To feed or not to feed?

[HelenX]

I treated all but one of my hives with OA last week, and added a generous amount of fondant to each one, as per the advice we were given at our local BKA Oxalic demo. They each have (had?) a super of stores below the BB.

In most hives there are many more bees that I expected, and they are right at the top of the BB, and seem very active (much more active than those at the BKA apiary, which seemed lower down in the box and more closely clustered, in similar weather)

I have just done the last one with oxalic, and they are also very active at the top of the box. It was about 6deg when I opened tham. Does this mean they have used all their stores?

I have got worried that I may have overfed and caused problems for the spring, but on the other hand I wonder whether being right at the top means they have eaten all the stores!

Should I feed this last hive the same as the others?
Or should I consider reducing the amount I have given the others?

I thought I had winter worked out, but this one isn't in my book!
Thank you in advance,
Helen

 

[RoofTops]

They were probably at the top of the hive because it is warmest there. You need to heft the hive to see how many stores are left. Alternatively, given the super below the brood box trying shining a torch through the entrance and see what you can see. You may be lucky and be able to see capped stores.

If they had lots of stores going into the winter they should be fine at this time of the year but the danger period is from now on.

 

[AndreaW]

Thanks for posting this Helen. I OAed my hive today and found exactly the same issue - 6degrees and all at the top in the super I have above the brood box. I was wondering whether I should be adding fondant as only left stores with them for now (I gave them a lot of extra syrup in Aug/Sep as well).

Going to heft again in a few days time but not that sure of my judgement in hefting yet

 

[drex]

Mine were the same and the temp was about the same. I assume as said earlier they were at the top as was warmer.

I have a super under and by weight know that I still have plenty of stores.

If not good at hefting then use a spring balance or luggage scale to assess weight of hive. Weigh an empty setup and that will give you an idea of the weight of the contents.

I weighed mine when I tucked them in for winter. Have only used between 2 and 6 Kg of stores so far. They were foraging after being tucked in as was so mild.

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

feeding

Better to feed if in doubt, as a hive full of dead bees is not good !.
Whatever we do is interfering with nature my thoughts are do it if any doubt, otherwise dont mess about, and that applies to anything with bee keeping.

Dave W

 

[HelenX]

Thanks for comments. I am another one not confident about hefting, (especially as this hive has three boxes and it will need to get very light on stores before I will feel the difference!) I will look with a torch, but will probably go back tomorrow and put the fondant on regardless, as it seems as though overfeeding is less of a problem than under!

Happy New Year to all,
Helen

 

[drex]

3 boxes? That would probably have meant an awful lot of stores.

Think I probably overfed my first winter. That then leaves less room for her to lay when she does start, with a possible worry of having syrup in with the honey, but at least i felt better for giving them fondant.

For next year, get yourself some scales, and that will take all the guess work out, but you may continue to worry.

 

[krasimir00]

Usually in the top box, the bees collect as much honey. If there are any frames filled with honey, this is completely normal. However, if there is missing honey bees urgent need to feed honey or sugar paste.
Sorry for bad English, but still learning.
Greetings from Bulgaria

 

[Luminos]

Hello Krasimir00, welcome to the forum

 

[krasimir00]

Hello Krasimir00, welcome to the forum

Thank you. Is a great forum.

 

[Salamagundy]

Thank you. Is a great forum.

 

[Arfermo]

Better to feed than risk them starving. The Q will be unlikely to lay very much before mid Feb by which time space will almost certainly be ther for her to do her stuff in time for new brood to emerge by first week in March. The new bees won't fly for at least 3 weeks anyway at which time foraging will start in earnest.

 

[HelenX]

Thanks for advice - I was worrying about the balance between not feeding enough and feeding too much so there would be nowhere to lay when it matters. Feeling a bit more confident now!

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

Usually in the top box, the bees collect as much honey. If there are any frames filled with honey, this is completely normal. However, if there is missing honey bees urgent need to feed honey or sugar paste.
Sorry for bad English, but still learning.
Greetings from Bulgaria

Hi, I like your avatar, do you have a bigger copy that I could may be use as a screen saver?

 

[JamezF]

I'd definitely feed if in any doubt. I lost a hive last winter despite it being very heavy. When I opened it up at the start of the spring I discovered that the colony had starved and the frames were rammed full of pollen.

Unless you've been through the hive and seen that it's full of stores, or you know they've taken down a lot of syrup, I think I'd always go for precautionary feeding now.

James

 

[Arfermo]

I'd definitely feed if in any doubt. I lost a hive last winter despite it being very heavy. When I opened it up at the start of the spring I discovered that the colony had starved and the frames were rammed full of pollen.

Unless you've been through the hive and seen that it's full of stores, or you know they've taken down a lot of syrup, I think I'd always go for precautionary feeding now.

James

Ditto - except it was all crytallised.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hi, I like your avatar, do you have a bigger copy that I could may be use as a screen saver?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ho...iEBaOK4gSbpNX_BQ&ved=0CF8QsAQ&biw=777&bih=439

 

[Arfermo]

Thanks for comments. I am another one not confident about hefting, (especially as this hive has three boxes

I'm puzzled. Why 3 boxes? Is one a super above the Q/E?

 

[drstitson]

Please enlighten us.

are you just talking a fairly standard set-up of brood box plus super of stores above/below (w/o QE!) and another super as an eke for insulation/fondant above the CB?

 

[Hebeegeebee]

With a super of stores under the brood chamber, the bees will tend to be towards the top where is warmest and where brooding had taken place previously. (That's why I undersuper). Unless the colony is one that didn't read the book to tell it to sleep over winter, it will probably have plenty of stores. At first inspcetion (end March / early April depending on the weather and your location), the super which will most likely be empty of stores, can be pulled from under the brood chamber. If the super has brood in it - if you're too late or the bees are well advanced, it can be put over the queen excluder and after 3 weeks there'll be no brood in it as it will have emerged into nice spring-time fluffy bees.

Helen, you will probably find in April that you have worried unnecesarily, but better to have over-fed bees that dead ones. If over-fed, a frame or two of sealed stores can be removed and stored elsewhere for Ron.

That's laterRon