Author Topic: Bees took up a large pan of syrup (Read 6881 times)

tom · « **on:** August 29, 2006, 12:47:11 am »

Hello

This is a crazy day for me sunday i put a large aluminum turkey pan full of sugar syrup in the yard and when i got back that evening it was bone dry the bees took every bit of it up. And now my third hive is fanning as if they had gathered a lot of nectar and my second hive is running around in a circle as if they were drunk they are working bringing in pollen but the feeding seems to have gotten them in a mood that they want to work but there is nothing for them there is some plants trying to blooom but it is so dry. It is suposse to rain tomarrow and friday we are going to get maybe some rain off the storm that is coming so maybe this is what i have been looking for the flowers are suree wanting something to drink and it may help them to bloom and maybe and a fall flow.

Tom

Finsky · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2006, 01:36:15 am »

Quote from: tom

Hello

This is a crazy day for me sunday i put a large aluminum turkey pan full of sugar syrup in the yard

Did you put under open sky syrup? That is the most crazy! And you have summer in Virginia. Why you fill your hive this time of year!

randydrivesabus · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2006, 07:10:26 am »

Quote from: Finsky

Quote from: tom
Hello

This is a crazy day for me sunday i put a large aluminum turkey pan full of sugar syrup in the yard

Did you put under open sky syrup? That is the most crazy! And you have summer in Virginia. Why you fill your hive this time of year!

its been very dry here...but this is about to change

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2006, 08:00:13 am »

Finsky,
Many parts of the US have or are experiencing dearth or drought like conditions. Excessively high temperatures and lack of rain. This has had a very dramatic effect on the bees and honey production which is down about 20% nationally. Those areas with drought are experiencing conditions where the bees have no stores at all. Hence the feeding to keep the hive alive.
Here in Washington State we have had 75 days with above average temperatures and no rain, a new record since the 1800's. It might rain later this week in isolated locations within the state. Washington is often referred to as the Rainy State instead of it's nickname the Evergreen State--it's not green right now. Forest fires are burning up the land scape with 9 fires currently being fought at the same time.
I normally discourage escessive feeding but I have found myself recommending it in those instances where the hives are without stores just to keep them alive. Normally I would redicule the idea of feeding before topping off for winter.
I do agree however, that feeding from an open pan placed in the middle of the bee yard under these conditions is just begging for an interhive robbing frenzy. When feeding it is always best to feed each hive individually.

Finsky · « **Reply #4 on:** August 29, 2006, 08:53:19 am »

I understand dry but to feed syrup under open sky is not wise. The bees of nabour visit there. Hives start to fight and at the end only one hive will get syrup or pollen. They fight even for drinking place.

kensfarm · « **Reply #5 on:** August 29, 2006, 10:29:25 am »

Finally after 3 months of no rain.. we had a good rain this weekend. All my veggie crops are burnt to a crisp. I spent all my effort irrigating one field of sweet corn.. love that corn pollen smell.. the ladies are hauling in the pollen.

I too put out some sugar water leftover from feeding a nuk.. the ladies went crazy from the 2 established hives.

tom · « **Reply #6 on:** August 29, 2006, 08:47:04 pm »

Hello

Well we all have our own way of doing things and i know finsky you have kept bees for many years and you have alot of wisdom but i did feed in the open and there was no robbing done and all my hives fed side by side and did not even try to fight the only thing they were fighting was yellow jackets and wasps but not eacch other. And all of them have been getting plenty of pollen and i have not fed them any more since sunday. I had three different feeders in different spots and my third hive went to where i normally gave them food and my second and first hive went to the big pan and they all seem to be happy now they are not buzzing me when i walk out there and they have calmed down. It is dry here and the lakes are far to low then what they normally be for this time of year. But all of that is about to change because we are going to get a lot of rain dumped on us from the storm that is coming this way and my girls can tell something is not right because they are gathering pollen like carzy today the only one that is laid bacck is my big hive because they have plenty of honey in the second deep. I will not let my girls starve from the lack of food because i am waiting on rain i did what i thought was best a friend of mine just lost four hive because he would not feed his waiting on rain.

Tom

Kirk-o · « **Reply #7 on:** August 29, 2006, 10:39:38 pm »

I think Finski has a point
kirko

Finsky · « **Reply #8 on:** August 29, 2006, 11:05:13 pm »

Quote from: tom

Hello

all my hives fed side by side and did not even try to fight the only thing they were fighting was yellow jackets and wasps but not eacch other.

Don't tell me that you hives are friends!

Quote

I will not let my girls starve from the lack of food because

My hives starve every year and I give them "first aid food" but I do not feed them outside.

But Tom, do what is good. You need not notice my opininon. Life teaches.

tom · « **Reply #9 on:** August 30, 2006, 12:23:00 am »

Hello Finsky

Pleas understand i am not disagreeing with you and i under stand what you have said but i can open a hive up and none of my othewr bees will not bother them i am not saying that they are freinds but i am telling you that they did not fight. My two small hives were on the verge of losing their lives because it has been so dry i was hoping for rain and it was signs of rain but it never came and the flowers are drying up at the bottom maybe it was not the best move to feed them in the open but as you say we all learn in life the do's and don't but this week rain is coming and i am praying that the flowers will go ahaed and bloom so the bees can get ready for winter.

Tom

Jerrymac · « **Reply #10 on:** August 30, 2006, 12:35:07 am »

I also place bee feed out in the open, and I see no fighting over the stuff. Why would it be different from foraging flowers? Do bees fight over flowers?
And I have never seen it set off a robbing frinzy.

tom · « **Reply #11 on:** August 30, 2006, 12:42:30 am »

Hello

I am glad to see that i am not the only one that has done this i can understand if bees were trying to rob but i sat and looked and as far as i can see they did not fight the only thing they were fighting was wasp and yellow jackets. Thanks jerrymac i am glad to know that i am not the only one that has done this all of my bees are now happy and my third hive is humming loud because i have never heard them hum before then they are flying more and gathering pollen when before i fed them there may have been only two or three bees coming and going but now they are flying like crazy. And my other two are just sitting around relaxing and working pollen also i here it thundering far off so i hope rain is coming ernesto is also coming this way so i will get the rain i have been looking for.

Tom

Finsky · « **Reply #12 on:** August 30, 2006, 12:49:23 am »

How to start robbering is to put food in open place. I am not only who knows that. But this is not who knows best. If it goes well just feed them outside.

When it is season without food and flowers, bees are eager to rob what ever you say. If it is good honey flow, you get not bees rob even if you put honey comb to open yard.

As I said, life will teach.

Brian D. Bray · « **Reply #13 on:** August 30, 2006, 12:50:19 am »

Tom,
You can practice bad management all you want but it will come back to bite you. I too have feed bees from an open pan in the bee yard but I only had to have one incident where the entire yard got into a robbing frenzy where you lose over 50% of your hives to cure you of the practice.
Both Finsky and I are trying to prevent such a thing happening to you--It is devistating.
"The school of hard knocks is a hard school but fools will learn in no other."

thegolfpsycho · « **Reply #14 on:** August 30, 2006, 01:21:17 am »

Sometimes they go a robbin, sometimes they don't. When you do see it going full blast, it will be a shock. A couple weeks ago, I had some wet supers in the garage that I planned to put back on the colonys in my yard. Before I could, I had an accident and got a pretty good cut across my chest. Since I'm on some blood thinners, it wouldn't clot and I kept bleeding. I went in the house to clean up and decide whether I needed to see the sawbones. (I ended up in the emergency room and never got back to the bees.) Anyway, I looked out back the next day, and the air was full of bees, the hives had bees crawling all over them and wrestling in front of them. I also noticed the garage had been left open. OH OH
I walked in the garage (stung several times just getting there) and there were about a million bees in there swirling, and every one that bumped me stung. It was pretty ugly! I moved the supers out across the yard, pulled the tops off all the hives leaving them open, and went to hide in the house. The situation calmed during the day, but there were 1,000's of dead bees all over the driveway. I checked and didn't loose any queens, but very easily could have. I'm also glad my neighbors were all at work and not out working in their yards.

Finsky · « **Reply #15 on:** August 30, 2006, 01:48:16 am »

To give food during foodles season train robber hive to act like volunteering fire army. It takes not many minutes when you have 1000 bees in action and searching place to rob.

Yes, I have done this tens of times and like Golf says, somethimes happend catastrofhy.

Mici · « **Reply #16 on:** August 30, 2006, 07:26:03 am »

how far away should the feeding pan be so it wouldn't be dangerous about robbing?? i know i'd be doing a big favour for the neighbour beekeeper but i guess it would be fun to watch them.

Finsky · « **Reply #17 on:** August 30, 2006, 09:44:40 am »

It is better to feed inside the hive. I have no reason to feed under sky. Bees just fly like grazy.

When i give emergengy foof for bees I pour syrup right into combs.

If I want to accelerate brooding in nuc I give after couple of days exctracted comb to lick. BUt this is too dangerous because robbers are at once there.

kensfarm · « **Reply #18 on:** August 30, 2006, 10:26:12 am »

Finsky & Brian,

Thank you.. I def. appreciate the advise.. my initial thoughts were.. "it won't hurt".. but you guys have seen what can happen first hand. I def. don't want to make them fight.

Yep.. more rain on the way if the Hurricane makes it way up the North coast.. I'm going to try & get my buckwheat planted this week.. though it is a few weeks past when it should be planted here in Maryland.

Mici · « **Reply #19 on:** August 30, 2006, 10:33:52 am »

errrmmmm finsky, i do fees them inside their hives. but as i said, just to watch them a little--like a hundred meters away, would it be enough?? or would they fight at the feeding pan as well??