The honey flow seems to be over in my area now and the hives with large numbers are hanging out on the front and landing board. Are all these extra bees a disadvantage to the hive? It seems to me they have nothing to do and just eat up more stores causing a need for feeding this fall. I knew someone last year that was late taking honey (early August) and much of the honey in the bottom supers was gone in the hives with excessive numbers of bees.
What are some other thoughts or experiences about this?
Too many bees?
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Kurt Bower
- Guard bee
- Posts: 692
- Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2004 2:04 pm
- Location: Julian, NC
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This is the nature of the honey bee.
Bees build up numbers in the spring for the purpose of making honey and dividing the colony. Since the flow is over you will seem many bees just hanging out until they have something to do or just die from old age.
If little or no nectar comes in during the summer months, they will indeed eat up their stores. But of course that is what the honey is there for.
You could consider making a split. Now is a great time to take advantage of the extra population.
One can never really have too many bees!
Bees build up numbers in the spring for the purpose of making honey and dividing the colony. Since the flow is over you will seem many bees just hanging out until they have something to do or just die from old age.
If little or no nectar comes in during the summer months, they will indeed eat up their stores. But of course that is what the honey is there for.
You could consider making a split. Now is a great time to take advantage of the extra population.
One can never really have too many bees!