when do you start feeding. and what kind of feeder do you use.
I leave honey with the bees, so they always have their own supply, no need to feed. Even when I make splits I split their honey reserves too.
QuoteI leave honey with the bees, so they always have their own supply, no need to feed. Even when I make splits I split their honey reserves too.
Yeah, but sometimes that's not always possible, as in the case of my bees being robbed out. If it looks like your hives won't have enough of their own stores to last them the winter, then now would be good to start. It's starting to get chilly out. My bees don't feed a whole lot at night (probably because of the temps). They do well during the day though.
They need to have enough stores to get through the winter one way or the other. I prefer to leave them enough because they seem to winter better on honey and feeding always seems to set off robbing and that's counterproductive.
If you feed them, try to avoid robbing. Don't use boardman feeders (they lead to robbing). You can put the jar on top of the inner cover and it won't contribute so much. Reduce all the entrances on all the hives. The strong ones to slow them down so they can't rob without having a traffic jam, and the weak ones so they can defend the entrance. Feed all the hives. If you don't feed the strong ones they will rob the ones you are feeding. If the strong ones put away more than they need you can steal stores from them to give the weak hives. 2:1 (sugar:water by weight or volume, it doesn't matter) is the norm for winter feeding. Boil the water, add the sugar and remove from heat.
My favorite feeder is this one:
http://www.beeworks.com/usacatalog/items/item130.htm
I've seen robbing. But I've not seen it happen with my bees here in Tucson, Arizona for the past 9 years. What MB says about robbing, that feeding is its trigger, sounds about right. Perhaps that's why I don't have it as a major beekeeping problem.
Quote from: Michael BushMy favorite feeder is this one:
http://www.beeworks.com/usacatalog/items/item130.htm
Cool feeder! You know, that looks like one of those ring cake pans with a cup and a lid. I wonder if you could use one, if it would work? Also where is this feeder placed. On top of the racks and leave on the super?
I take every year honey away and give sugar 40 lbs in solution. I return all pollen frames to hive for winter. So I have done 44 years and I have no pain in my mind.
In our country sugar is 1 US $ per kilo. Honey is about 7 $/kg. No sence to feed with expencive honey.
Bees go over winter splended with sugar. At spring they need pollen to raise new bees. At May alla wintered will die and new ones start new living. If you give honey to dieng bees, what is the value of action.
Bees have never claimed to me.
Some are strange beekepers! They feed hive all the summer with sugar and feed over winter with honey. I do not feed at all at summer if they are not lacking food because of bad weathers.
The Rapid feeder is best put over the hole in the inner cover.