Advice on Winter Feeding

[tbonekel]

Quick question on best way to feed bees using the bag method. I filled up some gallon sized bags of sugar water and placed them on the top of the frames and cut some slits. Now at this time, I only have hives in single deeps (small colonies) and the bags are placed on the frames inside another deep. Then I place the inner cover on that top deep. There is lots of air space in that top deep and I'm wondering if I should take that one off and replace with a medium. Does it matter? And, would guys recommend bag feeding? Why or why not?

[Perry]

Well, my advice is probably way off base due to location.
Up here we never feed liquid below 50 F. If I have to feed anything after that it is in the form of fondant.
If you have a lot of empty space above your baggie, come spring don't be surprised if it's full of some nasty comb. If you have to, just use a 1 inch shim on top of your brood deep.

[iddee]

I have never used the bag feeder, but I would do as Perry suggested and make a shim just high enough to allow then to get on top the bag. Whatever you do, get it off before they start drawing comb in the spring, or the first place they will draw is from the inner lid and fill the empty space.

[Perry]

Just use it below your inner cover, instead of on top like I do for fondant.

[tbonekel]

Thanks for the advice! I plan on building some nice inner covers like that one, but right now I have one standard cover purchased from Dadant and then 4 more that I built myself that are a lot like that one. Under that style of inner cover there is not enough room to place a bag. I'm still pretty new at this and as the temps get warmer I will watch for comb in that space.

[iddee]

tbone, look at the pic again. There is a shim setting on Perry's inner cover. It's the shim he is talking about.You can buy a 1 X1 1/2 board and cut 2 end pieces and 2 side pieces. Nail them together and you have the shim. It's like a 2 in. high super. Put it on the hive, then the inner and outer lids. It will protect the bag and leave very little open space.

[ralph]

As far as winter is concerned I don't know.

With mine I got them all heavy before the first nightly freeze and stopped (started full feeding them first of October until they were almost syrup bound). The majority are still heavy now.

I've switched to migratory covers that can double as a bottom board that way the same piece of equipment can serve two purposes. Then each has a 5/16 hole drilled in the center that can be plugged with a little ball of wax when not in use.

I drill a 1/4 hole in a jar lid. Solder in place about a 3/4 inch piece of copper tubing flared on one end. Then invert jars on the hives with that little tube going down in there. So far they look to be the most efficient route for me.

I have natural cell raised bees so they are tini. If i don't slightly smash the end of the tubing with pliers. One will end up getting her head/thorax stuck in there. :/

[tbonekel]

tbone, look at the pic again. There is a shim setting on Perry's inner cover. It's the shim he is talking about.You can buy a 1 X1 1/2 board and cut 2 end pieces and 2 side pieces. Nail them together and you have the shim. It's like a 2 in. high super. Put it on the hive, then the inner and outer lids. It will protect the bag and leave very little open space.

Thanks iddee! Now I know what you mean by shim. I've always known a shim to be the little piece of wood you place in a door frame to square up the door. I can make me up a bunch of those shim for the hives in nothing flat. Thanks again!

[blueblood]

I use a vent shim/super that is about 3" tall for ventilation and to allow enough room to place a baggy of syrup on top of the inner cover.

[LazyBkpr]

Save those old boxes when the corner starts to rot out on..  cut enough off the top to get the bad spot out and cut the rest of it into shims!!

[Perry]

Save those old boxes when the corner starts to rot out on..  cut enough off the top to get the bad spot out and cut the rest of it into shims!!

Waste not, want not! 

[G3farms]

they make good swarm traps also.

[lazy shooter]

tbone, look at the pic again. There is a shim setting on Perry's inner cover. It's the shim he is talking about.You can buy a 1 X1 1/2 board and cut 2 end pieces and 2 side pieces. Nail them together and you have the shim. It's like a 2 in. high super. Put it on the hive, then the inner and outer lids. It will protect the bag and leave very little open space.

Thanks iddee! Now I know what you mean by shim. I've always known a shim to be the little piece of wood you place in a door frame to square up the door. I can make me up a bunch of those shim for the hives in nothing flat. Thanks again!

Tbone what beekeepers call a shim is best described as being a "spacer."  That's what we would call it in the oil patch.  In my beginning readings, it was a confusing issue with me also.

[Slowmodem]

Looking at your forecast, I'd remove the syrup and replace with sugar.  It's going to be cold and the syrup will introduce unneeded moisture into the hive.  Make sure your hive is ventilated so moist air can rise and escape.  Put Popsicle sticks under your telescoping cover if you don't have a notch cut into your inner cover.  If you think you need to feed, put some sugar on a newspaper on top of the brood frames, and put an empty super around that (than your inner and telescoping covers).

Also, check with local beekeepers and see what they're doing or what they advise.  Beekeeping really does vary with location.

Good luck! 

[lazy shooter]

First, I want to state that I hate feeding bees anytime.  That being stated, I placed some high dollar Mann Lake Bee patties on my hive a week ago.  Since that time, the temps have been below 40 degrees at night with daytime temps warming to the 50's and 60's.  I took a look at the ranch hives today, and the bees have not touched them.  Yes, they still have some capped honey, but I thought they would use the patties also.  Even with capped stores, they will take some sugar syrup this time of the year, but the patties are supposedly (according to the advertisements) more nutritious than sugar syrup.  I thought the patties would help them to build up.  The patties are also much easier on the beekeeper.  Like I said, I hate feeding as I have never found a satisfactory way to feed bees.

[Jen]

Lazy Shooter- I'm always in a quantry myself about sugar syrup feeding, I consider myself Iddee's problem child when we're disgussing this issue. I've been keeping now for 3 years, have had my share of disasters. By the end of last year, my third season, I have now a rull healthy hive. Now the concern is keeping them strong and healthy. If it comes right down to it I will use drivert sugar before I use sugar syrup.

This winter I have decided to also use a winter patties if needed instead of sugar syrup. But so far I'm not able to lift up the hive so I think there is still enough stores.

Does your winter food contain pollen?

[riverbee]

lazy, as long as they have capped honey in the hive, they will probably not touch the patties until they are out on the frames.....or  just wait until your queen starts laying and the hive kicks into high gear on brood rearing.....you will thank yourself for putting those patties in there.

jaybird most of the winter patties do not contain pollen, you buy these separately.

[Jen]

riv- I doin it! gonna make an order tomorrow and have them on hand in case I need them. Last year I tried to buy some thru Dadant, and they were completely out! Dang! bad time of year for them to be out. Fortunately my bees made it thru.

Thanks for all your info today 

[lazy shooter]

OK Riverbee, I will leave the patties in place and see what happens.  The surprising thing to me was that these girls (when I am mad at them, i call them hussies) will take syrup any time.  Therefore, I thought they would take patties any time.  Oh well, I will wait and see.

Jaybird, my bees start bringing  in pollen on warm days by mid January.  They seem to always have pollen stored.  It's nectar that has been scarce in my drought ridden country.

[Jen]

(when I am mad at them, i call them hussies)

Yeeeeah, I'll do my best to ignore that statement tsk tsk tsk