direct feeding

[FRAMEshift]

I seem to remember Finski saying that he feeds sugar syrup by pouring it into the cells of drawn comb and them placing the frames into the hive.  I guess this has the advantage of being able to place the stores where you think they should go... i.e. not in the broodnest.  Has anyone tried this?  I'm thinking you could only pour it into one side of the frame because if you tried to tilt the frame to do the other side, the syrup on the first side would spill out.  Or maybe you could dip the frame into a syrup container and let the bees clean up any extra syrup on the wood.

[Course Bee]

I think someone else talked about doing that for emergency winter feeding.

[BlueBee]

If my memory serves, I believe the CountryBoy in Ohio reported doing that many times with good results.  I believe he even has a video on Youtube showing him doing it.  He used a garden sprayer to spray syrup into the combs.

[FRAMEshift]

Course Bee, I think you're right.  But does that make sense?  For winter feed you sure don't want all that moisture added to the hive.  Maybe in an extremely cold dry climate (like Finland?)  it would work.    But I was thinking that it might be a way to create extra capped stores in the summer which could be moved to weak hives or used for winter feed in the capped condition.  

[Finski]

.
I use direct feedining in emercengy  like food reserve is too low in sping or in summer.

In Autum sometimes bees do not take food because they have laid down in winter rest.

I may feed 10 kg sugar direckly when I fill the combs and put another box under the ordinary. It it is a real mesh to do so but surely bees wake up.
Then I continue with 8 litre upper feeder.

I use this in special cases but it is only feeding system to mating nucs in summer.

I do not use jar feeding. Laste I did it 45 y ago.  That amount is better to pour into combs.

Nowadays, if the nuc is small and it is cold, I take capped frames fro big hives to them for winter.

[Course Bee]

Yes, That's what I thought to even 2 to 1 would put to much moisture in for my climate unless you're heating at the same time. I think you're on to something for getting winter frames ready. What if you put sugar in and then syrup on top? It might be easier for them to finish with the higher sugar content? Just brainstorming.

[FRAMEshift]

I may feed 10 kg sugar direckly when I fill the combs and put another box under the ordinary. It it is a real mesh to do so but surely bees wake up.

Finski, how do you get the syrup into the combs?  Do you pour it in or dip the frames?  Do your bees cap the syrup?

[FRAMEshift]

What if you put sugar in and then syrup on top? It might be easier for them to finish with the higher sugar content? Just brainstorming.

Do you mean add dry sugar to the comb cells and then pour in syrup on top of that?

[Course Bee]

Yes that is what I was thinking. Or you could put the sugar in and then spray syrup over it. I think it would get sticky then and you could maybe do the other side to.

[Finski]

I may feed 10 kg sugar direckly when I fill the combs and put another box under the ordinary. It it is a real mesh to do so but surely bees wake up.

Finski, how do you get the syrup into the combs?  Do you pour it in or dip the frames?

i use children's plastic bath pool and then I pour the syrup on comb in slanting angle. The syrup "cut"into cells and push air bubbles away. Too strong syrup is like a glue and does not enter inside cells. When you drop syrup higher, it blows air bubbles better away.


Then put a pasticsheet on the bottom. Then bee box and let the frames drill tidy in the box.

It is meshy job  and I avoid it. Playing with jars is out of question.
Over my dead body, some one would say ( his last words)
.

(languaqe barrier included)

[Danger Brown]

I haven't done it, but understand that you can take fondant and something like a putty knife. It needs to be rigid comb. You can spackle the stuff into both sides.

[Finski]

I haven't done it, but understand that you can take fondant and something like a putty knife. It needs to be rigid comb. You can spackle the stuff into both sides.

why?  you may feed bees in 10 ways. I have never used fondant. Ii have a package in the room corner but I do not know what to do with it.

When I open the hive, I may pour syrup into combs and the case is closed.
You may get sugar from every market. Fondant is allwas behind some difficulty.

Jeah. After 48 yearrs I know how to feed bees. No need to to try new mehods. That is  boring.

[boca]

... to place the stores where you think they should go... i.e. not in the broodnest.

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that the purpose of autumn feeding here in Finland is to fill the broodnest with capped syrup as much as we can. That prevents also having brood this late. By April most of this syrup is consumed, some can even taken away to give more room to lay eggs.