winter feeding

[Vortex]

I'm with Poly hive on this one.. insulation all year round, acrylic crownboards in my abelo nucs (all year round - stops the wild combing in the roof) and feed with fondant. Much less phaff than trying to cart 40 gallons of syrup and feeders about.

 

[Swarm]

Derek Mitchell has done lots of work on this very subject
Well insulated colonies do indeed eat less over winter

Another member who has not posted in ages.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Another member who has not posted in ages.

Posted last in June but he was here yesterday morning
We should wave to him

 

[Lancs Lad]

Posted last in June but he was here yesterday morning
We should wave to him

Yes a shame he doesn't post, I followed his work on insulating and it proved extremely beneficial, they definitely use less stores through winter, I also built a hive to a high insulation spec and it amazed me.

 

[pargyle]

It will be raspberry pi based. Got several temp sensors for inside the hives, and some others including a weather station which will be situated beside them. I am currently digging the trench to my hives/bee shed at the moment to lay power and ethernet so I can get it all connected up. I’ll stick a post up when I make some progress!

In a much simpler way I've been there and done that .. I just had a simple battery digital thermometer and hygrometer ... bit like this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Digital-...792597?hash=item1a7e667155:g:--AAAOSwnBpdChj6

Recorded the readings manually at different times of the day and compared the readings inside the hive to the ambient temp outside. Very interesting .. Insulation above the crown board makes a huge difference to the temperature inside the hive .. even on the coldest days the bees were consistently recording temps at least 5 degrees C above the external temperature (with a mesh floor as well).

There are a few problems you will face ... the bees tend to propolise the sensors like mad .. so I put my sensors in a mesh cage and they propolised the mesh ! You then get false readings.

It's an interesting exercise - it proved to me that insulated hives are far better for the bees at all times of the year.

Look for a Derek Mitchell lecture and listen to what he says .. save yourself a load of time and hassle !!

 

[pargyle]

Another member who has not posted in ages.

He was getting nit picked by the usual suspects and he probably got fed up of having his science worked over by people just looking to prove him wrong ...

His talks are well worth a listen if he does one near you.

 

[Lancs Lad]

I have just been told that Derek Mitcell broke his radius in seven places after falling whilst inspecting a bait hive,in May

 

[Swarm]

I have just been told that Derek Mitcell broke his radius in seven places after falling whilst inspecting a bait hive,in May

Only his Radius? That's no excuse, he can still do a one digit punch on the keypad.

 

[Swarm]

In all fairness, seven places is a bit awful ....

If you are reading Derek, alcohol numbs the pain, hope you recover soon.

 

[maz0]

Just love reinventing the wheel.

All of this was done in the 50's at Craibstone.

PH

Better just stop doing anything then eh? Just stick to what they done back then in the 50’s.

 

[XYZ]

On the thread topic - what are people's preferences for feeding over winter - syrup or fondant?

 

[BMH]

On the thread topic - what are people's preferences for feeding over winter - syrup or fondant?

I have done both.

My preference is syrup for feeding to weight prior to winter, emergency feeding and stimulative spring feeding (mostly not necessary).

I prefer to feed nucs on fondant and mid winter feeding of colonies.

If money wasnt an issue, I would feed fondant all the time apart from emergency feeding and to get thymol into them prior to winter.

 

[Erichalfbee]

On the thread topic - what are people's preferences for feeding over winter - syrup or fondant?

Invert

 

[Eddie_H]

On the thread topic - what are people's preferences for feeding over winter - syrup or fondant?

I thought the water content of syrup would be too much for the bees in Winter??

I always feed fondant..

 

[Eddie_H]

On the subject of thymol - what are the advantages of adding it to syrup?

 

[Erichalfbee]

Invert

Oooops.....missed the over winter bit
Fondant. You can't give syrup in the winter
Invert for autumn feeding

 

[Erichalfbee]

On the subject of thymol - what are the advantages of adding it to syrup?

It helps prevent nosema
It also helps stop the syrup fermenting
Invert also doesn't ferment so there's no harm if the bees don't cap it

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

On the thread topic - what are people's preferences for feeding over winter - syrup or fondant?

You shouldn't really be feeding 'over winter'
autumn feed to give them winter stores - 2:1 sugar syrup or invert, the advantage of invert is that you can feed it much later and even if the bees can't reduce the water content right down, it won't ferment.
As an 'emergency feed' late winter - fondant

 

[Poly Hive]

I would rather feed than lose bees to isolation starvation.

However, I remind those in the balmy South its a bit harsher up here. Photo date is 19th Feb 2019

PH

 

[Swarm]

And there's me expecting a photo of snow drifts.