Are some people overfeeding their bees?

[Chris Luck]

That's it, are they?

Chris

 

[Ely]

I'm sure some people are

 

[For want of a better word]

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There is always "Weight Watchers"​

 

[Winker]

I think a few have come through winter with more than they would have liked, i know i did. But i took out the excess a few weeks back and replaced with foundation, which has all been drawn out now and layed in.

 

[Insy]

What would you class as overfeed? Sorry i not been doing beekeeping long this my first hive.

For example what ratio of Brood frames to store frames should you have for the bees to no have surplus but not to be short.

 

[Finman]

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after feeding, shake them...........

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[Foxylad]

Is it better to over feed, than under feed.

Full frames could be removed in spring and used again in autumn.

 

[Dishmop]

Is it better to over feed, than under feed.

Full frames could be removed in spring and used again in autumn.

If the frames you take off them are a product of the sugar you have fed them, and they then have to survive without it because you have taken it, why feed them in the first place.

if one didnt take so much off them before they go into the winter they wouldnt need feeding, but then if you're in it for the honey money it's what you do. Watching my indoor obs hive thro the winter they ate hardly anything of the stores they had, but once the weather got a bit warmer and they started flying they gulped down everything that was capped, the cells have been cleaned and have now got eggs in and new uncapped honey.

If one were to leave a couple of extra frames in for the winter, how does the amount that the honey on those frames is worth, equate with the cost of the sugar that is fed to them later on?

 

[Chris Luck]

Is it better to over feed, than under feed.

No, it's better to get it right and that clearly isn't the case reading a large number of posts on here.

Chris

 

[Dishmop]

With reference to my previous post I forgot to say that I havent fed the obs hive or the two outside hives at all.

 

[Dishmop]

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after feeding, shake them...........

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what about stirring?

 

[DanBee]

That's it, are they?

Chris

Locally at least, the issue appears to be spring starvation due to abnormal amounts of activity late last year.

 

[madasafish]

I'm sure my bees were bringing in nectar is the warm spell that lasted for approx 10 days. Currently it's wet and cold and they are busy eating up all their stores attempting to keep their brood warm. There is no doubt lots of nectar around but any bee flying is likely to die of hypothermia .

So to answer the question, I am sure some people are.

But I suspect if I have - which I doubt - that is being remedied dramatically as I write. Most of my hives were very light end Feb so I fed.

Lets see : do I want bees cramped due to overfeeding or dying through starvation?

Answers on a postcard please

 

[YorkshireBees]

I underfed a few years ago, through in-experience, and then overfed the year after!

Although I overfed, it wasn't by a ridiculous amount and by manipulating the brood box and removing / storing frames for later use avoided any problems.
It actually worked out quite well as I needed the frames during a nectar dearth later in the season!

It is another 'dark' art learning how much is usually enough + the weather can influence the amount of stores needed!

My opinion is that they have to have enough stores (honey or sugar syrup) to last them through the majority of the winter and this can be supplemented with fondant if needed prior to spring.

 

[Skyhook]

Is it better to over feed, than under feed.

Full frames could be removed in spring and used again in autumn.

No, it's better to get it right and that clearly isn't the case reading a large number of posts on here.

Chris

Well obviously. Can you judge every hive spot on every time, and would you expect that of every beginner?

 

[Chris Luck]

Well obviously. Can you judge every hive spot on every time, and would you expect that of every beginner?

No, of course not BUT the whole issue of feeding seems to me to have got completely out of hand. Bees that have reached a point of "log jam" or are thought to be about to swarm in March?

In a more or less normal situation bees should regulate their own needs and all the colonies that I remove from buildings in late March / early April, (which is when I try to book them for), are fine with about a 50 / 50 division of brood and stores, most stores from previous year as would be expected.

Chris

 

[RoseCottage]

It's an interesting question. I think that I have noticed more discussion on this board about feeding fondant and other foods through winter than last year or the year before. That may be more new beekeepers or just more beekeepers trying to cope with the angst arising from the uncertainty of increasingly mild winters (thanks El Ninio cycle!).

I myself am a 3rd year and fed more fondant this winter than before mainly through my own insecurity and angst around the mild winter and the bees variable consumption of syrup in Autumn. Still lost my first colony this year of starvation despite being full of stores. Separation from stores, a late supercedure, and bad luck I feel.

Today I checked my colonies and 2 I left alone and from 3 I removed stores and put foundation into the brood box. The rape has just flowered for them and the bad weather hasn't materialised here. The stores had thymol syrup so I wanted to get in before they started to shift it up into the supers. I think I got it just in time.

I have left some frames of food and pollen in each brood box as well as whatever is around the brood frames. All colonies are on 14x12 brood and 3 are now beginning to make queen play cups - hence the foundation and super. More space to help reduce the overcrowding they are experiencing.

So from our perspective we are still learning how to feed them for the conditions and feel it will be a learning curve for some years yet. We don't have the confidence in all our decisions on feeding yet so tend to play very safe. This does lead to a lot of waste too though. We threw away many, many, many frames of stores (mainly syrup) from last year that we took off and never actually used again.

We'll get it right one day until then we will try and enjoy the journey,

All the best,
Sam

 

[Polyanwood]

The other thing about over feeding and continuing to feed into the early Summer is that it increases the odds that the honey will contain sugar from the fondant or syrup and not just nectar.

 

[Skyhook]

In our local association, members are advised strongly to feed fondant to avoid starvation. This would be fine, were it not in conjunction with much weaker advice on hefting, and acceptance of the old advice not to inspect until well into April.

 

[Finman]

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What is over feeding?

- In Autumn hives should be feeded full. Otherwise bees do not cap the food.

- For Winter you may over feed the hive when you leave too much space to the cluster. Then you have difficulties of get ridd off food stores in Spring.


SPRING.

- It means overfeeding that you do not look what are the winter stores and then you push there food as guys in internet say so. Good heavens, open the cover and look, do they have food there. It take less time than open the computer.

- After winter inspect the hive and arrange space for laying. Take extra capped food frames off and put into storage.
That is normal operation. Often cluster has lost lots of bees during winter, even 80% and food are there untouched.


NERVOUS?

When you are nervous as a beekeeper, don't go to feed and shake the bees.
Instead go to freezener and eate some cold piza pieces and coca-cola.You need energy!
In oil boiled meat pie has 6 times more energy than water boiled potato. You need it.

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