stimulative feeding

[Ken914]

Is anyone planning on stimulative feeding this spring? I haven't tried this before, but am interested this year.

I see two ways of doing this:

1. give each hive a half-cup of 1:1 syrup every day. Pro: manpower intensive as the feeders have to be filled each day. Con: bees won't have free reign to start storing tons of sugar water.

2. keep a continuous supply of 1:1 syrup available. Pros: less manpower, bees have all the syrup they want. Con: bees may store syrup in comb encouraging honey-lock.


thoughts, anyone?

[Rader Sidetrack]

1. give each hive a half-cup of 1:1 syrup every day.

I'm guessing you probably haven't seen the thread linked below ....



http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...-can-open-feed

[Ken914]

I'm guessing you probably haven't seen the thread linked below ....



http://www.beesource.com/forums/show...-can-open-feed

No, I hadn't seen that thread. It's interesting, but I wasn't planning on using an open feeder and encouraging every feral swarm to visit my yard.

[A'sPOPPY]

Always leave enough honey when possible. Then I let mother nature and Walt Wrights Checkerboarding do the rest.

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1524.jpg

http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/...1/IMG_1522.jpg

[Joseph Clemens]

Always leave enough honey when possible. Then I let mother nature and Walt Wrights Checkerboarding do the rest. . .

I'm gonna guess. You haven't, yet, been doing much beekeeping in the desert Southwest. Apparently, most everything is "location". That "... when possible" is pretty rare, around here.

[A'sPOPPY]

You are correct I have four distinct seasons, not familiar with your conditions.

[UTvolshype]

You are correct I have four distinct seasons, not familiar with your conditions.

I have been feeding from the inner board but will change over to Boardman feeders this week due to the warmer weather coming (ie: above 50 degrees in afternoons). I only want them to suck down 1:1 ratio sugar mixture went it's above those temps so going to the bottom entrance will limit intake during cool weather. I placed the empty bottom supers on top two weeks ago. So now I have the deep hive body on the bottom, the Illinois super with brood in the middle and more space with the empty super on top. I will start checkerboarding if the mid-super is getting full with brood. On some of my hives they were honey bound due to over feeding in Jan/Dec. Got protein patties on them for the past two weeks since the cold weather took care of the small hive beetles in January. I expect them to take in about a quart of mixture per week for the next two weeks and then more going on in to mid-March. Planning on doing splits in mid March. Last year the carns hives started to swarm cells in late March. It take more that just feeding to get them strong for early honey flow in East Tn.