Author Topic: When Bees Run Out Of Sugar In The Winter  (Read 1321 times)

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Offline Jen

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When Bees Run Out Of Sugar In The Winter
« on: October 18, 2018, 11:27:44 am »
Way back when on this forum, I remember reading that if your bees have run out of honey are dependent on the sugar foods that are given to them in the winter, that if that food source runs out, the bees will only live for 4 more days? Does that still stand true?
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Offline tecumseh

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Re: When Bees Run Out Of Sugar In The Winter
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2018, 10:03:37 am »
what I can recall from my reading Jen is 72 hours or 3 days... ambient temperature would certainly play a part < that is if you are in a cold climate the inability to generate heat would work into the question of how much time.

Offline riverbee

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Re: When Bees Run Out Of Sugar In The Winter
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2018, 12:39:34 pm »
what tec said jen.
about 3 days or less for me in a cold temp. basically without getting all scientific, the bees need the sugar to maintain themselves and the heat needed to cluster. without the sugar, they succumb to the cold and also starve.
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Offline apisbees

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Re: When Bees Run Out Of Sugar In The Winter
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2018, 11:28:15 pm »
The bees will cannibalize any young brood or eggs less than about 7 days old if there is any in the hive, but that will only give them another day. In a lot of cases it is not the bees running out of stores but that they come out of contact with the stores and not being able to get to the food because it is to cold to break cluster to get to the stores.
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Offline yukonjeff

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Re: When Bees Run Out Of Sugar In The Winter
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2018, 02:28:43 pm »
It don't take long, and this is what it looks like when they do. All dead.