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Author Topic: Why do people do spring feeding?  (Read 2813 times)

Offline Joelel

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Why do people do spring feeding?
« on: March 01, 2010, 12:35:18 pm »
Why do people do spring feeding? Does it encourage bees to get out and collect pollen and nectar?
Acts2:37: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40: And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2010, 12:41:57 pm »
spring is the time that they are low on stores.  we have taken the extra honey that they might have used and left them with only enough to get through winter.  they become active before there may be enough for them to survive and build up brood.  feeding gets them through until there is natural flow and gets them raising brood.  i'm sure not all people need to feed in spring.  guess it depends on what was left for the bees and when your natural nectar flow begins.
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Joelel

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2010, 12:59:12 pm »
Thanks
Acts2:37: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40: And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2010, 01:35:02 pm »
low stores is one reason, but I think the main reason is that thin 1:1 syrup in the spring simulates a nectar flow and the bees will start raising more brood and sooner.  This isn't a case where you want the bees to take as much as possible, more of a small but consistent supply.

Considering that it takes around 6 weeks for a honeybee from egg to start collecting nectar as a forager bee.  That way they have that many more bees when the flow arrives.

It does take a bit of figuring out how to get the right amount of syrup on at the right time, too soon and they really can starve(too much brood to support) or run out of pollen; too late and there is already nectar coming in.

Rick
Rick

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2010, 02:15:02 pm »
Quote
It does take a bit of figuring out how to get the right amount of syrup on at the right time

that's part of the reason i like open feeding in the spring....before the yellowjackets show up :-(
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Joelel

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2010, 03:43:25 pm »
low stores is one reason, but I think the main reason is that thin 1:1 syrup in the spring simulates a nectar flow and the bees will start raising more brood and sooner.  This isn't a case where you want the bees to take as much as possible, more of a small but consistent supply.

Considering that it takes around 6 weeks for a honeybee from egg to start collecting nectar as a forager bee.  That way they have that many more bees when the flow arrives.

It does take a bit of figuring out how to get the right amount of syrup on at the right time, too soon and they really can starve(too much brood to support) or run out of pollen; too late and there is already nectar coming in.

Rick

Thanks, I know to feed if they are low on store but your answer I heard before and was hoping someone here would tell me again.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2010, 04:27:08 pm by Joelel »
Acts2:37: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40: And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2010, 12:31:28 am »
Bees rear brood depending on available resources.  If they are low on honey stores, then feeding incites them to rear brood earlier.  In the North this has several issues connected to it.  First, if it's too cold they won't take the syrup.  Second if they start rearing brood too soon they could get caught in a cold snap and "cold starve" from not getting to stores.  Third, does it really help any more than having stores does?  Or does giving pollen stimulate them more?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm#stimulativefeeding

Stimulative feeding.
Many of the greats of beekeeping have decided this is not productive:

"The reader will by now have drawn the conclusion that stimulative feeding, apart from getting the foundations drawn out in the brood chamber, plays no part in our scheme of bee-keeping. This is in fact so." --Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey, Brother Adam

"Very many, at the present time, seem to think that brood rearing can be made to forge ahead much faster by feeding the bees a teacupful of thin sweet every day than by any other method; but from many experiments along this line during the past thirty years I can only think this a mistaken idea, based on theory rather than on a practical solution of the matter by taking a certain number of colonies in the same apiary, feeding half of them while the other half are left "rich" in stores, as above, but without feeding and then comparing "notes" regarding each half, thus determining which is the better to go into the honey harvest...results show that the "millions of honey at our house" plan followed by what is to come hereafter, will outstrip any of the heretofore known stimulating plans by far in the race for bees in time for the harvest." --A Year's work in an Out Apiary, G.M. Doolittle.

"Probably the single most important step in management for achieving colony strength, and one most neglected by beekeepers, is to make sure the hives are heavy with stores in the fall, so that they emerge from overwintering already strong early in the spring" --The How-To-Do-It book of Beekeeping, Richard Taylor

"The feeding of bees for stimulating brood-rearing in early spring is now looked upon by many as of doubtful value. Especially is this true in the Northern States, where weeks of warm weather are often followed by 'Freeze up.' The average beekeeper in the average locality will find it more satisfactory to feed liberally in the fall-- enough, at least so that there shall be sufficient stores until harvest. If the hives are well protected, and the bees well supplied with an abundance of sealed stores, natural brood rearing will proceed with sufficient rapidity, early in the spring without any artificial stimulus. The only time that spring feeding is advisable is where there is a a dearth of nectar after the early spring flow and before the coming of the main harvest." --W.Z. Hutchinson, Advanced Bee Culture
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
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Offline lenape13

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2010, 09:52:47 am »
Quote
It does take a bit of figuring out how to get the right amount of syrup on at the right time

that's part of the reason i like open feeding in the spring....before the yellowjackets show up :-(

I have a great cure for yellow jackets.... a .22 birdshot round.  :evil:  You gotta be really good to hit them on the fly, but it's great fun and wonderfully emotionally stress-relieving.  Of course, that might not be suitable for a residential area....HMMMM.

Offline doak

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2010, 10:31:12 am »
By not taking any honey last year, I am lucky to have more than enough for the two colonies I have that survived.

All though I have never fed for spring build up, only for survival.
I have enough early  blooms for pollen, then I think the Red Bud produces enough nector to finish getting them ready for the Tulip Poplar. That's my honey crop. :)doak

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2010, 12:09:45 pm »
depends also on what your weather does.  if we had experienced the usual winter, i probably would not be feeding right now.  however, our winter was mild. the bees were active for much of it, and went through stores at a rate that is not normal for us.

thing is, there are no hard and fast rules.  you have to kind of feel the force and act accordingly :-)
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Joelel

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Re: Why do people do spring feeding?
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2010, 01:11:44 am »
I figure these people who sell packages and queens do something to get their hive to brood up for sales in April 15Th. or does their honey flow start like the 1st. of March ?

 In the south ,when does the honey flow start ? Like in TX or S.Carolina or southern Calif.
Acts2:37: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40: And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation

 

anything