Feeding on warm winter days

rgennaro · January 02, 2022, 07:19:07 PM

Hi everybody

hope your 2022 is off to a good start.

We have had a few unseasonably warm days in December (mid 50s) and my bees were flying all over the place, even quite far from the hive. One day I was wearing a bright orange shirt (hunting season safety) and one bee came and landed on my shoulder, maybe thinking it was a flower?

Which got me thinking: can I feed the bees on such warm days when they are flying around by putting some syrup in front of the hive? Would a hummingbird feeder work? Can they drink from it? I take advantage of those warm days to open the top of the hive and put some winter patties in, but I think why not give them something to eat while they are flying around?

thanks
R

Ben Framed · January 02, 2022, 08:28:22 PM

Hi rgennaro, my first winter I overwintered late season Nucs. I actually used boardman feeders. On the warmer days they sopped it up. Never had any problems. I also open fed ultra bee, same situation. Since you are in New York have you considered Mountian Camp feeding?

The15thMember · January 02, 2022, 08:37:46 PM

I've put out frames I want cleaned (mostly old comb I'm wanting to cycle out) during winter days like that. But be careful of robbing! The only food around will be the food you put out, so all the bees in all the hives anywhere close to you will find it if the food sources lasts more than a day. Bee sure the feeder is far enough away from your colonies that visiting bees won't find your hives after the food source disappears. Also keep in mind that intermingling with lots of bees from other colonies at an open feeder can increase mite transmission, so weigh the cost/benefit ratio there.

Hummingbird feeders could probably go either way. I've heard of people who have had their bees bring home red syrup from hummingbird feeders and contaminate their honey, but my bees can't seem to get into my hummingbird feeder. It probably depends on the exact model.

BeeMaster2 · January 03, 2022, 12:34:13 AM

R,
Keep in mind that the reason we don?t feed syrup during the winter is that it stimulates egg laying and causes heavy condensation in the hive.
If the water is dripping on the cluster it can kill a hive.
Jim Altmiller

Ben Framed · January 03, 2022, 10:25:19 PM

Quote from: Ben Framed on January 02, 2022, 08:28:22 PM
Hi rgennaro, my first winter I overwintered late season Nucs. I actually used boardman feeders. On the warmer days they sopped it up. Never had any problems. I also open fed ultra bee, same situation. Since you are in New York have you considered Mountian Camp feeding?

The15thMember

QuoteBut be careful of robbing! The only food around will be the food you put out, so all the bees in all the hives anywhere close to you will find it if the food sources lasts more than a day.

BeeMaster2

QuoteR,
Keep in mind that the reason we don?t feed syrup during the winter is that it stimulates egg laying and causes heavy condensation in the hive.
If the water is dripping on the cluster it can kill a hive.
Jim Altmiller

Member and Jim your advise is good, sound, solid, advise if we go by the book. I did what I did and not only got away with it but my Nucs prospered. They were busting at the seams with bees when spring arrived, so much so that I had to add space as soon as the weather permitted.(They were packed!) The way I added space was again against the rules. I broke the rules by adding a second 5 frame box and checkerboard the 5 original combs. That is a do NOT do, I have been since told. As soon as I thought the time was right I split these. From those five nuns I split and can't remember how many hives I had going into the next winter.

The advise of the open pollen feeding was given to me via phone conversation from David Haught of Chatsworth, GA. I had bought some very late season queens from him. David has a bee supply company and sells bees. He also has a youtube channel.

I can't remember who advised me on the syrup feeding, It might have been David but don't quote me as I can't clearly remember. But 'no one' advised me to use Boardman feeders in the winter, that was my own doing. I had ordered the feeders back in the summer in case of a future need and had them on hand. I had them and I used them. Against the rules? Yes. But I got away with it. I was very happy with the results.

Keep in mind rgennaro, thought we do have some cold days here in the winter single digits and teens Fahrenheit from time to time we also have warmer days as well, sometimes in the 50's and 60s'. This varies from day to day and week to week in my area. In New York, what I did may be a disaster? It may never warm up enough for your bees to break cluster?

Phillip

Bill Murray · January 05, 2022, 12:25:20 PM

QuoteKeep in mind that the reason we don?t feed syrup during the winter is that it stimulates egg laying and causes heavy condensation in the hive. If the water is dripping on the cluster it can kill a hive.

Jim I found a good way to keep this from happening was with a simple imirie shim between the upper broodbox and lid.

Oldbeavo · January 05, 2022, 05:17:52 PM

Giving bees a reason to leave the hive in winter upsets the hibernation.
If it is cold enough and the bees are packed tight they will stay clustered and have low energy use.
if the Autumn preparation has been sufficient then the bees should go through winter untouched.
Think of the snow country where bees are shedded for months, ontouched.
Our impulse to help them is human logic, not bee behaviour.

We winter our bees 200 mile from home, so it is a major decision to go playing with the bees, so we do very little. Quick audit mid July to make sure they are strong enough to go to Almonds on August 1.

2Sox · January 07, 2022, 11:26:48 PM

Quote from: BeeMaster2 on January 03, 2022, 12:34:13 AM
R,
Keep in mind that the reason we don?t feed syrup during the winter is that it stimulates egg laying and causes heavy condensation in the hive.
If the water is dripping on the cluster it can kill a hive.
Jim Altmiller

Didn?t know that Jim. I have fed syrup well into November. This year I placed frame feeders in all my hives in fall and plan to just leave them in all winter. We?ll see. I have a heat/moisture escape system on all my hives and never have moisture issues. I?m glad for that.

.30WCF · January 22, 2022, 01:19:09 AM

Like BenFramed said, up north, I?d be careful unless I had 2 weeks of warm in the forecast. I?d feed a week and let them dry it a week.

In NC, we have plenty of mild mixed in with the cold. February and March kinda stay cold, but I had bucket feeders on at Christmas. It was in the 70s. Been getting snow every few days now, for the last week or two.

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