does everyone feed there bees in the autumn?

[Chris Luck]

Everything is a variable depending on your bees, your hive set up, where your bees are situated and the quantity of natural forage they have stored in the BB or BB plus super(s) if that is your configuration. Then it will depend on whet you leave them with and that could include taking stores from the BB, (some apparently are what I would call "that desperate" and say that replacing with sugar is better for the bees).

So what we have once again is an almost impossible question to answer that is dependant on a large number of variables including your attitude and approach to keeping bees.

Personally in a more or less normal year I don't find it necessary to feed in autumn / winter and of course feral bees are quite happy to get through winter without being fed if they are living in a part of the world / country where they would naturally occur.

Working them like this I find that the old method of hefting is quite satisfactory.

Chris

 

[aberreef]

I didn't feed last year, not out of choice, and lost 2 colonies to ?starvation despite giving them fondant. A third colonies queen failed early in the spring.

I've got the sugar ready for this autumn already

 

[Finman]

t I would call "that desperate" and say that replacing with sugar is better for the bees).

So what we have once again is an almost impossible question


Personally in a more or less normal year I don't find it necessary to feed in autumn / winter
Working them like this I find that the old method of hefting is quite satisfactory.

Chris

so you are that kind of beekeeper. You dont open brood. You dont take yield off.
You have taken seriously the wordsof Jesus: " look att he birds of sky. They do not plough or put seeds into soil. God takes care on them".



When you look the unemployment figures in Europe, you surely have afford to say " money means nothing to me"
That is not beekeeping at all.

It is like to go and say to carpenter " wood works are from arse. I do not need to do wood works".

Okay! i need money and I take off the honey desperate or not, but I am proub about my yields and I do not gather prices. I gather money. THAT IS CALLED ECONOMY.

i do not know your yieds but they are not much with you system. "i do not treat varroa". Okay....
What a lazy man!

in what ever country you are, that is not beekeeping. it is like to keep a small bigg in your living room. Ifyou like biggs that much.

To feed honey value more that 100 euros to a hive is just stupid.


Greeting from desperate person


.

 

[Tdf]

so you are that kind of beekeeper. You dont open brood. You dont take yield off.
You have taken seriously the wordsof Jesus: " look att he birds of sky. They do not plough or put seeds into soil. God takes care on them".



When you look the unemployment figures in Europe, you surely have afford to say " money means nothing to me"
That is not beekeeping at all.

It is like to go and say to carpenter " wood works are from arse. I do not need to do wood works".

Okay! i need money and I take off the honey desperate or not, but I am proub about my yields and I do not gather prices. I gather money. THAT IS CALLED ECONOMY.

i do not know your yieds but they are not much with you system. "i do not treat varroa". Okay....
What a lazy man!

in what ever country you are, that is not beekeeping. it is like to keep a small bigg in your living room. Ifyou like biggs that much.

To feed honey value more that 100 euros to a hive is just stupid.


Greeting from desperate person


.

 

[Chris Luck]

Ooooop's, treading on corns again.

Chris

 

[Skyhook]

To go off at a tangent- or return to the OP if you prefer-

I feed. I try to get some syrup into them before they fill up on honey, as this is a much easier way to get a prophylactic dose of thymol into them against nosema, than going round spraying it on all the ivy in the area.

.

 

[Phayze]

All beekeepers are different to each his or her own some for honey some for money some for pleasure some for all,there are lots of right ways and lots of wrong ways but they are all individually specific to the beekeeper you will learn what the bees you keep require and the varying knowledge gleaned from this site can be incorporated into the way you keep bees but only if it suits you and your style of keeping as we are all different and so are our environments.that said I plan on leaving a super of their own stores on for winter they've done all the work so believe they at least deserve some of their fruits of their labour but that's just my opinion for the bees I keep

 

[jackbee]

All beekeepers are different to each his or her own some for honey some for money some for pleasure some for all,there are lots of right ways and lots of wrong ways but they are all individually specific to the beekeeper you will learn what the bees you keep require and the varying knowledge gleaned from this site can be incorporated into the way you keep bees but only if it suits you and your style of keeping as we are all different and so are our environments.that said I plan on leaving a super of their own stores on for winter they've done all the work so believe they at least deserve some of their fruits of their labour but that's just my opinion for the bees I keep

We're not all in it for the honey, mummy!

Not saying the honey isn't a nice bonus but not what keeps me in it at the moment.

Enjoying the experience and stimulation of keeping bees, learning about them every day. Just being able to sit in the garden watching and smelling the hive is a pleasure.

Don't know what I'll do in the winter Probably buy more books, just started the Jürgen Tautz book, brilliant book. Pointing friends & family to my amazon wishlist for xmas

 

[meidel]

We're not all in it for the honey, mummy!

Not saying the honey isn't a nice bonus but not what keeps me in it at the moment.

Enjoying the experience and stimulation of keeping bees, learning about them every day. Just being able to sit in the garden watching and smelling the hive is a pleasure.

Don't know what I'll do in the winter Probably buy more books, just started the Jürgen Tautz book, brilliant book. Pointing friends & family to my amazon wishlist for xmas

Me too, in my case re-reading all the material on swarm control again as I'm determined not to let it get the better of me next year

And also supervising the OH as he knocks together all those pieces of wood we've ordered from the sale

 

[tkwinston4]

This being my first year keeping bees I wouldn't know how to gage the weight of a heft...
my boxes are heavy enough to make me fart when lifting...
is that a good sign?

Not if you follow through!!!

 

[Finman]

.
2-hive owners opinion:" I do not do this for money".

If he says that he keep 2 hives for money, I would keep him mad.

 

[jackbee]

you're very entrenched aren't you finman, forthright but not always right

 

[Outlander]

you're very entrenched aren't you finman, forthright but not always right

I actually agree with Jack on this one.

 

[Finman]

.
2-hive owners are allways right becauce you cannot win stupid person with debating.

.you can be so right as you like.
It does not harm me. Life teaches if brains do not work.

Oh boy...i do not know what is enrekhed and possibly I am not much interested.....

 

[REDWOOD]

If my bees are hungry they will be fed just like my cats

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes i do.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

If my bees are hungry they will be fed just like my cats

Felix? Kit-e-cat? Whiskas?

Dusty

 

[Ely]

and the bees should be fine and able to cope with ivy honey stores?
Darren

That is what my bees soley lived on over winter. Both hives came through fine with plenty left over.

 

[jackbee]

I actually agree with Jack on this one.

 

[jackbee]

you cannot win stupid person with debating.

quite right, they'll only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience