Hi I am a new beekeeper , I have checked my hive 2-3frame broad, lots of pollen but very little honey left, they are nearly finishing their candy.
1. Can I start to feed them with sugar syrup 1:1 consantration ?
2.when is the good time to put super on?
Many thanks
Ayse / Nottingham
The general rule when inspecting is to check that they have enough stores to last them through until the next inspection.
I'd hope to see stores adding up to more than one full DN frame of stores for your small colony.
If there was less than that, I'd be looking to feed.
Foodstuffs and syrup concentration. Weak syrup (50/50 by weight) is what you provide when you are wanting them to consume it immediately - for example when you are asking them to draw out comb.
Stronger syrup (60/40) is what you give if you are hoping that they will store it. That's normally Autumn, but also when you are worried that they don't have enough stores.
Fondant is emergency supplies, for winter feeding.
It probably depends where in the country you are as to whether fondant or strong syrup would be best right now, with this miserable but (here anyway) not freezing weather. Neither would be clearly wrong down here, but I don't know how your season is going.
You shouldn't be feeding when there is any possibility that syrup will end up in crop supers.
That shouldn't be a problem now.
You'd be needing a super once you have more than half the brood box frames really well-filled with brood. Not likely before.
If your kit is brand new, my advice is to put a brand new 'super' under the brood box (as a 'nadir') for a few weeks before it is needed as a crop super.
While not always necessary, my experience is that the bees will more readily accept (ie instantly use) such a 'used' box than a brand new box with new frames and foundation. And as a nadir, if the bees start using it, drawing the comb, that's an initial signal that you might be better to move the space up on top.