Hello again, yet another mess up on my part makes my job harder.
OK, I have only two hives that have supers on them and one is probably not going to draw it out this year. The other was starting to draw out the frames a couple days ago. I left the food on hoping they woud draw out faster. Today when I checked, they have almost 5 frams drawn out and filled with uncapped syrup (yuck). Now what should I do?
My thoughts are to swap out the center drawn frames with the other hive, moving the outer frames in on the good hive. My hope is that the waeker hive will consume the syrup. The other option is to replace the syrup frames with new frames (same as other option). But this time, leave the frames out where it can get robbed.
ANy thoughts?
syrup in your honey supers? when you have enough flow to put the honey supers on, stop feeding. they will store it. swapping the frames out will not hurt.
you'll have to see what happens. 1st year hives are usually not good for honey anyway, so you probably have not messed up to badly.
If you move the super down under the brood nest for a couple of days they will move the syrup up.
You can do as the others have suggested, or you can put the inner cover between the brood boxes and the super. The bees will move the syrup down into the brood boxes.
QuoteBut this time, leave the frames out where it can get robbed.
If this syrup gets robbed, would it not possibly end up in the supers again as the bees collect it?
And if the super with syrup is put below, will they only move it into the brood nest and not up above into the super again? Or would they just consume it?
Just thinking! Thanks!
if this is your first year then let it go, they are doing just as they are suppose to, if you have a flow going them mark those frames and see if they will put honey in the other frames, if it was me I wouldn't do nothing as long as they are drawing out wax and putting up stores, only if a flow is going see if they will draw the rest out without feed, anytime you want honey you can't be feeding. if they were capped you can store them for winter and put new foundation in for your honey.
Won't bees stop taking syrup when there is a nectar flow to be had? That was my understanding...
I have a fellow beekeeper who feeds after the flow to get drawn comb. After the comb is drawn he removes the super and sets it away from the hives. The bees rob the syrup, he has drawn comb and the bees are recycling the syrup where they need it.
Quote from: Rex on May 28, 2009, 02:39:13 AM
Won't bees stop taking syrup when there is a nectar flow to be had? That was my understanding...
No not completely They just get lazy
>Won't bees stop taking syrup when there is a nectar flow to be had? That was my understanding...
The reason that was your understanding is that people keep saying it. Obviously it's not true.
So can you clarify when we should stop feeding a new package that is put on foundationless frames?
I was going to continue to feed until all the combs in the brood boxes were built regardless of the flow.
What about the honey supers, as far as building comb do they need to be fed until they get combs built in the honey supers and stop before they begin to fill them or will they start filling them with syrup as they build?
Your plan makes sense - feed until comb is drawn in the brood boxes. You could probably stop feeding a little earlier even.
Feeding to draw out honey supers is a recipe for getting adulterated honey. The bees will often start filling the new comb with syrup before the comb drawing is complete. I don't think you could define a separation between comb building and comb filling...
eshu is right. if you are feeding and have honey supers on, they will fill with syrup as they build. if you don't care about honey for the year, you can feed as long as you want to. if you want honey feed heavily early then stop when the honey crop starts.
in my area, i feed through the fruit tree bloom and quit when i see that they have stored enough to make it to the raspberry and blackberry bloom. that timing varies from year to year and sometimes from hive to hive. if you are doing open feeding, you just have to use your best judgment on when to stop.
Thanks for the advice, its what I had been thinking as well. The first colonies I got this year just moved down into the second brood box I added and are drawing comb there.
They filled a couple of combs with syrup on the outside of the first box so I moved them down into the second box in the same postion to see if they would move down and get cracking.
It seems they are filling out the honey combs extra fat and I was having trouble pulling them.
I am not sure why they are doing that when they have other combs and plenty of room.
So I will feed until they get at least the second brood box filled out and then see how they do on the 3rd brood box. I am going to need 3 medium brood boxes to get through winter.
At the rate these girls are going I doubt I will get any honey this year from them.
Its taken them the last 6 weeks to build, fill and cap one brood box but seem to be picking up steam now that their population is increasing.
They were very small colonies to start with and I am trying to build them up.
Would you feed them until they get all 3 boxes filled for themselves and then super or quit earlier, put a super on and try to get a super of honey from them and then feed again so they build more brood?
Quote from: Eshu on June 01, 2009, 12:15:22 PM
. . .The bees will often start filling the new comb with syrup before the comb drawing is complete. I don't think you could define a separation between comb building and comb filling...
I wish the picture police would let me post a picture here (heck, even a link). . . I'd show you what this looks like.
you can ask a moderator to post pics for you. also, if you will go into your profile and put your location?
Natalie, that will be your call. you'll have to decide what your goal is for the year. if your goal is to build them strong for winter, feed and keep an eye on space. if they get really strong and you want to try for honey, stop feeding.
if the flow is strong, you can stop feeding anyway and just keep an eye on how much they store. you can always feed again late summer or early fall depending on your weather. just make sure that there is plenty of room for brood and they have not stored so much that the queen has no room.
honey frames are fatter. pull them as you do your brood frames. from outside in.
Thank you again Kathy.
Quote from: Natalie on May 30, 2009, 08:07:46 PM
So can you clarify when we should stop feeding a new package that is put on foundationless frames?
When they get the 1st box full of drawn comb. Too much constant feeding can make the hive honey bound which restricts the queens ability to produce the population necessary to build a strong hive. Feed in spurts with an interruption after each feeding so the bees keep building comb and don't backfill the brood chamber.
QuoteI was going to continue to feed until all the combs in the brood boxes were built regardless of the flow.
Can you spell H O N E Y B O U N D. Can you spell C O N G E S T I O N S W A R M.
QuoteWhat about the honey supers, as far as building comb do they need to be fed until they get combs built in the honey supers and stop before they begin to fill them or will they start filling them with syrup as they build?
See the answers to the 2 previous questions.