Spring Feed

[steelwine]

When is a good time to start spring feeding with 1:1 sugar solution(ratio by weight sugar-water).
I understood that if you feed early on it will stimulate the bees into thinking there is a nectar flow so that the colony will build up rapidly in the early spring?
My question is when is a good time to start!?

 

[Finman]

When is a good time to start spring feeding with 1:1 sugar solution(ratio by weight sugar-water).
I understood that if you feed early on it will stimulate the bees into thinking there is a nectar flow so that the colony will build up rapidly in the early spring?
My question is when is a good time to start!?

But the truth is that sugar only does not speed up brood rearing. It only fills the valuable heated combs which are needed to lay.

I know, I know, UK is an exception in this meaning in the whole world, and what I said, is fact at least in outside world.

But this is truth in UK too: When bees go out, they get inspiration about foraging and they make brood as much as they can. Sugar does not make it better. The heat economy of hive limits the brood area, not feeding.

When it is cold and rainy in Spring, bees do not get pollen from nature. When they have short of protein, they stop brood rearing. Their natural instinct says that stop, stop, save food. There are bee strains which continue.

I know, I know that there are members, whose bees forage even in rain and moonlight and they never have lack of pollen.

In another world bees need 16C temp that they can make full size pollen balls in their legs.

.

 

[oliver90owner]

Read post #50 on this link.

http://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=209205#post209205

As you appear (in your profile) to have no colonies (so let's assume just the one, until we have a definitive value), I would think it likely inappropriate for you to be encouraging brooding too early. In other words it may well be a case of learning to walk before trying to run. So about the middle of next month, unless the weather forecast (for what good they have been this winter?) is good in the long term.

RAB

 

[Poly Hive]

Setting Finmans odd perception of the UK aside.

Bees here certainly collect pollen at less than 10C if not lower than that.

There is a lot of misunderstanding of Spring stimulation.

In the event that the season is balmy with lots of natural pollen and nectar there is no need to feed in Spring at all.

However......... as you may have noticed our Springs often fail to be balmy and predictable so......

It pays, or did, if one is wanting to achieve an OSR crop to feed pollen or pollen sub and some light syrup. The syrup is incase bees cannot fly for water, the sugar in it makes it more attractive and the pollen is pretty obvious.

I certainly found that pollen patties were very effective in pushing the colonies on. As some would comment the down side is it pushes them towards swarming point.

Your choice.

PH

 

[Finman]

Setting Finmans odd perception of the UK aside.

Bees here certainly collect pollen at less than 10C if not lower than that.

PH

Our bees fly too under 10C. They collect pollen but the amount is really small. They can fly only inside the limited hours.

When sun shines, the surface of ground is warmer that upper air.

Yes, I have seen lost of thing during 50 years, but I am pround that I have lost my my mind and I do not over estimate my bees even now.

AND NOTE:

First, you should have ability to foresee 3 weeks weather. Yes, I know. Every one in UK has that ability.

The brood cycle is 3 weeks. Don't trust that bees can forage every week or every day ENOUGH in Spring weather. Why? Because they cannot do it even in Summer weather.

.

 

[Browntea]

Where would you buy pollen patties?

 

[Finman]

As some would comment the down side is it pushes them towards swarming point.

Your choice.

PH

Especially, when I started to use electrict heating in Spring with pollen patty, my hives have swarmed 70%. My neigbour a mile away has no swarming.

Clipped wing is good then.

 

[For want of a better word]

When is a good time to start spring feeding with 1:1 sugar solution(ratio by weight sugar-water).
I understood that if you feed early on it will stimulate the bees into thinking there is a nectar flow so that the colony will build up rapidly in the early spring?
My question is when is a good time to start!?

In true QI fashon

Nobody knows


Generally feed nucs tho ?​

 

[Mike a]

Last year I fed a few of my colonies upto 2 pints worth of syrup as they were very low on capped stores, the rest I only gave fondant until they managed to recover themselves. So my advice is to inspect on a mild day Mid to late March / early April and only fed if they are very low on stores. If you feel you need to give them a pollen pattie check to see how much they have first as I suspect you may be surprised how much they have left from Autumn last year.

 

[Hivemaker.]

As long as they still have stores in spring,then it would be just as beneficial to feed them water,or very dilute syrup.

 

[Finman]

.

Most of all, keep the hive warm. Reduce ventilation to minimum.
The heat of brood keeps the hive warm and dry. Ad long as they do not get food from nature, let them continue their winter rest. It saves bees' life span.

There is no reason to push them out for nothing.

Small feeding keeps them alarmed. Bees think that there is some nectar source outside and they search it like mad.

Believe me or not, I have tried to feed them 30 years with sugar, with extracted honey combs and with what ever. There is no help from those. Brood are was small and full of holes. Only continuous protein patty feeding is usefull- with my modest 20 years experience.

 

[wightbees]

.

Most of all, keep the hive warm. Reduce ventilation to minimum.
The heat of brood keeps the hive warm and dry. Ad long as they do not get food from nature, let them continue their winter rest. It saves bees' life span.

There is no reason to push them out for nothing.

Small feeding keeps them alarmed. Bees think that there is some nectar source outside and they search it like mad.

Believe me or not, I have tried to feed them 30 years with sugar, with extracted honey combs and with what ever. There is no help from those. Brood are was small and full of holes. Only continuous protein patty feeding is usefull- with my modest 20 years experience.

Continuous from when to ?

 

[Finman]

.
I start at the beginning of April when snow melts and I stop when dandelion, apple etc start to bloom. Almost 2 months.

continuous means that they must have patty every day to be eaten, or pollen in frames.

A little bit smoke that bees go away and I load the frames. A week old patty pieces in peripheria

A hive eates this size load every week

Bees start to eate patty at once.

 

[wightbees]

Thanks

 

[dpearce4]

hiya finman.

is that bought in pattie or do you make it yourself? if you make it whats the recipe please.

 

[Finman]

.
I have followed in my recipe mostly American researches.

it is here http://bee.freesuperhost.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1144910827

Recipe is complex but it is very palatable to bees. But when I put all stuff to dough machine, it is same what I put there.

 

[wightbees]

i cant open the link ?

 

[Finman]

OK!

From internet I learned that I can use soya flour and yeast with pollen. If you put over 20% pollen to mixture, it is palatable for bees.

I make dough with dough machine.

3 kg dry irradiated pollen
0,7 litre water to soften pollen over night
3 kg dry baker yeast
2 kg soya flour with fat or without
1 kg fructose ( or honey if you do not have AFB)
1 kg flour sugar
3 multivitamin pill crushed and diluted into water.
150 mg C- vitamin = Ascorbic acid powder
___________________
10,7 kg total

Add two table spoon food oil if soya is fatfree.

28% pollen

If dough is too wet, add soya flour and balance the mixture with it.

Then I roll the paste between two dough paper to 5-8 mm plate and give it to the top bars of frame. During one week 2 super colony can eat 0,5-1 kg that dough. New born bees eat it very eargerly.

Near 20% pollen all colonies are not willing to eat dough. Keep total sugar content 50%. If yeast make bubbles add sugar.
Fructose take moisture from air.

Dough will be in condition at least 3 weeks in cold.

Store dough in plastic case. When you make more plates, warm up diugh in micro wave oven so you may work with it.

Place patty very near of brood area on frames.

 

[dpearce4]

lol just copied that and sent it to wightbees by pm lol

 

[wightbees]

where do you get dry irradiated pollen from.is 1 kg flour sugar... just sugar ?