Watch the stores..

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jezd

Drone Bee
Joined
May 12, 2009
Messages
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Location
UK
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Number of Hives
299.1
Just a word of caution, I realise that the weather conditions vary across the country but around this area we have found many colonies very low on stores - I'm starting to feed now.

I also popped into a local association training event today and their hives are sat on fields of bright yellow rape and almost all the hives had no stores due to being hive-bound.

Bees will starve in these conditions so be careful.

Jez
 
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That was something I noted today - Fair amount of nectar to see them through for a while but very little pollen- and loads of brood so that was worrying. So cold that they are not travelling far.
 
so do you feed pollen sub or sugar syrup ?
 
wightbees,

Pollen = protein = growth

Honey = energy = general life activity (heating, moving, etc)

All stages of the life cycle require energy; Larvae require lots of protein as well.

Just think about winter. We autumn feed them so they have, what, 20kg of sugar honey and honey? How much pollen do they require? Very little.

Spring brooding - that is when they need lots of protein and when pollen patties (or otherwise) are added.

They are still brooding in a big way, so no protein disrupts the worker replacement scheme and no energy kills the workers.

Regards, RAB
 
Thanks for explaining that RAB
 
80% of my colonies are on 1:1 currently.....temperatures being pretty poor around here of late.

I've bleeted on about this on another thread, but we are rapidly approaching Solstice.
 
It's OK WPC - it's only the summer solstice. Plenty of time to get winter stores fed ready for the winter solstice rest period!!!

Regards, RAB
 
Flows on at both sites today. One on rape and the other a mixture but mostly from dandelion from a field completely covered about 250 yards away.
Doesn't the rape make them bad tempered!
Supers feeling heavier at last.

Peter
 

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