When to stop syrup

[Beelosser]

I just hefted my hives and they are rally light. I fed some syrup beginning of September and they took it. But was seeing lots of activity/ pollen going in and there was lots of ivy so stopped. Is it too late to give more syrup (in Edinburgh). Or should I start feeding them fondant? Thanks

 

[Curly green finger's]

I would feed fondant now really, here the nights have been down to 5c and days 9c colonys will be clustered nicely.
Access to fondant fed directly on to the top bars with an eke.

 

[Beelosser]

Thanks. I bought fondant last month so have plenty. Will put a queen excluder on and then fondant.

 

[pargyle]

Thanks. I bought fondant last month so have plenty. Will put a queen excluder on and then fondant.

Whilst there is nothing wrong with feeding fondant have you tried them with syrup ? Invertbee or 2:1 is easier for them to store than fondant ... fondant is almost at its best as an emergency feed source in early spring when really what you would like them to do at present is store syrup in the combs. Have you got insulation on the top of the hive ? ...If you have and you can organise the feeder so that it is under or within the insulation then it's surprising how much heat a colony can generate and even in Edinburgh daytime temperatures are still going to be up in the 12/13 degrees bracket this coming week. Not too cold for syrup as far as I'm concerned.. If they don't take it down (and I'd be surprised if they don't) then fondant is your fall back.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Thanks. I bought fondant last month so have plenty. Will put a queen excluder on and then fondant.

I do it that way also when feeding big amounts I use a thin metal qx.
QX, eke, fondant, parchment paper, poly insulation which sits inside the eke then crown board then more insulation, deep 6 inch roof if I have one spare.



In the picture 15kgs was feed a month ago to a double brood colony its gone and been topped up with another 5kgs of fondant this weekend.
I role it out so it covers all frames, if the colony move then then have access to it always.

 

[The Poot]

As you are in Edinburgh, I’d definitely go with the fondant.
See “the apiarist“ website re feeding only fondant for confirmation of Curly’s advice.
Good luck

 

[Boston Bees]

I would feed fondant now really, here the nights have been down to 5c and days 9c colonys will be clustered nicely.
Access to fondant fed directly on to the top bars with an eke.

My hives have been taking and storing large quantities of fondant over the last 6 weeks.

Not to say 2:1 couldn't work too, though now we are around 10 degrees I am not 100% sure about that. I just find fondant easier, and the bees seem to have no issues storing it.

 

[Curly green finger's]

My hives have been taking and storing large quantities of fondant over the last 6 weeks.

Not to say 2:1 couldn't work too, though now we are around 10 degrees I am not 100% sure about that. I just find fondant easier, and the bees seem to have no issues storing it.

Some colonys don't no the temperature, last spring I recorded a colony collecting pollen, it was calm and sunny but only 10.5c in the apairy.
Considering what temperature a colony should be loosely clustered.

My point.. I've feed poly nucs syrup all winter before no harm done just had to take frames out in the spring.
Fondant is very much a kiss recipe.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

My bees are still hauling it in from ivy and other late forage so I really don't think 2:1 syrup is beyond their processing capability especially in insulated hives. The colonies are hefting fine so it's an academic point here.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I fed some of my hives with fondant directly onto the top bars which they stored. I'm now feeding using takeaway containers above the crownboard in a pocket within a 2" deep piece of PIR. I then place another layer of PIR over the top. The pocket is well insulated and warm and the bees come above the crown board with no problem

 

[Ian123]

If you are trying to get weight into a hive fast you won’t beat syrup. But it’s down to temperature to cold and they won’t take it. Try some with a little thymol added to prevent fermentation even in the hive. Put the syrup on warm in small amounts and add some insulation around feeder. The bees should get on it whilst still warm and with luck the cluster should help maintain a little warmth. It’s a trick used for early spring feeding. If that fails then try fondant.

 

[Beelosser]

I just hefted my hives and they are rally light. I fed some syrup beginning of September and they took it. But was seeing lots of activity/ pollen going in and there was lots of ivy so stopped. Is it too late to give more syrup (in Edinburgh). Or should I start feeding them fondant? Thanks

 

[Beelosser]

Thanks all. I was worried that syrup would be best but it was too late so I should use fondant. I now know that I might be right or then again I might be wrong!! Seems the lesson is that I should step up to the plate and make my own mistakes. Btw I find the forum really informative but sometimes too much information

 

[pargyle]

I topped up all my feeders this evening ... it always surprises me at the rate some colonies can guzzle down 2 litres of invertbee in less than 24hours. Not all of the hives are taking a lot of syrup - they are all taking some but the rate varies. I have the feeders in an empty super on top of the crown board with 50mm of celotex over the top of the feeder and a spare crownboard on top and under the roof. You can feel the warmth being generated by the colony ... no problem with the syrup being warm enough.

There is still the distinctive smell of ivy honey ripening ... I thought the ivy was going over but they are obviously still finding some somewhere ... the showers and intermittent sunshine must be keeping the nectar going. It's a bit colder this evening (about 11 degrees) but it was up over 16 degrees this afternoon when the sky cleared and the sun came out ... not quite winter yet.

 

[Swarm]

I love it when the cone is full and you can see loads of little tongues trying to slurp up the remains.

 

[E&MBees]

In fact, here’s a photo of them doing just that.....

 

[RichardBeeW]

Couple of questions to the wise when laying fondant onto frames do you spread on greaseproof paper - slashed so the bees can go through - and does anyone pour loose granulated sugar around it to absorb some of the moisture? Did all this stuff 30 years ago but after much of the last 25 years spent in bed (and not for good reasons ) I can’t remember now what I did. Crazy really, can remember making Snelvrove boards for instance but no memory of using them (though I did) and breeding lots of queens too - but no idea the system I used. Anyway, I digress (again) I really was just asking about the feeding

 

[Curly green finger's]

Couple of questions to the wise when laying fondant onto frames do you spread on greaseproof paper - slashed so the bees can go through - and does anyone pour loose granulated sugar around it to absorb some of the moisture? Did all this stuff 30 years ago but after much of the last 25 years spent in bed (and not for good reasons ) I can’t remember now what I did. Crazy really, can remember making Snelvrove boards for instance but no memory of using them (though I did) and breeding lots of queens too - but no idea the system I used. Anyway, I digress (again) I really was just asking about the feeding

I roll mine out on the paper.. The paper is there to stop it drying out and to stop it sticking to the CB or insulation.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I roll mine out between two sheets of greaseproof, take the top layer off and leave the paper underneath with a few slashes going across the frames then there's no danger of it sliding between the the frames and onto the bees. Turn the crown board over to give space and the bees have access over the top as well.