harvest over. Do I need to feed?

[gtbee]

Harvest is over here in metro Atlanta. Left bees plenty of honey. Went back in for an inspection about three weeks later and most of honey is gone. Still tons of bees. Should I start feeding or let hive naturally reduce?

[Solomon Parker]

What is normal for your area? Did you leave plenty of honey, or did you take too much and now they have used what you did leave? Ultimately it's not you who decides how much is plenty. It seems you may have made a miscalculation. Feeding should very rarely ever be actually necessary if you are managing your colonies correctly.

[Thermwood]

You can let them starve like some suggest or you could feed them some 1:1 sugar syrup. Besides syrup costs pennies compared to the delicious honey you are enjoying and the bees will enjoy the feed.

There is nothing wrong or immoral about feeding bees when needed.

[Vance G]

Letting them go hungry won't reduce the population, they will share it to the last and then all die if nothing is coming in. feed your bees and start a lessons learned file. You may need to give them pollen suppliment too if no pollen is coming in. They will need to raise winter bees and can do it better if they have the resources.

[arthurw]

Harvest is over?? No fall action down there? I thought you guys in the South had a three season deal.

[schmism]

Harvest is over?? No fall action down there? I thought you guys in the South had a three season deal.

I would have asked the same thing... I harvest in the fall before golden rod blooms and monitoring gold rod harvest. If its short i feed. But for the past 2 falls i havnt had to do that as i have good fields of golden rod around me. Then they use the golden rod honey over winter so it doesn't "contaminate" the clover honey i get in the spring.

I also like this because it allows me to rob honey from a strong hive if a hive turns week, or i capture a late swarm (or have my hive swarm) and want to feed them to boost them before going into fall golden rod harvest.... This way i know how much honey i can expect to take going into fall golden rod. if its been a good year ill have quite a bit, if its been a poor year i may only take a few frames.

but as to the OP question.... yes i would likely feed a little, but whats your pollen stores? are they out of that? are they not bringing in any pollen?

whats your area? you in the country surrounded by corn and beans? you in the city with lots of year long blooming flower beds?

[c10250]

Generally up in N. Illinois, they say you need your hive (2 deeps) to weigh 130-150 lbs going into the winter. I plan to harvest my supers, weigh my hive, and decide whether or not to super for the goldenrod flow. If my hive is already at winter weight, I'll throw a super on for the GR flow.