Feeding

[Popparand]

Syrup or fondant this time of year---or doesn't it make any difference which you feed?

 

[eltalia]

If the fondant you are mentioning requires heating to make then
it is clumped (moistened) white table sugar **only** to be fed to
bees.
Where pollen stores are also low a small amount of protein sub
is also wise. Small as the kadt thing needed is to incite any brood
raising over a period of dearth.

Bill

 

[Beagle23]

Syrup or fondant this time of year---or doesn't it make any difference which you feed?

It doesn't matter, but the cheapest and easiest way is probably syrup. We tend not to get a June gap here in surrey but I know some beeks at our apiary use syrup right through until the end of July ('cheating' as I like to call it )

 

[Ian123]

Fondant for the depths of winter syrup now.

 

[Eyeman]

Fondant is often a life saver to nucs when they are building up at this time of year. I can put a slab of fondant on my 3 and 6 frame nucs and feel confident they will be fine for a couple of weeks. Topping up syrup feeders on nucs is time consuming and time is in short supply this time of year. Just had a delivery of 250kg of fondant.

 

[enrico]

The rule of thumb is
one sugar to one water for summer and encourage wax building
two sugar to one water for autumn feed and storage
fondant for emergency feeding in late winter and spring
but honestly, bees will deal with anything you give them. the hints above are to try and make it easy for the bees and us!
E

 

[eltalia]

The rule of thumb is
one sugar to one water for summer and encourage wax building
two sugar to one water for autumn feed and storage
fondant for emergency feeding in late winter and spring
but honestly, bees will deal with anything you give them. the hints above are to try and make it easy for the bees and us!
E

Whilst I disagree strongly with all of the above - exception being "bees will deal..." - I am
n0t going to argue beyond advising new players to seek wider advice on the topic.
Clearly a mindset exists in this place, one not to be tinkered with - as well proven in quick
time, really.
/folds hands/

Bill

 

[Eyeman]

With syrup avSlow feed or rapid feed when encouraging them to draw foundation. I like to restrict the size of the feeder hole in the crown board when getting foundation drawn to reduce the amount of syrup that gets stored. Seems sensible but haven't a clue if it works or does it just simply takes them longer to drawn it out?

 

[Beefriendly]

You can have all the silly debates about sugar syrup strengths/fondant you like.
If your bees are starving, or close to it, they won't give a toss what you give give them......as long as you do give them some thing.

 

[enrico]

Whilst I disagree strongly with all of the above - exception being "bees will deal..." - I am
n0t going to argue beyond advising new players to seek wider advice on the topic.
Clearly a mindset exists in this place, one not to be tinkered with - as well proven in quick
time, really.
/folds hands/

Bill

Bill,
If you are not going to argue, or give a reasonable alternative to my advice then what is the point of your answer other than to cause confusion. Your posts frustrate me. I think the time has come to totally ignore them. Life is far too short to try and make sense of your beekeeping habits any longer. I am not sure what country you live in but clearly your beekeeping ethics are about as far removed from British beekeeping as they could possibly be. Whilst our methods may not work for you they are tried and tested in our Country and climate and whilst we are always willing to move forward, to leap into your world would be, for me at any rate, a frightening leap of faith. I would like to say it's been a pleasure knowing you but.......
E

 

[Poly Hive]

I am with you 100% here Enrico it's becoming trolling in my view and time for the ignore button to be pressed. Rather disappointing as I had thought the Tassies were better than this example.

PH

 

[Murox]

I am with you 100% here Enrico it's becoming trolling in my view and time for the ignore button to be pressed. Rather disappointing as I had thought the Tassies were better than this example.

PH

+1 and in more garrulous language -
Most beekeepers do not use this forum to explore the esoteric subtleties, philosophies or systems you loosely hint at. You do not challenge another's advice or opinion nor offer an alternative or have unique knowledge. You frequently use verbose lecture and monotonous diatribe that baffles me and I suspect the average beekeeper. Perhaps you should start a new thread about the esoteric subtleties, philosophies and systems of keeping bees.

The majority of the advice, opinion and manipulations offered on this forum are applicable to vertical movable framed hives, and primarily those within the maritime climate of the UK. Some advice, especially general bee behaviour, disease knowledge/information, and certain manipulations are applicable internationally and some transferable to/for the keepers of the various horizontal hives.
I am sure most realise that as long as bees have access to mixed seasonal pollen bearing and flowering plants, a good climatic environment, the absence of stressors such as diseases, viruses, gut parasites, invasive parasites and starvation they should thrive.

 

[Vortex]

To return to the original question..
I use fondant all year round.. It makes no difference as far as the bees are concerned but fondant is far easier to put in/on a hive and easier to transport. In addition all my hives have 2" thick insulated crown boards which stay on all year and have a dedicated slot in the middle for taking a 2"x2"x8" block of fondant. All my Nucs (Abelo Poly Langs) have poly carb crown boards so can take the fondant in the "roof space".

 

[SDM]

With the bonus that fondant is far less likely to incite robbing.

 

[Beefriendly]

The downside being that if bees are really starving then they need to liquefy fondant and dilute it down to 50% or less before they can metabolise it. Not a major problem with all this stuff falling from the sky.
But a thought worth bearing in mind if they are in desperate need of energy it's imposing an additional bit of work on them.
Using, say, 30-50% syrup is instantly usable.

 

[Curly green fingers]

The rule of thumb is
one sugar to one water for summer and encourage wax building
two sugar to one water for autumn feed and storage
fondant for emergency feeding in late winter and spring
but honestly, bees will deal with anything you give them. the hints above are to try and make it easy for the bees and us!
E

Brilliant advice for a new beekeeper to take note of syrup strengths ratios etc ..

 

[eltalia]

Bill,
If you are not going to argue, or give a reasonable alternative to my advice then what is the point of your answer other than to cause confusion.

No arguement, as put.
If you are to read the thread you'll find post #2 holds the information
required to feed bees, posted long before your 'advice' I note.

Feed your bees whatever if such makes your bees special in your view.
Fact is managed Apis honeybees exist all over the Planet, even in places
there is no "village shoppe" holding bags of sugar.
FYI...?... we (FNQ.au) are into our six month of managing dearth.
Quite the exception (year) we are yet to add a single tablespoon of sugar
to any bees. I'll only point to that as Beekeeping.

/nods/

Bill

 

[Repwoc]

If the fondant you are mentioning requires heating to make then
it is clumped (moistened) white table sugar **only** to be fed to
bees.
Where pollen stores are also low a small amount of protein sub
is also wise. Small as the kadt thing needed is to incite any brood
raising over a period of dearth.

Bill

Bill

Please will you explain the phrase "Small as the kadt thing needed "?

Thanks.

 

[eltalia]

Bill

Please will you explain the phrase "Small as the kadt thing needed "?

Thanks.

Sure Paul, too easy...
A typo, should read "last"... and in context says it is important only
to feed small amounts or risk the bees bringing the queen to lay up
a storm, the last thing needed to happen in a dearth.
Clear?

Bill

 

[Beefriendly]

Killer Airborne Disease Transmitters or Kadt as they are know are a hard core punk band with number like "frontal lobotomy".
Perhaps quite relevant /Big Grin/