Time to switch to 1:1

[oliver90owner]

I dont agree.

Not that amazing but we always seem to get someone who disagrees and then writes about something entirely unrelated (AUTUMN feeding, not SPRING feeding)!
I answered the question posed quite succinctly and even found the question asked was not even meant to be asit was written. Can't please all, all of the time!

 

[itma]

My lot have been on the water-carrying malarky too.
Neighbours reported "rather a lot of your bees" on something in their garden that had collected warm stagnant water ... ooops!

Anyway, since most of the remaining stores looks pretty grainy to me, I too have been seriously considering putting a water-feeder on.


I know that o90o/RAB favours a spring drink that is much weaker than 1:1.
I also know (was it from Seeley?) that if nectar/syrup is *very* weak, the bees won't bother with it - as a nectar source.
And that sugar has no smell, while honey does.

So the plan forming is to put on a jar-size contact feeder - filled with water + half a teaspoonful of their own honey.
Hopefully, it will be so weak that they don't try to process it as nectar, but nevertheless, with a trace of honey, they should 'notice' it - and then can use it as water if they need to.

 

[Tom Bick]

Use common sense (if you have it), rather than 'rules'.

Yes all for common sense.

To me at this time of year the first few brood cycles are perhaps the most important ones of the year as the bees that come from them will replace the fast disappearing winter bees. Without this influx of young bees the hive is set for a slow build up or even death so this is why I think inspections at this early stage is damaging to the colony. Later in the year when the colony is strong we can then inspect at will even at low temperatures as the damage to the bees will be small in comparison to the colony.

If a beekeeper thinks they have a problem with a hive and needs to look then an inspection is worth it, but not if the beekeeper just wants to take a look no mater how fast then he/she is perhaps doing more harm than good.

At this time of year I fit my inspection trays all nice and clean with a fresh coat of paint I leave them in for a week and then I inspect them they tell me approx how many seams of bees and if they have any brood or not, they also tell you if the bees are uncapping stores this along with the weight of the hive and activity at the entrance is all I need right now.

I will probably start inspecting towards the end of the month or early April weather permitting and I am itching to get going but know its best to hang on. I know from the inspection trays my bees have been raising brood for a few weeks and a few more weeks will make all the difference to their spring build up.

 

[oliver90owner]

would you commence 1:1 syrup feeding in those circumstances or are you happy with just fondant?

Let me pose a couple questions to you. The answers may then be clear to your dilema above.

What do bees normally use for feeding brood? Honey, nectar or fondant? What are the purposes for nectar, honey and fondant in a natural colony?

RAB

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Hi ITLD,
Some people say they store fondant, but the jury is out on that one. What's your view on this?

One of my hives definitely stored fondant this winter (I say this, not last as it is still winter) Put fondant early on some hives early as I wasn't happy they'd taken enough stores down,and spending long periods away i can't take chances, and they hefted a bit (but not too) light. one of the hives started taking it down like billy-o, at a rate of a kilo in just over a week (they are more or less locally bred bees) so I kept topping up. A while later I had to move this particular hive and I could hardly lift it.
Plenty of bees in that hive at the moment and they're busily foraging but taking no interest in the kilo of fondant that's been sat on the hive since Christmas.

 

[For want of a better word]

would you commence 1:1 syrup feeding in those circumstances or are you happy with just fondant?

Let me pose a couple questions to you. The answers may then be clear to your dilema above.

What do bees normally use for feeding brood? Honey, nectar or fondant? What are the purposes for nectar, honey and fondant in a natural colony?

RAB

Natural fondant... ?

 

[oliver90owner]

Natural fondant... ?

Yeah. About as rare as a natural beekeeper!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Natural fondant... ?

Yeah. About as rare as a natural beekeeper!

 

[Finman]

So the plan forming is to put on a jar-size contact feeder - filled with water + half a teaspoonful of their own honey.
Hopefully, it will be so weak that they don't try to process it as nectar, but nevertheless, with a trace of honey, they should 'notice' it - and then can use it as water if they need to.

houli mouli.

Let the bees take drinking water outside like they do.

A light honey water ferments at once.

Every hive has granulated honey in the hive because honey does so. Syrup do not granulate.

Let the hive stay in peace and do not encourage them all the time.

Hives are not porriage cettles which you must stir all the time.

 

[Heather]

Worst thing for a colony- a beekeeper... we are so impatient. Bees not low in food?- leave alone till good weather.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

houli mouli.

Let the hive stay in peace and do not encourage them all the time.

Hives are not porriage cettles which you must stir all the time.

- there's nothing worse than stirring someone else's porridge!

 

[Finman]

- there's nothing worse than stirring someone else's porridge!

like girl friend's. She should stir it herself. yes big eek.

 

[beeno]

Hi Guys,
After talking to you and doing a bit of reading I have decided that my colony is strong enough to fetch its own water and that fondant is the prefered feed this time of the year. Many thanks to all. Colony still busy flying in the rain!

 

[Finman]

Hi Guys,
After talking to you and doing a bit of reading I have decided that my colony is strong enough to fetch its own water and that fondant is the prefered feed this time of the year. Many thanks to all. Colony still busy flying in the rain!

if the hive fly in the rain, it is badly thirsty. One reason is fondant and another thing is propably brood feeding.

i use syrup feeding in spring. I pour 1:2 syrup into combs, and then i put frames under the brood box. One feeding should be big for example 5 k sugar, that bees get 1-4 weeks stores to their combs.
Too much feeding stucks brood space.

It is not a good sign if bees fly in the rain. But it is normal too that bees need every day drinking water when they have brood.

.

.

 

[Swarm]

It is not a good sign if bees fly in the rain.

Unless they live in Wales, where they generally have no option.

 

[enrico]

I agree with you beeno......English weather is different to finmans, in my opinion what you are doing is right because that is just what I am doing, I have checked my fondant today in the rain and given two hives another block, cold weather coming, fondant is good
E

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Unless they live in Wales, where they generally have no option.

In my apiary today the Buckies were flying but just the odd one - the Welsh blacks however were out in force