20kg of stores for winter

[gatley]

In this months edition of BBKA news, page 7 says a colony needs 20kg of stores to see it through the winter. Now I know im a newbee but if its 2.5 kg per brood frame then in a brood box where would the bees go? Surely they mean 20 pounds! But they state 20kg(40lb)

 

[busybee53]

Last year was my first winter with my first hive. We were told that 40lb stores was needed and my buddy and I were following advice from our tutor. We had a super on above the brood for the bees to store in and then when they began to cluster we swapped the boxes over so that the brood was on top of the super with the stores. I assume the bees moved stores round as they wanted. All I know is they used 4 gallons of strong syrup which is 32lb sugar. And they were taking Balsam as well till very late in the year.

 

[huntsman666]

Into the bee space.

And in a National with native bees it should be about 50 lbs of stores.

20kg is 44 lbs.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Into the bee space.

agree with huntsman666

the bees will go be in the bee space just as they are in summer and the frames are full of brood, the brood will be small or not at all IN WINTER ,So all we are doing in packing 40lb on store into 8 frames amd leaving 3 for pollen and a bit of brood

and yes it is 20kg or more if a 14x12

 

[Erichalfbee]

The bees live in the bee space not in the comb cells.

 

[Hivemaker.]

In this months edition of BBKA news, page 7 says a colony needs 20kg of stores to see it through the winter. Now I know im a newbee but if its 2.5 kg per brood frame then in a brood box where would the bees go? Surely they mean 20 pounds! But they state 20kg(40lb)

No one size fits all really.........a colony,depends on the size of this colony,strain of bee,location,....this colony could be in an Apidea,or in a Glen hive.

 

[WaxManSmokerBoy]

In the Glen hives, Hivemaker, do you just throw in the 25kg bags of sugar and let them get on with it?

 

[Finman]

.
I use on average 20 kg per hive in Finland. Basic reason is that you must feed the box full, otherwise bees do not cap the cells. A langstroth box has about 20 kg honey + pollen.

In USA some keep natural that bees need 3 langtsroth box food., It makes about 60-70 kg food over winter.

That is awfull because in colder climate my hives survive with 20 kg. Ofcourse there are some honey too iin the hive, Perhaps 5-10 kg. BUT &= kg and guys see nothind odd iin it.

A langstroth frame may contain ´normally 2,5 kg honey. 5 frames has about 10 kg sugar/honey + pollen.

If the colonye occupyes 5 frame5, it needs 5 frames over winter and 10 kg sugar. If you use 10 frames with 5 frames of bees, that only makes troubles to bees.

 

[Finman]

In the Glen hives, Hivemaker, do you just throw in the 25kg bags of sugar and let them get on with it?

Splended question! Is Hivemaker able to answer that!

 

[Hivemaker.]

In the Glen hives, Hivemaker, do you just throw in the 25kg bags of sugar and let them get on with it?

LOL.........yes and with the Apidea you just put it inside the 25kg bag of sugar.

 

[MrB]

LOL.........yes and with the Apidea you just put it inside the 25kg bag of sugar.

HaHa

 

[Erichalfbee]

Love it!!!

 

[WaxManSmokerBoy]

And no vain space between them . . .

 

[oliver90owner]

page 7 says a colony needs 20kg of stores to see it through the winter.

Once again a simplistic view, or an unqualified statement. Just not quite true (as admiarably demonstrated in earlier posts by some).

Generally, I would think ten kilograms is probably nearer the mark for 'winter'.

Their value presumably includes the time from nil foraging (not even clustering?) in the autumn right through to expansion (brooding) in the spring and including a surplus (as zero stores is often fatal in the springtime when the colony is jam packed with brood - as there are no minus values allowed here!

They should have been more precise and said until 'a spring flow' or similar. More bees starve through lack of stores in the spring than during the winter. Stores for spring expansion (both pollen and honey) are arguably far more important than for those (three) winter months.

RAB

 

[Jimmy]

Elsewhere in the same issue it says to make syrup with 2.2kg sugar and 630ml water, helpfully adding that warm water may be needed. Good luck with that.........

(Overall I welcome the new look BBKA news though)

 

[oliver90owner]

Ha ha! Remarkable! As I have said before, sometimes these publications are not that clever, even if supposedly written by experts!

RAB

 

[user 6228]

page 7 says a colony needs 20kg of stores to see it through the winter.

Once again a simplistic view, or an unqualified statement. Just not quite true (as admiarably demonstrated in earlier posts by some).

Generally, I would think ten kilograms is probably nearer the mark for 'winter'.

Their value presumably includes the time from nil foraging (not even clustering?) in the autumn right through to expansion (brooding) in the spring and including a surplus (as zero stores is often fatal in the springtime when the colony is jam packed with brood - as there are no minus values allowed here!

They should have been more precise and said until 'a spring flow' or similar. More bees starve through lack of stores in the spring than during the winter. Stores for spring expansion (both pollen and honey) are arguably far more important than for those (three) winter months.

RAB

I think its not the value but an understanding of the variation thats needed. (which means I agree with RAB )
In the northern U.S. they say 70lbs (32Kg) is required
Studies in Norway in the 50's showed consumption during the winter part of
between 8.5 kg and 11.8kg (differences in insulation) (Villumstad 1971).
So we have a variation in climate, definition of winter, insulation, hive size... location which have values cited between 8.5Kg and 32kg...

 

[For want of a better word]

EXPERTS.......
EX =has been
SPURTS = load of drips going steadily


How and how much do I feed my Langstroths proportioned top bar beekeepering the natural way megga double brood never touch giant hollow thee hive/?????

Should I just drop beet sugars down the trunk.. or would 1000 packets of icing sugar do it !!!

 

[MandF]

Is there any danger in over feeding?

As a rough guide I would have thought 20kg is reasonable, everybody reading BBKA news (ie a member of the BBKA) should understand that little is set in stone when it comes to keeping bees. They were very clear on the dangers of starvation in spring, and have mention the art of hefting numerous times.

 

[drstitson]

"Is there any danger in over feeding?"

yes - as hivemaker has said - you need a good population of young winter bees. overfeed too early and brood rearing may be restricted at a critical period.

problem is that if you leave it too late the bees can't get the syrup sorted in time. hence why some would just advocate slapping blocks of fondant on each hive in autumn - bees can either move as they see fit or leave as a store for later use.