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Author Topic: Feeding and Foragers  (Read 2186 times)

Offline L Daxon

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Feeding and Foragers
« on: October 23, 2011, 01:10:04 pm »
Not much to forage on now and I am having to feed pretty heavy to get the girls ready for winter.  The days are getting colder but we are supposed to be in the 80s the next 3 days, then drop down to highs around 60s and lower near freezing.

If I have a top hive feeder on with a couple of gallons of 2:1, will the foragers go to the feeder or will they forage?
What about night time?  Will the girls keep taking syrup inside the hive even though it is dark outside or do they have some union contract that says they get to knock off at a certain time, even though they needs stores and they syrup is just above them?

ld
linda d

Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2011, 03:32:27 pm »
Good questions.  I've asked before about which bees are taking syrup from a top feeder.  The consensus seems to be that it's house bees.  So the foragers are working outside the hive and the house bees are moving stores from one internal storage to another.  I don't know that there has ever been a scientific study of this with marked bees although it would seem to be easy to do.

The house bees will continue to take syrup from a top feeder at night.

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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2011, 03:57:12 pm »
As long as the syrup stays above 50 F they will continue to put it away.  I usually feed in the evening and try not to give them more than they will put away by morning to avoid robbing.
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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2011, 04:15:34 pm »
I usually feed in the evening and try not to give them more than they will put away by morning to avoid robbing.
I agree with this. I was open feeding at 100 yds with no robbing problems until overnight temperature got too low and the bees that stayed on the open feeders started to drown in large numbers.  I switched to top feeders on the stronger hives but rather than limit the feed, I added several days worth at once.  On the second day, robbing started on all hives in the beeyard.

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Offline L Daxon

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2011, 06:27:01 pm »
I had been open feeding my 3 hives but lately I was seeing bees with solid dark abdomens at the feeding station that I knew weren't mine, so I decided to put the feed bags directly on each hive.

I was worried about robbing, and did have the weakest of my 3 hives robbed out last week when I put a feeder on it but not the others.   Now I keep a robbing screen on the weak, first year hive full time and have reduced the entrances on the other two.  Yesterday I put top feeders on all 3 hives hoping maybe they would be busy with their own feeder and not need to rob the other hives, but if the house bees are working the inside feeder I guess the foragers will still go out and rob, even if they have stuff at home.

 I am glad they work at night, at least if it is warmer.  Lows next 3 nights are supposed to be between 55 and 61 so maybe it will be warm enough inside the hive for them to keep working the syrup all night.

I broke down and bought a 5 gallon bucket of HFCS at the state bee meeting yesterday. Hope I can get most of that on the hives to help get'em through the winter. (they told me I was still supposed to dilute the HFCS 2:1) When it looks like they won't take any more syrup I will put candy boards on and pray for the best.

Thanks for your answers.
linda d

Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2011, 07:14:35 pm »
if the house bees are working the inside feeder I guess the foragers will still go out and rob, even if they have stuff at home.
Yep.  Whether or not foragers take part in the top feeder buffet, they definitely continue to forage outside and rob while their hive is being fed.  I think the smell of sugar even from their own hive stimulates them to search the area for anything they can rob.
Quote

 I am glad they work at night, at least if it is warmer.  Lows next 3 nights are supposed to be between 55 and 61 so maybe it will be warm enough inside the hive for them to keep working the syrup all night.
If you store your syrup in a heated space, say 70F,  and pour a limited amount in the feeder in the evening as MB suggests, it will be warm enough to take even if the outdoor temperature is lower than 50.
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Offline Hemlock

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2011, 09:10:39 pm »
I've always understood the the syrup in a HTF acts as a heat sink.  It will absorb the heat off the bees until equalized then radiate heat to some extent.  I have seen bees working a HTF well into the low 40's.

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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2011, 10:13:31 pm »
I've always understood the the syrup in a HTF acts as a heat sink.  It will absorb the heat off the bees until equalized then radiate heat to some extent.  I have seen bees working a HTF well into the low 40's.

Sugar syrup has a high heat capacity.  Just remember how long it stays hot when you are making it.   :-D   High heat capacity means it takes a lot of energy to heat it up and that it gives up a lot of energy as it cools.  If you put on a gallon of 70F syrup at sundown, it will stay above 50 well into the night even with outdoor temperatures in the low 40s.
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Offline BlueBee

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2011, 10:42:16 pm »
Maybe we need to get one of Finski’s heaters to keep our syrup warm for the bees  :)

Offline T Beek

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2011, 09:21:02 am »
Its been too cold at night to feed syrup in Northwest Wisconsin, but I like the idea and will use it. 

I've been replacing jar feeders w/ warmed syrup first thing in the AM.  To inhibit robbing on my Langs I've closed the bottom entrances (they were 1/4") and reduced the top entrances to 1/4".  There's nothing for flying bees to forage right now, besides some pollen from purple mallows (even after several frosts they continue to thrive) that my bees are hitting even on windy days when temps are in the forties.  It won't be long before I place 10-20lbs dry sugar on top and close them up until April.

I also like the idea of heating syrup, as opposed to heating bees :)  There are others experimenting with this idea, hope they chime in.

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Offline JackM

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Re: Feeding and Foragers
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2011, 09:35:06 am »
Many passive home solar heating systems use water as the storage medium.  The BTU is based on the energy required to heat one pound of water one degree F.  Water is one of the best storage mediums and with the density of the sugar (or a salt in other environments) is a perfectly acceptable means of passive heating/cooling.

Food for thought on this, interesting topic.
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