OB hive queen laying, winter is on the way out!

[D Coates]

I check on my OB hive every weekday morning and evening as my computer starts up and shuts down.  This is my first winter with an OB hive and honestly I would recommend it to anyone who can do it.  It's a 5 deep OB hive.  You learn and see quite a bit that you may not see otherwise.  Case in point, yesterday I saw the queen starting to lay eggs.  She's been doing this now and again one here one there in a relatively small area a few days apart, up to now.  However, this time she was laying small but tight pattern at the same time.  I can't help but think she's starting to think of spring.

In a side note how would you effectively feed pollen supplement to an OB hive?

[Kathyp]

In a side note how would you effectively feed pollen supplement to an OB hive?

i never figured that out, but what i did observe is that they seem not to need it here.  i have pretty much quit feeding it to my outside hives also because of what my OB hive has shown.  exceptions are made for long stretches of nasty weather like our spring last year.

[specialkayme]

I give them about a spoon full of pollen either every day or every other day from December 22nd through all of February. How you feed them depends on the type of OH you have. Most have screens in the top for ventilation. Just push the pollen through the screens. Be careful not to give them too much though, as they will just throw it out like trash.

My OH started laying around December 12th, for some reason.

[Michael Bush]

>In a side note how would you effectively feed pollen supplement to an OB hive?

I put a hole in the top with #7 hardware cloth (which pollen will go through and bees will not) and put a spoonfull of pollen in from time to time.  Don't overdo it or they will clog up the exit with it trying to haul it out for trash.