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Spring Feeding Overwintered Hives?

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Crofter:
I have been rolling around some notions on early spring feeding which is something we have not done before. Just for reference dandelion bloom is about 3rd week in May for me and 2nd week for my son. We are thinking of putting some pollen sub / sugar patties into some of the hives hoping to get the numbers up to full force for the start of clover about the 10th of June. Night time temperatures dip close to freezing till near first of June so am not sure if hive top feeders will work. Frame feeders maybe? How early?

Just kind of brainstorming this as a lot of strategy dates I see is from much warmer climate. Probably riverbee would be close in climate. Maybe some similarity in bee type too as I think of mine as being along the Carni, Russian, lines.

Mixed with these thoughts is eventual swarm control but that is further down the road; made more necessary by any early feeding though, no doubt.

iddee:
Thinking they would start laying about 5 days after you began feeding, then 42 days for 2 cycles, I would place pollen patties on the top bars and set open feeders out everyday when the temp reached 43 F. "6.1 C."", or when they started flying, then take it in when they quit going to it in the evening. Keep it warm for setting out the next day, beginning 47 days before expected first bloom. Then start checking for swarm cells and available space beginning 20 days into it. They can fill all empty space faster than you will realize.

Just my .02, and that ain't much with the inflation of today.

Jen:
Iddee- check for swarm cells as in supercedure queen cells?

riverbee:
iddee is right on with the numbers crofter, i like to get the pollen sub in earlier if i can........anywhere between 6 and 8 weeks to set a pollen sub and feed in....you and i are similiar on the dandelion bloom, anywhere between the 2nd and 3rd week of may, usually the 2nd week for us, weather conditions permitting, so i try to get the pollen subs in on top the frames in early-mid march. so a window of 42 days-56 days ahead of the first flow; dandelions.  with my russkies, i haven't had to feed, but if you need to, try the winter patties out or mix up your own, not that hard and slip them in with the pollen sub.  i  have placed enclosed syrup pails on in late march through may.....and we can get hard freezes here into the first week of june. so let your weather conditions be your guide and judgment on this.  i have never tried open feeding as iddee suggested.

as far as swarm control....LOL, there are many thoughts and variables that go into this....some say divide before the first major flow, or during or just after, only you can decide by paying attention to what's going on in your hives and when to divide them to keep them from swarming. it's about timing really i think.

like iddee said keep your eye on queen cells and available space, this will tell you what to do.  i haven't been really diligent or set in a certain protocol......i just wing it......LOL......i like my bees to make the most out of the first flow if i can, and then divide them.

jaybird, swarm cells not supecedure cells......swarm cells will be found on the bottoms of your frames in spring months.  i posted a thread here on identification of queen cells; its here on this thread: queen cell identifications; http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php/topic,153.msg1087.html#msg1087

Crofter:
I split hives this past spring (mid June) with new queens in each split. It was a poor nectar year and I had to feed about 40 pounds of sugar to get them up to ~130 Lb. weight for double deep hive. I am thinking I have to have the numbers up sooner to take advantage of the first flows.

I dont want to feed all hives, so open feeding would not be first choice, though that idea of putting out warm syrup each day sounds like it would work. I do have miller type hive top feeders on hand; Perhaps I could put in a couple of quarts of warm syrup without opening the hive much.

We commonly get a warm break mid March so that sounds like about the time to move on this. Since I now have about the number of hives I want I am not so worried about doing one it or setting it back somehow.

Thanks for the ideas,

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