Low Stores surprise

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

roche

Queen Bee
***
BeeKeeping Supporter
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
2,092
Reaction score
975
Location
Newburyish
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
6
We went around to take Apiguard off yesterday, and were surprised to find stores levels in all the colonies had decreased hugely in the last two weeks.

We had left all the colonies with a super of their own stores, and brood boxes with plenty in as well. They all appeared to be flying well. But in the space of a couple of weeks, they have really dug into the stores.

I don't think it was robbing - haven't seen any untoward activity.

There are higher numbers of bees around and active than I would have expected. I think the Indian summer has kept numbers up, but with decreasing forage.

Bottom line is - we are now feeding, after being confident we wouldn't need to.
And it may pay to check your stores. It's been a funny season.
 
My welsh girls have mostly stopped laying and are packing in the ivy.
Do you have a prolific strain of bee Roche ?
 
I hefted end of last week. Most seemed fine, one which had been full was now not and I nadired another which seemed to be bursting out the crown board and grumpy with it. Supposed to be Amm but bursting out the commercial. Ivy in flow but have to see how the wind blows...
 
Mine are a mixed bunch. Some may yet finish light, some are OK and at least one was storing honey in a shallow put under (another empty one) below the brood box! It was put there with honey in some frames. They initially moved some up to fill the brood (presumably)

So I may need to even out some of the stores. Otherwise I may need to use up this fondant, that has been sitting here for the last four or five years!

It's been a funny season.

Too true!

Just like last year and probably the previous, only different this year! Your bees are likely brooding heavily (so in three weeks time there may be a huge space in the brood box with no forage to fill it!). It might be necessary to feed fondant shortly to get things filled up? I've never fed fondant as autumn feed but....

RAB
 
We're feeding syrup at the moment - depends on weather for the next week or so...
Just glad we had plenty of sugar to hand.
 
Yesterday I found that my two smallest colonies (just a national brood box each) were much lighter than I had thought - they stopped taking feed about 3 weeks ago and I had not fed them or touched them since. I have put syrup back on both.

My question is - at what temperature should I stop feeding syrup and move over to fondant? Can I wait until it is frosty? Or is it getting too late now for them to be able to store syrup?
 
2:1 was crystallizing in the contact feeders this morning, but same batch of syrup in the Ashforth/ Miller feeders still had about a gallon to go... fresh as a daisy being thymolated. Minimum temp last night was 8 degrees C up to 16 just now...........no signs of any slowing down as yet! If the ivy gets a frost there may be trouble ahead?
 
Last edited:
I've never fed fondant as autumn feed but....

RAB



Give it a whirl.

Works for me and I've found that since drip feeding fondant for winter stores rather than piling in the 2:1 syrup I'm getting more winter brood.

Less messy and easy to administer too.
 
WPC,

I might. And I never advocate piling in the 2:1 until those winter bees are in the brood frames. I can put up with short stores but can't do anything about too few bees!

One reason is I haven't fed anything in autumn for about the last five years, Not a skerret. Well OK, some might disagree and claim I have fed honey. I will swap frames of stores or put a few shallows, with some honey, under another colony for them to take it up into the brood. I seem to usually finish up removing stores frames from some colonies come the springtime.

Some will be going to bed with only ten frames this winter so they may need hefting a bit earlier in the new year, but I expect they will just need frames of comb adding as they get into the spring expansion. Just have to wait and see.

Perhaps I should say sugar (but isn't honey c.80% sugars?) or be really precise and say refined sugar. Either way, I am hoping nothing extra will be needed by the time they settle down but I will not worry unduly. The last checks on a few hives (not necessarily the colonies) should be finished this week, I think....

Regards, RAB
 
WPC,

I can put up with short stores but can't do anything about too few bees!


Regards, RAB

Ah but you can
I took a deep breath and followed ITLD's tip and took a frame of food out replacing it with foundation but putting it in the middle of the brood nest. It works......more winter bees. I might try more than one frame next year.
 
Erichalfbee,

I was referring to wintering, when it is too late for any more bees but I can feed if they need it. (where I said 'I can put up with short stores but can't do anything about too few bees!)

If that has to be done, there is likely already some loss of potential brooding - and we never know when the autumnal preps are going to come to an end. A case of a brood frame in the hand is worth two store frames in the bush - or something like that.

RAB
 
Hi
I was hoping to put on a last feed on my lightest ones this coming weekend. BUT having re hefted the rest on sunday. I feel the need to re visit them all with more feed as a top up, maybe they weren't as heavy as I thought or me just getting weaker at the end of the season. The weather doesn't look to good, short term anyway. Maybe fondant later? I was hoping to avoid that this year. Hey ho.

cheers Ian
 
Interesting thread. My 2 colonies had behaved differently - one seemed to be taking syrup at one stage like there was no to-morrow but then stopped - the other did not seem interested in syrup. Both quite busy in teh Indian Summer but when I had a look to check stores I too was surprised that they did not seem to have stored as much as I'd have thought. There is quite a lot there in the central 8 frames but less in the outer ones than I expected.
So I ordered some extra fondant thinking I may just have to feed them that at some stage. I also put my varroa treatment on later than some - finished the 4 week cycle a fortnight ago. Fed them at the same time. I have dribbled some syrup down from the feeders to remind them it is there and am trying again. Each hive did have quite a few uncapped stores as well as capped - so I guess they are busy and I shouldn't worry.
I only had one of these hives last year; they were quite a large and vigorous bee but I was surprised that they had lots of stores left after last winter. Perhaps they are meagre winter feeders.
 
Erichalfbee,

When I stripped the colonies for heather after the moor, and I was ruthless. Example: Langstroth with two pollen combs and 8 of stores. After stripping, 2 pollen combs, one foundation frame, one frame feeder and 6 empty brood frames and a massive feed.

Result? usually two of three frames of brood, foundation drawn out and set for winter.

Adding foundation during a good autumn feed is a well trialled and tested thing to do. It's just not discussed that often in books as either the authors are not aware of it, or they don't want to risk beginners getting it totally wrong.

If you listen to Murray you winna go far wrong.

PH
 
EricA. I saw the thread about putting a frame in the brood so that they make more winter bees. I tried it but all they did was fill it with stores. This meant I had a split brood, so I had to put the brood back together again. I had to take the frame which was supposed to be brood out.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top