The're Alive - Spring Feeding

[40 Acre Bees]

Well after losing our two hives last year, and having a tough season with three weak nucs and then followed up with a strong nuc  from Perry they all have made it through the winter (so far).  Today was our first real warm day (14 degrees Celcius) and we had lots of activity.  I still have sugar cakes on them and was wondering when and what temperature ranges, should we remove the sugar and add 1:1 syrup.   They are talking about near freezing temps next week and possibly some snow.  Looking forward to your comments.  Thanks 40 Acre Bees.

[Jen]

Great News 40 Acre Bees 

[iddee]

13 C. for sugar water............

[Perry]

Bees will have a hard time taking syrup below 10 C. If they are light, keep fondant on them for now.

EDIT, Iddee beat me by seconds.

[40 Acre Bees]

I just found this article in our local paper and I don't quite understand the following quote:

"An important part of setting up new hives and checking the overwintered ones is coating the honeycombs with a sugar and water solution to feed the bees until the dandelions come out in May."

Is it possible to coat the combs of over wintered hives or is this a miss print?


http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1353144-beekeepers-buzzing-over-premature-spring%E2%80%99s-early-honey-season

[apisbees]

If you do not have a feeder and need to feed you can lay the frames on their side and poor the syrup into the frames most will stay in the frames but the bees will need to remove and restore it and it can be messy attract ants and wasps. I do not care of this Idea of feeding I have never fed this way and never will. I also do not card for the idea of open feeding but this could be because of the number of colonies that are in the area.

[Perry]

If I am not mistaken, what you see in the picture is preparation for packages being installed.
I know the beekeeper and they just received 300 package bees from Arataki in New Zealand, and this is how they feed them when they are first installed. It is still too cold to open feed here most days, and packages need feed immediately.

[40 Acre Bees]

Thanks Perry, that's what I thought, but the way I read the article they mentioned feeding the overwintered ones this way, but I could not imagine opening up the hives this time of year to feed them this way.  I was just curious!