Should I feed?

[thorn]

A couple of my urban hives are very full, with a lot of brood, but no stores left. Presumably they're using everything they bring in. There's no sign of starvation, but I'm worried that we might get a couple of bad days with no chance for them to forage.
Should I take the supers off and feed them, and if so, what concentration?

 

[snelgrove]

A couple of my urban hives are very full, with a lot of brood, but no stores left. Presumably they're using everything they bring in. There's no sign of starvation, but I'm worried that we might get a couple of bad days with no chance for them to forage.
Should I take the supers off and feed them, and if so, what concentration?

What's in the supers, if they have honey don't worry, however if the supers are full of honey and you remove it, ensure there are stores in the brood area. There should be a couple of stores combs in brood chamber. Could be a case of far to prolific bees for your area.

 

[thorn]

What's in the supers, if they have honey don't worry, however if the supers are full of honey and you remove it, ensure there are stores in the brood area. There should be a couple of stores combs in brood chamber. Could be a case of far to prolific bees for your area.

Nothing in the supers, nothing, or next to nothing, in the brood boxes. Had there been, I wouldn't be worrying. They've consumed everything they've put away. There's been no problem in previous years, and while there used to be local competition for forage, those hives died over the winter. In Leeds we've had a lousy summer and early spring, and the bees were slow to get going, unlike my rural hives.
So, do I feed, or hope that the lime trees come through?

 

[Erichalfbee]

If they were mine I would take the supers off and fee.
I would use a small rapid feeder and give them 2 litres at a time OR give them a frame of stores...if you have it

 

[Finman]

.
I would not take supers off. Bee volume needs them.

IT is not rare to me that I feed 6 box hives with Sugar at the end if June.

I would feed them with 1:2 to add food store. They at least one week food. So 10 kg sugar to the hive. IT is 4 full frame food. 1/4 out if original food is consumed to processing. No need go give more water that they must fan it off.

Look first situation in each hives.

 

[Finman]

.
Bees swarm, if you take supers off. Too growded place then.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ok take one off
Leave them on and you'll get sugar in them unless you're keeping a really close eye on what they are doing with your feed

 

[deanrpwaacs]

Its funny . I have 1 hive with italian strain and they seem super eficciant at just being a hive . Nothing extra is put away in the super and there are enough stores kept to tide them over . Them came through the winter much lighter than than my other bees and would not take any syrup down . Yet they have expanded well and are busy all of the time . The local mongrals on the the other hand are bonkers . Buckets of honey and bursting out of the hives .

 

[Finman]

Its funny . I have 1 hive with italian strain and they seem super eficciant at just being a hive . .

Your Italian is not more efficient than others. You happen to have aroud you good pastures and such plants, from where bees can get nectar.

 

[Finman]

Ok take one off
Leave them on and you'll get sugar in them unless you're keeping a really close eye on what they are doing with your feed

You do not know what you are doing.
.he is now keeping enough close eye when noticed that the hive needs food.

When you feed the hive, they put the food nearest to the brood.

Brood consumes about 500 g/day in summer. The hive needs at minimum one week store to stay alive so, that you are not serving food every day like to aquarium fishes.


A beekeeoers should analyze, why he has such environment that it has not enough nectar flowers. I have done that whole my beekeeping life.


.

 

[oliver90owner]

The simple list should be followed at each regular inspection.

Among. The items on that list is a question such as: is there sufficient stores?

In simple terms that means might they need feed before the next inspection. If the answer is they do not have sufficient stores, then the beek needs to make a decision.

If they will not return before the next inspection they must feed, to be sure the bees will not starve. If they are able to visit the hive during that time, if necessary to feed, then the beek can keep an eye on the weather and foraging opportunities - it may just be the weather causing the problem or it may be lack of forage whatever the weather. The experienced beek should know which it is and know whether those bees are foraging sufficiently to avoid the need for feeding before the following inspection.

If the beek is totally green or only a keeper of bees, they should be fed just enough to get them to the next inspection, plus a bit.

Simple, really, ennit?

 

[Finman]

The simple list should be followed at each regular inspection.

Among. The items on that list is a question such as: is there sufficient stores?

In simple terms that means might they need feed before the next inspection. If the answer is they do not have sufficient stores, then the beek needs to make a decision.

If they will not return before the next inspection they must feed, to be sure the bees will not starve. If they are able to visit the hive during that time, if necessary to feed, then the beek can keep an eye on the weather and foraging opportunities - it may just be the weather causing the problem or it may be lack of forage whatever the weather. The experienced beek should know which it is and know whether those bees are foraging sufficiently to avoid the need for feeding before the following inspection.

If the beek is totally green or only a keeper of bees, they should be fed just enough to get them to the next inspection, plus a bit.

Simple, really, ennit?

Even too complex when you tell it so.


You MUST do so that when if you cannot do next inspection, keep such food store in hive give that they live two weeks.

You may me sick, travel for work, visit relatives, be with children . What ever. If you have got an hive over the winter, sure you can do the same over 2 summer weeks..

Beekeeping is not so difficult, and least feeding.

And that simplicity is not needed everywhere. British beeks do 10 times "work" with hives than needed. You cannot do British beekeeping simple way, because you have such climate.(brains freezed).

 

[snelgrove]

If a colonies in late June has no stores, it must be fed or given stores, no two ways about it.

 

[Eyeman]

A couple of my urban hives are very full, with a lot of brood, but no stores left.

A couple of simple options.
1. Swap a frame of brood with a frame of stores from another hive?
2. If the hive is jam packed with brood then the queen risks running out of space to lay so take a couple of frames of brood off into a nuc add a QC or queen (beg, borrow or buy). Then add a couple of frames of foundation to the main hive and feed some syrup to help them draw it out and put some stores in.

 

[protheroe]

Feeding around 50 of my hives at the moment they are out of stores.very few colonies with honey and weather looking bad for the next week.slow build up this year and by the time they were all at a decent strength the weather has been rubbish.no queen excluders so a lot of brood to feed with little going in.

 

[madasafish]

I extracted a (full) super from one hive, but left two frames unextracted for bad weather. Looks like it is needed.

Edit: slowly buying up sugar stocks for autumn feeding: sugar prices are slowly rising.

 

[Finman]

.
If stores are Low, FEED!!!!..... Nothing else!!!!

 

[Finman]

Feeding around 50 of my hives at the moment they are out of stores.very few colonies with honey and weather looking bad for the next week.slow build up this year and by the time they were all at a decent strength the weather has been rubbish.no queen excluders so a lot of brood to feed with little going in.

That is they play of game. Be ready, if something happens

My hives were empty last summer up to end of July. Then in August plants start to give yield, and good one.

This year all has been marvellous. But because of early summer natural flowers will stop blooming about 15.7. So, this happiness lasts 3 weeks any more.