Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => NATURAL & ORGANIC BEEKEEPING METHODS => Topic started by: GLOCK on April 27, 2010, 08:08:00 am

Title: top feeder FOR new bee's
Post by: GLOCK on April 27, 2010, 08:08:00 am
Ok my bee's are here should i put a top feeder on after i install them in there new hive or wait and if so how long? THANK YOU.
Title: Re: top feeder FOR new bee's
Post by: VolunteerK9 on April 27, 2010, 10:33:09 am
I'm a newbee myself but I think that most will tell you to feed, feed, feed so go ahead and put it on. I didnt fill mine up to full capacity until after I had went back in to pull out the queen cages due to my not wanting to possibly spill 2 gallons of syrup down in the hive or all over me.   Just put in enough that will do them for the 3-7 days that your queen cage is in there. Or if you have entrance feeders, use them til your queen has been released then switch to hive tops. (my 2 cents)
Title: Re: top feeder FOR new bee's
Post by: Michael Bush on April 27, 2010, 12:44:57 pm
I would feed until you see capped honey and you know there is nectar coming in.
Title: Re: top feeder FOR new bee's
Post by: rickdesl on June 03, 2010, 08:39:38 pm
Michael Bush said to feed until you see capped honey....why not continue to feed a new colony trying to be established?  I understand that pollen and nectar trump in terms of being good food...but since one is trying to enable comb build out and sugar water gives abundant carbs for this endeavor, how can continuing to feed hurt?   Is it like not doing deep watering though less often in gardening?  A hardiness quotient is built up?
Just a question from a newbie...not a newbee yet....
My continual feeding with essential oils seems to have made ONE of my two new hives go simply nuclear. The brood laying patterns from level to level are textbook and health seems fine....was this the queen quality or the feed pattern that enabled this?  Admittedly the other is doing very well, but is about a week or so behind, and has been from the start, though it looked to my undiscerning eye to be the stronger colony at installation. 
I am so glad I got two packages to start, so that I could see how different they are, just like my kids were and are!
Hope this was not too long a post...
Title: Re: top feeder FOR new bee's
Post by: buzzbee on June 04, 2010, 08:17:22 am
Once the colony starts getting established,they may backfill the brood nest with syrup to the point the queen has no where to lay,possibly forcing a swarm or at the very least decreasing bee numbers.That is not the goal when starting a new colony.
Often the bees will quit taking the syrup anyhow if there is a good flow going.