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Author Topic: Spring Feeding  (Read 2616 times)

Offline bassman1977

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Spring Feeding
« on: February 06, 2006, 07:16:58 pm »
Is there a rule of thumb to go by when you should start thinking about feeding in the spring?  Temperatures consistantly in the 50s (F) perhaps?
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Offline Ruben

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Spring Feeding
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2006, 09:38:03 pm »
I am a newbie and have just been reading and doing research all winter til my bees get here in the spring. To answer your question from what I have read and NOT experience, the book I read (beekeeping for dummies)  says to start feeding a few weeks before the first blossum, that this will stimulate the queen and encourage her to start laying eggs. It also says on a warm late winter day to check in and see if there is sealed honey in the top frames, if not to start feeding and once you start not to stop until the bees are bringing in pollen and nectar. Hope this helps, the experienced people may tell you something different  that may be more helpful. Just thought I would try.

Offline Apis629

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Spring Feeding
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2006, 11:09:25 pm »
Wow...you're talking about feeding and I'm talking about harvesting tomarow...!

Offline bassman1977

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Spring Feeding
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2006, 12:15:01 am »
Thanks Ruben.  That works for me.  I actually have that book but with the remodling going on in the house, who knows where it is right now.  One thing it mentions...
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It also says on a warm late winter day to check in and see if there is sealed honey in the top frames, if not to start feeding and once you start not to stop until the bees are bringing in pollen and nectar.
That's fine and dandy and I did check my hives to ensure there was food, which there was but Finsky had mentioned (unless I'm getting it wrong) that it is bad to feed in the winter especially if there is pollen in the hive because it could trigger the queen to start laying, which he says is not good, but I am only about 50% sure as to why.  Finsky, if you read this, maybe you can explain (and man do I hope this doesn't trigger another national debate  :lol: )

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Florida is an addicting place...bees or no bees.  Even still, I wish it was summer here.
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Offline Rich V

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Spring Feeding
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2006, 12:15:35 am »
Your thinking about harvesting,and I'm still watching to see how many hives make the winter.

Offline Finsky

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Re: Spring Feeding
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2006, 12:34:38 am »
Quote from: bassman1977
Is there a rule of thumb to go by when you should start thinking about feeding in the spring?  Temperatures consistantly in the 50s (F) perhaps?


You have vast country. In some places you have continous summer (for bees) and some places you have snow cover.

In our country beekeeping area is about  600 km from south to north. I think that only Texas is 1000 km high.

THUMB RULES:

0) Feed enough at autumn, so you need not to worry

1) If it is winter, let bees rest over winter
2) If they have food, dont feed them. It is vain. Look inside hive and try with hand the weight.
2b) If you feed them vainly you just fill brood area.

3) Check after cleansing flight foodstore that it is enough. They accelerate food consumption at spring when they raise brood and warm up winterball  fom 23C to 32C

IF YOU WANT FAST SRING DEVELOPMENT

4) 3 weeks before nature begins to bloom=gives a lot of pollen, you can stat pollen + soyaflous + yeast feeding. Mere sugar does not help.

5) When these feeded brood emerge, they get fresh pollen and hive has a lot fresh nurse bees to their brood.

I have noticed that when you give to Italians pollen patty at spring their spring development is as fast as with Carniolans.

Vain feeding potter away bees body. >They get nosema and chalkbrood.

Wintered bees need protein at spring  to get back their protein balance in the body.

Mere sugar feeging starts their brood rearing and bees consume their body protein to larvas. Bees will be in bad condition soon compared that they start brood raising later.

Offline Finsky

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Spring Feeding
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2006, 02:01:16 am »

 

anything