Guilfordbeekeepers.org

I was wondering about keeping bees in the Greensboro area. This will be my third winter with bees, and my second following a full season. I have yet to have a winter in which I did not have to feed the bees to get them through to spring. Is it possible to keep bees in this area, harvest honey, and still overwinter the bees without feeding them? (I am being a bit testy when I say that, as I know it is possible). But what is the secret?

Harvest less or force your bees to work harder. I have heard Wally ask on more than one occasion, "Would you rather feed your bees 50 cent a pound sugar or 5 dollar a pound honey?" Obviously, strong hives with drawn comb to fill during the spring flow will give the best production. What the bees do depends on the weather and nectar available. So I guess after that, to a large degree, it's luck that determines how your bees do and what your harvest will be. If I take honey off the hive and then place the extracted frames back on the hive, I keep an eye on the re-filling and hope the girls put up enough for winter, but if they don't, I start feeding. I was feeding some 1:1 in September to encourage making more bees, and have switched to 2:1 to help the bees put up stores. I hope they make it through winter and I am certainly no expert, but this is my 2 cents (not 50 cents nor 5 dollars) worth.

More than anything it is dependent upon the bees.
Italians do not reserve their stores in the summer/fall thus eating through much of what you left them with after the harvest.
I leave a super or more but they eat it up sometimes by the end of the summer.
Russians do seem to be more conservative about their food supplies and I have had many over winter without feeding. I believe honey is probably better for the bees but better to feed than to starve. You could always extract and then feed back later. NOT!!!

I guess the learning never stops? I would like to see a really good year of honey production, both spring and fall, just to see what would happen, and just to say that I had seen it. I guess that a year like that only comes every twenty or thirty year? All the planets and stars in perfect alignment, with exact measured rainfall, only at night so as to not prevent foragers from getting out to the nectar, no swarms, etc. etc.

In other words, it never happens, right?

i have also read that pollen patties may be better for the bees than sugar water. some studies have shown that what the bees really need is protein more than the carbos from sugar. any thoughts?