feeding with supers on?

newbee07 · May 15, 2007, 12:50:31 AM

I was told to be feeding with the super on to get the bees to pull the super. What are your inputs? I live in arkansas so honey flow is just starting

thanks

newbee07

Finsky · May 15, 2007, 01:02:05 AM

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Bees gather from nature nectar and pollen and build new combs. They build new combs when they need them.
USA is only country, I think that feed sugar whole summer and winter too.

If you feed them in summer, you will extract sugar as honey.
If you want much honey, extract honey away in autumn and give sugar as winterfood, but don't mix sugar in honey.

Shizzell · May 15, 2007, 04:51:11 PM

Newbee07, I'm guessing that you don't have your foundation on your frames drawn. (using duragilt or something) If they already are drawn, all you will get in the fall is sugar in your honey supers. If they aren't drawn, you may want to keep a feeder on, but pull it about 7 weeks before your going to collect the honey from the supers. The chances that they start putting honey in the super is greater that way.

Jake

newbee07 · May 15, 2007, 10:47:59 PM

thats coorect. I went and fed them today before the storm came and boy was they mad. Stung 6 times! Anyways i have some foundation drawn but i figured i'd feed them until the foundations are completely drawn out and the stop feeding so the can store the honey.

thanks for the help

doak · May 15, 2007, 11:32:04 PM

Never work bees close to a thunder storm. If you have a good strong colony, and they have 20 to 30 lbs of food stores I would hold the sugar syrup. If and when I feed I feed up to the time I put honey supers on.
The only feeding I did this year was the two swarms I got. I left enough stores on and they had enough.
If you have dry conditions like we do here in Ga. It want matter if you are starting with a new colony. They will probally need the syrup.
doak

newbee07 · May 16, 2007, 08:51:30 AM

I was told by the commercial supplier that i need to feed because they are rusian bees and i really didn't know a storm was comming but new it was supposed to be here about 6hrs later, so i fed them because they are down a dirt road.

thanks for all opinions

Michael Bush · May 17, 2007, 09:43:03 AM

When it comes to feeding, I'd listen to Finsky and Brian. Feeding with a reason in the spring and fall can be helpful. Feeding when there is any flow at all is kind of silly and often results in a very small hive swarming because they fill the brood nest with syrup...

BBHJ · May 20, 2007, 10:18:35 PM

I stoped feeding my hives as I put my first super on. Although there were a few days that were realy cold &/ or raining the one I have in my back yard needed a second super to fill up in just over 1 1/2 weeks. I didnt have a queen excluder on that one though. My other two hives that are in a different location weren't even pulling out the foundation much at all after 2 weeks, they did have excluders on. I was told by my mentor to feed until they pull the foundation out aswell.

Hey arent all roads in Arkansas dirt roads..... :-D

Brian D. Bray · May 22, 2007, 03:33:51 PM

I'm the champion of let the bees be bees. IMO you should feed the bees only enough to get them started and then let them be. Feeding until they draw out the 1st box is unnecessary, feeding until they draw out a second box is absolutely unnecessary. It cases the hive to become honey bound so that the hive can't develop like it should, it will force a swarm or package to swarm the 1st year, and it produce other problems from nosema to chill brood. In other words you make your bees more suseptible to disease.
If you feed a hive for more than 1 box you're not a beekeeper, you're a pet owner. JMO.

AllanJ · May 22, 2007, 09:05:12 PM

I decided to feed until 21 days after the first eggs are seen.. or 17 days after larva if I missed the eggs. My inexperienced mind thinks.. that until new nurse bees come along, most of the older foragers will remain in the hive and therefore the amount of pollen coming into the hive is small.. or they send out more bees to forage and so the area of brood is kept small due to the smaller amount of bees left. Once those new bees break out of the cells, then it would release most of the forages.

newbee07 · May 22, 2007, 11:07:04 PM

By the way roads to the bees in arkansas are dirt until it rains. :-x I must be one of the better beekepers because i have not yet had a swarm and feed my bees. (not pets) :-P and i only have one hive body,with supers. I quit feeding though after they pulled the first super but now adding one super in a week and a half down this dirt road. There must be a king where here is a queen ;).

pdmattox · May 22, 2007, 11:15:40 PM

I think something should be said about feeding. A hive that is honeybound is not managed properly and over feeding without manipulation or going unchecked is bad. Continuously feeding to build bees,draw foundation or hive numbers must be done with proper hive management. So continous feeding is not always a bad thing. I definately would not feed with supers on, you feed them just enough to get them to the point where they are strong enoung to make a super full of honey.

tillie · May 23, 2007, 12:11:00 AM

I am feeding a nuc I've made from a small swarm. I hope that's the thing to do. They don't appear to have the resources and are making a queen. I'll quit in the next few days - she should emerge soon, but I did want them to get started well.

Linda T

pdmattox · May 23, 2007, 01:03:41 AM

I always feed a nuc to get it going.

shakerbeeman · May 23, 2007, 09:09:52 AM

I think I read a post by Brian that said he only gives a new package 1 gallon of sugar water. I will be putting in the 4th qt. today and wonder if I should stop after that. There seems to be a variety of opinions.

pdmattox · May 23, 2007, 10:14:31 AM

Quote from: shakerbeeman on May 23, 2007, 09:09:52 AM
I think I read a post by Brian that said he only gives a new package 1 gallon of sugar water. I will be putting in the 4th qt. today and wonder if I should stop after that. There seems to be a variety of opinions.

Probally is enough, but depends on what the frames look like and what is going on forage wise in your area. The frames should not be full of honey just a band of honey above the brood(in a rainbow shape). If your are raising bees for more hives than you just keep feeding and switching out frames.

Brian D. Bray · May 23, 2007, 08:58:37 PM

shakerbeeman,

You are correct. I only feed my packages or swarms of bees 1 gallon of syrup. this is usually enough, along with what they forage, so that they are drawing comb, capping brood, and the queen is laying eggs as the comb area within the brood nest expands.

In nature they don't even get a pint of syrup, everything is dependent on foraging. This is why honey flow time coinsides with swarm time--so that there is (supposedly) enough forage available to give the hive enough resources and time to build up enough to survive winter.

My rough calculations shows me that for every pint of syrup I feed the bees bring an equal amount of forage. So I see no need to hold their hand past the point of 1st capped brood.

I'm trying to do as natural style of beekeeping as I can without condeming the bees. If I need to feed later in the year to top of stores going into winter I will. I gallon at a time. 1 gallon is usually enough. But I've fed more under dearth or drought fall conditions.