FEED

[MikeyN.C.]

My nuc is coming Saturday,how long should i feed them ? ? And is 1:1 what i should use,and is 1:1 by weight or measurement ? ?

[OldMech]

1/1 by weight or measurement   YES
   its the same..    a cup of water and a cup of sugar = 1/1 and they also weigh the same..
   So you know..  Half a gallon of sugar and half a gallon of water = 1 to 1 syrup, but it does not make 1 gallon. the sugar is suspended in the water, so you will end up with less than a gallon, but the mixture is correct.   

   1/1 is what you want to feed them with. Feed to get them started, feed to get your comb drawn out. If you have an excellent flow going on, pay attention to how much they are putting in the new drawn comb. If they back fill all the new comb, the queen cannot lay, and she will swarm, or abscond.
   I feed new nucs/hives with jars and poke three to four small holes, no more. this way they get syrup to use, but not enough to pack into the cells.
   I recommend a hive top feeder, OR feeding with the jars, as mentioned over the inner cover hole.

http://www.outyard.net/feeding.html

   Hope that helps.

[Michael Bush]

If there is nectar coming in, I don't feed them.  If there is more than a day of rain with a package with not stores, I go out in the rain and feed them... it's a tricky time of year for a colony with no stores.

[MikeyN.C.]

Thanks for info, lots of blooming in eastern n.c. now,so don't use entrance reducer at all, and let the bees do their foraging for nectar. how long should i wait to see if bees are drawing the wax on new frames ?

[rookie2531]

I didn't read anybody say, not to use a reducer. I would, in my apiary, have them reduced to an inch wide opening, even a little smaller. But that's me. :-)

[mikecva]

I would use an entrance reducer for 2-3 weeks, until the hive gains strength and can fend off robbers. If the nuc is very active then I would not feed them, 3-4 frames not full of brood, I would feed until they do not take more - that would mean they found a better source of carbohydrates.  -Mike

[OldMech]

I didn't read anybody say, not to use a reducer. I would, in my apiary, have them reduced to an inch wide opening, even a little smaller. But that's me. :-)

   Was the ops question about using a reducer? 

[rookie2531]

I didn't read anybody say, not to use a reducer. I would, in my apiary, have them reduced to an inch wide opening, even a little smaller. But that's me. :-)

   Was the ops question about using a reducer? 

O.k., seen this a hundred times. What does "ops" stand for? Other post, other peoples ????

[Maggiesdad]

original post (er's)