feeding

[Carol]

Pepperbush (Brazillian Pepper) is done and I don't see a lot of other stuff blooming. I have 3 big Bottlebrush bushes (almost trees) and 5 big African Blue Basil and the bees are working both. I have seen them bringing in pollen.

I did a hive check a week ago and they have very little stores. They were both late packages..installed  on Sept 5. They have increased their numbers and there was some brood in both hives. The biggest hive had the most brood.

Is there a problem with feeding them once a week or every other week? As long as they are bringing in something I don't want to have them backfill the broodnest. There is some empty comb in the supers but they havn't started filling it yet.

I thought giving them a Qt once a week might keep them from eating what they do have stored.

[merince]

Try to find someone close to you to help you - that would be your best bet.

A Qt every week is very light for a full size hive. Do you have supers on? Are they full? I would not feed with supers on, unless you plan on leaving it for the bees.

[Vance G]

I would feed them all it takes to get about two frames of capped stores.  I would feed internally so you don't get robbing started.  I would reduce the entrance to about an inch and a half while feeding.   A cheap feeder is a gallon zip lock baggie with three quarts of syrup.  Lay the baggie flat on the top bars and carefully poke two slits in the top less than and inch long each.  The bees will walk up on the baggie and suck it dry without you drowning a bee or getting robbing started.  You have flowers and I have a five month wait for the first dandelions!

[Carol]

I rode my bike down the road today to see if I could find anything blooming. Surprised to see wild asters along the canal. We've been on the river the past week and saw lots of them there. Brought some home to get started here...low and behold we already have some.

I have a super on each. One frame of honey in one...(smallest) and none ...just empty comb in the other. It did have honey in it but they may have moved it below.

There was capped honey in the deep. (brood box) Some frames had a little capped honey...empty cells and small amount of brood. I can feed them more. As I said...they were late packages. I was trying to save a queenless hive so took package instead of just a queen...second package was available so took it too.

Right now I would feed sugar water...but have 4 quarts of honey to give them later on if they need it. 2 quarts per hive. We spend a week or more on a small houseboat on the river and would most likely feed it then.

[Carol]

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I have 1 super on each hive. There is one frame of comb in the smaller hive ( smaller as in number of bees). There was one frame in the other hive but it is now empty comb.

To feed....I put an empty super over the inner cover....inverted jar on sticks so they bees can get under it...a screened inner cover on that super  and then the telescoping cover. I usually put the feed in later in the day. The smaller hive has reducers in place. The other hive has so many bees I don't think robbing would be a problem..... To me it looks like a lot of bees......... They are bearding early in the morning...even when it's cool. I have windows in the back of the supers and in the deep of the biggest hive and it has bees everywhere.

[merince]

Reduce the entrances on any hive you are feeding, especially if you are in a dearth (that's why I suggested contacting a local beekeeper).

For the hives to maintain, as Vance G suggested, they would need about 2-3 frames of capped honey or about 21 lbs. If they are totally empty, that would be about 21 lbs. sugar each. If they have it, I would hold off on feeding and keep an eye on the stores.

[Carol]

They each have at least 2 full frames of capped honey....and small amounts on a few other frames. The hive with the smallest number of bees actually has more capped honey. Now that I've seen several bushes of Asters and they are both bringing in orange and white pollen I will hold off. Thanks for the help. I thought I would need a super full for each hive and was concerned when they wern't filling them.