Should I feed?

[Bee’s Knees]

I have three hives and in all of them the bees have emptied anything that was in the supers and there is basically no stores in the brood box. I didn’t take any spring honey.

It looks like one of hives has also now significantly reduced the amount of brood within the last week, probably due to a lack of food.

Should I take off the supers and feed them so that can quickly build up some stores over the next few weeks and then put the supers back on in July?

BlackBerry is now flowering here but the weather has been very bad.

 

[enrico]

I am feeding three hives. No flow at all, they need food to get enough energy to go get more food if you get my drift so the short answer is if they have no food you need to feed.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Should I take off the supers and feed them

yes

 

[roche]

You can't feed dead Bees.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

they don't make any honey either

 

[Redcap]

Taking all my empty supers off tomorrow and feeding all hives...if I don't I'll have no bees ! Think this has been my worst year ever..

 

[Eyeman]

Clearing supers at the same time as supplementary feeding. Prefer to do this when supers are still occupied as quicker than shaking the bees off the super frames.

 

[WoodenBeam]

Clearing supers at the same time as supplementary feeding. Prefer to do this when supers are still occupied as quicker than shaking the bees off the super frames.

Looking at that little video clip does that actually work? Supers just above a clearer board.
I've had problems clearing queenless colonies before, the bees aren’t enticed back into the brood nest due to I’m guessing a lack of queen pheromone.

If it does work then a nifty little trick that I’ve not seen before.

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Thank you for the advice. I have taken the supers off and started to feed.
My concern now is the lack of space they have without the supers and they might want to swarm.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Clearing supers at the same time as supplementary feeding. Prefer to do this when supers are still occupied as quicker than shaking the bees off the super frames.

Great registration plate

 

[Murox]

Having to feed four hives currently along with a couple of nucs taken to help with swarming , never experienced anything like this before in June a few days away from midsummer's day !

 

[user 819]

I'm not feeding yet though any forage incoming on most colonies is being used up or stored down stairs, a little excess in supers but not worth speaking of. Only one colony performing well and the long hive has very good stores.
For me this year I have other priorities so if the bees don't give me to much of harvest I shan't worry, I am booked in for major abdominal surgery mid August so I need to have all priority work on colonies done by then as I won't be able to work them at all for 8 - 10 weeks. Probably means (unusually) for me to give them a full early OA treatment course before then and then one in early Oct once I have recovered ( I hope I'm up and about then).

 

[Superlativesoul]

I'm not feeding yet though any forage incoming on most colonies is being used up or stored down stairs, a little excess in supers but not worth speaking of. Only one colony performing well and the long hive has very good stores.
For me this year I have other priorities so if the bees don't give me to much of harvest I shan't worry, I am booked in for major abdominal surgery mid August so I need to have all priority work on colonies done by then as I won't be able to work them at all for 8 - 10 weeks. Probably means (unusually) for me to give them a full early OA treatment course before then and then one in early Oct once I have recovered ( I hope I'm up and about then).

Wishing you a speedy recovery from your forthcoming surgery .
John

 

[Erichalfbee]

I am booked in for major abdominal surgery mid August

Best wishes for a good outcome and a decent rest and recuperation xx

 

[Newbeeneil]

Fed 2 apiaries with fondant today. Glad I got a dozen boxes delivered last week!

 

[Moobee]

I'm not feeding yet though any forage incoming on most colonies is being used up or stored down stairs, a little excess in supers but not worth speaking of. Only one colony performing well and the long hive has very good stores.
For me this year I have other priorities so if the bees don't give me to much of harvest I shan't worry, I am booked in for major abdominal surgery mid August so I need to have all priority work on colonies done by then as I won't be able to work them at all for 8 - 10 weeks. Probably means (unusually) for me to give them a full early OA treatment course before then and then one in early Oct once I have recovered ( I hope I'm up and about then).

Good luck with the op.

 

[user 819]

The beek who is buying 270lbs of honey from me is feeding his bees, he is feeding back this years OSR or what little he has.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

Inspected my NUC today... last inspected them last Sun and they were humming along nicely. Today - was shocked at their current situation.
I could see that something was wrong... but it didn't hit me at the time at how wrong it really was.

I noted that that there were NO stores at all - and no eggs. But queen observed and there was capped brood. SO gave them syrup.

But the weird observation was that large patches of capped brood had the caps nibbled. I noted that it was strange - but it wasn't until after communicating with some association members later tonight and being directed towards BeeBase that the realization hit me hard.

The poor girls were starving!



Signs of colony starvation (beebase)

1. Nibbled cappings with healthy looking pupae beneath is a typical sign of imminent starvation.
2. All the cells around the brood nest where you would expect to find honey/syrup stores are dry.
3. The bees are desperately nibbling at the brood cappings, presumably in search of food. Sometimes they will remove pupae and drop them on the floor or throw them out of the entrance.

 

[jarmo henttu]

I have three hives and in all of them the bees have emptied anything that was in the supers and there is basically no stores in the brood box. I didn’t take any spring honey.

It looks like one of hives has also now significantly reduced the amount of brood within the last week, probably due to a lack of food.

Should I take off the supers and feed them so that can quickly build up some stores over the next few weeks and then put the supers back on in July?

BlackBerry is now flowering here but the weather has been very bad.

Do you have a place , where the honey does not crystallize.

I think that the honey should be extracted.