confused about this feeding lark....

[prana vallabha]

i am a first year b-keeper and am still having trouble with sugar ratio's i know that this time of year feed is 2:1 , so the question is - if i want to make 8 litres of solution at this strength ,how much water to sugar do i use .......

 

[meidel]

when you mix 1 ltr of water to 2 kgs of sugar you get roughly 2.2 ltrs of 2:1 syrup so about 8 kgs of sugar and 4 ltrs of water will give you about 8.8 ltrs of syrup

 

[Poly Hive]

If you are feeding syrup it's safer to feed until they say enough, as in they stop taking it than to say hmm 8 liters or whatever will do them.

PH

 

[oliver90owner]

and am still having trouble with sugar ratio's

Talk about making things hard for yourself.

Just dissolve 2 kg sugar in 1l of water, or multiples thereof. KISS principle at work. Bees don't work in litres or kilograms, they just use it. You just make it. Keep it simple!

 

[MuswellMetro]

and am still having trouble with sugar ratio's

Talk about making things hard for yourself.

Just dissolve 2 kg sugar in 1l of water, or multiples thereof. KISS principle at work. Bees don't work in litres or kilograms, they just use it. You just make it. Keep it simple!

i thought your 2:1 would be Imperial like mine

2lb to a pint

or 1.59859155 to 1

 

[prana vallabha]

Thanks all who replyed.If i weigh the back of my hive with a luggage scale what weight should i expect (i am using national brod box ) ...

 

[oliver90owner]

i thought your 2:1 would be Imperial like mine

Not even that, I would (and likely will have to this year) do it much more simply. Fill the container with sugar and make up to the same level with water. Can't get much simpler than that. Close enough for me every time! Bees don't complain.

I actually prefer to work in SI units, so my sugar is likely in 10N lots. I regress to the CGS(?) system at times, but am sharp (and old) enough to work in ergs, dynes and even BTU's if really needed.

 

[Poly Hive]

Half the actual weight.

PH

 

[nosmoking]

Bloomin' eck! My brain hurts

 

[herefordshirehoney]

I'm confused too been told to feed everywhere bbka, local association but after feeding 5l's to each hive over a few weeks i'm concerned if I put any more on they'll be no room for the queen to lay the winter bees.

Seems there's a balance to be struck I think ITLD said he feeds 1l per week to stimulate the queen, for the moment im going to try that as I dont want to clog up the nest but soon as there's brood i'll feed a bit more (both hive's seem off laying due to thymol in nest but last treatment due on today/tomorrow).

 

[drstitson]

"i'm concerned if I put any more on they'll be no room for the queen to lay the winter bees."

in a normal year one can assume that winter bee production starts in August.
(one of the reasons why august or especially sept brood block varroa control methods are a bad idea).

 

[herefordshirehoney]

"i'm concerned if I put any more on they'll be no room for the queen to lay the winter bees."

in a normal year one can assume that winter bee production starts in August.
(one of the reasons why august or especially sept brood block varroa control methods are a bad idea).

I've had very little new eggs in last week and half and last treatment due on on today/tomorrow, with most of the end of august brood emerging capped brood is dark biscuit colour now.

I'm tempted to not bother and take the monitoring boards out but at the same time I could make up half a treatment to go on the hives so the thymol smell isnt as strong and give it a week then take it off (i'm planning on oxlic acid in winter anyway hence why im 100% sure what todo).

Didnt think this feeding lark would be so hard =)

 

[Cazza]

Didnt think this feeding lark would be so hard =)

It really isn't rocket science.
Finish your apiguard treatment and then feed or feed at the same time IF needed.
Weigh or heft to assess weight.
My bees make it through the Winter in good fettle without worrying about brood numbers/Winter bees/stopping Apiguard blah blah.

Cazza

 

[oliver90owner]

My bees make it through the Winter in good fettle without worrying about brood numbers/Winter bees/stopping Apiguard blah blah.

Well put Cazza. It most certainly is not rocket science. It's the lack of common sense experiance that baffles some and others try to follow a strict timetable according to the calender. Other than that, a simple lack of understanding of what bees need and when, I would think.

I've not started feeding yet. Plenty of time (I hope) and there are other alternative strategies if I get it wrong.

 

[Teemore]

I am in the process of feeding and treating my colonies: some received or are in the process of receiving syrup prior to varroa treatment and some will continue to get some syrup during the treatment window. I have fed syrup because the stores in some brood boxes are lower than I would like and because the ivy will soon be in bloom in the vicinity of some of my apiaries: I want to boost their stores levels before the ivy blooms so that there isn't too much ivy honey in the brood nest. Most of my colonies have experienced several brood breaks during August (poor weather) and I view this as an opportune time to apply varroa treatment.
I find that the bees get used to the thymol based varroa treatments I use and the queens continue laying during the treatment period.
My biggest concern at present is the fact that a lot of my colonies are very low on pollen stores and I consider that this has been instrumental in the brood breaks I have seen. For this reason I am looking forward to the ivy starting to flower as my bees get a huge volume of pollen from it and have previously expanded the size of their Autumn brood nests to take advantage. Once my final varroa treatments go into the hives I will not be looking into any of my hives until the early Spring.

 

[beeno]

I'm confused too been told to feed everywhere bbka, local association but after feeding 5l's to each hive over a few weeks i'm concerned if I put any more on they'll be no room for the queen to lay the winter bees.

Seems there's a balance to be struck I think ITLD said he feeds 1l per week to stimulate the queen, for the moment im going to try that as I dont want to clog up the nest but soon as there's brood i'll feed a bit more (both hive's seem off laying due to thymol in nest but last treatment due on today/tomorrow).

Hi chrisbond,
I am doing that too, but be careful with inspections so that they don't run dry on stores. A lot can happen in seven days as I have already found out, but I think I got away with it. Also, my combine with pollen patty on was very light yesterday!

 

[Winker]

I am amazed at just how fast these little ladies work. I gave mine 13KG of syrup each the other day and within 3 days they had taken the lot down and have 80% of it capped off.

 

[matstones]

I'm confused too been told to feed everywhere bbka, local association but after feeding 5l's to each hive over a few weeks i'm concerned if I put any more on they'll be no room for the queen to lay the winter bees.

Seems there's a balance to be struck I think ITLD said he feeds 1l per week to stimulate the queen, for the moment im going to try that as I dont want to clog up the nest but soon as there's brood i'll feed a bit more (both hive's seem off laying due to thymol in nest but last treatment due on today/tomorrow).

Bit off subject but may help someone - I was given a "proper" aluminium bee feeder (donut shaped vessel)- but these just seemed to be an efficient way to drown bees. I found in the web the plastic bag idea which seems perfect. The photo is taken after bag was in situ for half an hour. I also am new to bees so welcome any comments on this. I don't see a downside to the plastic bag - less mess, cheap, effective. etc

(The website wouldn't let me post a picture - but you can imagine a freezer bag full of sugar solution, fastened with a tiewrap, dozens of pin prick holes - crawling with bees (.5 litre / 1Kg sugar/water)

 

[oliver90owner]

a "proper" aluminium bee feeder (donut shaped vessel)- but these just seemed to be an efficient way to drown bees.

Seems as though you might be missing a very simple part.

 

[m100]

I'm confused too been told to feed everywhere bbka, local association but after feeding 5l's to each hive over a few weeks i'm concerned if I put any more on they'll be no room for the queen to lay the winter bees.

Seems there's a balance to be struck I think ITLD said he feeds 1l per week to stimulate the queen, for the moment im going to try that as I dont want to clog up the nest but soon as there's brood i'll feed a bit more (both hive's seem off laying due to thymol in nest but last treatment due on today/tomorrow).

Heft the hive, look at the frames, estimate the stores and then determine how much to feed.

1 litre of feed a week at this time of year is pointless unless your hive is about 4kg light and if the weather goes downhill you'll be buggering about with fondant rather than leaving the hive alone most of the winter.

Of course things may be a bit different 'down south' or if you are in a unique microclimate but 'stimulating the queen' isn't necessary, you need to be working the remaining foragers to death stuffing stores away such that the winter bees emerging over the next few weeks have something to eat over winter.