Checking if to feed

[Finman]

that is nonsense.

Question was about autumn feeding for winter.

I never weight hives in Spring with balance. First i try with hand.
Then if it is light, I open the cover to see if there is capped food.
If not, I give food.

Why everything is so totally complex like 1:2 syrup making.

Goooood heavens! Adult people and cannot weigh a hive!
Open it. So you see what is inside.

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[Skyhook]

that is nonsense.

Question was about autumn feeding for winter.

I never weight hives in Spring with balance. First i try with hand.
Then if it is light, I open the cover to see if there is capped food.
If not, I give food.

Why everything is so totally complex like 1:2 syrup making.

Goooood heavens! Adult people and cannot weigh a hive!
Open it. So you see what is inside.

.

If you read Rab's post, you'll see that what I was agreeing with, was the idea that you should heft/weight both sides, as the stores are not always central in the hive, and weighing one side only can give a false impression.

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[Finman]

If you read Rab's post, you'll see that what I was agreeing with, was the idea that you should heft/weight both sides, as the stores are not always central in the hive, and weighing one side only can give a false impression.

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that is nonsense II,

STORES MUST BE IN WHOLE BOX,NOT ONLY IN CENRAL! When you check this, the hive must be first feeded and then weigh it. No idea to weigh it before feeding.

Rab wrote that bees consume the food often from one side more. That is true but invalid in winter feeding.

But when we are in autumn and in winter feeding, bees store food evenly and the idea is fill the empty combs.

Shecking spring food is very different. Then bigger problem is how to get rid off from winter food.

..........

But you may do this as difficult s possible. No limits. And I think that very few even weigh the hives.

 

[Finman]

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In theory, the whole idea is to make winter feeding easier, not more difficult,
- and ensure in easy way that every hive has enough food over winter.


You may keep notebook too, how much each has taken. So you need not weigh the hive.

.
Remember.....easier, not more difficult.....

.weighing hive is not necessary at all, - according my 50 y experiences.

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[oliver90owner]

Rab wrote that bees consume the food often from one side more. That is true but invalid in winter feeding.

I agree. The thread was, by then, discussing weighing methods. Newbies and those that don't think, would blindly follow the hype - and likely get it wrong.

Only small, weak colonies will not load stores into the hive fairly evenly and they are likely the ones to succumb later in the winter. Their demise being blamed on anything other than being under-sized in the first place.

There is a whole picture to be looked at, not single isolated items in a very defined context. Too many worrying about removing the roof and crownboard for a few seconds at this time of the the year; then interfering with the colonies in the depths of winter when they should be left alone, undisturbed.

Hefting = minimum disturbance. That is why we heft in the later winter period. Simple, really. KISS principle in operation again.

No thought, no gain (may be too deep for some to understand where that one comes from - think of the usual maxim). Ouch?

 

[For want of a better word]

if hefting really is a problem why not just ensure that each hive has been really well fed in autumn and gets a decent "insurance" block of fondant midwinter.

Two hivers can afford to fuss over their pets..........what do the big 1000 hive commercial operations do?

 

[oliver90owner]

what do the big 1000 hive commercial operations do?

Use the KISS Principle, of course. They think ahead, more than five minutes.