Feeding RAW sugar

[kighill]

I have been informed by a retired bee inspector of a gent that only gave bags of plain refined granulated white sugar in order to feed his bees ready for winter.

The method used was to place eight unopened 1kg bags of granulated sugar directly on top of the bees, replace the roof, job done.

Come spring, remove the roof and see what appear to be eight full bags of sugar all of which would be found empty.

I cannot recall if he said the bags were given a quick dunk in water before placing onto the bees and it makes sense that this could only be done on a solid floor.

Seems incredibly simple.

Any other beekeepers tried to use or currently use this method?

 

[For want of a better word]

No crown board.... must have been a very deep roof?

 

[Midland Beek]

Just imagine the quantity of water that has to be collected by the bees for them to use the sugar.

 

[mexbigshow]

i read about giving them raw sugar somewhere so i tried it in my top bar hive, it has a solid floor so i just split a 1kg bag length ways and set it down on the hive floor and gid it a squirt with water and it went quite fast but if i give them syrup they won't touch it

 

[oliver90owner]

Feeding RAW sugar

Simply for those that may not fully understand the title, kighill, I am sure, means plain refined granulated sugar, not raw sugar - as in the brown varieties.

My question is whether this was to feed the bees ready for winter or to feed the bees during the winter. Subtle difference and obviously not clear from the descriptive, although it does seem that this would be during the winter, in which case I might enquire as to how much stores were left with the bees in the autumn.

RAB

 

[mexbigshow]

in my case it was for a cast swarm with very little stores to feed them during winter

chris

 

[mbc]

Fondant is easier for the bees to process

 

[For want of a better word]

I am thinking of getting a Bookers Card for each of my hives...
then they can collect their own!​

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[rockdoc]

Sorry to drop this in on this thread, but all my full colonies are on brood and half and the supers are full and capped. Before I go off to heft, should that level of stores suffice or am I going to need to feed?

 

[colinlee]

feeding bags of sugar

just dunk the bags of sugar in hot water for 30 seconds then put straight onto frames over the nest then add super or eke add insulation I use old sacks then crown board then roof sorted ,if stores are iffy

 

[marklaverda]

Colinlee, when you do this do you leave the sugar in the bags, or pour onto the frames?
If you leave the sugar in the bags do you make a split for the bees to find the sugar? or do they work their way through the paper bag as they would a sheet of newspaper, when merging two hives?
Thanks
Mark
Thx

 

[MuswellMetro]

i can remember in the 50's yes i am that old that my grandfather placed brown paper bags full of loose sugar on the crown board ( sugar was sold loose by woolworths then and so were biscuits)

latterly in the 90;s he used 1lb bags of sugar dunked in a bucket of water then slashed with his hive tool over the feed hole

 

[itma]

...
The method used was to place eight unopened 1kg bags of granulated sugar directly on top of the bees, replace the roof, job done.

Come spring, remove the roof and see what appear to be eight full bags of sugar all of which would be found empty.

I cannot recall if he said the bags were given a quick dunk in water before placing onto the bees and it makes sense that this could only be done on a solid floor. ...

Just imagine the quantity of water that has to be collected by the bees for them to use the sugar.

Would the layer of sugar bags not absorb (or partially dissolve in) any condensation in the top of such a hive?

 

[For want of a better word]

Sorry to drop this in on this thread, but all my full colonies are on brood and half and the supers are full and capped. Before I go off to heft, should that level of stores suffice or am I going to need to feed?

Is that a BB plus a super being used as a brood plus another super with drawn and capped 11 frames of stores?
if so there will be stores in the BB and in the 1/2 to compliment the super.
add that lot up... 30kg of stores may be enough?

My ladies on double BBs have pulled in 40kg of sugar into a super and the 2 BBs. must have a sweet tooth!!!