Newbe from North Carolina

[Wyvern]

Just wanted to say hi! My wife and I got two nucs in late April. I initially installed them in a deep lang, (it's what they came in) I am trying to move one of them down into a KTBH using spacers between the top bars and a template cut out of masonite with a hole in the bottom as wide as the TBH. I don't like feeding sugar or sugar syrup to the bees. (Seems unhealthy), My problem is, They have stopped drawing comb. there seems to be a dearth going on right now. I want the hives to be strong come winter. How do I know if they need feeding? I really want them to build more brood and get stronger.
Donnie

[AmericasBeekeeper]

Welcome Donnie! You might have to feed them, at least a week or two.

[ken rice]

THEY STOPPED DRAWING COMB BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING FOR THEM TO DRAW COMB WITH.Wyvern,put 1/1 sugar syrup on the bees. When something natural becomes available they will quit taking the syrup anyway.They need all the help they can get the first year to survive the winter.Good luck with your bees and enjoy them.

[heaflaw]

Welcome Donnie,

I'm just west of you in Lincolnton. My flow pretty much stopped a week ago & I'm sure Statesville is the same. If we get a lot of consistant rain, they may get nectar from the abundant clover we have this year, but clover doesn't seem to produce nectar in dry conditions. I am expecting my flow to be over for the year. We sometimes get a decent flow in the fall, but don't count on it. Summer is always a dearth.
I'd feed this summer to make sure they survive winter. If you feed consistently, they will draw comb, but watch out for robbing. Feed sugar water. If you feed honey during a dearth, it greatly increases the chance that you lose them to robbing by a neighboring hive. There are probably more colonies out there than you realize. I never ever feed honey except in the spring and then only if the entrance is greatly reduced. I keep about 15 hives. If I fed honey now to a nuc, it would be a death sentence. Good advice may be to feed a quarter of a cup or so of sugar water just before dark so they can take it all up before morning.
Sugar water is not as natural as honey. But IMO sugar water is more natural than honey you buy at a grocery store. You don't know what is really in that. I would only feed honey from my bees or what I bought that I knew was local and without treatments or near pesticide sources.
If you think they are strong enough, you could forego feeding until fall.
Also, there's not much pollen now for them to bring in. If you can get your hands on some pollen or pollen substitute, I'd feed that also.
That's been my experience in Piedmont NC.
Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions. Beesource is great.

[NCbeek]

I'm to the east of you in lumberton and we are in dearth as well. Mine have stopped drawing comb too. They are in and out but not like when the chestnut and privet were blooming. When the field crops start blooming and all the gardens it will get better some, but the heavy flow is pretty much over for this year. If they are low on resources they may starve. Feeding may be necessary. Good luck!

[Wyvern]

Thanks heaflaw and NCbeek,
I have b een reading Mr Bushes Website. Will granulated sugar with some water sprayed on it work? I am afraid of drowning.

[herbcoop]

Hello Donnie,
I'm a newbie as well in Thomasville

Herb

[jones]

Hi NC beeks!! I'm in Raleigh, started my hive mid-May after taking Dr. Tarpy's ENT401 and we're up to two full 10-frame deep brood boxes. I feed 1/1 or maybe 1/1.5 sugar syrup anytime there are undrawn brood frames in the hive. I am about to feed some dry pollen because I haven't seen much stored in the last 3 weeks or so. Any suggestions about how to feed it? Just in a tray in the yard? Can I sprinkle it in the feeding box where my syrup jar is? I don't have any extra hive bodies laying around. I know everyone's been saying the nectar flow here is pretty much done but my bees stopped taking much of the syrup last week. Could there be any other reason why they would stop taking it? I am in suburbs so maybe they found a good neighbor's garden or something...

I'm very nervous about winter! Trying to do everything I possibly can to help them along this year. Then maybe next year they'll be in good enough shape to make me some HONEY! Would it be crazy to go ahead and add a super with 9 frames of wax foundation anyways in a few weeks? I don't want them to chew it up though...

I'm probably overconcerned as a new bee mom Got my first sting recently- poor little kamikaze!

[Tom Davidson]

Hey, everybody, I'm in Charlotte. I'm a second-year beek and am in my first honey season. Both of my double deeps have put up a solid shallow of capped honey. I've checkerboarded those frames with undrawn, foundationless frames to get them to draw out a second super. I figure if they don't, then there isn't enough nectar coming in for them to draw wax. If that's the case, should I go ahead and extract or leave them in place in case a different flow begins? How much honey and honey frames are enough in the brood boxes to keep a double-deep colony in good shape during dearths?

@jones, Congrats on getting your first sting. There'll be much more fun to come! For pollen feeding I take a "Beetle Blaster" and cut every other rung out using a sharp knife. I fill with pollen and put between the top bars. My bees love this. It's also a trip to open up the hives and see bees boiling in and out of the "Pollen Blaster". Simple and easy. I buy a bunch of these things, some to use for pollen and some for beetles, in the winter when they're cheap and on sale.

[Specialkayme]

Welcome to the site!

[cjisler]

Hey, Donnie. Welcome to the forum.
carol