Newbie question - we have started our honeybee hobby with 2 hives - #1 installed on April 14 from a package and #2 installed from a nuc.
We have been keeping sugar syrup with Honey Bee Healthy added in our top feeders for them. Today when we checked the hives the supplies were gone. I'm guessing because of the rainy cool weather in May, they used this because they couldn't get out as much as they would have if it had been warm and sunny.
Now the weather has become more normal - hot and humid.
Should we continue to feed them with the sugar syrup or have they had a chance to make their own food by now?
Thanks for your advice! We are REALLY new to the wonderful world of beekeeping!
Linda in Nashville
It's June. Time to wean your babies off the bottle. Don't even think of feeding again until after labor day when the gear shift is from havestable honey to winter stores. Let your bees be bees.
The free bar is closed. If they want top shelf sugar they have to pay for it in honey. They produce 200lbs ;) of it and maybe you will give them some again in the winter.
Remember to tip the bartender or die of thirst.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
When you say the supplies are gone do you mean the syrup or the stored honey? If they have no stored honey, I would feed them. If they have stored honey at all (even if it's not capped) I would assume there would be a nectar flow this time of year and I woudn't feed them. But if they really don't have any stores, I would.
There is no more sugar syrup in the top feeder.
In all honesty, I don't exactly know which cells are capped brood cells and which ones are capped honey cells. :? (I think I can tell a drone cell from the bullet shape capping.)
There are a lot of uncapped cells that look as though the bees transferred the sugar syrup from the top feeder into cells - they are filled with clear liquid.
At any rate, I just don't want to starve them to death!!!
Obviously we have a TON of stuff to learn! Thanks for your help!
>>There is no more sugar syrup in the top feeder.
Good, take off.
>>In all honesty, I don't exactly know which cells are capped brood cells and which ones are capped honey cells. (I think I can tell a drone cell from the bullet shape capping.)
The brood cells will be brown or golden in color the same shade as the drone cells. The capped honey will look like frosted glass.
>>There is no more sugar syrup in the top feeder.
Good, take off.
>>In all honesty, I don't exactly know which cells are capped brood cells and which ones are capped honey cells. (I think I can tell a drone cell from the bullet shape capping.)
The brood cells will be brown or golden in color the same shade as the drone cells. The capped honey will look like frosted glass.
Looking at the picture below you can see what Brian was talking about when he mentioned the brown/golden color of the worker cells and the frosted glass appearence of the honey cells. The honey cells are in the top-right corner and the worker cells are just above the bees on the center of the frame.
(http://www.honeysupercell.com/sblog/images/IMG_3772.JPG)
Thanks a bunch Joe! As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!!! :)
I'm on my way out to check on the girls in a minute and this helps a lot!
Linda in Nashville