Should I feed my bees thru a drought?

[Bees4Us]

We have been in a drought the past 3 weeks or more and things are really drying up around here. We are actually getting a few sprinkles of rain today. But it will be short lived.

Should I make up some syrup for my bees?? I am actually getting ready to go to the beach for 5 days and am really worried about them. I am worried they could be hungry. The 2 brood boxes are strong but the super on top doesn't really have anything in it yet. They are new hives (4/31/12).

I don't mind slipping their feeders on, would just like a little advice.

Thanks in advance!!

[Vance G]

If they have capped honey, they should be fine for five days. Give them a lift and see how light they are.

[tsmullins]

We are a few hours west of you and have started feeding the weaker colonies. Since you are going to be out of town for a few days, and probably have no flow on, might want to be concerned about robbing.

Shane

[Karen1611]

I'm a new beek so I have no expert advice but when the temps here got high and there was no rain for a few weeks I took a gallon bottle of 1:1 sugar water I had left over and mixed it with two gallons of water. I figured the bees would get a litte food value from it but mostly water to help them do their thing. Since You're going to be gone it might relieve your mind to do something for them before you go. I have frame feeders that go inside the hive and didn't have trouble with robbing so far.

[mrobinson]

Only you can be the judge about how serious the drought is, in terms of available forage, and the hives' condition in terms of numbers and available stores. Certainly you need a good reliable source of water that they can actually get to without drowning. (We use a chicken-waterer whose trough is filled with rounded stones that they can stand on, placed in a deep shade as are the hives.)

They will need water. You must be the judge of whether they need food.

[Bees4Us]

Thank you all for your replies! They do have access to fresh water at all times as well. But I think I will go ahead and put their top feeders on and give them a gallon each while I am gone, just to be safe. I love my babies and will miss them! Can't stand the thought of them starving!