Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: josbees on October 25, 2008, 09:30:50 am
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Is it the cold temperature and that they won't leave the cluster, or is it that they have enough stores so don't need the syrup? Just one of those questions that come to me in the middle of the night....
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Well, my understanding is that when it gets cold they cluster up. Those 2 go hand in hand and they won't venture out to get syrup. It can also be a bad thing in really cold weather because of the moisture in the syrup that the bees can't dry it out before they cluster back up again.
If it is fine weather and they are not taking syrup.... it usually means that they have an alternative supply that they prefer or the hive is full of stores.
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Bee's muscles don't work when their body temperature drops below 50 F. If they try to eat syrup that is cold, their body temperature rapidly drops, so they won't try to move and store cold syrup. Since honey is broken up into small cells the cluster can warm the honey enough that they can eat it in a localized area without heating the whole frame. The reason they won't take cold syrup is because they cannot. If the syrup is warm and the weather is warm, it may be that they don't need it or that they haven't really noticed it.
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I have pondered this thought as well because I Have been feeding my 2 hives all month and one hive cant get enough even though I checked on them and they have more than enough stores.
the other hive just stopped taking it although they could probably use some more.
I decided I will continue to feed but with the baggie type feeders only now, since the night are getting so, ,so cold around here.
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Is it the cold temperature and that they won't leave the cluster, or is it that they have enough stores so don't need the syrup? Just one of those questions that come to me in the middle of the night....
Temperatures more than anything else. Bees will usually continue to take some syrup even if they have to build burr and bridge comb to hold it when the frames are full. Temperature includes both the the syrup and the weather. They will break from cluster a little to take warm syrup, cold syrup gets thicker with less viscosity as the temps drop so the bees won't touch it.
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I put some syrup on last week in a hive top feeder. I thought it would all be gone by this weekend, but they had stopped taking it. I boiled up some more not knowing that they were not taking it. I went ahead and added the warm syrup to that which I put put in last week. They immediately started into the feed. When I checked this afternoon (we have had a nice sunny day), the bees were busy accessing the feed. Foragers are still bringing in pollen in a steady stream. I am not sure what this means, but I am thinking it is a good thing.
When they stop taking the feed, is this when I remove the feeder an put a sugar candy board beneath an inner cover?
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I put some syrup on last week in a hive top feeder. I thought it would all be gone by this weekend, but they had stopped taking it. I boiled up some more not knowing that they were not taking it. I went ahead and added the warm syrup to that which I put put in last week. They immediately started into the feed. When I checked this afternoon (we have had a nice sunny day), the bees were busy accessing the feed. Foragers are still bringing in pollen in a steady stream. I am not sure what this means, but I am thinking it is a good thing.
If the weather is warm enough for the bees to get out they will usually find some source of pollen regardless the time of year.
When they stop taking the feed, is this when I remove the feeder an put a sugar candy board beneath an inner cover?
Yes, if they still lack adequate stores.
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Temperature dependant we know about.
I have nucs consuming a quart of thick syrup in a zip lock bag with Fumagillin over night to 24 hours later!
Queen less hives have a tendency refuse the syrup. (I have posted this in the past few weeks.)
And, you may not want to hear this one as they are refered to as the nosema twins.
You might check into Nosema cerana
Regards,
Ernie