Feeding
Feeding
With the nice weather we are still having my bees are very active. Looks like a lot of orintation flights are taking place in several of my hives. I was thinking of feeding them some more 2:1 sugar water. All hives have a full medium super of honey and one of them has two. last checked them a week ago. Is it possible to feed them them too much or should I procede till they stop taking it or the weather turns cool again? My prefered method of feeding is with quart jars in an empty hive body.
Wally always has great advice, so next spring before the honey flow you might want to mark the frames that are still capped sugar syrup and only extract the frames of known capped nectar.
Bees eat the least when the temperature is around 40 degrees the warmer it gets the more active they will be and the more stores they will consume. So with the temperatures in the upper 60’s and no nectar flow to bring in stores they will be consuming winter stores.
I think it is possible to feed too much and become honey bound if you will with stores and not have anywhere to cluster or for the queen to lay, bees are hoarders.
With these warm temperatures 65 + I would take a look and if they have more then two combs for the queen to lay in and to cluster I would feed them.
The flip side would be adding additional moisture to the hive but with the warm temperatures forcast for the next week I don’t think it would be a problem.
Ski
Bees eat the least when the temperature is around 40 degrees the warmer it gets the more active they will be and the more stores they will consume. So with the temperatures in the upper 60’s and no nectar flow to bring in stores they will be consuming winter stores.
I think it is possible to feed too much and become honey bound if you will with stores and not have anywhere to cluster or for the queen to lay, bees are hoarders.
With these warm temperatures 65 + I would take a look and if they have more then two combs for the queen to lay in and to cluster I would feed them.
The flip side would be adding additional moisture to the hive but with the warm temperatures forcast for the next week I don’t think it would be a problem.
Ski
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I have some other questions about feeding.
1) Bees can only make use of capped honey for nourishment, right? That means the sugar syrup does them no good until it has been processed in their bodies and placed in open honey cells until enough moisture has evaporated off to reach the "honey" stage at which time the cells are capped, correct?
2) How much conversion of syrup into honey is taking place in the winter? Is there an average temperature where it does no good to feed the bees?
3) How about feeding pollen patties or pollen substitute? Should that be made available all winter or not?
4) If a person has honey from the summer can that be fed to the same bees that made it? Should tartar be added to this honey?
Thanks!
1) Bees can only make use of capped honey for nourishment, right? That means the sugar syrup does them no good until it has been processed in their bodies and placed in open honey cells until enough moisture has evaporated off to reach the "honey" stage at which time the cells are capped, correct?
2) How much conversion of syrup into honey is taking place in the winter? Is there an average temperature where it does no good to feed the bees?
3) How about feeding pollen patties or pollen substitute? Should that be made available all winter or not?
4) If a person has honey from the summer can that be fed to the same bees that made it? Should tartar be added to this honey?
Thanks!
Bees can only make use of capped honey for nourishment, right?
I do not believe that statement is true. Someone correct me if I am in error but I believe bees will use uncapped syrup or nectar that is stored in cells.
How much conversion of syrup into honey is taking place in the winter?
Well bees circulate air in the summer to cool and dehydrate the stores in the cells. During winter the air is much dryer so there may be syrup being dried in cells without the bees working to circulate the air. There can be a lot of variables to that answer.
Is there an average temperature where it does no good to feed the bees?
Yes, Bees will break or have a loose cluster around 47 degrees so feeding when temps are below 47 will not do much good. At temps of 50 or above bees can be observed taking cleansing flights and will in my experience take syrup from a hive top feeder.
It has been written that bees will not take syrup if the syrup is below 50 degrees.
It should also be noted that reported temperatures are temperatures taken in the shade and if your hive is in the sun they may be flying at lower reported temperatures.
How about feeding pollen patties or pollen substitute? Should that be made available all winter or not?
Again bees will be clustered with temperatures below 47 so feeding pollen below 47 will not be utilized also with minimal brood there will not be a high demand for pollen.
If a person has honey from the summer can that be fed to the same bees that made it?
Yes, it can be fed.
Should tartar be added to this honey?
I do not have any experience with the tartar but have read that it does cause some problems so I would say no, do not add the tartar.
I hope this answered your questions, if it did not ask away.
Ski
I do not believe that statement is true. Someone correct me if I am in error but I believe bees will use uncapped syrup or nectar that is stored in cells.
How much conversion of syrup into honey is taking place in the winter?
Well bees circulate air in the summer to cool and dehydrate the stores in the cells. During winter the air is much dryer so there may be syrup being dried in cells without the bees working to circulate the air. There can be a lot of variables to that answer.
Is there an average temperature where it does no good to feed the bees?
Yes, Bees will break or have a loose cluster around 47 degrees so feeding when temps are below 47 will not do much good. At temps of 50 or above bees can be observed taking cleansing flights and will in my experience take syrup from a hive top feeder.
It has been written that bees will not take syrup if the syrup is below 50 degrees.
It should also be noted that reported temperatures are temperatures taken in the shade and if your hive is in the sun they may be flying at lower reported temperatures.
How about feeding pollen patties or pollen substitute? Should that be made available all winter or not?
Again bees will be clustered with temperatures below 47 so feeding pollen below 47 will not be utilized also with minimal brood there will not be a high demand for pollen.
If a person has honey from the summer can that be fed to the same bees that made it?
Yes, it can be fed.
Should tartar be added to this honey?
I do not have any experience with the tartar but have read that it does cause some problems so I would say no, do not add the tartar.
I hope this answered your questions, if it did not ask away.
Ski
From: The Hive and the Honey Bee. (Page 322)
Pollen is virtually the sole source of proteins, fatty substances, minerals, and vitamins that are necessary during the production of larval food and for the development of newly emerged bees. A colony cannot rear brood if it does not have pollen (Hydak, 1937a). Older bees can rear brood without consuming pollen (Haydak, 1935, 1937b) but they do this at the expense of their own bodies and the amount of food produced is rather small.
........................................................................
This sounds like emerged bees and older bees can consume pollen. What am I missing?
Pollen is virtually the sole source of proteins, fatty substances, minerals, and vitamins that are necessary during the production of larval food and for the development of newly emerged bees. A colony cannot rear brood if it does not have pollen (Hydak, 1937a). Older bees can rear brood without consuming pollen (Haydak, 1935, 1937b) but they do this at the expense of their own bodies and the amount of food produced is rather small.
........................................................................
This sounds like emerged bees and older bees can consume pollen. What am I missing?
Agree, pollen is not necessary to sustain a bee when not rearing brood, however it does consume pollen when it does rear brood or it pulls the protein out of its own body.
So, does 100% of the pollen a bee consumes while rearing brood go to feeding the larvae?
Maybe?
And what about:
………………..and for the development of newly emerged bees.
Now I have sat by the hives and asked and asked this question but have not yet received an answer that I can understand!!
Edited 9:11 pm
I would have to agree that for all practical purposes adult bees do not under normal circumstances consume pollen.
So, does 100% of the pollen a bee consumes while rearing brood go to feeding the larvae?
Maybe?
And what about:
………………..and for the development of newly emerged bees.
Now I have sat by the hives and asked and asked this question but have not yet received an answer that I can understand!!
Edited 9:11 pm
I would have to agree that for all practical purposes adult bees do not under normal circumstances consume pollen.
Last edited by ski on Fri Nov 12, 2010 5:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
""I would have to agree that for all practical purposes adult bees do not under normal circumstances consume pollen.""
Bees will consume sawdust, flour, grape juice, tree sap, ETC., but for all practical purposes, they eat only sugars. Both raw and processed.
With bees, there are no absolutes, only generalities.
Bees will consume sawdust, flour, grape juice, tree sap, ETC., but for all practical purposes, they eat only sugars. Both raw and processed.
With bees, there are no absolutes, only generalities.
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top bar maker
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