Feeding with an unusual hot season

[bluesman]

HI FOLKS -IVE NEARLY COMPLETED FEEDING AND LAST TREATMENT READY FOR WINTER......NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE A HEATWAVE -BEES ARE FORAGING AGAIN -WHILE EXAMINING THE BROOD BOX AT DUSK BEES ARE CRAMMED EVEN LYING STILL ON TOP OF THE FRAMES UNDER CROWN BOARD-I ALSO HAVE A EMPTY SUPER ACTING AS A EKE TO FEED

Q.1 DO I STOP FEEDING THE LAST LITRE OF SYRUP WHICH WILL TOTAL A GALLON WHILE THIS WEATHER IS HERE?

Q.2 CAN I STILL TREAT THE LAST APIGAURD AT APROX 26 DEGREES

Q3. WHEN THE WEATHER RETURNS TO COLD AND THEY ARE SHUT DOWN FOR WINTER -SHOULD I LEAVE THE EMPTY SUPER ON WITH CB AND THE HIVE TOP ON OVER WINTER OR DO I TAKE IT OFF AND JUST LEAVE THE BB ON ITS OWN WITH CB AND TOP ? BLUESMAN

 

[Hebeegeebee]

1) If they are full up, you don't need to feed.
2) I would treat with Apiguard.
3) Crown board on top of bees.

 

[Nose Ma]

Please can you press the "Caps Lock" button on the left of your keyboard - it makes things much easier to read in in lower case.

Ta!

 

[Skyhook]

No need to SHOUT, we can hear you perfectly.


Q.1 DO I STOP FEEDING THE LAST LITRE OF SYRUP WHICH WILL TOTAL A GALLON WHILE THIS WEATHER IS HERE?

Depends if they need it- a gallon isn't a magic amount. Some colonies will need more, some less.

Q.2 CAN I STILL TREAT THE LAST APIGAURD AT APROX 26 DEGREES
Yes, but you may want to temporarily increase the ventilation, eg pull the board out a couple of inches, in the heat of the day.

Q3. WHEN THE WEATHER RETURNS TO COLD AND THEY ARE SHUT DOWN FOR WINTER -SHOULD I LEAVE THE EMPTY SUPER ON WITH CB AND THE HIVE TOP ON OVER WINTER OR DO I TAKE IT OFF AND JUST LEAVE THE BB ON ITS OWN WITH CB AND TOP ? BLUESMAN

As long as it's above the crownboard, makes no difference.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Lot's of people with visual impairment use full caps because it's easier to see.

 

[Nose Ma]

Lot's of people with visual impairment use full caps because it's easier to see.

A fair point, and I must confess not to have considered it.

If you have trouble seeing the screen then ctrl and + will enlarge the text in the browser. Works for IE and Opera (I don't use any other browser) so I assume it's a standard shortcut, like ctrl c to copy.

Most users find it easier to read lower case, as the letters flow more one into another.

 

[Poly Hive]

The only way to tell if your haves are well fed or the weather got too cold is to see syrup still in the feeders.

There is a very long held convention, as long as the web I think that caps on is shouting. The disabled are catered for in Firefox (I know nothing of the others) by pressing Ctrl and + to enlarge the screen to quite scary sizes.

PH

 

[The Cumbrian]

A fair point, and I must confess not to have considered it.

If you have trouble seeing the screen then ctrl and + will enlarge the text in the browser. Works for IE and Opera (I don't use any other browser) so I assume it's a standard shortcut, like ctrl c to copy.

Certainly works on Firefox

Most users find it easier to read lower case, as the letters flow more one into another.

I would go so far as to say all people find it easier, I have seen children read a sentence purely using the blocked shapes of a word in lower case. In upper case all words are just rectangles and so impossible to decipher.

 

[victor meldrew]

The only way to tell if your haves are well fed or the weather got too cold is to see syrup still in the feeders.

There is a very long held convention, as long as the web I think that caps on is shouting. The disabled are catered for in Firefox (I know nothing of the others) by pressing Ctrl and + to enlarge the screen to quite scary sizes.

PH

And google chrome
VM

 

[Arfermo]

Rapid feeders

I have a 5 frame nuc which is thriving in the heat. However, until yesterday I had a 2 ltr round contact feeder on it and found that, because of the heat I think, the syrup was dripping everywhere and attracting loads of waps and robbers from adjacent hives etc. IT WAS EMPHATICALLY NOT LEAKING DUE ANY FALURE WITH SEATING/SEALING OF THE LID ITSELF. After washing and scraping everything including crystallised syrup and hosing off the surrounding soil, I went into Fragile P***et en route to the Gen Hospital to see if they had any rapid feeders, other than the ones I already have, which would fit into the roof space of a 5 frame nuc. All they had was a flattish rectangular rapid type feeder which they claim is 1.5 ltr capacity. Bought it, got it home and filled it with water and found that a fraction more than 1 ltr and it overflowed into the access area for the bees and consquently it would also flood the nuc itself if overfilled, and so on. I am certain that both the measuring jugs I used cannot be wrong and it was tested on a flat surface too. Any tilt in use and 1 ltr could overfill it.
Today I raised the point with FP and they claim that I am wrong. I also asked if their supplier did other nuc rapid feeders which would hold 2 ltrs or more (better for out apiary nucs). They ignored that point. I am aware that I could use the normal type rapid feeders, providing I leave the roof off and shield the nuc another way. I tried that but there should be a better solution per the FP type feeder.
Has anybody else on this forum tried these FP feeders (see them on their website at £4.99 + shipping £2) and have any comments?

 

[Nic Rhodes]

I use these feeders also and yes they are 1 ltr in size. Mine were from Paynes and I find them very useful and easy to use. They are 1 ltr however and that takes the liquid to a few mms from the overflow. I also measured them as I thought they looked small when I first got them. There is a bigger version available but does not fit my nucs (Payne$ poly). It is claimed to be 3 ltrs (36cm x 26cm x 7cm). I have none of this size. I do like the small feeder however.

 

[bluesman]

also comic sans font should be used to help ones with dyslexia -thats why all colleges are expected to use it these days.

 

[bluesman]

thanks for your support butty

 

[bluesman]

roger that!

 

[bluesman]

low or high case fonts ????

its a pity most of my replies were more about English litriture lesson that answering my question about the bees !

 

[Easy Beesy]

I think heebeegeebee, skyhook, polyhive gave you all the information you required. And your latest post was in lower case so its obvious you can take advice. Best of luck with your feeding regime, whatever you decide to do.

 

[oliver90owner]

Arfermo wrote:they claim that I am wrong.... have any comments?

Need a link to that feeder on their website please - I only found the three litre one when I looked. Or have they smartly removed it? I would not be surprised.

Ask for your money back. That is advertising which misleads purchasers into buying from them, instead of a slightly more expensive option (but of the right size) from another trader.

I have found they do not appear to be particularly honest in their descriptions, and are not so very clever - either that, or devious to the point of appearing deficient.

An example would be a large pile of litho plates which were touted as one millimetre thick. It is not rocket science to expect a pile of100, or a 1000, of these things to have a thickness of 10cm, or a metre, if that were the case.

So, despite it being so very easy to work out the individual thickness, even when pointed out, that they were very close to just 0.25mm, they only changed the dimensions on their website to 0.5mm. Go figure and make up your own mind - deception or stretching the truth?

Easy enough to calibrate/check the volume in your jug - weigh it. If your weighing scales are needing checking, check them using a full bag of sugar.

RAB

 

[justme]

I use these feeders also and yes they are 1 ltr in size. Mine were from Paynes and I find them very useful and easy to use. They are 1 ltr however and that takes the liquid to a few mms from the overflow. I also measured them as I thought they looked small when I first got them. There is a bigger version available but does not fit my nucs (Payne$ poly). It is claimed to be 3 ltrs (36cm x 26cm x 7cm). I have none of this size. I do like the small feeder however.

To get back to the question, Yes I've got one also, great for nucs but only a litre as said above. I fill mine when its on the roof very CareFully. If on solid floor and therefore hive tilted forward, remember to level hive before filling (and vice versa when finished feeding) if likely to get rain run in.

 

[crazy_bull]

I had got mine all fed up in good time, then the wether has changed propting a flow not seen since spring , this has meant every frame is ram packed with nectar/syrup, leaving nowhere for the queen to lay.

This week end i went through all the colonies that were rammed full and removed one or two fully capped frames and replaced them with empty drawn frames to give her room to lay. These capped frames will be frozen and kept for emergency feeding or when building nuc's next year.

C B

 

[alanf]

I am aware that I could use the normal type rapid feeders, providing I leave the roof off and shield the nuc another way. I tried that but there should be a better solution per the FP type feeder.
Has anybody else on this forum tried these FP feeders (see them on their website at £4.99 + shipping £2) and have any comments?

These feeders don't hold 1.5 litres of liquid when flat, but it's close if there is a gentle slope away from the feeding ridge. The only problem really is the FP description as 1.5litre but there are plenty of feeders out there with a quoted capacity that is higher than you would use out in the real world with slopes and wobbles. I bought one to sit square on top of a 5 frame nuc box where it can support a fairly shallow roof directly. It doesn't need any other blocks or ekes and can be refilled with minimal disturbance, as in 'should suit up but...'. I've not seen anything else commercially that does that job as well even if the practical capacity is less than quoted at around 1.2 litres.

Are the FP feeders the same as the ones P4nyes are selling? http://www.paynesbeefarm.co.uk/feeding/clear-box-feeder-small-1.5-litre/ they look very similar with the same dimensions, same quoted capacities in which case it's the maker who's claiming the capacity and the retailers are not checking that claim.

For more distant sites, I built a 5 frame nuc box with a 120mm deep lid; that can take 2 round rapid feeders, total 4 litres. For high feeder volume when you're using all 5 frames in a box there's really no getting round the need for a deep roof. Even raising the lid with a nuc sized eke does not leave enough width for a round feeder.