. This can be a double edge sword though. I lost several hives during a very unusual warm spell followed by a very hard freeze a few weeks ago. Still licking my wounds and now making up my losses with splits and nucs. Have you tried mixing Ultra Bee or Purina Hearty Bee with your sugar syrup and feeding the mixture to your bees in while they are still inside the storage shed when you have a solid suspicion that you will be able to move the bees outside in a few days to a week. Not a lot but just enough to give them a nice protein kick to get the brood process started?


I should buy it by the tote
I fed 10 bags within a week, they are on soyflour now I TIL I get pollen , hopefully tomorrow


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## grozzie2 (Jun 3, 2011)

Ian said:


> I should buy it by the tote
> I fed 10 bags within a week, they are on soyflour now I TIL I get pollen , hopefully tomorrow


didn't you get a truck of nutra bee ? are you not feeding that ?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Oh ya
The ultrabee I’m feeding open dry until the bees quit taking open dry when pollen comes out. 
The nutrabee is inside, now through TIL mid June. 
Interesting enough, I’ve yet to see pollen but my brood nest looks just like I’m in mid flow


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Ian are you doing any comparison with nutra bee to ultrabee, or any other patty form?


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Yes, by far the best results are Nutrabee 
I don’t want to step on any other names so I’ll leave that trial to myself. 
Nutrabee has slow consumption, and had trouble with drips down to the bottom board but those problems were related to conditions. Things straightened out and I’m one happy Beekeeper 
You should see these brood nests. Terrific


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## swarm_trapper (Jun 19, 2003)

Good to hear that is what we find also. Thanks


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Ian, encase you hadn't seen this, Medhat on wintering and polen stores 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wsHqbAGMkQ


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