To feel or not to feed…

Pansypots · Jun 9, 2021

Greetings everyone, I’ve had real bad luck in my first three years of bee keeping; lost two hives to CBPV and then my third hive had a drone laying queen. I’m now in my fourth year and hoping to have better luck and as such have three reasonably viable hives in the following states:
Hive 1 - Nuc now on five frames of brood, three stores and three being drawn out.
Hive 2 - small swarm installed last week, as yet don’t know what the queen is up to but will look at the weekend. I fed them in the Nuc box but not in the hive they are now in. I gave them some stores from a non viable hive (drone queen) and some drawn frames.
Hive 3 - came as a six frame Nuc as a freebie but has turned out to be queenless! Gave them a frame of eggs and larvae from hive 1 and they drew out six queen cells which I’ve reduced to one. They also have some drawn frames and some stores. Am now leaving them for about a month in the hope the queen hatches and gets on with things.
Would people be inclined to feed any of these hives or let them get on with it?
Thanks

Erichalfbee · Jun 9, 2021

Pansypots said:
Greetings everyone, I’ve had real bad luck in my first three years of bee keeping; lost two hives to CBPV and then my third hive had a drone laying queen. I’m now in my fourth year and hoping to have better luck and as such have three reasonably viable hives in the following states:
Hive 1 - Nuc now on five frames of brood, three stores and three being drawn out.
Hive 2 - small swarm installed last week, as yet don’t know what the queen is up to but will look at the weekend. I fed them in the Nuc box but not in the hive they are now in. I gave them some stores from a non viable hive (drone queen) and some drawn frames.
Hive 3 - came as a six frame Nuc as a freebie but has turned out to be queenless! Gave them a frame of eggs and larvae from hive 1 and they drew out six queen cells which I’ve reduced to one. They also have some drawn frames and some stores. Am now leaving them for about a month in the hope the queen hatches and gets on with things.
Would people be inclined to feed any of these hives or let them get on with it?
Thanks

I would look at the swarm the others seem ok.
If the swarm is small it might do better in a nuc box still

BugsInABox · Jun 9, 2021

If you’re not hoping for a harvest, why not feed.

user 819 · Jun 9, 2021

H1. Sounds like they are going nicely keep an eye on the stores, if it starts decreasing supplement with feed. The frames being drawn is a good sign and they are foraging to do so, just keep making sure queen has room to lay.

H2. How much brood currently? They will be better off in a nuc until 4 or more frames have brood. Feed little and often if needed as likely foragers will be short on the ground.

H3. Keep an eye on the stores, until a new Q has mated and is laying then staving off starvation is all that is needed.