When to feed?????

[iddee]

I have noticed a number of questions lately on when to feed and when to stop feeding. I think most that know will agree with the following:

Feed when you want them to draw comb or fill cells in there home. IE...brood nest.

Do not feed when "your" portion of the hive is installed. IE: Honey supers

The feed should be used to grow or expand their broodnest or brood raising food, or for their winter supplies. It should never be used when you have honey supers on for honey for your own use.

I hope some will ask additional questions, and others will add additional comments, to make this a complete thread for all the newbie feeders.

[nhbloke]

Thank you, That helps clear some of the fog in my brain. John

[rache]

i got so many mixed messages about when to stop feeding, from "feed the entire first season" to "feed for two or three days after installing the package." my head was ready to crack, so i did the best thing i could think of, and ignored everyone.

i fed until i swapped the two outermost frames on the second hive body, because that made the most sense to me in terms of what i was asking the bees to do, and how "understaffed" they were. they're booming now and i just stuck my first super on (without feed) and i feel like i did the right things for them.

if i've learned anything for *sure* this first year, it's that this is way more art than it is science.

[Dave W]

rache . . .

>way more art than it is science . . .

If you have figured this out in your FIRST year, sounds like your are well on your way to becoming a BEEKEEPER smile.gif

[Craig W.]

Rache,
I doing the same thing. I got my first package this spring. I got a lot of mixed messages also, so it seemed the most I got was feed until they take it no more, well I have been feeding ever sense I got my bee and until they fill a second hive. My Italians are behind your bees, mine are now just starting to work on the second hive, I have a third box on already, this I got from Walt Wright keeping extra hive boxes on, that is.
Mine have been in a dearth for 10 days but now back collecting nectar.

[FordGuy]

you could discuss different methods of feeding, their drawbacks, your favorite, and why.

[tecumseh]

rache adds:
if i've learned anything for *sure* this first year, it's that this is way more art than it is science.

tecumseh corrects:
actually what you are attempting to do is the very start of science from a naturalist prospective. art hardly, but as this one simple question should suggest the number of variables turns every question into something a bit more complex.

[Matt NY]

[ July 22, 2006, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: Matt NY ]

[Matt NY]

What comes to mind is something I often try to keep in mind; it seems to apply to Beekeeping very well.

Ralph Nadar's father had a question for him that he asked him regarding his day at school: "Did you think or did you believe?"

It seems that there is no clear cut formula for most beekeeping operations.

Maybe this is why I am drawn to beekeeping; it is good mental excercise.