Syrup consumption

[Hemlock]

I have a hive that ate a gallon of 2:1 syrup in 24 hours.  The hive next to it takes 5 days.  I'm in central Virginia.  40 to 50 degree nights & 60 to 70 degree days; mostly sunny.  Is this normal?

[BMAC]

Im not in your area but I have noticed syrup consumption heavily depends on strength of colony.  Sounds to me like your colony that consumes in < 24 hours is good and strong.  Your other colony/ies just are not as strong.  So they dont have the work force to move the syrup...

[wharfrat]

Hi from Richmond, I'll be driving thru Concord tomorrow for a job interview in Lynchburg.......

I only have one hive that I started in June 2008. Didn't take honey first year, and had high hopes for this year....nada.
I kept up with inspections, hive seemed busy...tons of bees, but honey didn't build as I had hoped. Toward late August, there were so many bees, and so little nectar, that I believe my hive consumed most of there available stores....

Since I hadn't taken anything from them..I wanted to be hard headed and not feed them..but an early October inspection made me feel compelled to feed them at least a bit...

Anyway, I use a Boardman feeder inside, on top of hive enclosed with an empty hive body. The bees were fanatical sucking it down. They could go thru a quart in 6 hours. If you opened the hive top before they were through with the jar, it was total chaos in that empty hive body. It was inevitable that you would smash a few just reclosing the top.

I guess my answer poses the following questions:

Had you inspected prior to starting the feeding?
Was there a noticeable difference in stores or bee population?

Take care, and give me some honey.............I am getting tired of spoiling my bees without getting any love back.... :-D

[wcadams]

have seen some hives start weak and end very strong.  get them as heavy as you can and they will stop storing when they are burnt out on it.

[Hemlock]

From the responses and further reading it seems to me that the hive eating the syrup in 24 hours is strong but is desperately trying to top off it's hive.  And that the slower hive is showing weakness and may be honey bound.  The next warm day I'll inspect both hive for honey reserves.

Thank you all for your responses. aun Aprendo

[BMAC]

Let us know what you find in the hive that is slow to empty your feeder.

[Hemlock]

@ BMAC,

I found mostly uncapped honey and lots of bread in the weak hive.  Looks like they're trying to fill the comb with the syrup so I'll keep feeding this one.  The strong hive was Heavy with capped comb.  Weighed a ton.  I'll cut back on her feeding.

Thanks.

[Michael Bush]

Warm up the syrup on the slow hive and I'll bet they will catch up.  :)