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ocba - Re: [ocba] how much bee feed?

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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Jeff Bollinger <jeff01 AT email.unc.edu>
  • To: mike AT argosyfarm.com
  • Cc: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] how much bee feed?
  • Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:30:51 -0400

mike AT argosyfarm.com wrote:
Hi, We are brand new to beekeeping. We have two hives, currently consisting of one medium 8 frame hive body each. Each hive started off with 3lbs of bees on April 5th. We're feeding them sugar water mixed more or less 1:1 via some jar type entrance feeders. Initially, each hive was going through roughly a pint per day. Currently, one hive is going through 1 quart per day, and the other is going through about 2/3 quart per day. We had anticipated that as things started to bloom the bees would consume less sugar water, not more, yet they're going through it at what to us seems like an amazing pace. They're building like crazy in there, but to date each hive has only started filling in 4 of the frames, so we've not yet added more vertical expansion space, though they are trying to glue the roof down. What's "normal" feed consumption at this stage? Should we keep feeding them all they want, or should we start weaning them off the sugar water at this time of year?
< br>Thanks,
Mike Swaim


Chances are if this is your first year you will not be able to harvest much honey anyways (if at all). So my rule of thumb is basically if they continue to eat the syrup you provide, keep putting it out there until they stop taking it. It can only help to draw out more foundation. If you already had enough established comb then of course you'd want to remove the feed because you want them storing honey in the cells and not your sugar syrup!

Jeff




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