Can I feed my bees to much

edric · May 31, 2014, 12:29:11 PM

I installed my nuc the 29th, I have been giving them half a pint of sugar water twice a day, until they draw the first box out, is that too much, thanks, Ed

Kathyp · May 31, 2014, 12:35:26 PM

what's going on inside?

edric · May 31, 2014, 06:43:36 PM

Hi Kathy, I's only been 48 hours since I installed the nuc, these bees are very active, they drank 3 half pints of syrup today, 2 yesterday, I thought I was supposed to wait a week or so, before I mess with them, thanks, Ed

Kathyp · May 31, 2014, 07:05:30 PM

when you installed it, how much food did they have? what's the flow like in your area? i do like to feed when i rehome bees because they need a day to find the food and it help anchor them, but if they had plenty when you hived them, then you don't want to over feed, especially if you have nectar coming in. you you don't want them clogging up the brood nest.

it's a judgment call you'll have to make, and you could pop the top and take a peak with a flashlight to see what you can see from the top.

ScituateMA · May 31, 2014, 07:14:49 PM

I would keep feeding them if they are on foundations for while even if they collect nectar from nature

marktrl · May 31, 2014, 09:19:25 PM

Right now in Florida there is all kinds of different flows going on. I'd stop feeding, but like Kathy said look inside and see whats being stored and make sure there is room for the Queen to lay.

edric · June 01, 2014, 06:09:45 AM

Thanks a bunch, Ed

edric · June 01, 2014, 04:01:07 PM

Hi all, I opened my hive today and took a couple frames out, still at least 3 frames blank, maybe four, what is the least amount of time it would take a healthy nuc, to draw out 70 or 80% of the bottom box and be ready for the next 10 frame box to be added, thanks, Ed

marktrl · June 01, 2014, 07:04:53 PM

Every hive is different, you can't force them to do anything they don't want to. If they have a couple of frames of stores you shouldn't need to feed. Put an empty frame in between 2 brood combs and they'll probably draw it out faster.

Kathyp · June 01, 2014, 07:23:52 PM

they draw what they need, not according to how much you feed, except that they will end up storing excess syrup if you keep feeding them. you want them to have enough to eat, but leave more room for brood. your goal now is hive growth, not long term food storage.

edric · June 02, 2014, 06:14:08 AM

Thanks again, Ed

OldMech · June 02, 2014, 11:21:09 PM

Kathy is giving good advice. If you continue to feed as much as they want, they are likely to fill every cell they complete with that syrup, and deprive the queen of any place to lay.
Like Kathy said, give them syrup to get them rolling. If there is a flow, back off the feeding. Feed according to what they have. If you open for inspection and they have natural nectar being stored around the brood that is developing you dont need to feed. If they have pollen but little nectar then they need a little syrup to keep them going, just not so much that they are backfilling brood cells with it.
How fast they draw out a box is dependent entirely on the bees. I have mediums 80 to 90% drawn in about ten days, while the hive beside it has only drawn five frames with the same feed and a comparable amount of bees to start out with.

edric · June 03, 2014, 08:15:46 AM

Thank you all very much, I'll keep an eye on it, Ed

BeeMaster2 · June 03, 2014, 12:45:17 PM

One thing I just learned about feeding is to control the feeding, you control the feeder. If you are trying to get the bees to fill the hive with sugar water just before winter, give them a feeder with unlimited access, (lots of holes in a quart jar or in the bucket lid). If you are trying to stimulate the queen but you do not want them to back fill the brood nest, only put a couple of holes in the lid. This provides a constant source but at a slow rate. The bees can use it as fast as they can get it and not back fill the hive. You stimulate the queen without the problems.
Source: Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping.
Hope this helps.
Jim

edric · June 03, 2014, 06:29:10 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 03, 2014, 12:45:17 PM
One thing I just learned about feeding is to control the feeding, you control the feeder. If you are trying to get the bees to fill the hive with sugar water just before winter, give them a feeder with unlimited access, (lots of holes in a quart jar or in the bucket lid). If you are trying to stimulate the queen but you do not want them to back fill the brood nest, only put a couple of holes in the lid. This provides a constant source but at a slow rate. The bees can use it as fast as they can get it and not back fill the hive. You stimulate the queen without the problems.
Source: Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping.
Hope this helps.
Jim

Thanks Jim, Ed

BeeMaster2 · June 04, 2014, 09:01:34 PM

No problem Ed.
Jim

Michael Bush · June 06, 2014, 03:56:39 PM

The feedback mechanism for recruiting foragers to be doing the right thing does not work when feeding in the hive. Normally the receiver bees would refuse the nectar when the hive needs other things and the brood nest is running out of room. Feeding constantly is one of the leading causes of swarming in colonies too small to do so...