To feed or not to feed? Advice please

[Teme Dream]

Hi - some background and please forgive me if I'm not entirely up to speed as my wife actually does most of the work but her written English isn't great!

New to beekeeping. Started 6 weeks ago with 3 lb loose bees with caged Queen, now succesfully set up in a National Hive. Bees seem to be doing OK despite horrendous weather. Queen laying well and frames in brood box all drawn out and new bees developing.
We had been feeding them until last week when we put a Super on. Inspected the super after a week and not much activity - some bees in there but no drawn out comb.
With the forecast stubbornly poor we don't know whether to put a feeder above the Super or hold out until the newly hatched bees come. We don't want them to starve having got so far!

Advice would be very welcome.
Thanks.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How much stores do they have in the brood box? there shoukld be an arch of it over the brood and maybe some in frames next to the brood.
If you have a frame or two of stores you shouldn't need to feed.
How many frames (i.e. both sides) of brood do they have in the brood box? Bees won't move up to the super until they need the space.
With a little bit more information people will be able to advise you better Also knowing what type of hive you have would help a lot - you can edit your profile now that you have bees

 

[Teme Dream]

Thanks for the reply.
We have 7 brood frames and 2 stores either side so the brood box seems full.
As the bees aren't using the super would we better removing the Super and restart feeding?

 

[enrico]

No, don't take it off....they will start using it when they need it but if you take it off they can't!!

 

[enrico]

Oh and I wouldn't feed any more yet either. There is plenty of nectar around and they are getting out between the showers

 

[Teme Dream]

Thanks Enrico - we will persevere and perhaps recheck the Super in another week (?) I presume you've had similar weather to us in Shropshire - was pretty good here until 4ish but then the rains came. It feels as though we've picked a tricky year to start!

 

[Poly Hive]

That you have.

Two stores frames is a good 6 lbs of stores.

With super on kill the feeding but obviously keep an eye on it.

I have not fed an ounce since the excess winter feed came off in March. But that is my bees in my location, you might be in a "desert" I cannot tell.

Look around, is there clover? Bramble, little wild flowers in the verges.. if so then at least there is the potential if the rain ever lets up.

PH

 

[Teme Dream]

Thanks Poly. Yep we're in the middle of Worcestershire countryside so plenty of bee friendly wild flowers etc.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

My strongest colony has managed to almost fill a super in a week in between the showers - no2 hive half a super, so if it's there they'll bring it in