Newbie help please ...low stores what sort of sugar sugar I feed?

[juliabusybee]

Inspected today couldn't see any stores.
Bees are bringing in pollen, but couldn't see any pollen stored either.

I have this arrangement...
Base
Super (which did have honey in over the winter, now empty, but this honey was tainted with Apistan so I decdied to give it to them so under supered).
Brood (can't see any stores) there is capped and some uncapped brood and drone cells.
Queen Excluder
Super with drawn foundation
Crown Board
Roof

Should I add a feeder immediately and what sort of sugar syrup?

Also should I remove the under super, I havn't seen the queen but presume (unwisely) that she is in the brood box. How can I get the under super away and be guarranteed the queen isn't there?

Any help most gratefully received ....

Julia

 

[drstitson]

remove both supers and feed a good few pints of 1:1 syrup (or even 2:1 in this weather).

"How can I get the under super away and be guarranteed the queen isn't there?"

remove super and shake ALL bees into the brood box. simples.

 

[juliabusybee]

feeding

gosh that was a quick answer, thanks very much...will go and buy sugar now!!
many thanks Julia

 

[Poly Hive]

Can you tell the difference between stores cappings and brood as you have had much better weather up there than I have down here so?? Mine have stores yet.

PH

 

[drstitson]

obviously if hive very full of bees a super can be left on as extra space if necessary. how many frames of brood are there?

 

[juliabusybee]

about 5

 

[juliabusybee]

Yes the capped brood I can see in the centre of the frames, theres no stores around the outer edges of farmes

 

[Poly Hive]

Are all the other frames empty?

PH

 

[juliabusybee]

No not completely, but more sparce, I have capped drone cells too on 2 frames

 

[drstitson]

sounds like they need supers off, empty outer frames out, dummied down and feed feed feed. they are about to starve (and are making it worse by needing to heat 3x more space than they need at the moment.

 

[juliabusybee]

ok so how much sugar to water would you say, thanks

 

[drstitson]

i'd go 2:1 in this situation.

 

[juliabusybee]

thank you for help...mission complete bees fed!