Learning lessons the hard way.

[fermentedhiker]

Did a quick inspection today.  It really wasn't warm enough for me to be happy doing it(35 degrees in the shade) but the hive was in full sun and there wasn't any breeze so I took a chance.  I was concerned because the last week or so there wasn't much debris from cappings being opened on the mite board.  Up until a week ago I could tell where the bees were in the hive by the debris.  It has been interesting to watch them move around the hive getting at their stores via the trash observation method  :)

I found I had made a mistake this fall that could have bee fatal.  I have a Polystryrene hivetop feeder from betterbee.  I added about two gallons in the fall to try and get them stocked up for winter.  They had barely touched it when winter came, but it was too heavy to deal with easily so I made the lazy choice of leaving it on.  It is made from 1"  Polystyrene so it's a pretty good insulating top as it it.  The syrup was thicker than honey so I didn't see it causing much of a moisture trouble within the hive.  Plus once the weather warmed up I figured it would be there to get them through any early flow interruptions. 

When I pulled the hivetop feeder apart I found that dead bees were clogging the entrance to it.  and I mean the entrance slot to the feeder not the slot inside going to the syrup which had a pile of dead bees in it as well.  So I slid it off beside the hive and was happy to see the girls were still there, although the cluster was small, barely covering three frames.  So I put the inner cover in and poured 5lbs of granulated sugar on it and threw the polystryrene outer cover on top.  I'll check them in a week and probably add a global patty if they look like they are doing ok. 

Now I'm just hanging on for warmer weather and hopefully a decent spring flow.  I hope all of your girls are making it through.

FH

[beesbeesbees]

I am seriously unimpressed with miller-type feeders.  I have re-engineered them every way I can imagine and always end up with dead bees.

I had good luck with a sugar board on top as detailed by Robo:
http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/emergency-feeding/

I also wrapped my hives.

Hives I used the sugar boards on are booming.  One hive ate 90% of the sugar then started building comb up there.  I'll have to prepare for that next winter.

[fermentedhiker]

I like the sugarboard/sugar frame idea as well.  I'll undoubtably do that this fall instead of trying to heavy syrup feed them.  I have to say the girls enjoyed my interruption.  In my hurry to get the hive back together before I chilled the cluster I didn't smooth the sugar out enough and so the top cover had a gap in it that allowed the bees to use it as an upper entrance.  Boy did they do some cleansing flights that day.  The hive and the entire area around it for about 5 feet is covered in brown poka dots  ;)  I guess they've been holding it in for awhile.

So I threw a shim on and a global patty and the outer cover went back on.  The shim has a 1" hole that they can use as an upper entrance if they so choose.  They aren't doing much flying the last two days inspite of relatively warm temps(low 40's).  Only time will tell now.

[Scadsobees]

Were they low on stored honey?  Is that why you put the sugar on?

If they are low on honey, that would be why they were in the feeder, and if that IS the case, the feeder would have kept them alive even if killing a few.  But I'm just theorizing.

I left a miller feeder on, although empty, and they didn't try anything with it.  Took it off so I could put sugar on because they were all out of honey.

Only 5 feet?  My whole yard was yellow/brown after a warm day in the winter...including me who unwisely walked back there.

[fermentedhiker]

Because of the low temps I was moving as fast as I could to keep from getting them chilled.  So I can't say for sure that they are low on stores.  But I felt that they were light going into the winter and the lack of capping debris in the tray made me think they must be getting really low.  So I put the sugar on as an emergency ration.  The dead bees in the hivetop feeder had been there awhile.  All shrunken up and black, so I wasn't worried about drowning bees so much.  They had just somehow managed to clog the entrance to the feeder up so much a couldn't even clear them out with a stick.  I don't think the syrup would save them at current temps.  It's the consistency of almost cured glue right now.  I'll probably put it back on when the temps stay in the 50's consistently.  I'm guessing(hoping really)  that the reason they aren't doing much flying is because the cluster is so small and that they are working to keep some brood warm and don't want to leave the hive.