Autumn feed

[Charlie19]

I'm feeding my two hives on sugar syrup as I was told to do so by an experienced bee keeper until the weather significantly changes. They're being fed in 4 pint rapid feeders. Sugar syrup made with 1kg of sugar with a 1:1 ratio is lasting them a couple of days. I'm thinking it's going to be quite expensive to keep up feeding them at the rate they're going through the syrup. Is this normal? Should I keep topping up the feed or give them some with an interval inbetween?

 

[REDWOOD]

Have you checked to see what they have done with it.

 

[dpearce4]

should be a 2:1 ratio this time of year if you want them to store it.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If there's no forage and as autumn is approaching they will take down feed to lay up stores for winter - what do you think they live on throughout the cold months? As for being told to feed them until the weather changes, well, it's not quite as straightforward as that. How much honey, if any did you take off this year, how much stores were there in the hive before you started feeding. They may need upwards of forty pounds of stores to see them right for winter.
And yes, you should just keep on feeding until it's time to stop, although I'd question wether it's yet time to start.
Where are you with regards to varroa tratment?
Addendum: as Doug has pointed out - should be fee
ding 2:1 at this time of the year to make it easier for them to store it.

 

[REDWOOD]

This will help you understand
http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Feeding-Bees-WAG.pdf

 

[Charlie19]

One of the two hives has decent stores, however the other one was a nuc we bought late july and they havent gathered enough stores yet. Both hives are currently being treated with bayvorral. To confirm is that 2 parts sugar to 1 part water?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

One of the two hives has decent stores, however the other one was a nuc we bought late july and they havent gathered enough stores yet. Both hives are currently being treated with bayvorral. To confirm is that 2 parts sugar to 1 part water?

Sorry to rain on your bonfire but why are you using bayvoral? Unrestricted use of synthesised drugs is what built up mite resistance to Apistan etc. Most beeks now use thymol derivatives or MAQS.
As to feeding until the weather changes - I would wonder just how "experienced" your beek really is to make a remark like that. I would have given the new nuc one feed of a couple of litres of 1:1 syrup in July to provide fuel for comb building if needed, then left them to forage under a program of inspection and only given more feed IF they were running out of stores. If you are stuffing sugar into the box there is poor incentive to seek out nectar.
Only after varroa treatment time would I feed IF NEEDED with 2:1 syrup (2lbs weight of white sugar to 1pint of water) which is "thick" syrup that the bees can store for winter. A thymol additive to this winter feed syrup is beneficial in preventing fermenting and is said to combat nosema (Try Hivemakers recipe which you can find in the sticky posts). Some areas will provide adequate late season forage such as Ivy but its not a general rule so although my bees have lots of ivy to go at yours may not.
Around Christmas week you should trickle a proprietary oxalic acid dose onto the seams of bees occupying the gaps between frames in the cluster as part of your integrated pest management.
In spring you will need to balance the needs of the expanding colony with available forage, feeding just enough but no more than they need or what you end up with will likely be more sugar than honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Sorry to rain on your bonfire but why are you using bayvoral? Unrestricted use of synthesised drugs is what built up mite resistance to Apistan etc. Most beeks now use thymol derivatives or MAQS.
As to feeding until the weather changes - I would wonder just how "experienced" your beek really is to make a remark like that.

Funnily enough I felt that this 'experienced beekeeper' left a lot to be desired: Pyrethroid based varroa treatment and feeding 1:1 willy nilly from August through to 'when the weather changes' what next? matchsticks under the crown board? or just gaping'ventilation' holes?

 

[einsteinagogo]

there is a very good article in this months BBKA (well I think it is!), which shows/tells you how to work out, how much feed to give, based on how much is already in the hive, before you start feeding....and approx weights of frames etc

 

[Dishmop]

and they havent gathered enough stores yet.

and how much do you think is not enough?