@ Davelin Hi - can you clarify.... you said when all feeding done. Do you not feed all through the winter?
I sensed a cold patch and put a feeder on this week, surprised to find they wolfed a whole pound of sugar two days running so assume they're either hungry or taking the lazy way out of all that boring flying about.
This is what I do as a new beek, my first winter was last year, and check stores, and I feed Ambrosia syrup, in a miller/ashworth feeder, and I regularly heft (lift) throughout the winter, every week/two weeks, to get used to feeling the weight in the hive, I've also made my self a lifting kit, with luggage scales, and drilled holes in the floor, and lift both sides, and add the weights, gives me an idea of total weight in the hive throughout the winter at the start (full of stores) (because I'm not experienced at the winter hefting game yet!) and during the winter, I record the weights, in my record books, I have stores of fondant (2.5kg ambrosia), just in case a hive feels really light, and last year, dropped a 2.5kg block of fondant, in the mild march, which they consumed...
I do not feed all through the winter.
I opened in late december/early january, after check varroa levels, and treated/trickeled with Oxalic Acid (trickle2!)
So that's what I did, and got them through last year, although was very mild, I also have kingspan ontop of crownboard, and other insulation.
This is what I did right or wrong, it works for me.....I must admit hefting for a new beek, is difficult (well I found it difficult), so I checked weight.....and recorded....
And keep an eye on local Ivy flowers. You might not want that nectar in your nice summer honey because it's strongly flavoured.
