Stores all used up!

[Bee’s Knees]

Hi

I am a first time bee keeper with two hives, that were overwintered from last year.

I did my weekly check today and noticed that there were no real stores left in the brood box when there were 2.5 fully capped frames in each of them just over a week ago, 14x12.
Also the supers had very little honey in them, which previously had a couple of capped frames.

I have read about the June gap, but I am now concerned we are not even half way through June. Will they have enough to get through before the next major flow?

The weather hasn’t been great in Cheshire and for every warm dry day there has been a wet and windy one.

From Google searches I haven’t read of anyone feeding a full hive in June. Also would prefer not to feed as I don’t want any contamination in the supers, but I don’t want them to starve.
I haven’t harvested any honey from them yet as May’s foraging all got spent on drawing out new foundation for the supers. So it’s not like I left them short.

Any advice please?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

From Google searches I haven’t read of anyone feeding a full hive in June

have a look on here and you'll find the opposite.
Around here the June Gap has just finished but it may not be the same for you, If you are worried, take the supers off and feed a few litres of 1:1
you say there's a little stores left in the brood and supers - you may get away with it.

 

[Sutty]

If they need feeding they need feeding. They starve quickly!

 

[Antipodes]

Hi

I am a first time bee keeper with two hives, that were overwintered from last year.

I did my weekly check today and noticed that there were no real stores left in the brood box when there were 2.5 fully capped frames in each of them just over a week ago, 14x12.
Also the supers had very little honey in them, which previously had a couple of capped frames.

I have read about the June gap, but I am now concerned we are not even half way through June. Will they have enough to get through before the next major flow?

The weather hasn’t been great in Cheshire and for every warm dry day there has been a wet and windy one.

From Google searches I haven’t read of anyone feeding a full hive in June. Also would prefer not to feed as I don’t want any contamination in the supers, but I don’t want them to starve.
I haven’t harvested any honey from them yet as May’s foraging all got spent on drawing out new foundation for the supers. So it’s not like I left them short.

Any advice please?

Are you saying both hives have no stores?

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Thanks for the quick responses, yes, both hives are very low on stores where as a week ago they had lots.

If I take the supers off now, how should I store them for a short period?

I take it a new flow should be starting fairly soon so I would be putting them back on quite quickly.

 

[Finman]

Do not take supers off if honey is not coming.
The colony needs its space.

The honey in supers is too the food, which bees need against starving.

You continue inspecting.

 

[elainemary]

Hi

I am a first time bee keeper with two hives, that were overwintered from last year.

I did my weekly check today and noticed that there were no real stores left in the brood box when there were 2.5 fully capped frames in each of them just over a week ago, 14x12.
Also the supers had very little honey in them, which previously had a couple of capped frames.

I have read about the June gap, but I am now concerned we are not even half way through June. Will they have enough to get through before the next major flow?

The weather hasn’t been great in Cheshire and for every warm dry day there has been a wet and windy one.

From Google searches I haven’t read of anyone feeding a full hive in June. Also would prefer not to feed as I don’t want any contamination in the supers, but I don’t want them to starve.
I haven’t harvested any honey from them yet as May’s foraging all got spent on drawing out new foundation for the supers. So it’s not like I left them short.

Any advice please?

Something I did in a similar situation that I’m thinking of repeating in a week’s time - my gap is in July before the heather flow.

I took off the supers and added an extra brood box with queen excluder between and added a feeder on top. I put a frame of brood from the lower box and brought this to the middle of the top box to encourage nurse bees / wax builders up into it. Can also leave queen excluder out depending on space you / the colony needs. Then fed - can use a contact feeder or a rapid feeder and if latter, little and often. You can decide to add a few frames at a time and dummy down, depending on the size of the colony, the supers you have on and the space they need.

They drew out a whole box of frames and the queen kept laying ready for the next flow. You have to keep checking the frames and move them around so drawn evenly each side etc. I then took off the brood box using a clearer board and put the supers back on.

Result - a box of newly drawn comb (or can use to replace any ones that need changing in the bottom). Any syrup stored can be given back to colonies that need it eg nucs, or given back as part of winter preps late summer / autumn

Worked well for me, bees didn’t starve or go into a brood break when I needed the queen to keep laying. Hope this helps.

 

[Finman]

Stores off to continued...

When you take half filled supers off from the hive's heat, honey will crystallize easily.
You cannot extract it then.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

not if the buggers are empty - if they are not empty, there's no need to feed!

 

[elainemary]

Stores off to continued...

When you take half filled supers off from the hive's heat, honey will crystallize easily.
You cannot extract it then.

Depends on the honey type eg high fructose based tree honey and heather doesn’t. High glucose like OSR, dandelion and clover , yes.
Also if empty got nothing to lose!

 

[Finman]

Depends on the honey type eg high fructose based tree honey and heather doesn’t. High glucose like OSR, dandelion and clover , yes.
Also if empty got nothing to lose!

Oh dear. Propapably this time of year dandelion and rape honey.

Nothing to loose, except a swarm...

 

[elainemary]

Oh dear. Propapably this time of year dandelion and rape honey.

Nothing to loose, except a swarm...

Think you’ve misunderstood. I explained to the OP that i took off empty supers another year (not this) during a gap and added a new brood box for space, got some comb drawn and fed a new brood box with syrup. Then added the empty supers back just ahead of the next flow.

 

[Finman]

Think you’ve misunderstood. I explained to the OP that i took off empty supers another year (not this) during a gap and added a new brood box for space, got some comb drawn and fed a new brood box with syrup. Then added the empty supers back just ahead of the next flow.

I have not understood this discussion at all.
Sorry . Fifficult problem.

My bees carry just now honey from autumn OSR.