Quit feeding syrup on July 25th

[David Stokely]

I started with (2) 3 lb packages of bees on May 16th.  It took them a little while to get going.  I think they had a touch of nosema, but after treating them for that and dusting them weekly for 4 weeks with powdered sugar they took off pretty good.  They drew out and filled the first deep super by the first week of July.  I was amazed.  The next deep took only about a week before they had 6-7 frames well drawn out and filled, so I put on a medium super on July 11th expecting the same progress, but I think I made a serious mistake in not spraying down the plastic foundation on this added medium.  I sprayed down both the deeps and had no problem in their accepting it, but the medium I forgot and for about 10 days.  They wouldn't have anything to do with it.  No activity on it at all.  Last Thursday evening (3 days ago) I spayed it down with a concoction (my own recipe) of sugar water, sea salt, and lemon grass essential oil.  I just peeked in a few minutes ago and they are well to work drawing out wax on the two center frames.  Maybe it's just coincidence, but they did not touch that plastic foundation for more than 10 days and virtually as soon as I sprayed it they must have begun to draw it out.

We seem to have a decent honey flow going as measured by my hive takeoffs, so I just pulled the two wide mouth quart jars (with holes punched in the lids) I had as feeders of 1:1 syrup on the inner cover.  I'm hoping to possibly get some honey from this super.  I figure we've still got a good 8 weeks minimum of potential honey flow.  I'm thinking of taking what ever I can get in the remainder of July and August for my honey and then to resume feeding medicated syrup for nosema, and dusting with powdered sugar around the first of September.  Hoping them to fill maybe another medium super in addition to the two deeps in September.

Just as a question, on this third medium, I drilled a Ø.750 hole about midway up, on the long end of the frames end of the box and I have yet to see any usage of this upper entrance/vent hole.  Is there some secret to this?  Did I put it in the wrong place.  It seemed to me if I drilled on the box where the broadside of the frames were, that they would have to walk a long ways to get to the frames on the other end of the box, but now they should be able to access all the frames pretty much equally.  Or maybe it just takes time for them to become accustomed to the upper entrance.

I should tell you also that I have the upper entrance facing the opposite direction as the landing board entrance.  The landing board entrance faces east and the upper entrance faces west.  I thought that this would improve the ventilation aspect (as the prevailing breezes are from the west) and also the convenience of it, as the two entrances would be low/high and front/back of the hive.

:)

Thank you,

Dave

[Wynoochee_newbee_guy]

secret to them using the hole you drilled simple don't drill one bad idea bees won't use it if you want a top entrance prop the top open a fer 8ths of an inch and they  might use it bees once programed go one place were they are used to.