Bees refusing syrup

[Into the lions den]

Investigate what is going on inside the colony.
Not taking syrup when others around it are is the first indication all is not well. Can just be small, but colonies that are queenless, sick (with say nosema or CBPV), or other issues....show up first in the autumn as the reluctant syrup takers..its actually a very easy and non intrusive way to identify the likely ones to fail. If just small may well only take what they can and still survive.....but we find the non takers are very often the dead outs later.

 

[Jon.21]

Just got back from the main apiary. All the colonies bar one are taking the syrup down well.

The last colony have not touched theirs annoyingly when I heft them I can tell that they need more stores but they just won't go up into the feeder.

When I look down the feed hole I can see a circle of faces looking back. Have dribbled a little syrup down the hole as well.

Anyone had this before?

I'm considering just dropping a block of fondant on them instead and seeing if they'll take that.

I have 2 colony’s and 1 took the syrup down no problem, on day 1 but the other took about 4 days to start. Dribbled down syrup etc so that wasn’t the issue. The eager colony that took it down on day 1 were much lighter on stores than the less eager ones so not sure if that is the difference.

 

[user 819]

If one has a scope then nosema is fairly quick and easy to check for.

 

[Jen Hen]

Captain, I bruise them in Spring and put them in the middle of the brood nest. A week later and that frame is full of brood, so I repeat until I have my 8 frames of brood and then super. No hope involved it just works.

PH

What do you mean by bruise? Sorry to be clueless

 

[Erichalfbee]

What do you mean by bruise? Sorry to be clueless

You run your hive tool across the capping to squash them down a bit without actually uncapping the cells

 

[understanding_bees]

No, earwigs only seem to be an issue from midsummer on, but the do no damage anyway so it doesn't bother me

Your comment about earwigs seems to hilight the differences we experience with different climates in different parts of the world. Even though we are only just beginning to experience pleasant Spring weather just now in Melbourne - we had had cool conditions, and above average rainfall - the earwigs here have persistently "invaded" the area above the crown boards of my hives, under a weatherproof roof, for at least the last couple of months.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I usually get lots in the roof. They never bother the bees or me.

 

[Finman]

You run your hive tool across the capping to squash them down a bit without actually uncapping the cells

When you have already capped frames, why to uncap cells and enforce rhe bees handle food again? That is disaster.

 

[Finman]

Even though we are only just beginning to experience pleasant Spring weather just now in Melbourne -

Wow... you live in Australia. It would be nice to know, where everybody keep his bees.

Australian winter and Yukon winter... and why feeding bees

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the earwigs here have persistently "invaded" the area above the crown boards of my hives, under a weatherproof roof, for at least the last couple of months.

Maybe so - but has that had any negative effect on the bees?
I have colonies of earwigs under many of my roofs, as well as ants under others, they don't interfere with the bees in the slightest

 

[Erichalfbee]

When you have already capped frames, why to uncap cells and enforce rhe bees handle food again? That is disaster.

I didn’t say I did it. Just explained what the term meant

 

[Finman]

I didn’t say I did it. Just explained what the term meant

Yes, it came from polyhive. He was feeding extra sugar from frames in spring.... title was how to load the combs with sugar..

Impossible to read all this stuff

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Impossible to read all this stuff

from most of your replies I assumed you hadn't

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, it came from polyhive. He was feeding extra sugar from frames in spring.... title was how to load the combs with sugar..

Impossible to read all this stuff

None of it matters.
The OP would be best served by listening to ITLD
Here’s a reminder

Investigate what is going on inside the colony.
Not taking syrup when others around it are is the first indication all is not well. Can just be small, but colonies that are queenless, sick (with say nosema or CBPV), or other issues....show up first in the autumn as the reluctant syrup takers..its actually a very easy and non intrusive way to identify the likely ones to fail. If just small may well only take what they can and still survive.....but we find the non takers are very often the dead outs later.

 

[mbc]

Fondant and syrup are different, mainly in that processing syrup stimulates the bees and usually gets the queen incentivised to lay up some eggs, also bees like balance, and processing lots of syrup triggers more pollen collection to redress the carbohydrate/protein balance.
Despite being a big resource of carbohydrate a block of fondant doesn't register the same with the bees to flick their switches, not always a bad thing.

 

[understanding_bees]

Maybe so - but has that had any negative effect on the bees?
I have colonies of earwigs under many of my roofs, as well as ants under others, they don't interfere with the bees in the slightest

I do not have enough experience to know what effect the earwigs might have on my bees.
I do know the effect of the earwigs in my strawberry garden - it is not good - and I do not want to encourage them.
My main reason for responding in the first instance was to let others know that in different locations - different climates - that different results may be experienced. You mentioned ants in your posting. I know that there are very many species of ants, and it is likely that ants in the UK and in Australia may have as many differences as they have similarities. I have just removed a colony of thousands of ants from above the crown board of one of my hives, where they had set up an "incubation station" which had a very large deposit of eggs.

 

[Finman]

from most of your replies I assumed you hadn't

That is true.

 

[Ian123]

When you have already capped frames, why to uncap cells and enforce rhe bees handle food again? That is disaster.

No it’s not a disaster, often in spring you’ll find packed stores up against the brood area. If you bruise the cappings on those frames you’ll more times than not find those stores replaced with eggs/brood on next inspection. Handy if you don’t have any frames to hand or if the colony isn’t large enough to justify another box and the vain! space.

 

[Finman]

No it’s not a disaster, often in spring you’ll find packed stores up against the brood area. If you bruise the cappings on those frames you’ll more times than not find those stores replaced with eggs/brood on next inspection. Handy if you don’t have any frames to hand or if the colony isn’t large enough to justify another box and the vain! space.

Yes, I have had bees some years.

That my answer was a disaster. I thought thar we were filling the hive for winter.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have just removed a colony of thousands of ants from above the crown board of one of my hives, where they had set up an "incubation station" which had a very large deposit of eggs.

But were they doing any harm to the bees?