Author Topic: time to stop feeding, or was it me?  (Read 13161 times)

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Offline Marion

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #20 on: July 15, 2014, 02:26:34 pm »


hey Riverbee, the picture did not upload the first time. Here it is.



Offline Marion

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #21 on: July 15, 2014, 02:41:15 pm »
For some reason my picture did not post so I am trying again.





Offline riverbee

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #22 on: July 16, 2014, 12:49:47 am »
marion, your pix uploaded, i helped a little and turned them clockwise....... ;)

you have 2 deeps on......the 3rd box does not look like a regular deep?  looks shorter?  and then you have a medium super on with what underneath of that?  not sure, so asking....

ps love the pink!
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Offline Marion

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #23 on: July 16, 2014, 08:43:38 am »
From the bottom up, 2 deeps, then a medium, an inner cover, then an empty medium to house the sugar water. Thanks for turning my picture around. We have been calling the mediums our supers. I found the "fat bees" articles interesting. I think the blue and orange line graph for feeding bees is beneficial. I wish it was made for New England. It looks like it follows a similar trend for bee's needs in this area, though.

Offline riverbee

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #24 on: July 16, 2014, 11:25:42 am »
......oh doh on me!  (the medium super).  :)

randy oliver has a great deal of good information on his website.  you are welcome on the pic, if you need help in the future, just send one of us a pm and we will be happy to help out!
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #25 on: July 16, 2014, 07:57:54 pm »
OK, so if the top deep is not drawn out yet, why is there a super on the hive?
   Not being critical at all, but I try to wait until the top box is nearly drawn..  7 out of ten frames finished, preferably with a good start on two of those unfinished frames. Just wondering what the plan is!
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Offline Marion

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #26 on: July 16, 2014, 08:02:55 pm »
I really did not know when to put on the medium. Ward wanted to put on a super so I figured it would not hurt anything. If they needed it they would use it. Nothing is happening in it.

Offline Perry

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #27 on: July 16, 2014, 08:46:33 pm »
I would not be feeding if you intend to call anything in that lower medium honey.
Rule #1 when feeding = don't have honey supers on your hives cause you're not collecting nectar to make honey, you're collecting sugar water. ;)

PS - I love the avatar!
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Offline Marion

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #28 on: July 16, 2014, 10:17:35 pm »
Some people say feed others say don't feed. Riverbee thought I should feed them just a little (3 tiny holes in the lid) because they are building up wax on new foundation. I am new at this and all I want is for the bees to have enough to survive a Massachusetts winter. They are still filling out the second deep. If they do any work in the medium it is for them.

Offline riverbee

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #29 on: July 16, 2014, 10:26:00 pm »
okay guys, marion and ward, from earlier posts have 4 frames of foundation left to be drawn in the 2nd deep.  they asked if they should feed, some said no, i said yes FEED to draw foundation. 

marion added the feed, and i would guess the 1st medium super of foundation, and feed on top of that to draw all the foundation.  marion, is the medium super all foundation? beeswax or plastic?

it doesn't really matter, what scott is saying is until the foundation is drawn in the 2nd deep, adding a super is not really necessary, and they will ignore it until they need the space.  they have a ways to go yet in that 2nd deep. keep feeding until the foundation is drawn in the 2nd deep.  it won't hurt adding that super, but what they might and will do is strip the wax from the foundation.  so i would pull this super off for now until they are ready for it.  if and when they are ready for a medium super of undrawn foundation, i would feed until the foundation is drawn, and then pull the feed. 

hope this is not too confusing for you marion.....ask away!
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Offline riverbee

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #30 on: July 16, 2014, 10:32:07 pm »
"Some people say feed others say don't feed. Riverbee thought I should feed them just a little (3 tiny holes in the lid) because they are building up wax on new foundation. I am new at this and all I want is for the bees to have enough to survive a Massachusetts winter. They are still filling out the second deep. If they do any work in the medium it is for them. "

marion you posted as i was posting.  i will say this and i will stand by it......FEED THEM until the foundation is drawn in that 2nd deep, and you may need to feed them a heavier sugar syrup to get them ready for winter months.  if by chance they draw and fill the second deep, and if by chance they do draw and fill the medium super, (and i would feed them to draw the super), YES this can be left on for their consumption.  you are thinking ahead! 
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #31 on: July 16, 2014, 10:36:44 pm »
Agreed.
  If the super will be left on for them it will not matter if they store some syrup in it as they draw the combs.   Mark the frames on that super, so if they have any left in it next year you know not to extract it.
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Offline Jen

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #32 on: July 17, 2014, 12:08:21 am »
Will they cap syrup?
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Offline riverbee

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #33 on: July 17, 2014, 01:25:38 am »
yes they will jen....
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Offline Marion

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #34 on: July 17, 2014, 07:09:37 am »
Yes the foundation is wax not plastic. I thought the medium super should not go on until more frames were filled in the second deep. This is basically Ward's project and I am trying to help him with it and he wanted to put it on. I am getting just as interested as he is in doing the right thing for our bees.

When the second deep is filled and they start to draw wax on the frames in the medium super aren't they still going to need to be fed slowly to make the wax on them? I do not have any other frames that already have been drawn except the ones in the bottom deep.

It doesn't look like they are very interested in the sugar water anyway. It is at a very slow drip. A pint will last a long time at he rate they are eating it.






Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #35 on: July 17, 2014, 10:08:12 am »
When the second deep is filled and they start to draw wax on the frames in the medium super aren't they still going to need to be fed slowly to make the wax on them? I do not have any other frames that already have been drawn except the ones in the bottom deep.



   Yes..   as Mrs. River said..  Keep feeding to get all of the frames mostly drawn.
   If there is a good flow on they will not be very interested in the syrup, it is there just in case they need it.   It's really hard to tell when the flow begins to dry up. The increased intake of syrup is usually a pretty good indicator.
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Offline CpnObvious

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #36 on: August 01, 2014, 01:06:25 pm »
My Hive 1 (the one I'm constantly concerned with) was initially not taking any feed... so I had stopped, hence this thread starting.  They are now taking it rather quickly.  My other two hives suck it down like it's going out of style.  Hive #2&3 are doing phenomenally well.  They just can't seem to get enough.  My plan is to feed until the two deeps are drawn.  At this rate, that will still bee a while :(

On another note.  I am using jars within another super around them.  What I am doing, though, is a little different than what I think many of you folks are recommending... I'll share what I've learned and why I do it "my" way.

I have the jars sitting on spaces above the hole in my inner cover.  This does give the bees free range of an entire empty super, but they are busy building on the foundation below, so they do not build any comb whatsoever in the empty super.  The reason I do it this was, as opposed to setting the jars over the hole in the inner cover, thus preventing them from having access to the wide open space, is because they keep the space free of other insects.  When I first started feeding them this way, I did as others have suggested.  This led to ants and other insects trying to make up home in there.  With the bees having full reign up there, I don't have a single bug issue.  The bees do a good job at keeping them out.

Offline iddee

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #37 on: August 01, 2014, 01:18:06 pm »
You are absolutely correct about keeping the bugs out. What you are doing will work fine. Just be sure to keep your camera handy. It's been about 5 years since I have seen a jar embedded in a deep full of natural honey.  :o   :'( :'(   :laugh:
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
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Offline CpnObvious

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #38 on: August 01, 2014, 02:12:51 pm »
I peer into the cover FAR too often for this to ever bee a problem.  Though, I would like to see someone else's picture of an encased jar...

Offline iddee

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Re: time to stop feeding, or was it me?
« Reply #39 on: August 01, 2014, 03:16:59 pm »
The last one I saw was a breeder who set up about 30 nucs with queen cells to emerge and mate. They all had a jar on the top of the frames and an empty nuc surrounding them. He remembered to check and tend about 29. He found the other a month or so later and it was ready for harvest.  :D

Maybe with just one, you won't lose track of it.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein