Feeding

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Stevesbees

New Bee
Joined
Jul 20, 2014
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Location
Scotland
Hive Type
National
So my nuc that I got mid July has done well and built up nicely. Felt we were checking too often and annoying bees during the summer so have left for a few weeks and looked to discover outside 2 frames completely empty, all the capped honey was gone..... Panic....
Fed then about 3L which went in a day, then did another feed of about the same, now 2 days on they have finished that. I am feeding 1:1. So do I keep feeding until they stop taking or do I leave them just know, my gut is telling me to keep feeding until they have had enough?
The weather has changed here and is pretty grim and much colder. So want to make sure they are happy, fed and warm!
Thanks
Steve
 
I would have a little look inside and check the store levels, you don't want all the frames filled completely with stores.
 
So my nuc that I got mid July has done well and built up nicely. Felt we were checking too often and annoying bees during the summer so have left for a few weeks and looked to discover outside 2 frames completely empty, all the capped honey was gone..... Panic....
Fed then about 3L which went in a day, then did another feed of about the same, now 2 days on they have finished that. I am feeding 1:1. So do I keep feeding until they stop taking or do I leave them just know, my gut is telling me to keep feeding until they have had enough?
The weather has changed here and is pretty grim and much colder. So want to make sure they are happy, fed and warm!
Thanks
Steve

1:1 is feed for rapid use, ie "fuel" typically to encourage comb building or nourishment for an expanding colony in spring before adequate forage is available.
2:1 is for the bees to put into store for winter. Having only half the water content it's much less work for the bees to evaporate and store than 1:1 especially when temperatures are low.
 
Hi Steve,
Close call, glad you caught them on time! Your initial response was correct 1:1 is emergency food, as the bees can ingest it without having to dilute it. You need to find out what they have done with the syrup. As above, if they are now storing it you make them work harder thereof the recommendation of going over to 2:1. Brooding is 1:1. They do seem to have 'consumed' a lot of syrup - not being robbed? Wasps or other bees? Don't let them fill all the frames with syrup they still need room to brood. Also, when you put them to bed for winter, very controversial this I am sure, you can always put a block of fondant on top of the frames. I did this with my nuc last season and it was gone more or less by Christmas. Put another block on, they overwintered well and have given me lots of honey this season. My red queen is still there. Don't you just love them! Some beeks use the phrase 'I nursed a nuc through the winter'. Let's here it from the nurses.
 
Thanks folks will check them tomorrow. No signs of robbing from wasps or other bees but will check again. Wondered if they had built up so much brood quickly and July and August when weather lovely and then weather in Scotland really turned cold and wet so was not seeing much activity around hive.
As I said will check and see if need to go 2:1. Sugar to water. Also what I have on frames. Fondant a thought I have seen that mentioned in books!
Cheers
Steve
 
They're getting ready in case they have to leave after the vote on Thursday...
 
Back
Top