Wild bee feeding dumb question

[farmerjeanh]

I've had bees for years, or should I say we have co-existed peacefully. They live in the hollow oak in the yard and we don't bother each other. This year was different, because of the awful drought. I noticed way too many dead bees under the tree-and decided to start supplimental feeding. I looked up what to feed (sucrose, pollen)them and started out with simple syrup in plates. After I ran out of plates, I moved up to biddy waterers, with chopped up plastic straws in them to prevent drowning. Now I'm getting a cat waterer. Everybody looks great, no mites. They are eating about 2 tablespoons full of pollen a day (off a saucer). I'm just worried because there are so few of them. Is 2-300 bees an OK number for a hive? :confused: I've gotten really fond of these creatures now that we have been eating off the same tableware for so long:)

Jean in NC

[suprstakr]

What you see outside is not whats inside. A little may be a lot

[Robee]

I don't have your answer here but I do have a little story:
In around 1983, we bought a little piece of land and moved right in. We had a tent, a plywood trailer made from an old boat trailer, (so we could lock stuff up) and made a quanset hut out of bent young trees and plastic. (barn for the goat)
We started building our house which was just a cabin and ate all our meals outside. There was no inside. LOL
The bees came.
:eek:
At first, everyone freaked out but, within just a couple of days realized they weren't going to sting us and we also weren't getting rid of them. :) We actually enjoyed sharing with them and watched each bite before putting anything in our mouths. I remember telling someone who was visiting once, "Don't worry, they don't eat much." They especially enjoyed pancakes and maple syrup and also campfire cooked blueberry cobbler and blackberry cobbler. So did we. :) Drinks? keep them covered, even beer, or you would lose it to a bee for sure.
To me, they were peaceful and relaxing and I was happy to co-exist with them.
Rob