I have a few questions for those that feed pollen early for build up.
My first question is to those who buy pollen from brushy mountain or other souces of pollen to feed. Don't you worry about AFB? Or is this not a problem with pollen? I have not collected any this year so I would have to use these sources if I feed.
My next question is that most people have said that any time after solstice is a good time to start feeding to build up numbers. I am concerned that right after solstice is when things begin to get very cold. Late Dec, Jan, and Feb are the coldest times. Won't the bees have a hard time keeping things warm enough? Will they be able to care for brood in the cold when they need to cluster the most?
These are my main questions on this. I will say that I am planning to provide some artificial heat using a night light set up I saw posted here somewhere. But it seems that many are feeding but not providing heat. The potential for AFB really worries me with using products from other unknown hives.
Alfred