Feeding

[doak]

My Girls aren't taking the syrup.
What's up? :shock:
doak

[JP]

What's your weather like?

.....JP

[doak]

50 and below  during the day for about a week, teens and 20's at night.
Doak

[rdy-b]

Michael Bush
Galactic Bee

 Offline

Posts: 5614



Location: Greenwood, NE


   
   
Re: Funny Beehavior
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2008, 04:30:17 AM »
Quote
>they much more prefer warm water to cool water any time

Keep in mind that basically bees are, as individuals, cold blooded.  They can't suck up much that is below 50 F or they can't make their wing muscles work anymore.  So they always prefer warm syrup or warm water to cold syrup or cold water.  In the winter 90 degree syrup will be taken down quickly.  40 degree syrup will be ignored completely.
 ;) RDY-B

[Michael Bush]

Try giving them warm syrup and warm up the syrup you already gave them periodically.  If you can put your finger in it and not get burned it's cool enough.  It should be a little bit hot if you want to maximize them taking it.

The problem is that the syrup gets down to about 20 F at night and never quite makes it back up to 50 F in the daytime.  It has to be at least 50 F for them to take it at all.