Backyard Beekeeping Questions and Answers Episode 173, opening feeding your own bees, or others?

Welcome to another episode of backyard beekeeping topics. Today we're playing catchup and combining questions/topics from the past two weeks. If you have a question of your own you'd like to submit for consideration, please follow this link: https://www.fredsfinefowl.com/thewaytobee.html If you're just joining us and want to follow the entire series, here is the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0BtJyPt4SZ9ohcHBHw4Dnxt2lPL8F2cA Listen to the PodCast version right here: https://frederickdunn.podbean.com/ Today's topics are as listed below: 1) Is there such a thing as too many frames of pollen? I did put a couple of pollen frames in-between some brood. 2) I noticed a yellow dot on the thorax of some of my bees. It's strikingly yellow just like a marking pen! 3) Our City has begun fogging for mosquitos due to West Nile Virus. Do I need to somehow fully close the entrance on fogging nights? Learn more about the impact of fogging on honey bees: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0193535 4) Any recommendations for how you built your robbing station? This is my robbing/feeding station: https://youtu.be/ktkKdLoj000 5) What is the reason some bees are grey? Could this be the winter bees? 6) I'm not sure if I should provide more space for my bees this time of year? I plan to feed dry sugar and maybe that Hive Alive patty? Pine shavings on top? 7) I tried a rapid round hive top feeder and it caused robbing right away, so now I'm open feeding. I don't know if my colonies are considered strong enough? 8) We've requeened twice with Saskatraz Queens with no success. The last queen was in her cage for 5 days and her attendants were dead. Perhaps you might be able to address this? 9) Do bees have a problem with cornstarch? Is corn starch in powdered sugar shake harmful to the bees? 10) My stronger colony came in and viciously robbed my other hive. The queen has not laid an egg in two weeks, can we save them? 11) In your experience are there more uncapped frames/cells when there is low rainfall? The honey flavor is more intense, is this also a factor of low rainfall? 12) I was inspecting my hive and the queen flew away, how was she able to fly? Not five minutes later, she returned. Now What? 13) I'm interested in building a Long Langstroth Hive, should I build it with 2 x or 3/4 plywood? I want to incorporate flow frames into the hive, what about entrance placement? 14) I have ventilation in the top of my hive but it creates condensation. Should I use burlap, or wood shavings and close the top ventilation? This is my wintering with Flow Hives Video: https://www.fredsfinefowl.com/theflowhiveexperience.html 15) Do honey bees use the last In First Out system for honey consumption? The booklet Honey Bees And Their Maladies is available here: https://extension.psu.edu/a-field-guide-to-honey-bees-and-their-maladies (if it's out of stock, you can be notified when it's available again). TODAY'S SHOUT OUT: Please tell them that Frederick Dunn sent you :) https://youtu.be/OM1flPzZzws please provide words of encouragement. For winter preparations, after you've removed your honey supers, you can boost their resources while helping reduce the impact of nosema ceranae. Here is my page on Hive Alive: https://www.fredsfinefowl.com/hivealiveworks.html Some backyard beekeepers may be thinking about altering sugar syrup that you plan to feed your bees. Please go into that with as much information as possible. My advice has always been to provide straight sugar syrup made from water and white processed sugar. This is auxiliary or emergency feeding. Honey bees may indeed not take syrup that includes mold. I invite you to read more about altering sugar syrups here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-020-00745-6