Drought and feeding new hive.

[BabcockFarms]

We are in a drought in South Central Nebraska.

My question is do I keep feeding the girls? I have been feeding them about a gallon a week since I hived them on April 20th. Every week they have consumed all the syrup. and are drawing out comb AND storing the syrup in the new come as well as brood. One hive seems to be storing more syrup with less brood than the other hive. I have read on this forum to keep feeding them until they quit taking the syrup.

However, I am concerned that the syrup is not as good for them as nectar but at the same time starvation is not a good alternative.

They seem to be foraging on a regular basis and the traffic at the hive entrance although not what I would consider heavy they are on the go most of the time, and are coming and going at a rate of about 2-4 per second each way.

So do I stop after 7 weeks or do I keep feeding them under these conditions?

Thanks,

Ron

[AllenF]

You have to judge how much feed is coming into the hive, how many bees the have, and how many frames they have filled out. 

[Greg]

Feed until they have drawn out the configuration you want them to winter in.  IF that is 2 deeps or 3 mediums or whatever  you had in mind.

Then put the supers on and let them work for you.

[Finski]

Feed until they have drawn out the configuration you want them to winter in.  IF that is 2 deeps or 3 mediums or whatever  you had in mind.

Then put the supers on and let them work for you.

OH NO!!!!

The colony needs only such amount of frames what it covers.
With feeding you stuck the brood area. To force them draw new combs more thatn they can cover it is nonsense.

If you have one box of bees, 2 frames of food stores are good. The rest 8 frames are for brood.
When the hive has half frame of food, feed again 5 kg sugar but not more.