Bees are feeding , January in Kentucky

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Temperature has been in the upper 50's the last two days, so, I put out some sugar syrup in 3 of my open feeders. They lapped up about 4 gallons in the three feeders today.

Bee Feeder Jan 2013.jpg


cchoganjr

[DBeeCooper]

Wow! That's a great picture. Do you feed them 1:1 syrup when you do that this time of year?

[Michael B]

Out standing.

Here in Massachusetts we have snow on the ground and the bees have only taken a few short cleansing flights. They have not been "out flying" for weeks. Gonna be very cold for a couple weeks ahead. Teens and below zero at night.

I added some candy boards to come hives and a frames of honey to others yesterday while the wind was not blowing and it was in the upper 30's

Very nice to se your bees and how green your grass is!

[tsmullins]

That is great news Cleo. Could you please share your open feeder designs?

[Sharpbees]

Cleo, I'm just north of you and have several hives that have been bringing in some pretty nice loads of pollen, found henbit or dead nettle blossoms on the debris boards.

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

Could you please share your open feeder designs?

My open feeders are just hog troughs. 1 X 12 X 2 ft long, cypress. I have them about 3 ft off the ground so when the bees are heavy they can take off easier. The bees light on the sloped edge and crawl down to the syrup.

I only put the amount of syrup in the trough that the bees can clean up by about 3 PM each day. Any bees that get in the syrup will be cleaned before dark. Virtually no drowning.

This photo is what they look like empty.

Bee Feeder, Hog Trough.jpg

cchoganjr

[pat kelly]

that is real nice pics,,,,,i had a feeding frenzy like that last fall at grandsons first grade class when we opened a pack of honey sticks at a bee demo he asked us to do ( kids not bees )

[shannonswyatt]

I thought maybe Cleo was taking up Top Bar Hives!

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

shannonswyatt..... Not me. I am NOT a Top Bar enthusiast. (Perhaps you knew that)

cchoganjr

[shannonswyatt]

Just kidding, the feeder looks like a top bar hive body.

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

shannonwyatt... That's an idea. A top bar hive with built in feeder. HA>

[shannonswyatt]

Last year I was trying to explain a TBH to my Dad and he didn't understand. I asked him to help me build one and about halfway through he said that it wasn't a beehive, it was a hog trough!

[kenr]

My open feeders are just hog troughs. 1 X 12 X 2 ft long, cypress. I have them about 3 ft off the ground so when the bees are heavy they can take off easier. The bees light on the sloped edge and crawl down to the syrup.

I only put the amount of syrup in the trough that the bees can clean up by about 3 PM each day. Any bees that get in the syrup will be cleaned before dark. Virtually no drowning.

This photo is what they look like empty.

Bee Feeder, Hog Trough.jpg

cchoganjr

I cain't help but laugh the second I saw the picture I thought Hog trough!!Thanks for the inspiration have several laying around now they'll be put back to use I also use a five gallon chicken waterer with rocks in the trough.

[psfred]

Well, I'm not that far away, but the bees haven't been out for a few days and won't be for a few more -- currently 22F and dropping! We may be at 10F or less in the morning, snow/sleet/freezing rain on Thursday.

I don't expect to see them for a few weeks!

Peter

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

psfred.... It is amazing the difference in temperature, snow fall, once you cross the Ohio, at Louisville. We have had a very, very, mild Winter so far. It is in the 20's here tonight, but last week we had a 72 degree day and a couple in upper 50's.

My bees have been flying most of the Winter.

cchoganjr

[Cleo C. Hogan Jr]

shannonswyatt..... That's funny, A friend asked me if I could build a Top Bar Hive for him, and he showed me the plans for it. I told him, "That's not a bee hive, that's a hog trough."

cchoganjr