I know I have read post about adding things to sugar water to get the bees to take it faster but cant seem to find them now when I need them. I have several lite hives, when I say lite I mean I can easily pick up the back of the hive with one hand. I have been feeding for a month now and they really dont seem to be getting any heavier. They have been taking the sugar water well until recently when the temps dropped to the 60's. I need them to to take a lot of sugar water soon. Any good ways to get them moving? I will probably have to combine some hives but combining 2 light hives will only get me 1 light hive maybe they will take the syrup better then though. Is it ever advisable to pure syrup directly into a frame? I have heard of this in emergency in winter but what about now?
Are you feeding 2:1 syrup? How cold is it getting? If the syrup is below 50 degrees, they won't take it. If you're using buckets, it might be worth bringing them in at night and putting them back out in the morning to keep them from getting too cold at night (if that's an issue).
To answer your specific question, Honey Bee Healthy (or just a few drops of lemongrass oil) works pretty well.
Quote from: Greg Peck on October 02, 2008, 06:22:38 PM
I know I have read post about adding things to sugar water to get the bees to take it faster but cant seem to find them now when I need them. I have several lite hives, when I say lite I mean I can easily pick up the back of the hive with one hand. I have been feeding for a month now and they really dont seem to be getting any heavier. They have been taking the sugar water well until recently when the temps dropped to the 60's. I need them to to take a lot of sugar water soon. Any good ways to get them moving? I will probably have to combine some hives but combining 2 light hives will only get me 1 light hive maybe they will take the syrup better then though. Is it ever advisable to pure syrup directly into a frame? I have heard of this in emergency in winter but what about now?
The thicker the syrup the quicker the bees will quit taking it as the temps drop. It's an inverse proportional thing. Since the 60's is pretty normal for me I would advise thinning the syrup out to 5:3 or 1.5:1 and adding a Tbsp of cider vinegar per gallon of syrup. The cider vinegar treats nosema and reduces the acidty of the syrup so it's more attractive to the bees. It also produces a more pungent smell for the bees to locate.
If you want to just feed a gallon take 5 pints of warm water and 6 lbs of sugar + 1 tbsp cider vinegar. If the temps are in the 60's the bees can take that much (a gallon) in a day.
What feeder style are you using? If bulk feeding a barrel colored black should (theoretically) be a little warmer after the sun shines on it vs a light colored one. Also, if the colony/cluster is shaded or small it will take longer to "get going" in the mornings than larger clusters and lose valuable hours that add up by seasons end. If that means combine, then combine. As mentioned vinegar or lemongrass works to bring them in. This time of year we get more rains, it's important to stir after rain or cover it during long rains otherwise the water will sit on top and the bees will lose interest. Also much like crystalized honey that upper layer will have a lower sugar concentration which will allow quicker fermentation. Many times I have added substantially larger concentrations of vinegar (between 2-4qts in 55gal drum nearly full) than what Brian D Bray has recommended and it doesn't seem to hurt anything.