How long should I keep feeding?

[VixyB]

Hi,

I bought a colony of bees in early April. I have been feeding them sugar syrup but am unsure when to stop.

Any guidance would be gratefully received!

Thanks
Vicky

 

[dexter's shed]

have you inspected the frames? are they still in the nuc or a hive now?
more info is good

 

[VixyB]

They are in the hive. When I looked last weekend there was an empty frame at each side and a half filled frame next to that on one side no another empty frame in the other.

There are 11 frames in total and they arrived on 6.

 

[Finman]

.
Does hive have brood?

 

[VixyB]

Yes and lots of pollen coming in too.

 

[Finman]

Yes and lots of pollen coming in too.

That is good then.

If you have 10 or 12 frames, food stores should be alltogether equal 2 frames, that bees can survive over rainy week.

If you have feeding box over the hive all the time, heat loss is too big via box.

 

[VixyB]

So taking the feeding box off would help them at this stage even though not all 12 are drawn out?

Will they still continue to draw out the remaining frames without the feeder?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So taking the feeding box off would help them at this stage even though not all 12 are drawn out?

Will they still continue to draw out the remaining frames without the feeder?

If you have a growing nuc and you keep on feeding them they will just fill the comb they've just drawn with syrup stores which won't leave the queen room to lay so in fact you could be slowing down their development - you need the bees to be busy raising brood not storing food.
As Finny said, as long as they have the equivalent of two frames of stores they'll be fine, the bees will bring their own nectar in and expand as they need the space - just keep an eye on them in case, with continued bad weather they run short.
How much brood is there? and how much space has the queen to lay?

 

[Swinton apiaries]

Looking at the frames of what stores they have is best but how have you been feeding them as if it is a small feeder they can be using it as fast as you are puting it on

 

[B+.]

Even a nuc should be able to support itself in late May/June so long as they have foragers.
If you look around you, there should be plenty of plants in flower now so they should get a mixed diet. If you continue to feed them syrup, they're just getting sugars. They need protein too to raise brood so you aren't doing them anyfavours by feeding now.

 

[VixyB]

Great - thanks everyone.

I will take the feeder off and keep an eye on them.