extracting supers before feeding

[goodeva]

If the weather stays dry here should I extract before I start feeding them sugar syurp?

[pdmattox]

I belive it to be best to rob the honey and then feed.  You can also extract and put the supers back on and let the bees clean them up.

[Apis629]

I'm with pdmattox.  It would be a shame to get sugar in your honey.  That could be concidered "honey adulteration" so, extract and, leave enough on so you don't have to feed at all.

[Michael Bush]

>If the weather stays dry here should I extract before I start feeding them sugar syurp?

Why would you feed a hive that has honey?  Why would you want syrup in your honey?

Always remove supers before feeding.  I wouldn't feed unless they are light on stores.

[Finsky]

To me it is strange to feed sugar in the middle of summer even if it is dry or wet. If their own reservoirs are finished I give one week food to hive.

I look the summer to the end. Then when almost all brood have emerged I take all honey away and give 40 lbs sugar for winter.

[goodeva]

I figured that if there is no flow then take honey and feed till fall flow. It matters not if bees eat honey or syurp. True I dont want syurp in honey. One hive I started in April has 3 1/2 full supers thought I would extract and give empty combs to a weaker hive to save them from haveing to draw out foundation scince that is a new hive that was started 2 weeks later.

[Brian D. Bray]

Whenever a beekeeper is harvesting honey he/she has the responsibility to insure that the hive retains enough stores to survive.  If you're not willing to share the honey crop with the bees then get out of beekeeping.  Part of Beekeeping, or in keeping any creature for that matter, is to provide for the needs of the colony--insuring the survival of the colony should be your 1st priorty over and above harvesting honey for your own use or sale.

[rapi]

I stay in south of France. Last year,there was a good flow with Inula viscosa in september, bees worked a lot and i got very few honey in super....I guess they used a lot of honey in the hive during August dearth and had to fill it up again before using super...This year,i think i'll feed in august so they don't use honey..no super so, no sugar in super...so when the september flow come, all the honey will be for super....i asked around me and no one does the same ...it seems you do in North America...

[goodeva]

Bees live all winter with no honey and all syurp so whats the difference? I did this with other 3 hives I started last year and had good suscess.

[Rabbitdog]

Perhaps you could explain your setup.  You mention 3 1/2 supers full now.  Are they shallows or mediums?  Do you usually leave 1 for the colony to overwinter?  If so, why not just rob the 3 full supers and let them finish off the other with fall flowers for their winter supply?

[Zoot]

Quick observation on the use of syrup for winter feeding - around here there seems to be 2 schools of thought, most likely founded upon convenience and ease of application: the commercial people as well as the higher volume hobbyists seem to prefer using sugar syrup and will swear by it. The smaller hobbyists invariably use sugar candy boards or bricks mainly for, among other things,  the valuable benefit of it's being able to actually absorb moisture in the hive rather than adding to it and increasing the risk of disease, infestation, etc.

[goodeva]

Their mediums, I feed syurp to hives last year during august and they seemed to have built up better than with just honey since they are new they have less honey stores. They used honey up fast last year. So I tought on all hives I would rob all honey and feed syurp with top feeder. I could give them honey from old hives but why. I take off all honey at the end of the summer anyway and leave just syurp on for the winter and havent lost any bees yet. I think that with the syurp feeding during a dearth that it stimulates the hive to keep working and the queen to keep laying. My observation from previous years is that brood production slows down during august due to lack of nectar. I'm just sharing my thoughts sorry if I seem to be guilty of bee abuse.

[Brian D. Bray]

Being of the old school, I believe that bees wintered on honey stores verses syrup is better for the bees and leaves them with more pollen than feeding would.  If you don't have pollen you brood production will suffer regardless of what time of year it is.  
Also, I've never found it to be cheaper to rob all the honey stores and feed syrup.  Cost wise it's about even, bee wise they seem to get started later in the spring with feeding verses honey stores.