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Poll

How do you feed during winter months?

Pail feeder
2 (10.5%)
Top hive feeder
4 (21.1%)
Entrance feeder
0 (0%)
Frame feeder
2 (10.5%)
Dry sugar
11 (57.9%)

Total Members Voted: 0

Author Topic: Winter feeding without honey stores  (Read 9562 times)

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #20 on: October 18, 2011, 03:47:48 am »
Different strokes for different folks Finsk (as old as you are you must have heard that one, heh?).  
We don't all live in Finland where bees and beekeepers have it sooooo hard.

That said, ALL Beekeeping is Local don't you think?  Kinda like politics ;)  

IMO; The teaching method of attacking or ridiculing those w/ differing opinions or viewpoints, besides just being rude, gives your own position little credibility or authority.  That's too bad for someone with so much to offer :'(.

All my bees get some dry sugar for winter, some take it, some don't.  All dependant on the individual colony.

thomas
well said THOMAS-- :) RDY-B

Offline T Beek

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #21 on: October 18, 2011, 06:28:46 am »
Its taken awhile, but I've learned there are some around here who like to give advise/opinion (shove it down your throat really) and yet refuse to accept any other advise or opinion, seemingly relishing any oportunity to ridicule others.  Some don't even offer advise but instead just belittle.  

Some 'experts' think beekeeping is all about their bees making lots of honey for the beek to sell, taking nearly all their stored honey before winter (?) and then feeding syrup for 9 or 10 months.  IMO that's bee imprisonment NOT beekeeping.  But hey, that's just me.

Must be really hard on those folks (and bees) living nearby :-D.

(beware the know-it-alls :-D) They've led us down these trails before.

thomas
« Last Edit: October 18, 2011, 07:16:14 am by T Beek »
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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #22 on: October 18, 2011, 09:46:45 am »
Open feeding can also spread disease, and provoke fighting

I'm not sure why you think open feeding spreads disease.  You know, bees are drifting from hive to hive all the time.  Bees are exposed to disease agents all the time.  The thing that determines whether the hive gets sick is not exposure.  It's the state of health of the hive to start with.  If hives get too small, they get sick.  If hives get too wet, they get sick.  Healthy hives have no problem with open feeding.  A nice field of flowers is a form of open feeding.   :-D

You are right that open feeding close to the hives will provoke robbing and fighting.  That's why I feed 100 yards from the hives.  When there is some flow going on, it may be safe to feed in-hive.  During a dearth, even top feeding of the strong hives can start robbing in all the hives.  That's my experience.
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline Finski

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #23 on: October 18, 2011, 10:01:46 am »
.
It must be very difficult  to nurse bees in ordinary way. I need too some hokkus pokkus skills.
Top feeders are very common style. I think that 100% of our beekeepers use syrup and top feeders in Autumn. Of course there are fighting on entrances. That means nothing.
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Offline rdy-b

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #24 on: October 18, 2011, 02:22:34 pm »
Open feeding can also spread disease, and provoke fighting

I'm not sure why you think open feeding spreads disease.  You know, bees are drifting from hive to hive all the time.  Bees are exposed to disease agents all the time.  The thing that determines whether the hive gets sick is not exposure.  It's the state of health of the hive to start with.  If hives get too small, they get sick.  If hives get too wet, they get sick.  Healthy hives have no problem with open feeding.  A nice field of flowers is a form of open feeding.   :-D

You are right that open feeding close to the hives will provoke robbing and fighting.  That's why I feed 100 yards from the hives.  When there is some flow going on, it may be safe to feed in-hive.  During a dearth, even top feeding of the strong hives can start robbing in all the hives.  That's my experience.
a good example of how they can spread diese would be open feeding of wet suppers after extraction-
and its the healthy hives(big hogs) that get the most exposure --RDY-B

Offline Finski

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #25 on: October 18, 2011, 02:54:04 pm »
.
I would say that during my beekeeping I have tried all feeding methods what in this forum have been mentioned. It need not much idea to put out something to eate.

My opinion is that,  all trials to make bees flye out, carry water in, fly for vain searching nothing, hives figting against each othe and what childish operations, they just stress bees.

Bees fight even on waterpools.

This summer I was in a farmer's home yard. Some bees came to sniff my car. I asked that I could bring a lure box in the yard to see what is there. It was a small village which did not have bee hives.

Next morning there were two kind of bees, Carniolans and Italians and they try to fight with each other. About 20 bees and fighting. It told that there at least 2 wild colonies in the village.


Once I feeded irradiated pollen in home yard. I had 20 hives in the yard. Bees started to gather pollen but in the afternoon one hive was congured the pollen place and the flow of pollen bees went only into one hive.

What ever you feed outside, there are handfull of dead bees on site.



 
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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #26 on: October 18, 2011, 02:56:43 pm »
a good example of how they can spread diese would be open feeding of wet suppers after extraction-
and its the healthy hives(big hogs) that get the most exposure --RDY-B

The only disease concern I would have with open feeding wet supers would be if one of my hives had American Foul Brood.  I have never had a case of AFB.  I am aware of one bee yard in our county that had it last year.   We never bring used wooden ware, used tools, etc into our beeyards from an outside source.  And we never bring honey that we did not produce ourselves into our beeyards.  

Are you saying that you always return wet extracted frames to the same hive that produced the honey to start with?  If not, you are still mixing the honey between hives and that would have the same effect as open feeding.   Do you move frames of bees or honey between hives in your yard.  If so, you are exposing your bees to the same risk as open feeding.  

Actually, I don't extract frames.  We do cut comb or crushed comb.  But if I did have an extracted frame I would not open feed it because the bees rob and damage the comb.  I would just put the frame into a hive and let them clean it.
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #27 on: October 18, 2011, 03:47:39 pm »
  I understand what you are saying --but you are missing the problem of it--
I am not worried about my suppers --I am worried about the suppers the guy down
 the road is setting out---RDY-B

Offline Finski

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #28 on: October 18, 2011, 04:44:57 pm »
.
Difficult to understand what Frameshift means with his discussions.
He only means his own hives, like if he need not insulation, neither Alaska needs.
If Frame has not AFB, others need not either worry about disease..

frame's habit to nurse bees is quite hype, and he insists all the time something but what.
Odd guy, totally.  waste of time to debate with that guy.

I do not like hype. Enough to do with those ordinary bees.

.....burn those long hives.....fire to balls. Höh!



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Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #29 on: October 18, 2011, 05:33:58 pm »
 I understand what you are saying --but you are missing the problem of it--
I am not worried about my suppers --I am worried about the suppers the guy down
 the road is setting out---RDY-B

Well, now I see  what you mean.  But you can't control what the guy down the road is doing.    Are you saying that open feeding should be illegal?  

 Rather than worrying about open feeding, I would just encourage people to avoid feeding honey of unknown origin or bringing used equipment from unknown sources into the beeyard.  And educate your neighbors as to the symptoms of an AFB infection.  

Bees drift from hive to hive.  Robber bees from your neighbors hives may visit your hives or vice versa.  I don't see open feeding as being worse than that.  If we had an epidemic of AFB, I might change my mind.  I live in a remote area and there are no beeyards within two miles.  Maybe that's why I have not been so concerned.  

If I set out open feed at 100 yds, almost all the bees on the feed are coming from my hives.  I can watch the beeline going back and forth.  :-D  There are yellow jackets on the open feed, but there are yellow jackets trying to get into my hives too.  



« Last Edit: October 18, 2011, 05:44:12 pm by FRAMEshift »
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #30 on: October 18, 2011, 05:48:44 pm »
Ok, we can tell that it's getting cold and dark in Finland.  The bees have gone to sleep for the winter.  All the honey has been extracted.  Very depressing.  What to do, what to do? :-D
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #31 on: October 18, 2011, 05:57:26 pm »
  lots going on for sure-the point is that open feeding is just that open-
 open to whatever synarioe you can come up with--around here there is no limiting to just my bees
if you have been keeping bees long enough then you have contributed to the local population
through swarming-those bees are part of the mix-more controlled method would be my first choice this time of year
 if you have ever witnessed  a SERIOUS ROBING EVENT that goes out of control-open feeding would not be your first choice ether
RDY-B

Offline rdy-b

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #32 on: October 18, 2011, 05:59:06 pm »
Ok, we can tell that it's getting cold and dark in Finland.  The bees have gone to sleep for the winter.  All the honey has been extracted.  Very depressing.  What to do, what to do? :-D
  they do VODKA  :lol: RDY-B

Offline Finski

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #33 on: October 18, 2011, 06:33:36 pm »
Ok, we can tell that it's getting cold and dark in Finland.  The bees have gone to sleep for the winter.  All the honey has been extracted.  Very depressing.  What to do, what to do? :-D

you know, we have some TV here and 35 channels. And beautyful gir...sceneries
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Offline BlueBee

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #34 on: October 18, 2011, 06:46:25 pm »
I’m thinking of making me a long hive or two on these cold dark winter days :-D

Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #35 on: October 18, 2011, 07:41:06 pm »
if you have ever witnessed  a SERIOUS ROBING EVENT that goes out of control-open feeding would not be your first choice ether
RDY-B
I've had a few robbing events that started to get out of control and I had to shut down all the hives for two days.  Not pretty.  But that's why I like open feeding at 100 yds.  No robbing.  The robbing events I had were caused by top feeding. 

The scent of sugar in the beeyard causes robbing in all the hives, not just the ones being fed.  But if the sugar is at a distance, the bees don't bother the other hives in the beeyard.  The reason I go to 100 yds. is that the waggle dance starts at 75 yds and I suspect that gives the bees a more solid incentive to go to the source rather than just cruise around the bee yard looking for the same scent.  I also add apple cider vinegar to the open feed to clearly mark the source.  Don't know if that actually helps.

Ok, if you are having robbing set off by open feeding, clearly you should not open feed.  I just haven't seen that.  How far out were you feeding when you had the robbing problem?
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline FRAMEshift

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #36 on: October 18, 2011, 07:50:40 pm »
you know, we have some TV here and 35 channels. And beautyful gir...sceneries
Didn't you tell me all the girls have tatoos?  Is that the scenery you are talking about?

Yes, I have known some very lovely Finnish women.  They seem to be very confident and independent.  I bet they make great beekeepers!  :-D
"You never can tell with bees."  --  Winnie-the-Pooh

Offline Shanevrr

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #37 on: October 18, 2011, 11:28:38 pm »
What I meant was open feeding can invite other bees from other yards, and cross contaminate.  You may know yourself your protected but some are not and we dont want to teach new beeks its common practice when there are variables.  To me its the lazy way to feed your bees.  Based on material ive read and common sense, I dont agree with it nor will I do it.

And you dont want fighting as it teaches them bad manners lol
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Offline Finski

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #38 on: October 19, 2011, 02:34:39 am »
The scent of sugar in the beeyard causes robbing in all the hives, not just the ones being fed. 

and 99,9% of beekeepers are wrong!.

Frameshift, you delivery mere stuff, which name I cannot write here.

Never mind. Every beekeeper has feeded sugar to their bees and they know how it  goes.

I think that Frame is spamming all the time. No one can bee so extraordinary. Stupid figure skating.
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Offline T Beek

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Re: Winter feeding without honey stores
« Reply #39 on: October 19, 2011, 07:27:02 am »
99.9% of beekeepers are wrong??  Only Finski knows how to keep bees :?.  Heck, Finski Knows everything.  Pass it around people, nobody has to think anymore, just ask the fin :-D.

It must be tiring being right all the time Finski.  However, even after 48 years keeping bees you know very little about teaching people (beekeeping or anything else).  Its a shame that you had to hi-jack this (yet another) thread just to spout your poisonous rant instead of providing reasonable answers to inquiring beeks.  I honestly don't know why the mods let you get away w/ it 'all the time'  you're not that helpful.

I'm not sure I can believe or adhere to anything you type to be honest, just can't get past the overwhelming arrogance.

Not all 'experts' make good teachers.  Beware the (self-proclaimed) experts.  Most don't know the half of it ;)

thomas  
« Last Edit: October 19, 2011, 07:40:02 am by T Beek »
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."