Winter Feeding

[buzz]

Does anyone feed their bees in the winter?? It is 45°F here today and my dad thinks I should be feeding with our entrance feeder. Could this harm the bees from the condensation? Would feeding fondant be better? Thanks,

[Lesli]

They'll ignore the feeder if they can't get to it. At 45 F, they probably can. Much colder, and they won't break cluster to get to it.

[ibeecanadian]

i would wait till early spring. this is the time that they become more active and the time that most bee's parish if they have an insufishant food suply.

[Kirk-o]

Here is a hot tip for you you can get through a poultry supply house a quail watering bottle i gallon size fill it with a gallon of sugar syrup it goes onthe frames right on top then put a full size super on then the lid your bees will feed right down to 32 ddegress i use thios all the time especialy when i catch a swarm or hive a swarm in the winter it works like a chap
kirk-0

[Robo]

Just go to your local deli and ask for the empty gallon pickle jars.  Make sure they are glass, plastic expands and contracts with temperature and will leak.



The just put a 4 or so 1/16" holes in the lid and invert it over the hole in the inner cover and place an empty deep around it and then the cover.



These show a quart jar, but the principle is the same

Cheaper than a quail feeder and although the quail feeder is much better than an entrance feeder, it still requires the bees to break cluster to get to the feed.  With the inverted jar,  the cluster can move right to the feed.

[Robo]

Could this harm the bees from the condensation? Would feeding fondant be better? Thanks,

Yes,  if you feed syrup it can easily cause moisture problems in the hive and lead to dysentery or nosema.  Feeding fondant would be better.

[Finman]

Does anyone feed their bees in the winter?? It is 45°F here today and my dad thinks I should be feeding with our entrance feeder. Could this harm the bees from the condensation? Would feeding fondant be better? Thanks,

If your bees are in winter rest, it is better to be so. I you start to give food, they start brood raising and then tehey consume winter food very soon.  If they accelerate they pollen stores they will be lack of protein.

When it it is winter, you should do nothing before cleansing fight.  Just let them be in peace.

You can try by hand, how much your hive weights. From that you have touch do they have food enough.

[buzz]

OK, thanks guys. I think I'll be making up some fondant, because we took the super off pretty late so I dont think they have as much food as they should.