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Author Topic: How to feed honey back to the cut-out bees  (Read 3432 times)

Offline TwoHoneys

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How to feed honey back to the cut-out bees
« on: June 11, 2013, 07:46:58 am »
I've never before fed bees honey, and I'm not sure the best way to do it.

I'd like to feed a couple of cut-out hives their own honey...I use all medium-depth supers with top entrances. I've converted the bottom boards into feeders (as Michael Bush describes on his site). So, should I pour honey into the bottom-board feeders the way I would with sugar water?

And if I feed from the top...should I simply use an inverted jar with holes punched in the lid?

-Liz
"In a dream I returned to the river of bees" W.S. Merwin

Offline HomeSteadDreamer

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Re: How to feed honey back to the cut-out bees
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2013, 10:15:51 am »
Don't know if it 'right'  but we dilute it 1:1 with water and put in a top feeder (just a jar with holes inverted).

Our swarm seemed to take it well and 'stored' some.

I've read somewhere that when bees eat honey they dilute it.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: How to feed honey back to the cut-out bees
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2013, 10:50:43 am »
You can feed honey from most feeders straight and it will keep better.  On the bottom board, however, or in a frame feeder you get more drowning as they get stuck.  If you dilute it, try to only dilute what they will eat over night.  That way you don't attract robbers with it and it won't spoil before the bees process it.  Once honey is watered down it turns to mead very quickly.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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Offline AllenF

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Re: How to feed honey back to the cut-out bees
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2013, 10:52:15 pm »
I have 2 huge metal trays under my wood shed that I lay the cut comb out on.   Open feeding. 

Offline tefer2

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Re: How to feed honey back to the cut-out bees
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2013, 09:01:40 am »
I open feed it to the bees. It is usually gone in a day!

Offline JPBEEGETTER

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Re: How to feed honey back to the cut-out bees
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2013, 02:30:12 pm »
Just add the frames back to the hive. they will know what to do with it, or have you all ready removed it from frames?