Yes, another feeding question.

[MJuric]

How does one determine to feed in the spring?

Having gone thru my hives it seems like it will be a struggle to keep the brood open for laying eggs as they are bringing in pollen and seem to have decent stores of honey. One hive actually had the entire top deep nearly 100% full. On that one I actually pulled some frames and replaced them with empty comb in an attempt to provide more room as it looked like where ever there was an open cell there was an egg.

So in spring when and how do you determine to feed. What are the signs that say "They have enough sources to feed off of in nature to keep them alive?" What blooms, plants etc do you need to see before you can "Confidently" say this?

Clearly every hive and every situation is different but I would think you don't want to feed a hive that has enough stores, but you also don't want a hive to starve....I would also think that there must be a quick and easy way to determine all this.

~Matt

[BMAC]

You will not starve a colony overnight. Keep an eye on the hives. If they need syrup then feed them syrup. If they have honey and are bringing in nectar then dont worry about it. Its probably best you manage them this time of year on a weekly basis to check on food stores.

[fish_stix]

Simple! If they're bringing in pollen and nectar don't feed. They won't take the syrup anyway.

[BMAC]

Interestingly enough I have fed while nectar has been coming in and they have taken all I fed.

[MJuric]

Pollen is simple, you can see it on them as they come in but how can you tell if they are bringing in nectar without inspecting?

~Matt

[BMAC]

The only way you can tell they are bringing in nectar without inspecting is if they are rapidly flying in and out on a mission. Then you can rest assured they are bringing in nectar without inspection.

Its takes only a few minutes to inspect and that is the safest way to ensure they are bringing it in.

[Michael Bush]

I have only rarely seen bees ignore syrup for nectar. Bees are hoarders. If there is nectar coming in, I would stop feeding. I would not wait for them to stop taking it, as is often suggested. If you feed until they stop taking it, the odds are they will backfill the brood nest and swarm.