Heat, drought, and bees

[hydepark]

Here in the West things have been a bit on the dry side. My area has not had any rainfall since the middle of May. I feed my bees until Memeorial Day weekend and just recently I heard that since it has been so hot and dry, I should be feed my bees.

They have plenty of water from nearby canals, but do they need sugar?

This is only my second season with bees, so I still trying to figure things out. Thanks for your advice.

[Dave W]

Your bees ALWAYS need some food in reserve.

If your bees are finding enough blooms to put some nectar into storage, they probable have enough to eat on an ongoing basis too. If they are storing nectar in "honey supers" because the brood chambers have an adequate amount, don’t feed. Doing so will "contaminate" the sellable honey w/ syrup.

At times that you do not have a "honey flow" you may need to supplement the bees need for food. If there is no incoming nectar AND the bees consume all stored honey, they can starve.

Usually, a managed hive will have honey in reserve. And during times of no incoming nectar (dearth) some beekeepers find it beneficial to feed then also. This supplemental feeding may help keep the queen laying, which in late summer/early fall is very desirable (produces young bees necessary to overwinter).


EDIT by DLW:
The above is to apply to "summer" feeding, not Fall feeding because of low reserve.

Do you need to feed? Usually, it never hurts

[Hobie]

Disclaimer: This is my FIRST season with bees.

How was the spring flow, and how are their stores? I recently posted a similar question ("Drought planning" in Beekeeping 101), and one reply was to estimate 10 lb of honey per month (for the bees to use.) My hive is pretty well loaded... outer frames of the brood boxes and a few shallow honey supers. I'm thinking mine will be fine (there is a nearby swamp for water) as long as I do not steal all of their honey.

[hydepark]

I did put a honey super on after I quit feeding them. They have a full deep for their stores and I put a honey super for me, which they have partially filled. I just don't want to stave them so they take back what I was hoping to take.

I guess I will just keep an eye on them for now.

[ScadsOBees]

Only feed them if they are low on stores. Right now they have 1.5 supers full.

As long as there is honey on the hive, don't feed until fall. If you want a surplus, pull the full super now, and then watch them. If they get low, then feed...they will store that sugar water in the super, you don't want that to eat.

Rick

[Dave W]

>I did put a honey super on after I quit feeding them . . .

DO NOT FEED when you are collecting honey for human consumption (honey super on the hive).

[Ardilla]

The dry weather nearly brought my two hives to a stand still (nucs hived this spring). I thought I would need to feed since stores were dwindling and the queens were slowing their laying.

Then this morning, feed and feeders in hand, I found that nectar is being brought in and the queens are laying like crazy. A lot can happen in a week.

So the 1:1 syrup will be diluted to 1:4 "nectar" for the hummingbirds...