pollen patties with Dry Sugar - risk of early brood?

[Grid]

I am concerned about my bees (two hives).  They went into winter a little light on stores.  I'm going to feed them using the Mountain Camp dry sugar method in the next week or two.  After reading another post, I'm thinking about putting a pollen patty under the sugar, so they will have both foods they need.  However, here in Ontario we still have a couple of months of cold weather, and I do not want to encourage my bees to start raising brood too early.

Will the pollen patties along with dry sugar stimulate brood rearing, or do the bees need syrup/nectar as well before they get going on raising brood?

Thanks.
Grid.

[Finski]

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You can start patty feeding only when half of snow is melted and soil is bare to seen.
If bees do not get drinking water, all brood will be sick and die.
Usually hives get chalkbrood and it takes time to get ridd off.

From bare ground, where sun shines, they can take water in temperature +3C.

Dry sugar needs too drinking water and now Ottawa has not such weather. bees cannot take water from snow for long time.
Temp is now -18C  and wind makes it feel like -32C. and at it is promised -24C just like we have now here.  http://www.accuweather.com/world-index-forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&loccode=NAM%7CCA%7CON%7COTTAWA%7C

I start feeding 3 weeks before willow blooming starts. When first new bees emerge, they get new fresh pollen and they will be good nurser bees.

"with 20 years patty feeding experience".

Let bees stay in peace up to cleansing flight. You cannot do anything to them now.
That is very important in winter rest.
Ask more from local beekeper.
With these southern advices you just kill you hives.  

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[Finski]

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Helsinki Finland year weather



Ottawa weather

[iddee]

Pollen is for brood only. Adult bees do not need it. Feed pollen only when you want or have brood.

Bees can get enough water from condensation for the dry sugar. If it is warm enough inside the hive to get to it, they will have enough water to use it.

[Finski]

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Well well, it started now. Iddee in your place temp is just now +5C and day temps near 0C.


http://www.wunderground.com/US/NC/Randleman.html

[Kathyp]

our spring seems to be coming early.   the bees are already finding pollen and it's 2 or 3 weeks early.  i usually put pollen patties on in mid February, but will not if they are finding their own.  when this early stuff is exhausted and the other things have not bloomed, i may put some on. 

you do no harm by putting on the dry sugar.  if your area is really dry, you can spritz the sugar with a bit of water.  most of the time, between moisture in the hives and outside, you don't need to do this.  my dry sugar absorbs moisture and ends up like a candy board on there.

[Finski]

Grid , if you really think that food is finish, you may take the inner cover off and look if you see capped food cells in upper parts of frames. If you se thay have food.

Here is a pic of professional beekeper's   who opened his hives yesterday when temp was -20C.

Lots of capped food to be seen.

[Finski]

 

you do no harm by putting on the dry sugar.  

kathyp, you do not understand what are you talking. You have +10C and  rain +2 at night. you are giving advices to place where temp is -24C . It is -11 F. This is not the weather start to nurse bees.

The best advice is in that climate: STAY OUT OF HIVES.
If you cannot sleep, open the inner cover, and look how things are.


http://www.wunderground.com/US/OR/Boring.html

[Kathyp]

don't count on wonderground for temps around here.  i have an address in boring, but i don't live anywhere close to boring.  that's just where the post office is.

not sure what you didn't like.  he does no harm in putting on some dry sugar.  depending on how/when he does it, he won't even have to disturb the hive more than a couple of seconds to do it..... 

If you cannot sleep, open the inner cover, and look how things are.

about the amount of time it takes to do the above.


yes, the best advice is to stay out of them, but if he has let them go into winter lite, doing nothing as the days warm and get longer will guarantee him dead bees. 

this is not the time to start brood.  i agree.  since MY spring seems to have come early, my bees seem to have other ideas.  he'll have to make a judgment on that at his place.

[Finski]

not sure what you didn't like.  he does no harm in putting on some dry sugar.  depending on how/when he does it, he won't even have to disturb the hive more than a couple of seconds to do it..... 

Yes, the cluster wake upp and it takes 24 hours that it calm to normal.

wintering beeds are not aquarium fishes which you may feed when you feel so. Get aquarium.

[Grid]

I had an aquarium - I moved up to bees.  :)

Thanks everyone.  I think I have the info I wanted:  pollen patties = brood.  As to the temp, yes right now it is much too cold to bother the bees.  However, it was +4 just a few days ago.  The weather here is crazy and cannot decide what it wants to do - partly why I am hesitating putting the patties on.  I don't want to start early brood rearing and then have another +4C dropping down to -18C.   Chilled brood anyone?  I am hoping for an above freezing day in mid February to put the dry sugar on, and now I know I will not put pollen on until the snow starts melting.

Rough start last year - started with bees from a friend that came with no brood or eggs in June.  The queens I ordered were late, and one hive went LW.  Fixed that by stealing open brood from the other hive, which of course slowed them down too.  With all the rain, both hives were slow to grow, and did not get enough food for the winter.  Fed them late (newbie mistake), filled each lower deep with dry sugar in the combs (they were completely empty) and fed 2:1 syrup through the mild fall until the temp got too cold beginning of December.  I took the chance on the added moisture in order to get them some food.  I have good top ventilation, so I'm hopeful I did no harm.  Just wanting to do my best by the girls, which at this point seems to be to leave them alone and wait along with everyone else who is anxious about their bees too.  :)

Appreciate everyone's input.

Thanks all.
Grid.

[ONTARIO BEEKEEPER]

Finski, good adivice !

 I'm also in Ontario.  If your hives are light you can try a bit of dry sugar on top of the inner cover. I NEVER crack the inner cover in the depth of winter. In deep winter warm spells the cluster can move to get the sugar and then reform the cluster when it gets cold again. For example last week we had a few days at 6c now this week it is back down to -15c.

[iddee]

Finski, I am not disagreeing with you, except the temp. does not matter. If the temp is -C the bees will be in cluster and can not get to dry sugar, but when the temp. gets to +7C., they will then start to use it and will have the water to make it wet.I can put dry sugar in a hive in the same time you can look for capped honey in frames. Time open is the same. Disturbance is the same.

[Finski]

can not get to dry sugar, but when the temp. gets to +7C., they will then start to use it

In Ottawa +7C will be in late half of March.

[iddee]

That will be fine. Until then, the sugar won't spoil, but will absorb water so it doesn't drip on the bees. Then it will be there when they can get it. Two good things and no bad.

Also, if it is already +4 and sunny on a few days, it will be more than +7 inside the hive.