to start with I failed miserable at beekeeping a few years ago . i caught a swarm two days ago and put them in a deep with ten frames and started feeding them . all seems to be going well . do i just need to treat them as if they were a new package or what ? any advise would be greatly appreciated .
Like a package except if the queen is mated they'll build up faster. Feed them to get them going, make sure not to overfeed, and get another brood box on in another week or two (depending on swarm size and amount of feeding).
rick
Feed them constantly until they have some capped honey and a flow going on.
Quote from: Scadsobees on July 21, 2011, 09:55:40 AM
Like a package except if the queen is mated they'll build up faster. Feed them to get them going, make sure not to overfeed, and get another brood box on in another week or two (depending on swarm size and amount of feeding).
rick
a swarmn has 3 days food with it. It starts comb building with it..
Essential is that how many frames bees cover . If bees cover all 10 frames, they draw those combs.
Feed feed feed in the middle of the summer means that soon the combs are full of sugar and it restrict the amount of brood.
3-4 weeks later new bees start go emerge. Before that bees are not able to draw more combs than they did on first week. And before emerging ghe colony hs only half of bee number of he soriginal swarm. Thy re not ble to draw more foudations or occupye.
Feed feed feed means hat you spoil the colony progress. but try to maximaze he brood area.
When bees cary food from outside they need not sugar feeding.
The less sugar or honey in the hive, the more brood to create new bees after 3 weeks
mostly the biggest enemy of start of beekeeping is that honey fills a tiny hive.feeding just make it faster - yes, the spoiling.
finski, many area here are experiencing triple digit temps and drought.
since he is a new beekeeper, maybe it would be easier to tell him to feed until he has about 30% or so of the frames filled with syrup and then keep an eye on how quickly they use it. we are 1/2 way through summer and if the heat keep us, there may be no more forage for many area. everyone will have to keep an eye on what's inside. it's not going to be a normal year.
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I understand we all have different climates and droughts,
But you are mad to feed colonies what ever he situation is .
We handle here often how to get more drawn combs with feeding. In your photos I may see a feeding jar standing in front of the hive all the time and I can see from vegation that you have not dry weather there all the time.
I have not seen a discussion how to maximaze brood broduction in he hive.
There is a big difference to handle the swarm, if it occupyes 5, 10 or 20 frames.
I have here now 30 C temp. Nectar flow is mad. It is 7 kg a day. I have here areas too where nectar flow is negative. In that case move the hives to the place which give
yield.
My advice is only feed them until they have some capped stores. Then decide if there is a flow. If you don't, as Kathy says, there are droughts in many places this time of year and they could starve. But I agree feeding constantly will just make them swarm when they are not strong enough to do it.
thanks everyone for the input . its been hot here in kentucky but the good thing is we have been getting alot of rain also so the white clover is still doing good . i plan on opening the hive monday and see whats going on . since tuesday they have taken two quarts of syrup . if it looks like they have drawn out the frames 60 or 70% i guess ill put on another hive body and stop the feeding . Does this sound like the right thing to do ?
i would feed until they are about 70-80% drawn in the first deep then add super golden rod will be blooming soon if we keep getting rain then we should have a good flow