Apiguard and low stores

[MuswellMetro]

just sat down after a full day extracting honey and adding back wet suppers

i have then been putting on apiguard and checking through ten hives for stores etc

all except one hives (june Nuc)have the lowest amount of stores in the brood box i have ever seen at this time of year

i have 14x12 brood boxes with perhaps two quarter frames of stores and no more stores eslewhere

They are not going to last the six weeks apiquard treatment without feeding but i was always told never feed with apiguard on

i feel i will have to feed at least 4kg of sugar a week for them to survive , has any one else found their brood stores this low this year/

would you say this is ok ,or am i worrying to much

 

[justme]

Hi, my first year but none of my 3 hives a 1 nuc have much in the way of stores. I'm using hivemakers recipe and feeding from tonight.

BTW, how have you been though your 10 hives when your profile says you only have 3?

 

[Cazza]

Hi MM
I have exactly the same dilemma. I've never known the brood so low on stores at this time of the year, I have fed then put on apiguard today. I'm contemplating feeding again but I think this will depend on the weather,
I hope I'm worrying too much? Bees tend to cope better than I think they will.
Cazza
Ps Why six weeks? I thought 4 perhaps I'm just being dim???

 

[Black Comb]

Well as posted elsewhere, bees up here were found starving end July..
I fed mine before Apiguard and they are the quietest they have been all year.

Why are you not supposed to feed with apiguard on?

 

[freethorpe bees]

I have been told it is fine to feed the same time as treating with Apiguard. That's what I am doing anyway so I hope it's ok! I gave them 2kg on Thursday and will give them some more tomorrow.

 

[Chris B]

Hi MM,
yes low brood stores in some hives. My approach is to give everything a quick gallon of syrup now to tick over, then Apiguard for 4 weeks, then a bigger feed. I can't give a full feed yet because some hives are still too full of brood and can't store it all.

Apiguard requires an eke, which means empty space the bees might fill with brace comb made out of the syrup you're feeding them. Maybe other reasons too but that one's enough for me.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

I was told to feed regardless of whether you are putting on apiguard if they need it.

Think some are reluctant to take it down if theres a smell of thymol but one of my hives has been seriously guzzling down the ambrosia I've left it regardless of the apivar life.

I guess like most things in the beekeeping world theres more than one answer to the question and they normaly contradict eachother

 

[Rosti]

MM, I am in the same boat.
4 colonies on 14x12
3 of them critically low on stores and have been fed 2ltr (2:1) each per week for the last 2 weeks. Same as you trying to build them up to get them through a months apiguard but without giving them so much they take up all brood space. Last 2 ltrs went on last Weds. I plan to start Apriguard treatment tomorrow.
They'll get the 'as much as they will take' treat after the Apiguard. R

 

[MuswellMetro]

BTW, how have you been though your 10 hives when your profile says you only have 3?

i have 4 of my own 3, 14x12 plus a june Nuc growing in a 14x12 with large dummy board but oversea an apiar 4 14x12 and 2 nationals that beginers train on

 

[Repwoc]

I Live only to increase Entropy

I think you'll find it doesn't need your help.

 

[starflex]

Hi MM,
yes low brood stores in some hives. My approach is to give everything a quick gallon of syrup now to tick over, then Apiguard for 4 weeks, then a bigger feed. I can't give a full feed yet because some hives are still too full of brood and can't store it all.

Apiguard requires an eke, which means empty space the bees might fill with brace comb made out of the syrup you're feeding them. Maybe other reasons too but that one's enough for me.

I've just put the Apiguard on, and one of my two hives will need feeding. I am also certain that they will fill the eke space with brace comb - they did last year without me feeding!

I was a bit late with the Apiguard last year, so they filled the brace comb with ivy. I left the eke in place, and they had used the ivy by the time I treated with oxalic acid. I cleaned it off as part of my first inspection of the new year.

Off to make up some syrup for tomorrow.

 

[barratt_sab]

MM - I _know_ that you know more about this that I do, but we are relatively close to you (Stansted airport way) and I've been feeding for the last week because stores have been non existant.

We had a strong colony that had put honey in a super - but has been taking it out again for two weeks.

We had a weaker colony that had about 2 frames total of stores on a 14x12 four weeks ago, but had none last week.

We had a relatively new nuc which had a little (1/2 frame?) four weeks ago, but nothing last week - and the queen had stopped laying.

So, I've been feeding.

 

[MuswellMetro]

MM - I _know_ that you know more about this that I do, .

dont assume anything, i have never seen stores this low in august in London ( by south mimms M25, 45 mins from you via M11), just dont want to end up with an empty tub of apiguard in an empty hive

 

[barratt_sab]

dont assume anything, i have never seen stores this low in august in London ( by south mimms M25, 45 mins from you via M11), just dont want to end up with an empty tub of apiguard in an empty hive

If you've not seen it, then I don't feel so bad.

We came to the conclusion that we had to feed, since our records had shown declining stores for four weeks and two of the hives had nothing left. I felt that we could feed and deal with the consequences later or not feed and deal with a box of dead bees.

I was starting to worry that we had a bunch of lazy good-for-nothing bees who couldn't be bothered to go and get nectar!

 

[Juststarting]

so can you feed and use apiguard at the same time?

My bees are also very low on stores and queen has filled bb with brood so little storage room at present. (only BB - super removed but not much in it either)

My varroa count is low (1/day)

Can I feed 1:1 (or 2:1?) syrup to keep them going and treat with Apiguard at the same time?

Or should I just feed 2:1 for winter stores so they fill up BB as brood emerges and leave varroa treatment until OA in December?

All advice gratefully received even if contradictary!

 

[Arfermo]

Well as posted elsewhere, bees up here were found starving end July..
I fed mine before Apiguard and they are the quietest they have been all year.

Why are you not supposed to feed with apiguard on?

Who on earth said or wrote that? No reasion to not feed if it is necessary. Failure to feed and the colony collapses. Feed and be damned.

 

[starflex]

My bees are also very low on stores and queen has filled bb with brood so little storage room at present. (only BB - super removed but not much in it either)

My varroa count is low (1/day)

Can I feed 1:1 (or 2:1?) syrup to keep them going and treat with Apiguard at the same time?

Or should I just feed 2:1 for winter stores so they fill up BB as brood emerges and leave varroa treatment until OA in December?

All advice gratefully received even if contradictary!

My varroa count was about 2 a day for the week before I put the Apiguard on. Both hives have dropped 200 varroa each, at the end of the first 24 hours. It may look like you have little varroa, but you do not want to put off your Apiguard treatment.

I would feed them and treat at the same time. I'm away for the next week, so I've given my under-weight hive 2 litres of 2:1 and I'll see how things are next weekend.

 

[Juststarting]

Thanks for the advice will feed and treat.

 

[darrenperrett]

9/10 of my hives have little or no stores so i`ve got a rapid feeder above my apiguard ekes.
I`m just feeding a couple of litres a week to keep them going and hopefully not enough for them to go mad with brace comb in the eke.

Darren.

 

[Skyhook]

just sat down after a full day extracting honey and adding back wet suppers

i have then been putting on apiguard and checking through ten hives for stores etc

I get the impression you've put apiguard on while the wet supers are on

A) Isn't this providing too much space for the apiguard to be effective, and
B) isn't there a danger the supers will get contaminated?

Or have I misunderstood?