Fondant on or off?

[beeno]

Not me but I have a copy of the article

Thanks for that Ericha.

 

[itma]

You mention you have insulation still in place as do I - just wondered when it would be a good time to think about removing it. Temperature is fluctuating so wildly at the moment

Mine stays in all year

Apart from mid-flow (when extra venting might be helpful), I'm coming to the conclusion that a closed and insulated hive top should be an advantage at all times.

What started me thinking that way was when the retired bee inspector happened to mention that he puts in top insulation during his Apiguard treatment. (Lightbulb moment!) Of course, it won't work properly if its too cool, so insulation increases the chance of it working effectively!
And if it can be prevented from interfering with a little extra high season through-venting, I can't see a good reason for removing it - ever.

 

[Cazza]

Apart from mid-flow (when extra venting might be helpful), I'm coming to the conclusion that a closed and insulated hive top should be an advantage at all times.

What started me thinking that way was when the retired bee inspector happened to mention that he puts in top insulation during his Apiguard treatment. (Lightbulb moment!) Of course, it won't work properly if its too cool, so insulation increases the chance of it working effectively!
And if it can be prevented from interfering with a little extra high season through-venting, I can't see a good reason for removing it - ever.

I keep some on all year too.
Cazza

 

[Tom Bick]

Don't see anything wrong with top insulation all year and I have built it into my flat rooves permanently removing the void in the roof as I don't see the point of it.

 

[djg]

If your bees are brooding, they will be collecting water to use to feed the brood. If they have enough stores of their own, they will need less water than if having to use fondant. You can now work out why thin syrup is the better option if the weather is now more spring-like.

RAB

I agree with RAB.

I switched off pollen patties to 1.5:1 syrup last week. Two reasons: last 3 weeks of an east wind have dried us out in London - water in hive at a premium; also, I can see that there's pollen about, but the rotten weather is too poor for nectar flow (as well as keeping the foragers mostky hive-bound just now).

Things look to be getting a whole lot better soon, but I hope to have provided a stimulus to my Qs' laying tendencies by a week or so.....

You know, the temptation to micro-manage my colonies in this frustrating and tedious Spring must have got the better of me. !

 

[BeeJayBee]

Earlier on this year or late last, someone posted an article by a beekeeper who leaves his fondant on all the time the bees need feeding and he does'nt use syrup at all of any streangth. I can't remember who posted it but it was a very interesting post.

Not me but I have a copy of the article

That article discusses fondant feeding from autumn through to spring, not all year round - but I too have seen something where a beekeeper uses only fondant irrespective of the season. I can't remember where it was.

Don't see anything wrong with top insulation all year and I have built it into my flat rooves permanently removing the void in the roof as I don't see the point of it.

Polystyrene hives come with either a polystyrene roof or a metal roof with a polystyrene insert - they're left on all year round.

Videos of 1930s beekeeping always show the beekeepers removing a wad of insulation. Didn't Muswell Metro find evidence that ventilating roofs was a fairly recent idea i.e. mid 1900s. Was it Wedmore's idea?

 

[oliver90owner]

Bees don't remove insulation from their natural homes in the summer months?

 

[user 6228]

bees have to put a lot of energy in to ripen honey... and the process takes less air movement at higher temperatures. So reducing energy losses during summer may be to their advantage.