Feeding

[jonnybeegood]

If feeding now with syrup , this will be stored in the frames, wont it get mixed in with honey if they start bringing nectar in? I know the important thing is keeping the bees alive but if people are selling honey, what happens about syrup being mixed in?

 

[oliver90owner]

I. Diot is the only beekeeper I know that feeds sugar when the bees do not need it. Either he doesn't look, doesn't know or doesn't care.

 

[dn170221]

JBG,
I suppose needs must, if they are short on stores and you have a frame of food (which may be last autumns stored syrup) then so be it, I don't see that you have a choice if that is all you have! In the scheme of things if they bring in a couple of supers worth of honey one brood frame of stores wont make a huge impact. Also when you see them bringing in more for themselves you could always remove it or what is left of it again!

 

[pargyle]

To answer your question ... Yes, if you feed syrup now then it will get mixed up with any honey they produce and you then could be selling sugar syrup rather than honey - as has happened with some foreign imports of 'honey' in the past.

If your bees are starving now the season has started then there is something wrong.. queens should be laying like there's no tomorrow and the colonies should be growing like mad. If you live in an area where there is likely to be the 'June gap' then you have to take this into account and ensure that they have enough of their own stores left in the hive to see them over any periods where foraging is a bit on the short side.

 

[Dishmop]

this will be stored in the frames, wont it get mixed in with honey if they start bringing nectar in?

It will if you dont paint the frames different colours.

 

[Cussword]

It will if you dont paint the frames different colours.

 

[TOBY-3652]

feeding with syrup a joke surely??????????? in may

 

[dn170221]

JBG,
I suppose needs must, if they are short on stores and you have a frame of food (which may be last autumns stored syrup) then so be it, I don't see that you have a choice if that is all you have! In the scheme of things if they bring in a couple of supers worth of honey one brood frame of stores wont make a huge impact. Also when you see them bringing in more for themselves you could always remove it or what is left of it again!

Just re-read original post I thought it said it was syrup STORED in a frame that was being given as opposed to syrup that would then be stored in a frame. My preference would be to give a frame of stores if a hive seems low on stores at this time of year.

 

[Dishmop]

what happens about syrup being mixed in?

a matter of conscience I guess.

 

[jonnybeegood]

All you here that are saying why feed syrup in may , why not look at the thread "Feeding due to bad weather in may" on the beginners section, & then you will see that some people are having to feed, i never even said i was feeding did i? I was asking a question about feeding.

 

[Finman]

.
If you feed sugar syrup, is it stored in frames?... Never thought that.

 

[jonnybeegood]

.
If you feed sugar syrup, is it stored in frames?... Never thought that.

?? Yes it is , you suprise me.

 

[Dishmop]

All you here that are saying why feed syrup in may , why not look at the thread "Feeding due to bad weather in may" on the beginners section, & then you will see that some people are having to feed, i never even said i was feeding did i? I was asking a question about feeding.

Some people are having to feed............

thats because they have beed told at some point that bees need feeding and if they dont see any capped stores they therefore assume that the bees are going to starve because it has rained for three days, and the bees havent been out in their thousands. No capped food doesnt mean they they have no food.
If the weather is that bad that the bees havent been out then in my opinion the same weather would deter me from being out poking around in the hives looking for food.

 

[Fatbee]

The three year colony in a nearby tree seems to have managed to survive without me feeding them.

 

[Dishmop]

The three year colony in a nearby tree seems to have managed to survive without me feeding them.

They've probably got a freezer and microwave.

 

[B+.]

If the weather is that bad that the bees havent been out then in my opinion the same weather would deter me from being out poking around in the hives looking for food.

If these aren't just spring splits, I question whether these bees should be fed anyway. Some bees would eat everything you could feed them then swarm without ever producing a crop for the beekeeper.

 

[Hivemaker.]

If your bees are hungry at any time of year they need feeding, not leaving to starve to death.

 

[B+.]

If your bees are hungry at any time of year they need feeding, not leaving to starve to death.

My point was that we shouldn't be raising colonies like this. If they need feeding in May (and they aren't just a nuc) there is something seriously wrong. By feeding colonies that don't need it we are creating bees that are no good for anything. Its like breeding a hunting dog into a poodle. It wouldn't last 5 minutes without being looked after.

 

[Dishmop]

If your bees are hungry at any time of year they need feeding, not leaving to starve to death.

agreed, but it looks as if some of the people asking the question or are feeding anyway, possibly may not know from experience if they are starving or have some stores which you may not see unless you remove the frames.

 

[B+.]

a swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly
http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100545424

May is probably the best time to establish a colony. It is when bees naturally reproduce, so, why should colonies that should be at their strongest be fed? If they're being fed now, they'll probably have to be fed for the whole season. The next thing is they'll be short of pollen (remember 2012?)