Lack of stores in March

[Woodland bees]

I've just had a quick look through most of our hives and was a bit surprised at the lack of stores. All but one had hardly anything left.

I'm surprised as they are not large colonies, just a single brood box, and all had a full super of extra stores left on. They filled up with ivy at the end of last year so went into winter with plenty of stores. I've also put a couple of kilos of fondant on them as a precaution at the end of Feb when the weather became cooler.

I have been keeping an eye on them as we've had a very mild winter here with no meaningful frost since December. The bees have been very active and flying in Jan and Feb a fair bit.

Has anyone else had this? I had expected the super to provide more than enough food but perhaps this winter was just too mild? Each hive had a large amount of bees in them, some eggs, brood and capped brood, but not a huge amount.

Also, is it too late to feed fondant? Thankfully the bees have been out on the blackthorn these last few days and the forecast is sunny for the next week, if a little frosty at night.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Also, is it too late to feed fondant?

No, fondant can be fed at any time of year.

 

[Finman]

.
Better to feed them the basic store than to wait help from forecasts. Basic store is 5 kg sugar.

 

[sean-a]

My sister is in devon and reported that her hive was dead today.
Starved in a garden awash with blossom!
Gutted as it had one of my better queens in it.

 

[drex]

I overwinter on double brood and the boxes were nearly full going into winter. Had a look this weekend and some were dangerously low. It has been so mild over winter, I doubt if the bees have gone into cluster very much and there is already a good amount of brood, both will increase food consumed.

 

[enrico]

I overwinter on double brood and the boxes were nearly full going into winter. Had a look this weekend and some were dangerously low. It has been so mild over winter, I doubt if the bees have gone into cluster very much and there is already a good amount of brood, both will increase food consumed.

Two full double brood box,s? Blimey, they are greedy!
Brood and a half. Still have stores left and bringing in nectar. Brood on seven frames.
E

 

[Repwoc]

I've just had a quick look through most of our hives and was a bit surprised at the lack of stores. All but one had hardly anything left.

I'm surprised as they are not large colonies, just a single brood box, and all had a full super of extra stores left on. They filled up with ivy at the end of last year so went into winter with plenty of stores. I've also put a couple of kilos of fondant on them as a precaution at the end of Feb when the weather became cooler.

I have been keeping an eye on them as we've had a very mild winter here with no meaningful frost since December. The bees have been very active and flying in Jan and Feb a fair bit.

Has anyone else had this? I had expected the super to provide more than enough food but perhaps this winter was just too mild? Each hive had a large amount of bees in them, some eggs, brood and capped brood, but not a huge amount.

Also, is it too late to feed fondant? Thankfully the bees have been out on the blackthorn these last few days and the forecast is sunny for the next week, if a little frosty at night.

Same here. I've put syrup on mine since the forecast is for !4 C + this week.

 

[chipper]

Most of my colonies have come through with adequate stores....The usual odd one needing a little fondant and a alittle syrup now it's warmer...
One apiary however had desperately low stores in 12 of 15 hives...only assumption I can make is that they are exposed to stronger winds which seem to funnel up the valley whichever way the wind seems to blow...all appear healthy otherwise...
The mild winter hasn't been good ,the Qs laying all winter in some hives....

 

[madasafish]

I reckon my hives (insulated lang jumbo) consume approx 15 kg of honey over winter. That's a normal winter with little flying. If you allow 2kg a month (v approx) for extra flying in warm winters and three months of that, you need 21kg of honey. And if uninsulated add say 5kg more.. So 26kg.

A National brood box with bees and a full super may struggle...

 

[Woodland bees]

Thanks for the replies, it seems I'm not alone.

I had thought the supers would suffice as the colonies aren't huge. I also successfully overwintered them without a super last 17/18 winter. It was very cold though.

We are in a windy place here and the bees have hardly clustered, they were active when I treated them with oxalic acid. I think the poor weather over the last couple of weeks was the biggest problem.

They've all been fed, before I asked the question, I just wanted to make sure the fondant was ok as I found the Ambrosia fondant instructions a bit confusing. It would also be nice if the bees could get out and forage as each hive seems to have plenty of bees for the time or year.

On the plus side I am sure they eat ivy honey during the winter as they filled the brood box up with that late last year and it's all gone.

As for adding insulation, would that not make matters worse? My problem seems to be the hives have been too warm over winter.

 

[ShinySideUp]

I moved one of my hives yesterday to remove a nadir; almost gave myself a hernia it was so heavy. There was still fondant on the top and the bees were hardly touching it. I put the nadir back in the super position as I suspect they will be using it shortly.

My other two hives were much lighter and all the fondant had gone but there seem to be plenty of bees coming in and out in the sunshine so I'm reluctant to add more fondant as I don't want them storing it.

Unless a hive suddenly dies off in the next two weeks I can say I have brought three hives through two winters without loss and I put this down to having 14 x 12 brood boxes. This size of frame has great capacity for storage and I'm glad I chose it when I started this hobby.

 

[masterBK]

I helped a friend clean floors and check the stores situation in his 35 Mod commercial hives yesterday. All but two still had plenty of stores left. No losses and all but one looked strong. Most seem to have wintered very well. Aim to go through my 25 hives next wednesday and hope to find mine in as a good a state.

 

[madasafish]

Thanks for the replies, it seems I'm not alone.


As for adding insulation, would that not make matters worse? My problem seems to be the hives have been too warm over winter.

What do humans do when cold?: they eat to keep warm. So do bees.
But the difference is bees HAVE to heat the hive to raise brood. And so they have to eat to replace energy lost through poor insulation.

So food consumption in an insulated hive will be less than a uninsulated one as heat losses will be less.

 

[masterBK]

But if the bees in the insulated hive raise more brood than those in uninsulated hives (which they do during early spring) then they have more mouths to feed so could use more stores to do this.

 

[Finman]

But if the bees in the insulated hive raise more brood than those in uninsulated hives (which they do during early spring) then they have more mouths to feed so could use more stores to do this.

Odd calculations. Fast build up is the main goal. Fast build up can only happen in the big hive. Smaller colonies rippen later.

10 kg more sugar is £ 5. That is smallest thing in equation.

To get one brood box hive to forage honey yield, it takes 7 weeks time forward. Up to that time the colony build up the hive. In my climate 4 frame colony does not have time enouch to catch yield.

One frame brood needs equal one frame pollen. It means lots of work by forager age bees.

One box brood needs one box pollen.= good weathers, good blooming plants, much workers, pollen stores for bad days.

.

 

[GuyNir]

To get one brood box hive to forage honey yield, it takes 7 weeks time forward. Up to that time the colony build up the hive. In my climate 4 frame colony does not have time enouch to catch yield.

.

Thanks Finman. I was wondering about this.

 

[Woodland bees]

I was under the impression bees cluster tightly to keep warm when it's cold, to conserve heat and thus conserve stores. With build up I'm not sure I want them building up in Jan only to have a cold Feb and/or March.

We have a warmer winters here so I've not really worried much about insulation. Our bees were bringing in gorse pollen in January. Sheltering them more from the wind is something I plan to do.

 

[Eyeman]

There are lots of 'minor' nectar producing plants in flower all winter and early spring. The nectar produced may be sufficient to meet the 'bees needs' during that period. The result will be no net change in the weight of the hive even when brood rearing is taking place. It all depends if the conditions are right for the bees to forage and take advantage of that nectar. This is the main variable that affects how much weight change I see in my hives over winter.

 

[Finman]

.
If conditions are right, and then are not right.

Farmers' things are never right. It is too much or too less, but never right.

 

[Finman]

There are lots of 'minor' nectar producing plants in flower all winter and early spring. The nectar produced may be sufficient to meet the 'bees needs' during that period. The result will be no net change in the weight of the hive even when brood rearing is taking place. It all depends if the conditions are right for the bees to forage and take advantage of that nectar. This is the main variable that affects how much weight change I see in my hives over winter.

I wonder if your plants give nectar in under 10C temp, and if they give, do bees forage then. Bees only kill themselves when they try to forage in low temps.