best early spring feeding strategy?

[Tyro]

Which is a better early spring feeding strategy?

A bucket over the inner cover or a frame feeder with a cap and ladder system?

thanks.

Mike

[schawee]

i like the frame feeder, but either one will work

[hardwood]

For me the spring feeding (when the bees are already active) is an open feeding , but only if necessary. It's real easy to set up a robbing situation when the colonies are not at their strongest.

Scott

[Michael Bush]

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm#stimulativefeeding

"The feeding of bees for stimulating brood-rearing in early spring is now looked upon by many as of doubtful value. Especially is this true in the Northern States, where weeks of warm weather are often followed by 'Freeze up.' The average beekeeper in the average locality will find it more satisfactory to feed liberally in the fall-- enough, at least so that there shall be sufficient stores until harvest. If the hives are well protected, and the bees well supplied with an abundance of sealed stores, natural brood rearing will proceed with sufficient rapidity, early in the spring without any artificial stimulus. The only time that spring feeding is advisable is where there is a a dearth of nectar after the early spring flow and before the coming of the main harvest." --W.Z. Hutchinson, Advanced Bee Culture

[Ollie]

I agree with Michael, last fall I kept feeding the bees right up until they stopped taking the syrup, I have had a really good survival rate 6 out of 7. Last week we had some good weather, they all have plenty of stores and even a frame or two (partial) of pollen.  I was really surprised to see that. So I don't know if I should give them pollen patties. Anyway I did on half of them, I want to see if it makes a big difference.
One hive overwintered on a couple of frames of honey, they were out of everything, I put a frame of honey and a pollen patty in that hive and they were all over the honey right away, even before I put the lid back on.

Also don't forget the big rock on the hive, I had one blow off, I was lucky to have someone call me and tell me about it...I think I lost quite a few bees from that mistake, but they still push on, so a healthy queen lives there.

[CBEE]

I'm not really sold on the pollen patty feeding thing. There may be some benefit depending on your location. Where I live normally there is pollen available 9 months out of the year. Most years by mid Feb they are dragging pollen in but now this year we have had below average temps for the past 30 days where they have not even been out of the hive so this year may be a little different ???????