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Author Topic: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??  (Read 2286 times)

Offline patriotgirlie

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Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« on: May 13, 2013, 08:09:57 pm »
Hey all.  Opened the hive today...looks GREAT.  Saw eggs, larvae, capped brood and new bees.  They are bringing in pollen like gangbusters, and there is even capped honey in the corners of some brood frames.

Here's my question...when do I stop feeding sugar syrup?  The apple blossoms are just about to pop, and they are going mad for dandelions...they are starting to store sugar syrup in some of the drawn comb on the outer frames...I don't want them to fill up space so the queen can't lay...thoughts?

Thanks!!! 

Jamie

Offline don2

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2013, 08:59:01 pm »
You should be ok till you add honey supers. How many brood boxes do you have on now? Medium or deep? The capped honey on the brood frame corners is their feed for the brood. If they quit taking the syrup  don't put it in. Hope this helps. :) d2

Offline Joe D

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2013, 09:50:17 pm »
That's what I do when they quit taking sugar syurp, I will take it up.  One in a while may take it earlier when they have plenty of stores and flow is going good.  Good luck to you, and your bees




Joe

Offline patriotgirlie

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2013, 09:52:38 pm »
I have one deep on so far. Do I really feed them until I put supers on?  I have probably about 50% of the deep filled up, and I plan to add another when about 70-75% is full.  I'm just afraid they'll store too much sugar syrup and not leave the queen room for eggs...thanks!

Offline don2

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2013, 10:31:27 pm »
If you have nectar flows starting I would go ahead and stop feeding. If you have 2 or 3 frames that contain nectar/honey that don't have brood you should be ok to stop feeding. If you have a strong colony you need two brood boxes, I have used 3 deeps, it was a "super" swarm.  :) d2

Offline 10framer

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2013, 12:01:01 am »
I have one deep on so far. Do I really feed them until I put supers on?  I have probably about 50% of the deep filled up, and I plan to add another when about 70-75% is full.  I'm just afraid they'll store too much sugar syrup and not leave the queen room for eggs...thanks!

filled up with bees or stores? 

Offline dfizer

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2013, 12:12:56 am »
you definitely do not need to keep feeding them until its time to put the supers on.  This would be a big mistake.  The bees need all theopen cells they can get for brood rearing and honey storage. 

From what you have told us - I'd say you are ok to stop feeding now. 

David

Offline Finski

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2013, 01:34:48 am »
I have one deep on so far. Do I really feed them until I put supers on?  

Of course you do not feed. What is the idea in that, as you supposed yourselves.

The colony grows along the speed of brood cycle. You cannot speed up the progress.
It is an advantage that there are minimum amount of syrup in the hive because they get honey outside.
Let the deep first become full of bees. Then give another deep under the present box.
Colony occupyes the foundations when it has resources to it.

If you give a excluder and super next, the hive is not ready to get surplus. The super is for nothing and if the queen is good, there will be lack on laying space in the deep.

when a colony is fastly  growing, it uses almost all food and there is no honey in super during next one month.

I know very well what happens in hives in that time.
Our dandelions and apple trees will be in bloom at the end May = after 2 weeks.

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Language barrier NOT included

Offline patriotgirlie

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Re: Nectar flow...when to quit feeding??
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2013, 08:52:31 pm »
you definitely do not need to keep feeding them until its time to put the supers on.  This would be a big mistake.  The bees need all theopen cells they can get for brood rearing and honey storage. 

From what you have told us - I'd say you are ok to stop feeding now. 

David

Thank you! That's exactly the answer I was looking for and what I thought myself!