Feeding in Florida?

Started by Sundog, November 18, 2011, 01:17:23 PM

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Sundog

I "inherited" a Lang given to my son last fall.  When he had a minor altercation with the Boys in Blue, they treated him to a six week "all expenses paid" stay at local People Zoo, and I ended up a Beek.  So I soaked up this site and others and tried to educate myself.  This summer I built a KTBH and cut-out a small colony (four small brood combs and a few hundred bees) from under a mobile home.  

Both hive are prospering and healthy.  The Lang has two deep broods and one medium super now and feels very heavy.  I re-queened the TBH in July and it now has six nearly complete brood bars, a couple of bars under construction, maybe five or six thousand bees, but not much honey or other food.

My question is (finally)...  How much feeding is recommended here in the Clearwater/Largo Florida area?  What type of food and when?  

Last year I didn't know any better and the Lang survived the winter all on it's own.  (I think) I have very good bees.  Both hives appear not to have any issues such as mites and SHBs etc, but I am (certainly) inexperienced.

But I'm having fun!

b reeves

if they don't have much stores feed them sugar water, somewhere between 1 to 1 or 2 to 1 it doesn't matter much in Florida, go to the local feed store and buy a plastic chicken water-er after u fill it up put some marbles or small stones in the base to keep them from drowning,  they will bring in pollen all winter
good luck
Bob