Bee feeding ???

[RangerBrad]

Howdy folks, I should be receiving my first packages(2) soon. I will install and feed them with a 1 gal pail. Problem is I may have to leave soon after for about two weeks required for work.

Will the bees be allright this time of year giving them their first gallon of syrup and them having to find their own till I get back or am I taking a big chance of them starving while I'm gone???

I have nobody available to feed them while I'm gone. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank's, Brad

[Two Bees]

Brad, new packages will take a lot of syrup or natural nectar to draw out foundation (assuming that you are installing on foundation).  One gallon will probably last less than a week.  If there is a flow going on in your area, they will forage for this nectar and use it to produce the wax necessary to draw comb.

Shame you can't arrange to have a larger feeder (i.e. top, Miller type) that holds four gallons!

[Hethen57]

If you are feeding throught the inner cover hole in an empty hive body, you could probably make something simple to hold two of those cans up off the inner cover and that it could last a few weeks.  I got some tin flashing and cut a hole the size of the inner cover hole, then used some 3/4" strips of wood to hold the cans up off the tin.  Then stuff the rest of the empty space with wadded up newspaper.  The reason I put the tin down was that I noticed the bees really like to suck the syrup drips off the tin (while the other bees are sucking through the holes) and it keeps the inner cover from getting so sticky.

[Two Bees]

Another idea!

I constructed a special inner cover that has 3" openings in each corner covered by a piece of #8 hardware cloth.  Once you put the inner cover on the hive, place a one-gallon jar of syrup in each corner and surround these jars with an empty deep hive body.  Position the jar so that it fits snugly in the corner of an empty hive body.  Of course, the metal lids of the jars have small pin holes in them.

This openings are small enough so I can invert a glass gallon jar lid is larger than the opening and by placing the jars in the corners, the weight of the syrup is displaced towards the outside of the inner cover/hive bodies.

You can feed 4 gallons of syrup this way which should last the two weeks that you will be traveling!

[RangerBrad]

Thank's folk's, These are all great ideas. We'll make her work. Brad

[Hethen57]

Excellent idea TwoBees...I was messing around with making special feeders to fit over the inner cover hole, but I like your idea better.  I have some sheets 3/8 ply laying around, and it would be much easier to make a few special inner cover's with screened feeder ports at the sides or corners to use for feeding packages in Spring.

[Two Bees]

And when you are no longer feeding syrup, this inner cover works great as a vented inner cover by allowing a lot of hot air and moisture to escape from the hive.  Just make sure that you have the tele-top raised some to allow for this venting.