how much can they eat? update!

[rgy]

back to my problem nuc that was combined with the other problem nuc. I checked them last friday and nothing has improved, I did find TINY larvae but no eggs but they have NO stored food and have depleted what was in the two nucs to begin with.  So I decided to feed them 2:1 as the LAST help that I am going to give them.  Well 10lbs of 2:1 went in Friday afternnon about 4 o'clock, completely gone Sunday at noon so I made another 10lb batch and it is completely gone Monday at noon.  Can they actually use that much or do you think I am getting robbed by another wild hive or my good one?  i watched bees leave both hives and it seems they are  going out into the yonder, not right over next door.  I am using a hive top feeder and the entrance is down to about 3 to 4 inches.

[mathew]

Does not sound like you are getting robbed as you have reduced their entrance. I don't use a top feeder so I can't analyze the possibility of robbing w that method. I use a frame feeder and that eliminates/minimizes any robbing.

The speed your NUC is taking the syrup sounds promising. Usually mine takes about 4-6 days to finish 1 gallon of 2;1 syrup. The faster they take the more they store for winter.

[rgy]

I went back tonight to put more syrup in and I gave them almost a double batch and then watched the entrance activity..  I think I am getting robbed from my good hive that I wanted to get golden rod honey from, how badly are they going to screw up my golden rod honey?  I think I am going back and taking the syrup away and shaking the bad nuc out to hopefully join the good hive.  What do you think?  Need to learn to post pictures of what I came up with on friday inspection.

Don't see any dead bees outside the hive so maybe it is OK?

[AllenF]

Restrict the entrance to 1/4 to 1/2 inch.   That is ok with a small nuc.  How many frames of bees do you have in the nuc?  Feed 1 to 1 syrup for growth to build numbers in the nuc.  Once they have numbers up feed 2 to 1 for storage before cold gets here.  If you think you can get them through the winter, I would not give up.  Feed them until they tell you they are full. 

[L Daxon]

Can you inspect and see if either hive is actually storing any of that syrup?  It should show up somewhere.

[rgy]

UPDATE

Went out today and it does not seem to be nearly as many bees around the entrance tot he bad nuc and not as many bees up in the feeder.  They also have not eaten as much.  I did not look into the hive because of the amount of syrup I put in yesterday. 

i did look in the good hive next door.  didn't seem to be a huge addition to the honey frames but how would I tell if it is suryp or goldenrod honey???

Definetly have varroa mites as found some on larvae that I removed. I will do the sugar shake this week.  Why would the queen be laying  Drones at theis time of the year and why in my honey super?  I am not using an excluder.  The queen layed a beautiful pattern of eggs probably 3x3 inches on one of the frames.  i have not been in the two brood boxes in a long, long time so what do you think I should do?  Haven't wanted to screw up my good hive so I have left those boxes alone.

thanks