Hypost
New Bee
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2018
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Derbyshire
- Hive Type
- National
- Number of Hives
- 2
I've been lucky enough to capture two swarms this week and have a question about the problems, if any of feeding fondant, rather than syrup.
Swarm 1 - a national brood box with one drawn frame (as bait). The remainder of the box I back filled with foundation only frames after the bees arrived. Bees will stay in this box.
Swarm 2 - a nuc with one drawn frame (as bait). The remaining frames have starter strips of wax at the top, to retain the appearance of volume in the box. I am thinking to let them settle in here until the queen is laying and the frames are getting drawn, and then transfer to a brood box.
My apiary is in woodland so forage is "adequate" rather than abundant. There is also adequate water.
I intend to feed both colonies to help them build up but I'm away for a week. I'm concerned that if I feed syrup now, at any concentration, the feeder will be dry before I'm back and an interruption in feeding will somehow knock back their build up.
I've (fortunately) two 2.5kg blocks of Ambrosia left over from the winter. Can anyone foresee any problem in simply sticking those on and just letting them work their way through them, and revert to syrup when they are finished.
?
(I think that my concern / lack of knowledge relates to the water content of fondant vs. syrup and if it impacts at all on the efficiency of drawing comb.)
Swarm 1 - a national brood box with one drawn frame (as bait). The remainder of the box I back filled with foundation only frames after the bees arrived. Bees will stay in this box.
Swarm 2 - a nuc with one drawn frame (as bait). The remaining frames have starter strips of wax at the top, to retain the appearance of volume in the box. I am thinking to let them settle in here until the queen is laying and the frames are getting drawn, and then transfer to a brood box.
My apiary is in woodland so forage is "adequate" rather than abundant. There is also adequate water.
I intend to feed both colonies to help them build up but I'm away for a week. I'm concerned that if I feed syrup now, at any concentration, the feeder will be dry before I'm back and an interruption in feeding will somehow knock back their build up.
I've (fortunately) two 2.5kg blocks of Ambrosia left over from the winter. Can anyone foresee any problem in simply sticking those on and just letting them work their way through them, and revert to syrup when they are finished.
?
(I think that my concern / lack of knowledge relates to the water content of fondant vs. syrup and if it impacts at all on the efficiency of drawing comb.)
