Question about winter feeding.

[Dexterjc]

Well my bees are doing well going into winter. I had left one hive with a full deep full of honey, and the other had a deep 3/4 of the way full. From what I read, that should get them most, if not all of the way through winter (I fed them both several pints of 2:1 syrup from august through September just to be sure). All of the honey was in the upper deep, and as of right now, both clusters are in those deeps. I really do want to see these girls make it, so to better there odds, I have been feeding them 1/4 cup pancakes of gooey fondant near the hole in the inner cover every day or so for about a week now.

So my question is this: If my hive did run out of their honey stores they collected over the summer, would a continuous supply of that much fondant keep them alive through winter? I know that this would not optimal, but I am a little nervous, as this is my first winter, that the hive that had less will run out. What are some options that you have been successful with?

I do have several jars of honey from the more prolific hive that I saved for myself, but I would rather my girls survive that steal their life-force.

...BTW I only harvested honey from the one hive because one of the local "experts" at our local beek club, stated that a hive needs around 60 lbs of honey to survive winter, which they equated to one full deep. I hope she was not mistaken.)

[T Beek]

You could place an 'empty' super above inner cover, fill it w/ dry sugar and replace outer cover.  Some call that insurance ;)

thomas

[Dexterjc]

Will they take dry table sugar?

[Scadsobees]

Table sugar...yes ...and no.  The water from their respiration will wet it and it will turn quite hard.  Over the winter, if they get that high, they will eat it. 

Then in the spring when the flow starts, you'll end up with some chunks you'll want to dump and they'll carry out what they can and dump it themselves.

[T Beek]

It can/does keep them from starving over winter, especially as Spring approaches, bees begin flying, stores are near gone and there's no forage available and its still too cold to feed syrup.  They prefer syrup but will even fill some cells with dry sugar if needed. 

As Scadsobees said; moisture from inside the hive will make dry sugar more palatable to bees by the time they 'may' need it.

thomas

[Dexterjc]

Thanks for the response. I hope they won't need it.

[T Beek]

As winter insurance in Northern Wisconsin I'd rather put some dry sugar in and have to dump it come Spring, than take the chance and have them starve.  Cheap insurance IMO.

thomas

[mikecva]

I have been putting a pollen patty in between the boxes in late fall when it is to cold for syrup (above the colony and below the honey stores off to the side) as my insurance. I then do not open the hive until late February. I do not know if this really helps but the patty is usually 80-90% consumed and I have had strong hives in the spring almost 80% of the time (I am guessing at the % as I am not that good with my record keeping.)   :brian: :buttkick: :lau:  -Mike

[T Beek]

Very interesting.  I always thought feeding pollen in Fall/winter would overstimulate brood laying when queen should be shutting down for season.  I've provide pollen in Spring but never Fall.  Your results are intriguing.

thomas

[jaseemtp]

I am trying a fondant recipe that called for soy flour or dry pollen sub mixed into the fondant.  That ways the bees have a protien source to feed the larva. 

[mikecva]

Very interesting.  I always thought feeding pollen in Fall/winter would overstimulate brood laying when queen should be shutting down for season.  I've provide pollen in Spring but never Fall.  Your results are intriguing.

thomas

When I put the pollen patty on, the queen has already stopped laying for the winter. I can not say if she starts up early since I do not reopen the hive and I sometimes head south with my wife when it really gets to cold her her up here.  -MIke