Lots of honey under feeder

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Liam C Ryan

House Bee
Joined
Jun 22, 2010
Messages
241
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0
Location
Tipperary
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
7
Hi All, My hives have an eek to hold the tray of apiguard and a feeder on top of the eek. On two of my hives when l went to take off the eek and feeder the bees had packed stores underneath the feeders completely filling the eek. It would be very messy to take off both feeder and eek and clean away the honey in the eek so would it be ok to leave both on over the winter and when the spring comes get rid of them. The feeders are Ashforth feeders so l could fill them with some type of insulation to help keep in the heat trough the winter. The Autumn in Tipp has been very good for bee foraging and all the hives are packed with stores even today the hives seemed as busy as they were during the summer with some new bees out finding their wings.
Regards
Liam C
 
Hi Liam

Hope you get a reply to this as i have the same problem.So please someone help us out.

Stephen
 
perhaps the not so immediately obvious reason as to why one is advised that one shouldn't feed and apiguard at the same time!!!!!
 
Carefully separate the comb from the top of the frames, remove the eke and turn the feeder upside down on top of a crown board (with holes open) and put back onto the frames, then an empty super as a spacer for the inverted comb then a final crown board with the holes covered - then the roof.

The bees will come up through the various holes and take the nectar/honey down into the bb

edit

I had the same a few weeks ago, there was approx 6 lbs of nectar/honey in this wild comb which they removed within a week:



drs - I always feed at the same time as apiguard
 
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Drs - I always feed at the same time as apiguard

Then that is quite simply bad practice - simples!!! Apiguard or similar mid August for 4 weeks, only feeding then if they are so light and potentially starving that they really need it. Otherwise, feeding heavy syrup or Ambrosia or similar from mid to late Sept until bees take no more. Then leave alone until around Xmas/New Year for Oxalic if varroa drop indicates. Glad you have the big Ashforth/Miller type feeders.
 
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It is obvious why they do it! You are giving them food and a space to build comb and store it! As Richard says, that is about the only least messy way to do it. Otherwise clear all the bees off it and just cut it off and put it in an empty feeder for them to remove the honey. Don't just leave it or you will have brood in there too next spring!
E
 
Apiguard or similar mid August for 4 weeks,.

:icon_204-2::smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5::icon_204-2:

Now that's a good un! I'll have to buy a diferent calendar next year - one with crosses on the dates I need to do things on! I'm sure the BBKA will have them available - each one with a free box of matches.
I fed one hive with apiguard still on this year because I concluded they needed it when I checked on taking the eke out there was no brace comb and the bees were much more active.
May I suggest that this was a case of giving them too much syrup so they utilised the empty space they had been given. No real help for sorting the problem out but a learning point for next year.
I don't always feed with apiguard on, but when I have, no real problems with brace comb.
 
It is obvious why they do it! You are giving them food and a space to build comb and store it! As Richard says, that is about the only least messy way to do it. Otherwise clear all the bees off it and just cut it off and put it in an empty feeder for them to remove the honey. Don't just leave it or you will have brood in there too next spring!
E

For once, Enrico, we do not agree.
I have had this happen and have left it til Spring. No brood and no problem to tidy it up then. I would leave it as extra stores if needed.

Cazza
 
If it was me, I would remove it now and feed back to the bees in a rapid feeder above a crownboard with the centre cup removed. Need a tidy brood box to treat with oxalic in a few months time, difficult to trickle with higgley piggley comb.
 
For once, Enrico, we do not agree.
I have had this happen and have left it til Spring. No brood and no problem to tidy it up then. I would leave it as extra stores if needed.

Cazza

I bow to your experience, I was talking from imagination and not actual experience. I just presumed HM would lay in it but...... I take your word for it ......although I would still remove it! X
E
 
I bow to your experience, I was talking from imagination and not actual experience. I just presumed HM would lay in it but...... I take your word for it ......although I would still remove it! X
E

Probably makes little difference either way, leave it and tidy later or tidy now.
Can't say they ever eat much of it so if I was less idle I might as well clear it up now. (Not a problem this year.)

Rarely ever use Oxalic so not an issue for me but of you want to then you would need a clear area as per Suzi Q
Cazza
 
If it was me, I would remove it now and feed back to the bees in a rapid feeder above a crownboard with the centre cup removed

Why?

If you think about it you'll realise my method effectively turns the inverted Ashworth feeder into a big square rapid feeder - the bee-space rim around the edge is enough to contain any nectar/honey draining from the comb.

Besides which, it works.....I've often used this method when there's been a late nectar flow, usually with a glazed crown board and the bees are up there in force within minutes.

richard
 
Richard, I have no experience of Ashworth feeders, only english feeders/rapid feeders! The important point, shall we agree :spy:, is to remove the wild comb, with honey, from the top of the brood box and feed back to the bees above a crownboard.
 
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