spring feeding

[binglis]

Hello Everyone,

I have one hive that has wintered 'okay'. There is still honey left in a super I left for winter feeding. Some books and articles I have read suggest spring feeding anyway, even if there is still honey left in the hive...
Should I use a 'pollen substitute'? Can I make something at home, that is comparable to 'store bought' substitute?

I live just outside of Toronto, Canada. Next week the temperature is expected to be around 18 degrees celsius. (the norm for this time of year is 12 to 14 degrees celsius (approximately 50 to 58 degrees fahrenheit...)

Suggestions, and comments, please...
Binglis

[Cindi]

Binglis, how annoying, I typed a post to you, hit the wrong button when I was going to post it and lost it.  Now I have to type it over again.  Oh brother.  Oh well.

So, here I go again.

I live in southwestern B.C. about 45 km northeast of Vancouver.

I checked my records for last year and this is what we did in our area with feeding.

March 1 -- pollen patty feeding began
May 1 -- pollen patty stopped

March 23 -- 1:1 sugar syrup
May 1 -- discontinued 1:1 sugar syrup

Sugar syrup in spring is to simulate the nectar flow, spring building up, and pollen patty is good too for the bees.  There may be pollen coming in from nature in your area.  But if you feed pollen patty, they will not consume it if they don't need it, it is a reassurance that the bees have pollen to feed to their larvae.  There are recipes on the forum if you want to make the patty.  Your climate is a quite a bit colder than mine, so I think that pollen patty would be beneficial.  But look to see if the bees are bringing in lots of pollen, if they are, then don't sweat the pollen patty feeding too much.

I keep written records of our weather temperatures at 6:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. each day.  I can reflect on these very quickly.

Our average temps from since the beginning of April have been:

6:00 A.M. -- 2-9C
2:00 P.M. -- 8-14C

If your temperatures are similar, we have similar climates.  But we all know that temperatures can change drastically from area to area.

Right now we have blooming:
dandelion
forsythia
ornamental fruit trees
wild cherry

These only are a few that come to mind.  I hope my information may help you out a little bit.  There may be more good answers coming from our forum.  Read them all and make compilations of the data in your mind.  Have a wonderful day, best of health.  Cindi