Queen still cranking out eggs

[Mason]

Several weeks ago I started pulling empty supers off of my hives and feeding.  This was to try and get my bees down into the brood boxes with honey stores for wintering.  Yesterday I went through my hives.  I have one hive that is a brood box with a medium super with about 6 frames in it.  I use the open space where frames used to be for my feeders.  I was thinking the remaining brood in the frames left behind would hatch and then I could remove them hence forcing the bees to fill the lower box.

She is still laying strong.  I also think they have re-queened themselves because that hive was always weak and now late in the season it is coming on strong.

I'm lost.......... what should I be doing? 

[David LaFerney]

I think that I've done somewhat the same thing - kept feeding longer than optimum.  I've gathered from another thread that as long as you keep feeding they will think that a flow is on and she will keep laying - especially here in the south where they still have plenty of pollen - at least until it gets cold and they cluster.  I'm thinking that the only drawback though is that we will have to make sure that they don't starve when winter really does hit.  Other than that it would seem that lots of young bees is a good thing.  We probably have a bit more margin or error than they do in the great white north.

Take it with a grain of salt - I probably know less than you do.

[ziffabeek]

Hey Mason,

I'm down in the city, just south of you!  This is my first year and I knew nothing about bees til this June when a friend gave me a hive.  I've been reading voraciously since. Now, I know nothing about bees but I'm in absolute love with them! :P

I have the same kind of quandary.  I was feeding in an empty medium up until that cold snap last Saturday.  I took off the medium and reduced my entrance on Friday evening.  All of my bees, that used to hang out in the empty had moved down, so I was feeling all proud of myself for tucking in my bees at just the right time. 

Then the warm weather hit this week and when I peeked under the telescoping lid, the place between the inner cover and the lid was PACKED with bees!! It was evening (I work all day so can really only work the bees on the weekend) so I closed it and now I'm wondering - are they too crowded?  Do they need more room? They're still flying in the sun and returning both with and without pollen. (When bees return without any pollen, are they carrying nectar? Or just coming back to rest?) I obviously don't think they could use a super, and I'm pretty sure they have room below if they would just use it! But, for myself at least, ignorance leads to imagination which leads to worry which leads to obsessing! lol.  I keep trying to remind myself what Rebel Rose says - they know how to take care of themselves!  But then I worry that they'll take care of themselves somewhere else!

So I hope someone will answer us with the "how crowded is too crowded and what is the balance between room and coziness for winter" answer!  While our mild winter seems to be easier in some regards, I think it also can be more confusing and tricky!

Thanks for listening!

love,
ziffa

love,
ziffa

[jdpro5010]

If you need to feed this time of year, it should be a 2 to 1 ratio.  This has less of a stimulative effect for brood rearing.

[Mason]

I'm glad I am not the only new beek fretting the winter.

I suppose at some point you just throw up your hands, lock down the hive and hope for the best.

According to what I am getting from local more experienced beeks this has been a horrible honey year in this area.  My bees had literally no honey stores a month ago when I started feeding again.  Started feeding and now they are acting like it's spring building comb and laying up in the last super.  I have been feeding 2-1 syrup.

I'm going to make some calls tomorrow and see if I can pry some information out of some guys I know and pass along what they tell me. 

[jclark96]

I used to have bees in Mobile, AL that never quit raising brood. You will have quite a few days in January and February to feed if you really need to. Keep feeding 2:1 syrup until the hive feels pretty heavy, this is kind of subjective, you should feel about 50 pounds if you try to lift the back of the hive. The queen will quit laying if it is too cold or if she is honey bound, she may not stop at all. like others have said the field bees will keep dying, so having some brood right now is a good thing.