Most "stimulative" syrup ratio?

[Sutty]

I'm feeding a small colony that was a cast swarm a few weeks ago. I'm trying to stimulate laying and colony growth so they are stronger to overwinter. I may also add a pollen substitute patty shortly.
In the past I've used 1:1 syrup for this sort of thing (1litre water to 1Kg sugar), recently I've used 1.5:1 (1.5 litres water to 1Kg sugar) this seems to be working well.
This has made me wonder what the most stimulative syrup concentration is?

 

[Erichalfbee]

My bees get invert for everything
It seems to work whatever they need it for
You can’t make a small colony go faster with syrup? They need bees. Have you a frame of emerging brood spare?

 

[Sutty]

Feed does seem to up the laying rate from what I've seen, also will help them draw out foundation to give more room for laying.
I'm considering adding some emerging brood frames too.

 

[GuyNir]

I use 1.5:1 or even slightly thinner. Simulate nectar and used for build up rather than storing.

 

[Finman]

Brood rearing depends most on pollen or quality of pollen patty. Syrup stimulates some brood rearing, but bees must get from pollen outside.

To rear winter bees with patty does not have good future.

To speed up brood rearing before winter has not much succes either. Those bees, which feed larvae, will die before winter. German researchers found out that to accelerate late brooding do not make colonies winter clusters bigger.

 

[Patrick1]

The Ivy should be along soon, thats a good source of pollen and an anoying source of necta

 

[user 819]

I never see ivy as an annoying source for nectar, not the first time though Patrick you have mentioned it.

 

[Patrick1]

It sets like concrete, the bees find it difficult to breakdown without water often beekeepers think they have lots of stores but the pollen is good stuff.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It sets like concrete, the bees find it difficult to breakdown without water

You'd think after collecting it for over a millenium they'd have got the message by now and stopped storing the damned stuff

 

[Ian123]

It sets like concrete, the bees find it difficult to breakdown without water often beekeepers think they have lots of stores but the pollen is good stuff.

Got to say I love the ivy and wouldn’t be without it it’s really noticeable in years it fails due to weather how much extra you have to feed, in particular the Nucs. In my area it’ll flower till about the end of November. If the weather allows pollen collecting bees raise large amounts of winter bees on it, and brood rearing ceases with the end of its flowering. Even in the spring solid frames of ivy stores are great for feeding.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Got to say I love the ivy and wouldn’t be without it it’s really noticeable in years it fails due to weather how much extra you have to feed, in particular the Nucs. In my area it’ll flower till about the end of November. If the weather allows pollen collecting bees raise large amounts of winter bees on it, and brood rearing ceases with the end of its flowering. Even in the spring solid frames of ivy stores are great for feeding.

never seen an issue with bees taking it

 

[user 819]

We know the bees love it for the pollen and esp the nectar, for me it's the extra feed I don't have to give to the bees and purely for the aroma of it in the air.

 

[Patrick1]

It’s a great pollen and nectar but when it sets it becomes a problem, just a caution really to the less experienced.

 

[user 819]

It's an issue I don't see with my bees, yes they tend to leave it till last after most of the sealed runny honey is used. though if they need it, it does get used. I do see a lot of waste on the floor as a bit does drop down out of the colony.

 

[Sutty]

Does seem a bit odd to complain about set honey in the comb, and then feed fondant.

 

[user 819]

Unlike fondant ivy does set hard as nails and quite quickly. Fondant is usually soft and pliable.

 

[Sutty]

My limited experience of fondant is that it starts pliable, then sets rock hard, but the bees still use it.

 

[GuyNir]

My limited experience of fondant is that it starts pliable, then sets rock hard, but the bees still use it.

One I’ve been using (Apipasta) stays pliable throughout.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It's an issue I don't see with my bees, yes they tend to leave it till last after most of the sealed runny honey is used.

Usually because, being the last nectar source of the year it gets stored at the outermost area of the nest, therefore it will be the last stores they get to (the cluster isn't going to go around a food source to get at something further away)

 

[madasafish]

My limited experience of fondant is that it starts pliable, then sets rock hard, but the bees still use it.

Wrapped in cling film and a hole in the bottom (placed on the top bars), does not go hard in my experience.

If hard, remove from hive, uncover it, a fine spray of water ,cover it up as above.. .Will loosen it up.