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  • Coronavirus - Feeding if syrup/sugar is not available.

  • General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
General Q&A, Bee chat and only Bee chat please
 #5995  by AndrewLD
 20 Mar 2020, 11:52
Our BBKA Chair raised the question of feeding in her coronavirus letter and that prompts me to ask:

I was about to cut out and melt down a load of granulated frames that have been sitting the garage from last summer (Smells OK - no mould). I am just thinking I should hold off and if I wanted to give it to them in Spring what do you think is the best way. Stick a super with the frames on top of a QX on the brood box, put it under the brood box, left capped, cappings scrapped a bit.......?

If it gets to autumn and there's a problem sourcing syrup/sugar then I think I'd scrape the cappings and put it under a cover board with a small hole, seal the normal entrance and give then a temporary entrance cut into an eke immediately on top of the new coverboard (i.e. from the bottom up - sealed off OMF, super, cover board with small hole , eke with entrance, brood box etc.). Any improvement on that?

Even if you haven't got any granulated frames you have been meaning to do something with; you are sure to have some soon - rape is out already in my area...
 #5996  by Chrisbarlow
 20 Mar 2020, 12:49
OSR , already out, crikey. Not here. I don't think

If I put old honey in frames onto bees , I always uncap them first.

I would possibly consider dipping the frames in water (stream) if they still didn't take it.

I'm umming and arring about how to Bee keep bees this year to make sure everything has enough stores for winter with minimal input

My loose plans/ideas are:

Small colony numbers in apiaries to maximize forage.

No queen excluders, don't want compression swarming

Plenty of space to expand, don't want compression swarming.

Walk away splits and give em a queen cell if available, otherwise just a walk away split, then assess new queen afterwards for desired traits and standard.

Excess stores from flows redistributed to low stores good quality colonys.

Any weak colonies/ slow growing, kill queens and merge, those boxes that in previous years I might try and encourage with frames of brood and a feed. No compassion.

I'm currently self isolating, so more home time, currently making sure all kit is made up or in best condition and ready if/when I need it.

I will be making sure that my stock are well maintained, fed and treated for pests/disease but with minimal input.

These are my thoughts and I'm open to suggestions and ideas on how colony management can be improved upon with minimal intervention and lack of sugar going into winter
 #5999  by NigelP
 20 Mar 2020, 13:08
A thought...as soon as we get a flow on remove all brood frames with stores and let them replace those stores.
Save frames and put back in winter if no sugar.

I am amazed at how little stores bees use overwintering in poly hives with closed floors. I had one colony that turned all their autumn feed into bees....about 11 solid seams of them. Put 2.5 kg of fondant on them last December, there is still 2/3rds left. I think the heat generated just by their normal metabolic activity doesn't require them to use lots of stores destined mainly for heater bees
Many of my hives are still heavy so will be pulling out store clogged frames and saving those as well.
 #6006  by MickBBKA
 20 Mar 2020, 17:22
I will be going out tomorrow to check on the out apiaries food reserves, I know some will be on the edge if not over it. Now the Spring equinox is upon us, here in Teesside we will have 4 weeks of biting Easterly wind straight off the North Sea so bees chance to forage will be very limited. I get shop damaged sugar from a local supermarket and use it to keep them going and boost colony size ready for when it finally warms up sometime in May. They get about 5-6 weeks to make their honey for the year then so I have to try time it right.
 #6008  by AdamD
 21 Mar 2020, 11:15
"and if I wanted to give it to them in Spring what do you think is the best way."

Here's one idea - I have got the bees to clear up old frames by putting one on the inside of the brood-box wall; leaving a gap of a frame and then putting a dummy board in against the remaining frames. With the old frame outside the brood nest, bees will remove the stores from it and take them to the nest where they want it. After a week or so, the frame is empty and can be removed. (Usually).
 #6022  by nealh
 23 Mar 2020, 08:58
I stocked up on sugar last Autumn for this year and have 135 kg of fondant in the storage for the bees if needed.
Bako no longer sell the sku 35157 own package fondant but now have another source SKU 35151 from the UK priced cheaper, ingredients are the same with no additives.

I try and leave 12- 15lbs of honey in all colonies for Autumn , supplement later with syrup or fondant and rely on the usually good income of Ivy for them.
 #6026  by AdamD
 23 Mar 2020, 09:09
I recall seeing on the old BBKA forum that during the war, green sugar was supplied to beekeepers; it was dyed to stop it being sold to the general public. It was reported that some of it did finish up in honey as some had a greeny tinge about it.
Is it inevitable that a little syrup gets into honey - say from excessive feeding in autumn?
 #6028  by Chrisbarlow
 23 Mar 2020, 10:27
AdamD wrote:
23 Mar 2020, 09:09
I recall seeing on the old BBKA forum that during the war, green sugar was supplied to beekeepers; it was dyed to stop it being sold to the general public. It was reported that some of it did finish up in honey as some had a greeny tinge about it.
Is it inevitable that a little syrup gets into honey - say from excessive feeding in autumn?
I dont mind the feeding the bees green sugar, I do mind the social contact getting hold of it?

If I can manipulate stores around, save honey to be given back in autumn, give them back honey that I got last year, then I will do.
 #6031  by Patrick
 23 Mar 2020, 12:26
Likewise Chris.With reduced outlets and living in the middle of nowhere, I reckon being self reliant is my plan so far. I may also scale my numbers back ( yes I know, but this time I mean it!) I already have plenty in store after two consecutive big seasons and don’t want it to become ridiculous. At the moment running out of jars is also likely.