Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: adamant on July 16, 2012, 05:56:08 pm

Title: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: adamant on July 16, 2012, 05:56:08 pm
looks like the flow may have slowed down here in n.j. i still have honey supers on which have some capped and un capped honey. the brood boxes are some what empty with honey and i see capped brood. i think i need to think about feeding. if i choose to feed what should i do with the honey that is in the supers? i was thinking about leaving them on but don't want the bees to fill them with sugar honey and mess up my marketable honey.

what do u recommend?
Title: Re: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: DLMKA on July 16, 2012, 06:09:18 pm
bees make honey, not sugar syrup.  I'd leave the honey on and let them eat that if they need it but that's my personal opinion.  I'd rather not give them sugar syrup unless they are running out of capped stores or are light going into winter and would otherwise starve.
Title: Re: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: AllenF on July 16, 2012, 08:51:25 pm
I would not feed them.   
Title: Re: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: BrentX on July 16, 2012, 10:26:30 pm
Give them another two weeks to cap the honey, then take a harvest if you like.  THEN feed if you really must.  There is plenty of time to build up stores before winter in your area.  We usually have a fair fall flow starting  September early that provides honey for the bees winter.  If there are wetlands around your hives you may get a strong fall flow. 

Is there a particular reason you feel compelled to feed now?
Title: Re: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: Joe D on July 16, 2012, 10:58:38 pm
I try to leave as much as I think they may need, usually several frames over what they did need.  In my spring harvest this year I had some frames from last year(dark honey) and a couple that had already crystalized.  But for my hives I mixed up 3 gal.s total of sugar syrup last year and until spring flow started this year.  It is their honey I take what is extra, my opinion.



Joe
Title: Re: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: Vance G on July 17, 2012, 10:16:32 pm
You might consider stacking all your supers on the heaviest hive bodies colony and feeding the rest until those hive bodies are a little more hefty.  Often times, the bees don't cap cells because that source quits blooming.  They don't mix nectars in the same cell I believe.  Waiting a couple weeks and harvesting is probably the right thing if you are in a dry spell.  Err on the side of caution though when judging the thicknes of the honey.  If any at all shakes out, it is not cured yet.
Title: Re: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: Bees of Providence Hills on July 18, 2012, 01:02:01 am
We have the same problem and I am not sure what to do.  We have only had .3 of an inch of rain in a month and the tempatures have been 90 plus and a couple of 100's.  The forcast is for over 100 for several days next week.  The bees had been bringing in pollen in the mornings but my experienced bee friend told me to feed the bees sugar water so they wouldn't starve since the necter souces have dried up.  The bees were a package that arrived May 7th.  The bees have been drinking a quart in the morning and then feeding another quart in the late afternoon.  They would take more! They seem happy? and are busy bringing in light yellow and bright orange pollen especially in the mornings.  I have on two brood boxes but no honey supers.  Last checked the second brood box on July 4th before I started feeding but it was only 4 frames full and haven't checked it since I started feeding this last week.  Any suggestions?
Title: Re: what to do? flow slowed down,have some honey in the supers, need to feed
Post by: tryintolearn on July 18, 2012, 03:18:09 am
i agree with brentx ...give a cpl of more weeks