Sirup feeding

At what temperature can we start feeding bees with Sirup?

jmeilhan said:

At what temperature can we start feeding bees with Sirup?

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first thing first: do they need it?

Syrup feeding can be done in frost weather if needed, ut not with feeding box.

I never feed syrup in spring, it will go into any spring crop.
E

1:1 syrup can be fed to encourage brooding any time now. Enrico’s warning of sugar syrup honey is appliccable, if overdone and carried on for too long or too much. Water is likely more important than the sugar in cold snaps.

I am more likely to need to remove stores from the brood area in springtime than feeding, if not trying to accelerate their brooding.

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Normally I have too much sugar in hives before the new yield. I must take frames along the spring and give to hives where stores are small.
Firts of all, often sugar stores limits the laying space of the queen. Bees must keep only sugars warm.

Hive needs lots of space to pollen too, because there are lots of pollen in nature in spring.

enrico said:

I never feed syrup in spring, it will go into any spring crop.
E

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Might be true in your location but I have not seen evidence of it up here. Rather a sweeping comment really.

PH

Poly Hive said:

Might be true in your location but I have not seen evidence of it up here. Rather a sweeping comment really.

PH

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I meant that I (that's me) never feed syrup in spring. Not that anyone else shouldn't, because I ( that's me again) would have sugar in my spring crop. Not that everyone else would!!!!
IF I chose to feed my bees I ( me again) would use a small amount of fondant to keep them going so that they didn't store it........ I wouldn't presume to make a sweeping statement about others, hence my bit at the bottom of each post.
Sorry if it came over that way.

E

enrico said:

IF I chose to feed my bees I ( me again) would use a small amount of fondant to keep them going so that they didn't store it........

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Hi,
You mean that bees don't actually store Fondant like the way they do with Sugar Syrup? I assumed they did, by taking it down, adding water to it and storing it in the empty combs?

TooBee... said:

Hi,
You mean that bees don't actually store Fondant like the way they do with Sugar Syrup? I assumed they did, by taking it down, adding water to it and storing it in the empty combs?

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Bees will store anything if they don't need to use it immediately - it's just a bit easier to monitor their use of fondant than syrup and remove fondant if a flow starts early. Some bees will take down syrup like it's their last meal and put it in the combs but treat fondant more as a larder item and tend not to store it as readily in the combs. However, as any beekeeper will tell you - expect the unexpected because that's what bees do ...

The key issue is not to over feed in the spring as they will fill available space in the brood box and that could lead to a lack of space for the queen to lay.

The risk of sugar in your honey is only there if, for some reason, you are feeding excessively in which case they may move stores from the brood box into the super when you put a super on .. or more stupidly (and I've seen it dpne) feediing bees when you HAVE got a super on.

Rab (Oliver90Owner) is on the money above.

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My bees eate sugar up to next yield. And the hive must have always food stores for bad days. I do not use fondant. It is same sugar.

"you are feeding excessively" ... why to do that?

Finman said:

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My bees eate sugar up to next yield. And the hive must have always food stores for bad days. I do not use fondant. It is same sugar.

"you are feeding excessively" ... why to do that?

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Because new beekeepers often/sometimes do, it's a common mistake ... there are loads of threads on here where people have thought that bees need to be fed like you feed a pet dog ! Not everyone has three degrees and fifty years of beekeeping behind them ...and a good mentor to keep them on track.

I rarely need to feed my bees ... I leave them enough honey to see them through winter and usually have some frames of stores available for any starter colonies. But there again, I don't have to drain every last drop of honey from my colonies to cover the petrol costs ...

pargyle said:

! Not everyone has three degrees and fifty years of beekeeping behind them .. ...

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Not everyone has born at same year. That makes sense.

But question was, can you feed sugar to bees on spring. Sure you can.
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Just in case any beginner thinks that 'stimulative feeding' of 1:1 is self-evidently clever...

Many beekeepers feed a thin syrup solution to encourage brood rearing but this is arguably pointless if the colony has sufficient stores as stated above. To rear brood bees need to feed a mix of honey or sugar and pollen. To encourage brood rearing ensure that the colonies are close to early pollen crops or feed pollen.

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Best Practice Guideline #6, below...

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167

Uncle Betty said:

Just in case any beginner thinks that 'stimulative feeding' of 1:1 is self-evidently clever...



Best Practice Guideline #6, below...

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167

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Possibly NOT best practice ?

"Spring checks should be completed by late February or early March. You must not wait until April."

I'm still hefting ... far too early to be looking seriously inside the boxes at present with the weather we've had this year ... bees don't follow a calendar based timetable !

Uncle Betty said:

Just in case any beginner thinks that 'stimulative feeding' of 1:1 is self-evidently clever url]

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Actually it does not work. Only protein feeding works.

Syrup feeding only fills the brood nest and stimulates the beekeeper.

"best practice guidelines" .... Everybody can write that onto paper.

Pargyle has " catch and reliese guidelines". A very modern style. I burn petrol to get honey and bees burn the honey.

.

I love this place,I get a good chuckle at times, so many serious thinkers brings back memories of Benny Hill (framin iriot) Tommy Cooper, Dick Emery, The Ronnies (four candles) not forgetting Basil. Who would you put in No. 10??

pargyle said:

Possibly NOT best practice ?

"Spring checks should be completed by late February or early March. You must not wait until April."

I'm still hefting ... far too early to be looking seriously inside the boxes at present with the weather we've had this year ... bees don't follow a calendar based timetable !

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The document makes the distinction between 'Spring checks' (which should not be left until April, and includes hefting)...

and has a separate heading of 'Spring inspections' (which includes looking seriously inside the boxes).

question on making 1:1 sugar syrup .... now I understand that only white granulated sugar is to be used ... but at work we have vending sugar

'Tate & Lyle Vending Sugar 6 x 2kg Cases or Single Bags
This product is made for use with vending machines, it is a long life product which ensures that your vending machine will provide sugar for your brews for a long time. '


thinking for this autumn .... is this stuff ok to use

(think I can get hold of it cheap see )

How about phoning T&L and ask what they put in it to make it "Long Life"

KISS


PH

Uncle Betty said:

Just in case any beginner thinks that 'stimulative feeding' of 1:1 is self-evidently clever...



Best Practice Guideline #6, below...

http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?pageid=167

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If weather is such that bees can fly. .that is the question there now.

And it is far from best practice that you feed syrup during yield season to encourage brooding.

Bees rear brood without syrup feeding if they can forage in flowers.

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