Feeding bees queen candy-update

JP · January 16, 2008, 06:27:39 PM

Did a removal yesterday and transfered some comb with perhaps a very small amount of honey, I am not sure how much comb has honey because I normally just transfer the brood comb, and feed syrup, so I don't pay much attention to honey comb, and am concerned I might need to feed them pretty quickly. My concerns may be unwarranted but they are concerns nonetheless. This big winter storm came through last night and the temps have been dropping, this storm and accompanied weather has caught me by surprise. I'm thinking that perhaps I need to give them some more feed now! If I do need to feed now, I have some queen candy prepared but no sugar blocks or fondant, I am anxious and am considering going over and feeding them within the next few hrs. What do ya'll think? Feed the queen candy emergency feed with white sugar, or make fondant or sugar block? Its supposed to be cold throughout the weekend. I f I knew it would be this cold I would have waited on doing the removal, but the guy's daughter wanted to see it done before she went back to school in Boston.

Sincerely, JP

Jerrymac · January 16, 2008, 07:20:50 PM

What did you do with the honey?

JP · January 16, 2008, 07:28:11 PM

The honey comb I gave to the customer. Our temps are 47F right now with high winds, so it feels alot colder. I'm sure the bees in the new hive are clustered and could care less about feeding right now as I just moved them into the new hive yesterday evening, but I don't want them to starve either. Our temps will be dropping throughout the weekend.

Sincerely, JP

JP · January 16, 2008, 08:34:33 PM

Not going tonite. I will feed tomorrow.

Hungry bees?, JP

Jerrymac · January 16, 2008, 08:45:44 PM

It would be nice to know if you managed to get enough honey in there for a few days.

Cindi · January 17, 2008, 10:19:23 AM

JP, I hope things worked out OK. I am thinking that any kind of emergency feeding would work. You will figure it out the best, I know that. Good luck. Have a great day, Cindi

KONASDAD · January 17, 2008, 10:58:56 AM

sprinkling dry sugar might be easiest thing to do for a day or two of feed.

JP · January 17, 2008, 10:31:33 PM

Quick update. The new hive is doing great. I have 3 medium supers full of honey that I pulled about a month or so ago that I haven't harvested yet, so I took a frame over and placed it in the new hive, they said thank you very much, please. I was surprised to see them so active today considering what they went through the last two days, Tuesday I removed and transfered them, and that night we had rain and high winds, with the temps dipping to around 45F or so. Yesterday, we had more rain and 40 mph winds and it felt much colder. Today, the bees were very active and robbing out some honeycomb left over from the removal, that my customer placed out for them today. Temps today in the 50's. So it looks like things are good.

One more thing. I used a medium set up to hive the bees. I usually use deeps to hive them but because of the time of the yr, I figured a medium would be sufficient for them. It turned out to be a real blessing in disguise as I was able to give them a frame of honey from one of the medium supers I had at the house. Hence, another good reason to use all mediums.

Sincerely, JP

JP · January 17, 2008, 10:40:20 PM

And yes, it took me a day and a half for the lightbulb in my head to turn on, for me to tell myself, duh, you have three full mediums full of honey, why don't you give the hive a frame. I just didn't put it together, I guess I must be a little retarded or something. Oh well, try not to agree with me too much, thank you.

light bulb dimly lit, JP :-D

the kid · January 17, 2008, 10:50:10 PM

Queen candy ???? would you like to teach me the differance bee candy and queen candy???
did not know there was a queen candy....
the kid

rdy-b · January 17, 2008, 11:02:40 PM

goes in the queen cage-whats bee candy :? RDY-B

JP · January 18, 2008, 12:12:18 AM

Quote from: the kid on January 17, 2008, 10:50:10 PM
Queen candy ???? would you like to teach me the differance bee candy and queen candy???
did not know there was a queen candy....
the kid

Queen candy is typically made by combining high fructose syrup with confectioner's sugar(powdered sugar) whereby you knead the combination to the consistency of say silly puddy. It is placed in the empty plug end of a queen cage. A queen that will be introduced into a hive, whether it be a package installation or a queen that will be re-introduced back into a new hive set up from a cut-out can be temporarily housed in this cage. Once the caged queen is introduced into the hive, contained in the queen cage, the bees will eat the queen candy out of the plug end thereby releasing the queen. Hope this clarifies things for you.

Sincerely, JP

Cindi · January 18, 2008, 01:11:49 AM

JP, never mind about the dimly lit lightbulb. We all get that. I have heard it referred to as a brain fart, go figure that one. I know that sometimes the easiest of things is so hard to figure out, until a little while later and it is so clear. That always puzzles me. I know in my life, that when I need to have resolve over anything, sleeping on it allows me to wake up with a clear mind in the morning with some promising answers. A weary mind does not work well, nor does a stressed mind, hence, sleep. The place where we rejunvenate, heal, release ourselves from the demons of the day. Have the best of days. Cindi

JP · January 18, 2008, 01:40:14 AM

Quote from: Cindi on January 18, 2008, 01:11:49 AM
JP, never mind about the dimly lit lightbulb. We all get that. I have heard it referred to as a brain fart, go figure that one. I know that sometimes the easiest of things is so hard to figure out, until a little while later and it is so clear. That always puzzles me. I know in my life, that when I need to have resolve over anything, sleeping on it allows me to wake up with a clear mind in the morning with some promising answers. A weary mind does not work well, nor does a stressed mind, hence, sleep. The place where we rejunvenate, heal, release ourselves from the demons of the day. Have the best of days. Cindi

:-D ;) :)

NWIN Beekeeper · January 18, 2008, 03:44:12 AM

[Did a removal yesterday...]
[What did you do with the honey?]
[The honey comb I gave to the customer.]

When doing cut outs my rules are:
Rule #1 - the bees are mine.
Rule #2 - the bees are still mine.
Rule #3 - the honey is the bees.

I never never never never give up the honey during a removal to the owner.
I make it very clear that the bees worked very hard for that honey and that it important that they keep it for their ultimate survival (as you are feeling in this situation).

It sets a president in two ways.
If they tell others, then they expect honey too.
If they are told no, then the answer is always no.

[It also helps to keep the owner out of your hair during the removal - Else they are constantly curious how much honey they are going to get get and hover the entire time.]

[This also removes attachment (a sense that they still own the bees or have some right to their future production - IE discounted future honey).]

Even if I do a removal from a filthy location, the combs still get crushed, strained, and fed back.
-This is fed back to the original hive only
- I do not want to spread any potential disease to other hives.
- This means that it must be fed in a way that minimizes the chances of robbing.

The way I see it, you loose $5/lb+, and I'm not paying anyone for me to remove their bees.
Let me stress the "+" because there are stress conditions that have no quantifiable dollar amount.

If you gave up combs of feral honey, likely you also gave up valuable pollen.
Your bees are raising brood on the expectation that this pollen is there to feed those larvae.
I don't like late night TV with starving children, I hate it even more when its my own kids.

I try to explain to people that feral bees are like a mutt dog found in the alley. You can't take a mutt dog and turn it into an obedient pedigree show dog over night. Likewise with bees there are diseases and parasites that have to be cared for to assure that they are healthy and productive. Once it is explained this way, people take on a better attitude and easily separate with their bees for the sake of their well being, and forget about their greed for a little honey.

I know this all sounds rather course, but really I'm not trying to be.
Do enough of these with goofy situations with goofy people, you will appreciate a protocol like this.

Cindi · January 18, 2008, 10:19:00 AM

NWIN Beekeeper. Does not sound harsh to me at all, it is logical, truly. You have worked hard. They have given up the right to the bees, and everything that goes along with it when they asked you to remove the bees. Plain and simple. Not theirs. Notta. Have a wonderful, great day, great health wishes to us all. Cindi

JP · January 18, 2008, 10:52:36 AM

I usually keep some honey give some honey. People pay me to remove bees so them getting fresh honey is a wonderful thing. Plus, I usually am not hurting for any honey, since I perform lots of cut-outs and I have 20 hives of my own. On cut-outs I try to keep the new hive set up as clean as possible to prevent ant infestations, this is why I generally don't put that much honey back into the new set up. I am contemplating the cinnamon thing, never tried it before but many say it helps keep ants out, so I will experiment with it and will be adding a little more honey comb in the future, if it works. My main objective when performing a cut-out is to get as much brood comb in the new hive as possible. I usually give the new hive a feeder with syrup, since I'm usually performing cut-outs when the weather is warmer, but this has been a strange year, and I am still getting a few calls here and there for removals. Another thing is that some of these hives are old. Older honey can be nasty, dark, dark, and very gritty. And not to mention the hives where you don't have all the facts straight. Some have been sprayed or powdered before by the home owner, perhaps a neighbor, a stranger, or a pest control guy. I am a beekeeper, but I am also a licensed pest control operator so I get calls on both ends of the spectrum. I often go behind pest control people that have tried to kill the hive. Sometimes behind more than one, so I can't always trust the honey to be safe to feed back to the bees or to give to myself or the customer. I ask a million questions and if I don't get the answers I'm looking for, I don't use the honeycomb. If I weren't getting paid, I'd still give honey away. The look on people's faces when they eat fresh honey from a hive that was in their own house is something to behold.

Sincerely, JP

NWIN Beekeeper · January 18, 2008, 02:42:12 PM

[I am a beekeeper, but I am also a licensed pest control operator so I get calls on both ends of the spectrum.]

Well so am I brother!
I know where you are coming from.
Most of the guys that I have followed up with don't completely eliminate colonies.
Most home owners don't seal or exclude bees after they assume they are gone.
I am in an area that bees readily return to dead outs and rob.
Pesticides are my primary concern when performing cut-outs.
It does not make sense for me to obtain one poisoned colony and loose dozens over pesticides.
I will not remove a colony if it has been treated that same season.
I will not take combs from a colony that has ever been treated.

I have charged full price for a homeowner that lied a colony was not treated, they played dumb.

I can appreciate your hospitality in offering a customer honey that was in their hive, it just has made for too many bad situations and so I just don't do it. I am not saying you can't or shouldn't, its just become not my practice to do so.

JP · January 18, 2008, 08:38:25 PM

NWIN, hard being the good guy and the bad guy at the same time, huh? People will call me when they find out I'm a beekeeper, but don't like the fact that I'm a pest control operator. I have to assure them that I have the bee's best interest at hand, and that I am a beekeeper because I am an exterminator, that I didn't just want to be a killer. I practice and believe in integrated pest management. Old school pest control practices need to be put to rest. NWIN, btw anyone ever tell you you look just like Bruce Willis? :-D

Getting back to the hive I removed on Tuesday. I have them in my yard and they are doing well. They seem to be very strong. The customer is pleased and he and his neighbor were enjoying the extracted honey this evening. I will be giving this hive to a friend who I helped get started this season. He and I now talk bees and fish together. I made a new friend all because of a very special little insect.

Bees good, JP

rdy-b · January 18, 2008, 08:48:23 PM

Quote from: NWIN Beekeeper on January 18, 2008, 02:42:12 PM
[I am a beekeeper, but I am also a licensed pest control operator so I get calls on both ends of the spectrum.]

Well so am I brother!
I know where you are coming from.
Most of the guys that I have followed up with don't completely eliminate colonies.
Most home owners don't seal or exclude bees after they assume they are gone.
I am in an area that bees readily return to dead outs and rob.
Pesticides are my primary concern when performing cut-outs.
It does not make sense for me to obtain one poisoned colony and loose dozens over pesticides.
I will not remove a colony if it has been treated that same season.
I will not take combs from a colony that has ever been treated.

I have charged full price for a homeowner that lied a colony was not treated, they played dumb.

I can appreciate your hospitality in offering a customer honey that was in their hive, it just has made for too many bad situations and so I just don't do it. I am not saying you can't or shouldn't, its just become not my practice to do so.
okydoakey-what do you get in your neck of the woods ;) i ask JP so now its your turn? if you dont want to answer i understand completely-RDY-B