Hives light

[ShinySideUp]

Some of my hives are too light for the winter so I have put food on one of them (I only have one giant feeder so they have to take turns), unfortunately they don't seem to want to take the food. It's been quite warm today and the bees have been out foraging for, well, nothing I suppose, so I assume they are alert enough to move around in the hive but no, they are not even looking. I've drizzled some syrup down the hole into the hive but they seem quite indifferent. I'm wondering if they think they have enough proper food to be going on with so aren't bothering to take the sugar syrup. It is 2:1 sugar/water mix.

Just wait? Perhaps it's too late for sugar syrup but it's warm enough.

 

[Corbeehives]

It's too cold to be feeding syrup now. Get or make some bakers fondant. Just sugar, water and glucose.

 

[Ian123]

It’s wam enough to feed syrup and I’ve fed up to end of the month before. Your problem maybe the syrup has got cold. After a cold snap I’ve often topped up feeders with warm syrup, trickled it down and they normally get straight back on it. Your in a mild area So no reason why you can’t get some more in.

 

[Apple]

It's too cold to be feeding syrup now. Get or make some bakers fondant. Just sugar, water and glucose.

Heavy frost on the verges on the way down to Newquay of some winter surfing yesterday morning (according to No1 son)
Sea was 6 degrees warm and surf was clean and about 4 meters when I got down there with No2 son at midday to catch the incoming tide.. Fistral beach was empty!

Positively balmy day so according to some it must be tropical in Surrey!
6 degree high and sunny today
3 degrees last night
Agree now too cold for syrup to be taken down... we finished feeding 3 weeks ago
Buy a couple of boxes of propper beefeed fondant. Aparently better for them than run of the mill cake makers fondant... unless you can be sure it has had no additives.
Lots of methods to put the fondant on the hive... straight onto the frames in a framed QX with the crown board over
In a takeaway food container over the hole in the crownboard, with insulation around.
I like freezer bags filled with sliced fondant with a 12mm eke, over the feed hole Bag cut to allow bees in, and under the insulated eke.

Chons da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Buy a couple of boxes of propper beefeed fondant.

Which is identical to 'proper' baker's fondant apart from with an inflated price (and maybe a dab of yellow food colouring) to convince the gullible it's better for the bees

 

[madasafish]

What is light?

I define light for my hive configuration as under 23kg .

 

[Ian123]

Heavy frost on the verges on the way down to Newquay of some winter surfing yesterday morning (according to No1 son)
Sea was 6 degrees warm and surf was clean and about 4 meters when I got down there with No2 son at midday to catch the incoming tide.. Fistral beach was empty!

Positively balmy day so according to some it must be tropical in Surrey!
6 degree high and sunny today
3 degrees last night
Agree now too cold for syrup to be taken down... we finished feeding 3 weeks ago
Buy a couple of boxes of propper beefeed fondant. Aparently better for them than run of the mill cake makers fondant... unless you can be sure it has had no additives.
Lots of methods to put the fondant on the hive... straight onto the frames in a framed QX with the crown board over
In a takeaway food container over the hole in the crownboard, with insulation around.
I like freezer bags filled with sliced fondant with a 12mm eke, over the feed hole Bag cut to allow bees in, and under the insulated eke.

Chons da

15-16c forecast for Saturday simple fact is you won’t get weight/sugar into frames faster than feeding syrup so if you think there short it’s the best bet, nothing to stop you going to the fondant if it doesn’t work. Bees will take syrup even in the depths of winter on a mild day as long as they are not so tightly clustered. It’s a question of the temperature of the syrup. Putting the syrup on hot with a little insulation prolongs the period they will take it down, and the feed hole wants to be directly over the cluster don’t expect them to walk through an empty box. I’ve done it plenty of times on nucs that have come up short late winter early spring.

 

[Apple]

15-16c forecast for Saturday simple fact is you won’t get weight/sugar into frames faster than feeding syrup so if you think there short it’s the best bet, nothing to stop you going to the fondant if it doesn’t work. Bees will take syrup even in the depths of winter on a mild day as long as they are not so tightly clustered. It’s a question of the temperature of the syrup. Putting the syrup on hot with a little insulation prolongs the period they will take it down, and the feed hole wants to be directly over the cluster don’t expect them to walk through an empty box. I’ve done it plenty of times on nucs that have come up short late winter early spring.

Usually a strong colony will provide enough heat to keep the syrup warm... and take it down.... perhaps a weaker or even a failing colony will not!
Probably too late by then to save it!

Fondant with a good pinch of fairy dust seems to work wonders over winter. No need to add anything else, shirley?
Chons da

 

[Apple]

Which is identical to 'proper' baker's fondant apart from with an inflated price (and maybe a dab of yellow food colouring) to convince the gullible it's better for the bees

Probably.....
Yeghes da

 

[ShinySideUp]

Well it's been very mild today and the sun has been on the hives, also they have been out flying around. I'll have a look later when the bees have gone in and see if they've been at it, if not I have fondant I can put on.

Update as at 1700: No bees in feeder, nothing gone so I'll take the feeder off tomorrow and replace with fondant. Just as well really as I have only one big feeder but with fondant I can do them all at once.

 

[The Poot]

Usually a strong colony will provide enough heat to keep the syrup warm... and take it down.... perhaps a weaker or even a failing colony will not!
Probably too late by then to save it!

Fondant with a good pinch of fairy dust seems to work wonders over winter. No need to add anything else, shirley?
Chons da

Who’s Shirley?

 

[Ian123]

Update as at 1700: No bees in feeder, nothing gone so I'll take the feeder off tomorrow and replace with fondant. Just as well really as I have only one big feeder but with fondant I can do them all at once.

I saw your post so when I got home and checked 16 bs poly nucs that had been filled with syrup 3 days ago all bar none had taken the lot. Did you put yours on warm. I’ll top them up again in the morning, I bring the 25l cans into utility room from the garage to warm up over night.....Ian

 

[Apple]

Who’s Shirley?

Oh no not again!

Chons da

 

[pargyle]

It's too cold to be feeding syrup now. Get or make some bakers fondant. Just sugar, water and glucose.

No it's not ... I've still got feeders on mine and they are guzzling it down - the feeders are in a super with a slab of insulation on top - there is still loads if heat coming up from the hive and the syrup is quite warm as a result.

 

[pargyle]

I saw your post so when I got home and checked 16 bs poly nucs that had been filled with syrup 3 days ago all bar none had taken the lot. Did you put yours on warm. I’ll top them up again in the morning, I bring the 25l cans into utility room from the garage to warm up over night.....Ian

Yes ... I sit the cans next to the radiator in the utility room so it does not go in cold, I use 2 Litre rapid feeders and they seem to be able to keep the syrup warm enough ... I was peeking in with a torch last night at about 9pm and there was a ring of bees in most of the feeders - all hives now feeling good and heavy so there won't be much more to get in there.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes ... I sit the cans next to the radiator in the utility room so it does not go in cold, I use 2 Litre rapid feeders

Mine go in the honey warmer

 

[madasafish]

We are now having overnight frosts. Liquid feed stopped weeks ago. - too cold..
(But all mine were up to weight mid October)

Only thing I am feeding is fondant to mini nucs

 

[Show me the honey]

It's too cold to be feeding syrup now. Get or make some bakers fondant. Just sugar, water and glucose.

He’s in Cornwall it’s warm enough for syrup. Doubt for much longer though been in shorts and t-shirt past 3 days

 

[pargyle]

Mine go in the honey warmer

That's a good idea ... it would solve the problem of 'er indoors complaining that she's fallen over 'more of my stuff left around' - can't think why I never thought of that ... I was going to put it in the airing cupboard ... more stress.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I saw your post so when I got home and checked 16 bs poly nucs that had been filled with syrup 3 days ago all bar none had taken the lot. Did you put yours on warm. I’ll top them up again in the morning, I bring the 25l cans into utility room from the garage to warm up over night.....Ian

It may have been cold when I put it on as it had been in my garden workshop overnight. Further to my update, above, I'm going to leave the syrup in until after the weekend as the temperature here is supposed to hit fifteen degrees tomorrow and Sunday. If they haven't bothered by Monday I'll take it off.