Ivy nectar

[Paulf]

Does ivy nectar go hard and make it difficult for bees to feed mid winter. I have a small colony with anew queen 4 frames of bias some stores and pollen and partly drawn frames, dummied down but not many bees. Dont want to fill up with syrup so just topping up slowly with 1:1 to leave space for q. Ivy about to burst but have been advised to fill up with 2:1 before ivy so the use ivy honey first. Any advise on what I have done and the ivy issue
Cheers in advance.

 

[sandysman]

If you need to feed you should be feeding 2 to 1 at this time of year. I would also say that with only four frames I would be thinking of placing them in a nuc for the winter. If you have to keep them in a full brood box then you have done right to dummy down but I would also use some insulation over winter.

 

[drstitson]

as above - that is a nuc as you've described it. it needs to over winter in a proper poly nuc box.

 

[beeno]

Hi paulf,
If you have four frames of BIAS then you have basically got your winter bees! Well done. I lost my nuc last year from isolation starvation, so would deffo go poly nuc and feed, feed 2:1 or perhaps invest in a few litres of ready made ambrosia stuff. This year I am putting the fondant straight on the frames and hope that will improve mine and their prospects!

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Most years I have plenty of Ivy around me and it is no problem for the bees. Yes it does set hard.

 

[oliver90owner]

No sugar syrup fed in the autumn for at least 5 years, for me. Bees do not have a problem with the stores they collect. They are not stupid by any means. Lots of colonies have barren forage spells in nature and would fill up on whatever was available before the end of the season.

The biggest problem I had was when a dartington lost the insulation on one side and the bees made their brood nest on the warm side leaving ten frames half-filled, or more, with granulated honey in the spring (so I was unable to remove stores frames in the spring to make more laying space).

 

[Paulf]

No sugar syrup fed in the autumn for at least 5 years, for me. Bees do not have a problem with the stores they collect. They are not stupid by any means. Lots of colonies have barren forage spells in nature and would fill up on whatever was available before the end of the season.

The biggest problem I had was when a dartington lost the insulation on one side and the bees made their brood nest on the warm side leaving ten frames half-filled, or more, with granulated honey in the spring (so I was unable to remove stores frames in the spring to make more laying space).

Thank you very much. Been away all day. It is in a kingspan hive so well insulated with insulation dummy boards. Ill change to 2:1 now them. I was reading finmans bit about not filling with stores too early and allowing for a to lay for winter. Seemed to make sence

 

[BeeJayBee]

Bees do not have a problem with the stores they collect. They are not stupid by any means. Lots of colonies have barren forage spells in nature and would fill up on whatever was available before the end of the season.

A lot of people seem to forget that bees have been around much longer than beekeepers. They've evolved to deal with different types of honey, we're still in the very early stages of learning.

 

[Skyhook]

I think the idea about ivy honey becoming inedible comes from people opening hives to find starved bees and hard stores and jumping to conclusions, when what they're actually seeing is isolation starvation.

PS I would fill the spave behing the dummy board(s) with kingspan too, or the warm air can leak away past the dummy boards.


.

 

[Paulf]

That makes sence thank you all

 

[user 6228]

With a kingspan hive be careful. The advice given for wooden and poly hives may or may not necessarily apply as your colony has only a fraction of the heat losses. Make modest changes and then observe. Then share your observations.
Stores consumption is going to be dramatically less if the hive constructed correctly...
Think less than 8kg possibly a lot less than 8kg

 

[oliver90owner]

*when what they're actually seeing is isolation starvation

Or even simpler - blame the loss of any unhealthy or weak colony on something else. It happens all the time. Either a dishonest beek or one that doesn't know any better.

 

[Paulf]

With a kingspan hive be careful. The advice given for wooden and poly hives may or may not necessarily apply as your colony has only a fraction of the heat losses. Make modest changes and then observe. Then share your observations.
Stores consumption is going to be dramatically less if the hive constructed correctly...
Think less than 8kg possibly a lot less than 8kg

I'm not back in until wednesday. Then I can see how things are looking. Going to feed a little while weather is iffy.