Author Topic: Spring Feeding for buildup! (Read 42179 times)

LazyBkpr · « **on:** January 08, 2014, 06:09:42 pm »

yes, its still WAY to early, but I'm standing by the door with the pollen sub over my shoulder waiting....

So... the question.

DO, you feed early to build the colonies faster?
No? Ignore the rest of this.
Yes? What do you feed and how?

I use Bee Pro from Mann Lake with a bag of real pollen mixed in on the bottom tray, and use gallon jugs of syrup on top of the feeding station. If the nights are getting cooler than 50 I take the syrup in each night...

Rather than go to each hive, remove frames for a frame feeder, or fuss with a top feeder, i make the bees come to the feed.. the exception being new or weak colonies / splits / nuc's I use top or boardmans.. now, before you yell at me for the boardmans.. I put the boardman all the way to one side, and reduce the entrance with a 3/4 board so theres only an inch or two on the opposite side open. Havent had any serious robbing doing it that way yet, but have screens ready to put in in case I do..

A couple pics of the feeder I use. ALL repainted and ready for warm weather;

iddee · « **Reply #1 on:** January 08, 2014, 06:20:13 pm »

I've never had a problem with a boardman in the spring. Only in the summer and fall dearth.

I go to a local brewery and get spent brewer's yeast. Mix 80% brewers yeast, 10% sugar, and 10% soy flour. That's my pollen sub. If I had raw pollen, I would mix it in, too.

The main thing you want to watch is:

Right now they have enough stores to last them until bloom. If you start feeding them, they will add 20 to 30 thousand new mouths to feed. It will consume all their stores. They will only have the feed to live on. Let the feeders go dry for 3 days and the hive is dead from starvation.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #2 on:** January 08, 2014, 08:23:31 pm »

Havent tried brewers yeast... I'll have to check into that..
Its still well below freezing here, so couldn't open feed if I wanted to, just saying, standing beside the door waiting... Driving my wife up the wall.. WIN / WIN !!
Supposed to be 40 this weekend, will give me a chance to go see how many hives I have left!!!
I wont start feeding until the daytime temps begin hitting the 60's. Early/mid April usually. We could still get a frost/ cold weather into May so thats probably plenty soon.

Jen · « **Reply #3 on:** January 08, 2014, 10:27:06 pm »

That feeding station is just the cat's meow! Nice Job!

I called one of our local bee guru's here, he's been at it for 40 years, and he's the one who got me set up with my first little hive.

He said that there is a white pollen here that comes before the dandelion's and that's when to start feeding here. That will be an easy rule for me to follow here, cause I sit with my bees most everyday.

pistolpete · « **Reply #4 on:** January 08, 2014, 11:37:23 pm »

I stick with the advice from our bee inspector. The only really good reason for starting early with a spring feeding is if bee stock sales are a part of your business. Otherwise there is no point to it. The bees will be at full strength well before the summer flows without supplemental pollen. He also figures that any pollen supplement without at least 20% real pollen from your own hives is of questionable value.

Like anything else, this may be a regional thing. Around here willow pollen is the first thing to start coming in (well before any nectar) so supplemental pollen is kind of a waste. Giving your bees a 2 week head start may sound good in theory, but it does not actually increase honey production. It does allow you to make earlier splits.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2014, 12:21:06 am »

It is pretty much a regional WEATHER thing.. it often turns out that there is no summer flow, and the goldenrod is all that lets the bees build up winter stores.. Last year was a good example of that. if you didnt get honey from the spring flow you didnt get any at all. Even the goldenrod was dry and ugly. I had several hives go into winter WITH spring honey. Two weeks doesnt seem like much, but its a boost toward that first batch of brood hatching at 21 days, smack dab when the first of the trees and flowers begin blooming..
if I could get away with it I would start them a month early, but the weather often denies me the chance, so i take what I can get.

pistolpete · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2014, 01:42:59 am »

One thing that I guess I should have mentioned, is that thought I don't feed pollen supplement, when they start flying around I give them syrup for a couple of weeks. That's just insurance against running out of winter stores before the trees bloom. Around here we get pretty good flows for about 3 months. May, June, July. In August things get very dry and it's subsistence foraging only right till freeze up. Once in a while we get some rains in August that keep the Alfa Alfa producing and this can result in an extra 50 lbs of honey for each hive.

kebee · « **Reply #7 on:** January 09, 2014, 08:36:04 am »

I don't feed pollen myself for the bees find plenty of it some where, I start feeding real good when I see the wild flowers starting to grow for I know it will not be long before there will be a flow on for them. Ok now about syrup freeze in the cold weather, I had some left when I last feed the bees on the back porch and it got down to 9f here and it still was not frozen, even during the 3 days, even on one day when it did not get up to only 31f the hold day so I don't think that can be used for an excuse any more.

Ken

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #8 on:** January 09, 2014, 08:45:12 am »

Thanks Ken!!
The Syrup freezing isnt the problem actually.. its that when the temps begin to get low and the syrup gets cold the bees wont take it.. So thats why I try to keep my syrup warm, to keep the ladies interested!
Come to think of it... thats been my problem for near 40 years!!

riverbee · « **Reply #9 on:** January 09, 2014, 11:27:23 am »

i do feed pollen sub and syrup well before the first flow. it is advantageous for strong divides, and also i keep russian bees and mutts. the russians are very slow to build up in the spring vs other breeds of bees. as soon as natural pollen is available and starts coming in the front door, it is for the most part ignored. (willows, and maples).

kebee · « **Reply #10 on:** January 09, 2014, 11:47:38 am »

Come to think of it... thats been my problem for near 40 years!!

LazyBkp, I liked that, I am still laughter and how true here too.

Ken

Marbees · « **Reply #11 on:** January 09, 2014, 10:05:38 pm »

Quote from: riverbee on January 09, 2014, 11:27:23 am

i do feed pollen sub and syrup well before the first flow. it is advantageous for strong divides, and as soon as natural pollen is available and starts coming in the front door, it is for the most part ignored. (willows, and maples).

Same here when planning splits.

apisbees · « **Reply #12 on:** January 10, 2014, 12:46:36 pm »

Feed pollen 3 weeks before the first natural pollen comes into the hive. but also have a reason for stimulating the bees. Either for nucs and splits or to take advantage of early pollination and spring honey crops. Pollen substitute is an inferior product to multi floral natural pollen so you don't want to stimulate feed more than one brood cycle.

riverbee · « **Reply #13 on:** January 10, 2014, 05:45:24 pm »

depending on weather and depending on timing of divides, i will feed the pollen sub 4-6 weeks before any flow, and, once natural pollen is available in your area the bees will ignore it, but they do utilize it until then. it may be inferior apis, but so is sugar syrup, fondant, sugar, winter patties, etc... just things we beeks do to manage and tweak our bees for the reason/purpose we do and the goal we desire to achieve. another reason i use pollen subs is for the russian bees. i have read many reports over the years, that these bees will not take pollen sub, well they do, and really does help to kick start brood rearing earlier than they normally would, and sometimes combined with sugar syrup. for the most part, i find that these bees still have plenty of stores left come late february and march, but will add a small pail on anyway.

Jen · « **Reply #14 on:** January 12, 2014, 12:41:07 am »

Lazy ""I use top or boardmans.. now, before you yell at me for the boardmans..""

Curious.. why would you get yelled at for using boardmans? That's what kind I have... didn't feed last year tho

Jen · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2014, 12:49:43 am »

"" I use top or boardmans.. ""

'Top' meaning a jar of syrup thru the opening of the inner board with a super and lid over it?

Perry · « **Reply #16 on:** January 12, 2014, 07:27:48 am »

Jaybird, I think that for the most part, they are the least desirable.

tecumseh · « **Reply #17 on:** January 12, 2014, 07:45:59 am »

well feeding is never too early here....

after several days of cold and wet weather I will have nothing else on my schedule besides feeding bees for the next week or so. this will continue on a 15 day interval for about the next two months or so. optimally you want to begin stimulative feeding 45 to 60 days ahead of your first flow < for the new beekeeper a diary should be kept and important dates noted like 'first bloom', 'first real flow' and 'first purple eyed drones noted' and as you proceed forward these dates are then quite valuable to inform you of when certain manipulation should occur or bee keeping operation should begin.

Jen · « **Reply #18 on:** January 12, 2014, 03:41:20 pm »

tec- funny you mention that, I was thinking of getting a journal started about now. Thanks for the reminder

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #19 on:** January 12, 2014, 04:34:58 pm »

Quote from: tecumseh on January 12, 2014, 07:45:59 am

well feeding is never too early here....

after several days of cold and wet weather I will have nothing else on my schedule besides feeding bees for the next week or so. this will continue on a 15 day interval for about the next two months or so. optimally you want to begin stimulative feeding 45 to 60 days ahead of your first flow < for the new beekeeper a diary should be kept and important dates noted like 'first bloom', 'first real flow' and 'first purple eyed drones noted' and as you proceed forward these dates are then quite valuable to inform you of when certain manipulation should occur or bee keeping operation should begin.

Thanks Tec.. Makes me wonder if I am starting to feed soon enough.