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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Meredith Friedrick <friema16 AT gmail.com>
  • To: rjarnts AT att.net
  • Cc: Randall Austin <ra41717 AT gmail.com>, Orange County Bees <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Feeding while nectar flow is on
  • Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 15:16:38 -0400

Thanks for the great info, everyone!  I will feed my new bees as I suspected I should.  But I was surprised with the recommendation that I should split my year-old hive.  They came through the winter, but I started the spring with a few hundred/maybe a thousand bees.  The queen has been sighted every time I've checked (thank you, blue dot), and I see no swarm cells.  Each time I inspect, there are many more bees than previously. On last inspection, last week, I saw capped brood and open brood, pollen and nectar, and the numbers had again increased.  I feel that splitting would be premature, but I'm still learning (and loving it!).  Given the situation, should I split my old hive? 

Meredith Friedrick  

On Mon, Apr 25, 2016 at 11:00 AM, <rjarnts AT att.net> wrote:

I did a split of my healthy hive several weeks ago. The hive with the queen is at least 75 % full and I think I should add a super, especially since the nectar flow just stated in my area last week.  Should I feed if/when I add the super, as the stores will be used for the bees, not for extracting honey?  Jeanne

 

From: ocba [mailto:ocba-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Randall Austin
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 10:24 AM
To: Meredith Friedrick; Orange County Bees
Subject: Re: [ocba] Feeding while nectar flow is on

 

Meredith,

Jamie's and Walter's advice is spot-on. Anyone who told you that to feed package bees while the flow is on is "just rude" was uninformed and doesn't understand the reason that we need to feed packages. There is a nice article on the topic of feeding <here>.

Randall

On 4/25/2016 8:57 AM, Meredith Friedrick wrote:

I'm starting my second year as a beek, and I will be getting my second package of bees late this week (my first hive made it through winter and is doing well now).  Last year my package came earlier in the spring, so I fed them until the nectar flow started.  Since my new package of bees will be unfamiliar with where the tulip poplars are as yet, and will need to build up the hive, should I feed them for a short while?  I know someone said that to feed bees while the flow is on is "just rude".  I want to be sure they get a good start...

 

To feed or not to feed?

 

Meredith Friedrick




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