Too early for syrup?

[citrus]

so if my hives have plenty of stores ... do I even need to feed syrup esp with the good weather right now ?

 

[Cuckmere couple]

we had a few drones on comb when we looked in a colony last sunday and a few drone cells capped...small numbers though

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What is the minimum temp you can get away with? For stimulative feeding.

If it's too cold, you don't want to 'stimulate' them, if it's warm enough, that is all the stimulation they need.

 

[Murox]

so if my hives have plenty of stores ... do I even need to feed syrup esp with the good weather right now ?

You feed syrup usually when there is little or no nectar flow, or if their stores are at a critical level; providing the colony has sufficient stores, a thin syrup solution may encourage brood rearing, and bees don't draw foundation / build comb without either a nectar flow, or a flow of sugar syrup.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

so if my hives have plenty of stores ... do I even need to feed syrup esp with the good weather right now ?

No, no reason at all,
If the weather is bad and no forage around, no reason or sense at all to conduct stimulative feeding,
If the weather is good, willow, blackthorn and dandelions abound, and you're not champing at the bit to get on the OSR Ditto

 

[citrus]

No, no reason at all,
If the weather is bad and no forage around, no reason or sense at all to conduct stimulative feeding,
If the weather is good, willow, blackthorn and dandelions abound, and you're not champing at the bit to get on the OSR Ditto

cheers jbm .... but might do a bit of "bruising of stores" tho ...... as mentioned on the other thread

 

[masterBK]

I work on the principle that if they have enough stores to last to the next inspection then no need to feed. I fed them all in september and when I looked yesterday they all had enough stores to last til end of April. They seem to have used less this winter than usual so may have to remove some combs of stores when the flow starts to prevent stored and processed sugar syrup being moved up into the supers and "diluting the honey" (legally not allowed more than 5% sucrose in honey : exceptions being lavendar and Borage Honey)