Syrup or fondant?

[Popparand]

Day time temperatures moving into double figures most days so is it safe to start feeding with syrup as hives getting a bit light?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Day time temperatures moving into double figures most days so is it safe to start feeding with syrup as hives getting a bit light?

Late this week the weather is getting colder in my area I had the same thought.
But I've feed fondant instead.
Are you wanting to build up for a Specific crop?

 

[drex]

The higher temps are not consistent and just across the border from you the nights are still very cold. Where needed I am sticking with fondant

 

[Curly green finger's]

The higher temps are not consistent and just across the border from you the nights are still very cold. Where needed I am sticking with fondant

the weather isn't consistent enough.

 

[Swn58]

I prefer giving fondant. It's far less messy!

 

[Corbeehives]

Still 0-2c at night here

 

[Curly green finger's]

Still 0-2c at night here

Gone cold today such a contrast to the last few days.
Yesterday 12c
Today 0 c

 

[gmonag]

Bl**dy weather!

 

[oliver90owner]

Only feed 1:1 if you wish to accelerate brooding - but do remember that once you start you may need to feed regularly if the weather turns so cold that the bees cannot collect water for the larvae. Snow, for a few days in April, can create problems!

If they are already brooding heavily, fondant, alone, is not much good to them as they will still need to collect water.

Fondant is for adult bees for purely existing over the winter. They cannot feed fondant (only) to brood.

I used to start a couple of colonies in early/mid February with 1:1 (inside the hive) to be sure of plenty of bees for the OSR. It is easy, later to move capped brood (or bees, even) to the other hives to boost them. I just did not want all my hives gobbling up food if the OSR turned out to be flowering later than usual.

 

[Boston Bees]

Fondant is for adult bees for purely existing over the winter. They cannot feed fondant (only) to brood.

Sugar is sugar.

Plenty of condensation in the hive to use the fondant for whatever purpose they wish, at whatever time of year (incl feeding brood, drawing comb)

IMHO

 

[pargyle]

Sugar is sugar.

Plenty of condensation in the hive to use the fondant for whatever purpose they wish, at whatever time of year (incl feeding brood, drawing comb)

IMHO

Yes ... but why make it more difficult for them ?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Only feed 1:1 if you wish to accelerate brooding - but do remember that once you start you may need to feed regularly if the weather turns so cold that the bees cannot collect water for the larvae. Snow, for a few days in April, can create problems!

If they are already brooding heavily, fondant, alone, is not much good to them as they will still need to collect water.

Fondant is for adult bees for purely existing over the winter. They cannot feed fondant (only) to brood.

I used to start a couple of colonies in early/mid February with 1:1 (inside the hive) to be sure of plenty of bees for the OSR. It is easy, later to move capped brood (or bees, even) to the other hives to boost them. I just did not want all my hives gobbling up food if the OSR turned out to be flowering later than usual.

What sort of time scale RAB.?
When would you start feeding 1:1 for the osr honey flows.
Im starting 4 colonys of on 1:1 over the next two weeks and feeding them in the hive.
40 days plenty enough time to start feeding before the osr flows?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Yes ... but why make it more difficult for them ?

If your wanting to stimulate brood rearing syrup would be better than fondant both sources stimulate a colony differently.
I feed souly fondant in the autumn and I was going to use fondant this early spring but after my recent thread mbc advised and suggested syrup was more like a honey flow and stimulated the colony differently to fondant.

 

[Susan1]

Belt and braces. I have fondant but a small feeder with syrup also. They haven't touched the 1:1 syrup

 

[Boston Bees]

mbc advised and suggested syrup was more like a honey flow and stimulated the colony differently to fondant.

This is the general orthodox view, yes, received and repeated in the main without too much challenge. It has a certain instinctive logic. But I do wonder whether side-by-side trials have been done, in the same apiary, of the two methods, to ensure that there is actually any difference in practice. Maybe I will do some ....

 

[pargyle]

If your wanting to stimulate brood rearing syrup would be better than fondant both sources stimulate a colony differently.
I feed souly fondant in the autumn and I was going to use fondant this early spring but after my recent thread mbc advised and suggested syrup was more like a honey flow and stimulated the colony differently to fondant.

Yes it does ... for those colonies with access to early **** it will help them build up quickly to take advantage of the **** crop ... in some areas it's the ONLY real crop available. I don't have any significant **** grown around me (I think myself lucky as it is a PITA) so I tend not to spring feed. As RAB said though ... once you start, if there is no forage (**** dug in or fails) and your colony has grown then you may be putting more into them than you are getting out of them ... a cold snap in April and a colony that has been artificially encouraged to grow can starve very quickly.

 

[pargyle]

Belt and braces. I have fondant but a small feeder with syrup also. They haven't touched the 1:1 syrup

It's still a bit cold for them to be taking down 1:1 and the fondant is probably more accessible. Do they really need all that food ... ?

 

[Curly green finger's]

This is the general orthodox view, yes, received and repeated in the main without too much challenge. It has a certain instinctive logic. But I do wonder whether side-by-side trials have been done, in the same apiary, of the two methods, to ensure that there is actually any difference in practice. Maybe I will do some ....

I think mbc has trialed it enough and I respect his findings.
The only way to find out would be to try trial it your self.
Good luck let us know how you get on.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

were they starving in the first place?

 

[Susan1]

No I am just panicking a wee bit as they are a new hive. I dont think I am doing any harm. Belt and braces as I said.