Too late for Syrup???

[Spikedog]

Checked hives and one dramatically light I.e. Very little stores despite earlier feeding. Have started feeding syrup again but have been advised its too late in year for this and to feed fondant. Any one been here and can advise? The syrup is being taken down rapidly at present.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Very little stores despite earlier feeding.

Earlier feeding when?

 

[BrianO]

Checked hives and one dramatically light I.e. Very little stores despite earlier feeding. Have started feeding syrup again but have been advised its too late in year for this and to feed fondant. Any one been here and can advise? The syrup is being taken down rapidly at present.

Not bringing in Ivy ?

Weather has been great and coincided with Ivy flowering .

 

[oliver90owner]

It is clearly not too late, as long as it stays warm enough for them to get it capped! The usual reason is Italian bees brooding late into the autumn. Get it done and keep fingers crossed re the weather.

 

[pargyle]

It is clearly not too late, as long as it stays warm enough for them to get it capped! The usual reason is Italian bees brooding late into the autumn. Get it done and keep fingers crossed re the weather.

Although it's wet down here today ... the temperature has been 16 degrees and more ... peaked at nearly 18 this afternoon. Hive temps are well up near 30 degrees so no problem with syrup at that temperature.

Been feeding a couple of mine again this week ... the compost bin cut out and the smallest one of the splits from the Long Hive... I had originally thought I would combine these but they seemed to be doing quite well once the queen in the split started to lay .. she just took forever to get going.

Probably a mistake but ... they will get through winter and I'll see what they are like in spring. Never too late to combine colonies (or too early !).

 

[Arfermo]

16C here today and bees are still taking syrup and capping it as well as bringing loads of other stuff. Hives weigh tons!! Hope it gets cold soon so they settle down before they wear themselves out too early to last to spring

 

[beeno]

May I ask why you are still feeding if the 'hives weigh tons'?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Whether you can feed syrup depends on the temperature. It's still warm so go ahead.
I have syrup still on a couple of mine that are light. Dipping my finger in the feeder this morning revealed nice warm syrup.

 

[irishguy]

I've been feeding my bees most of Oct and have noticed them not taking as much and was going to pull the feeder off yesterday but forgot

Think I'll pop out to them today and remove them and while doing this, will it be OK to remove the wooden CBs that have holes in them and replacing with my polycarb CBs. Was meaning to cut out a feeder hole in all my polycarbs but didn't get around to it. In the one that has a feeder hole, I've noticed the bees have sealed the frames together along with capping stores in the space between top of frame and CB. Seeing this has gave me doubt's of swapping the CBs but really wanted to see into my hives all winter. Could kick myself for not swapping them earlier.

 

[peteinwilts]

some of mine are still taking syrup. It is thymolised, so less of an issue if not capped.

Any that still feel light next week will have a slab of fondant to chew on over the winter. (Weather permitting!)
Although the long range outlook is still mild, the fields are getting a little soggy to drive on, and want to draw a line under 2015.

 

[Arfermo]

May I ask why you are still feeding if the 'hives weigh tons'?

Can't work in mere kilos - OK?

 

[beeno]

Can't work in mere kilos - OK?

Not really. Too much stores in spring leads to early swarming IMHO, unless one swaps excesses between colonies or freeze for making up nucs later in the season.
Not to mention sugar in the spring honey.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

May I ask why you are still feeding if the 'hives weigh tons'?

Can't work in mere kilos - OK?

 

[REDWOOD]

The trouble with feeding syrup this time of year is it's a lot of work for the bees to evaporate the water from it.
If I was going to feed now I would rather feed with fondant

 

[Erichalfbee]

will it be OK to remove the wooden CBs that have holes in them and replacing with my polycarb CBs.

Too late probably, a it's evening but I'd be loathe to. The bees have spent a lot of energy and resources propolising those boards tight to weatherproof their roofs

 

[Hivemaker.]

The trouble with feeding syrup this time of year is it's a lot of work for the bees to evaporate the water from it.

Because of the mild weather and heavy nectar flow from the ivy, still going on in some areas, they would have less work to do reducing the moisture/water content of thick syrup than they would the moisture/water content of thin ivy nectar.

 

[Arfermo]

The trouble with feeding syrup this time of year is it's a lot of work for the bees to evaporate the water from it.
If I was going to feed now I would rather feed with fondant

At the temp round here for the last couple of days with more to come - no trouble for them to reduce water content and cap is evident. So.................................. the bees know best!!

 

[Swarm]

November 7th and 15 degrees.

 

[Millet]

You lot are lucky weather wise by the sound of thing's.. for the past couple of week's it's rather been raining or thick fog for 3 day's in a row.. it's not cold and some bee's are flying in between the fog patches but not very often.. as far as the ivy goes it's just sparingly starting to flower which is around 1mth later than last year..
My location is obviously cooler than your's further down south.. i stopped feeding syrup when i started to see in granulating in the feeder's around 2wk's ago.( wrong or right) god know's..
I have now covered them up with a lump of candipollen on the crown board for good measure to hopefully save me opening them up when this predicted bad winter arrives..
Good luck all for the winter ahead..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

bees have been out in force whenever the high winds and rain abates, slowing down on the syrup now and hives nice and heavy, I'll leave the bees tell me when to stop feeding - never had an issue with a surfeit of stores in spring. Unlike some, I don't do beekeeping by numbers