Feeding For Winter

[simonforeman]

I may of asked this question before but not really got the answer to it or options....

I plan on feeding for a little longer. Then I'm thinking for belt and braces of putting a big slab of fondant on top for my peace of mind before strapping them up. I am thinking approx a 6kg slab but should I put straight onto frames or above hole in crown board ? I have some crownboards that have 2.5 inch ekes on them so I can do either way. I also now have insulation in all roofs.
I will then around turn of the year add another slab if the first has gone.

Thoughts please

 

[Erichalfbee]

I may of asked this question before but not really got the answer to it or options....

I plan on feeding for a little longer. Then I'm thinking for belt and braces of putting a big slab of fondant on top for my peace of mind before strapping them up. I am thinking approx a 6kg slab but should I put straight onto frames or above hole in crown board ? I have some crownboards that have 2.5 inch ekes on them so I can do either way. I also now have insulation in all roofs.
I will then around turn of the year add another slab if the first has gone.

Thoughts please

If they are winter weight then you don’t need fondant.
If you want to put some on then make it 2kg ish in a plastic bag over a feeder hole surrounded and topped by insulation

 

[madasafish]

If the hive weighs 40kg or more, you are overfeeding..

And if you leave fondant on until spring, the queen will have limited space to lay.

 

[simonforeman]

Thanks both for the replies....

This is where it gets confusing Madasafish....as I have read on threads that you feed until they stop taking...Then you say above 40kg it's over feeding... not problem with your comments at all but this is now something to look into.....

 

[madasafish]

Thanks both for the replies....

This is where it gets confusing Madasafish....as I have read on threads that you feed until they stop taking...Then you say above 40kg it's over feeding... not problem with your comments at all but this is now something to look into.....

I base my 40kg on several years of weighing... (and published weights of honey stores required ) Of course if you have a brood box full of honey in spring, you can always remove combs full of honey and substitute frames of drawn out foundation - IF you have any spare- it took me approx 2 years to get to that happy state.

 

[enrico]

There is a happy medium . Enough to get them through winter but not so much as to get them to move what is left into the spring crop. I like my hives to weigh between 50 and 60 lbs with everything, roof, floor etc. So half that when weighing with luggage scales by lifting one edge.
That works for me. I watch them in early spring to ensure they don't Starve. Last year I finished feeding this time of the year and one hive put a further 10lbs of ivy nectar in. I weigh every week during the winter remembering that wet hives weigh more than dry hives!
E

 

[Curly green fingers]

I may of asked this question before but not really got the answer to it or options....

I plan on feeding for a little longer. Then I'm thinking for belt and braces of putting a big slab of fondant on top for my peace of mind before strapping them up. I am thinking approx a 6kg slab but should I put straight onto frames or above hole in crown board ? I have some crownboards that have 2.5 inch ekes on them so I can do either way. I also now have insulation in all roofs.
I will then around turn of the year add another slab if the first has gone.

Thoughts please

I would hold of on the fondant if you have ivy flows . Have you ivy around?. all of my hives at home slowed down on the syrup a week ago because of ivy .
I'm mainly BS nationals , brood/half and they weigh from 43kgs and above if they put on 10lb from the ivy or more that will fill the rest of the space in the half.
You need to weigh really with luggage scales to get a more accurate reading and read what the bee's are doin
If your single brood weighs 35kg and above and you have a flow I'd stop feeding. And weigh them every week but that's me.

 

[Beefriendly]

I base my 40kg on several years of weighing...

But what type of hives are you weighing and how?
Also how do you equate your 40kgs between, say, poly or wooden hives and say double brood or brood box with a super?

 

[simonforeman]

I do have ivy around but wouldn't say that the bees are all over it today but are bringing in pollen. I have lifted hives thus evening and all 4 seem pretty heavy. With the weather so mild they are all busy coming and going. They have all had another feeder full tonight and I have enough for Friday and then plan to stop and get some luggage scales to monitor.

 

[masterBK]

You can always have a look inside the hive (only takes a minute). Assuming a single brood hive I find that if they have 8 or more corner to corner fully capped national brood frames of liquid stores they have enough to get most colonies through to spring. I winter on double brood these days and stop feeding when they have sealed 10 frames (and will find out what they have when I take the Apivar strips out next week)

 

[Curly green fingers]

But what type of hives are you weighing and how?
Also how do you equate your 40kgs between, say, poly or wooden hives and say double brood or brood box with a super?

Also the type of bee needs to come into it . Madasafish was talking about single bs nats I presume .

 

[Beefriendly]

Also the type of bee needs to come into it . Madasafish was talking about single bs nats I presume .

Poly or wooden single bs nats? I think Madasafish uses poly, but he needs to confirm this.
It makes a big difference...
the devil is in the detail,and the 40kgs per hive is meaningless without more detail being added as to how it is calculated and in what type of hive and how3 many boxes etc.

 

[madasafish]

Poly or wooden single bs nats? I think Madasafish uses poly, but he needs to confirm this.
It makes a big difference...
the devil is in the detail,and the 40kgs per hive is meaningless without more detail being added as to how it is calculated and in what type of hive and how3 many boxes etc.

I use wood with enveloping poly covers or just plain poly..and all use approx the same stores in winter.

 

[Beefriendly]

I use wood with enveloping poly covers or just plain poly..and all use approx the same stores in winter.

Thanks, that half of the equation. How are you weighing? and what are you subtracting to get you 40kgs.
I ask because i'm interested.

 

[madasafish]

Thanks, that half of the equation. How are you weighing? and what are you subtracting to get you 40kgs.
I ask because i'm interested.

my 40kgs is total weight: floor +super +b box +frames+bees +honey. and CB No roof.


edit apology - away out a lot so very disjointed.

 

[Curly green fingers]

That's the same as my hives, except I've not got supers nadired I weigh with out roof on.
Home made floors out of Douglas fir not Cedar.
My hives weigh more than 40kgs, with space for stores .