Fondant Feeding - When

[beenovice]

Hi All,
I have a hive which is currently a national brood chamber. I fed up in November to a weight of 34kg, and then closed them up for the winter. I weighed the hive this week and it was 26kg, so they have consumed 8kg of food. At what point should I consider adding a slab of fondant?

 

[drstitson]

are you yet to open up and oxalic?

 

[beenovice]

No, I haven't opened up at all. To be honest I wasn't going to treat with Oxalic. However, I have had a change of plan, and now have some crystals on order. They should be with me this week.

 

[Skyhook]

I don't know the weight of your hive and bees, but that would suggest to me that they must have a good 15kg of stores. When they start brooding in spring they want a mixture of stores and empty cells or there is nowhere to lay. If you are able to monitor regularly, I would be happy to let that reserve halve before I felt the need to feed more- after all, if we get an early spring it may not be many weeks before they start to forage.

Do bear in mind though that once they start brood raising in earnest their consumption will speed up, so if they are not foraging by that point, it's easy to get caught out.

.

 

[einsteinagogo]

I was going to ask this because it seems most add fondant but some local Beeks have said why....my single hive went into winter on top of a full super and brood stores of 17kg and 25kg those were weighed on scales.... Cannot lift the combined hive now but been hefting still feels heavy but do have luggage scales I could use....so same question and sorry to hijack your thread. And yes I would treat....I've had a low count after Sept treatment but recent count three a day drop so I've treated yesterday. So is foundant needed for my hive? I've have 5kg ready if needed....

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[einsteinagogo]

I don't know the weight of your hive and bees, but that would suggest to me that they must have a good 15kg of stores. When they start brooding in spring they want a mixture of stores and empty cells or there is nowhere to lay. If you are able to monitor regularly, I would be happy to let that reserve halve before I felt the need to feed more- after all, if we get an early spring it may not be many weeks before they start to forage.

Do bear in mind though that once they start brood raising in earnest their consumption will speed up, so if they are not foraging by that point, it's easy to get caught out.

.

I'll monitor and heft! get the luggage weighing scales ready, and screw in some screws...

 

[Erichalfbee]

I echo Skyhook
I'm happy for my reserves to get to about 7Kg then look at what's happening re weather and forage.....monitoring the weight on a frequent basis.
One year I had to take out a fair number of store frames in the Spring.

 

[hiveabee]

I have had fondant in place since the end of November, when I applied OA on Boxing day the girls had hardly touched the fondant. Today I had a quick look and it was still the same. My hive with the Perspex crown board indicated that they was happy just meandering about. So I hope they know what they are doing. I am sure they do.

 

[PaulCarroll]

I am similar to Hive, in that having fed fondant in November as the hive felt light and following an alert from the local association, I found on Sunday when trickle treating, that they had not really taken that much fondant, but all looked well with a good cluster of bees. I guess the old adage of bees know best really is being exemplified this winter.

 

[Tom Bick]

I have in the past given the bees a block of fondant in November above the crown board within a block of insulation. You don't see the bees working it for a long time but it's there if they need it and often thought better safe than sorry, if not used easily removed.