[Chef Isaac]

I plan on making splits this year from (hopefully) some of my hives. I plan (hopefully) to do this in April granting on the queens and weather.

What is the best way to feed bees when housed in a nuc when the weather is so so?

I know they have improved the frame feeder. Anyone using one and where from?

 

[Joel]

I don't now the weather in your area. I would not be making splits until the weather was warm and settled and the hives were bulging, headed towards swarming. I prefer hive top feeding as they will take it(if above the cluster) in virtually any weather or temperature, It does not promote robbing like entrance feeders and bees don't drown like frame feeders. JMO

 

[newbee 101]

I bought my nuc top feeders from Brushy Mountain. Thay fit perfect on their nucs, a little smaller (width) than Mann Lake nuc boxes.
I am going to screen up one end to confine them. I dont like the float rack idea too much.
http://www.acmepainting.com/top1.jpg
http://www.acmepainting.com/top2.jpg

[ January 06, 2006, 07:35 PM: Message edited by: newbee 101 ]

 

[Michael Bush]

I like to just give them frames of honey. It seems to cause less problems with robbing and I don't have to buy a feeder. I just steal from the rich and give to the poor.

 

[tarheit]

I prefer frames of honey myself if they are available. When they are not my nucs are setup with a cutout on the top that allows a jar of syrup to be inverted on top.

-Tim

 

[Chef Isaac]

Joel:

I agree with you however in with our weather, you need to get an early jump on splits if possible or you will not make it through the winter.

Case in point: I split two hives last year in mid April. Weather wasent great but the queens were here in the mail so I had to. No problems. My good friend from the same area split a hive June 17th. We both fed and took the opprotunity for the flow in june and july but his were no ready for the winter. I know more variables could of caused this but again, with our weather, April to mid May is the best time. In my opinion of course!

 

[Joel]

(I like to just give them frames of honey)

Economically this is not the better choice since the cost of HFCS or Refined sugar is 1/2 the value of Extracted honey. Also I took a pretty sever beating awhile back for stating my opinion that honey is the beteer bee food. The educated consensus is syrup or HFCS is the better food for bees!!! Beeks often have frames of honey from non-AFB deadouts and such which I would use as oppose to extract.

Chef, Early feeding will help stimulate your hives to build up early. Of course a month or 2 differce you mention would be a huge difference. I have found in our climate in the Finger lakes, a split or package started the 1st. of May will consistenly out perform a nuc started the 20 of April. A pollen source will be necessary for brood. We've used hive top feeders also. I would never use a plastic one again If I could get them for free. They break easily(many arrived cracked), are hard for bee feet to hold on to and have not been a good experiance in our operation. The wooden hive top feeders work very well if you are running telescoping covers with inner covers. They are an open invitation to robbing and drown bees with migraratory covers.

Of course adjust my experiances to your climate and Bloom cycles. Happy splitting!!

[ January 07, 2006, 09:03 AM: Message edited by: Joel ]

 

[Michael Bush]

>Economically this is not the better choice since the cost of HFCS or Refined sugar is 1/2 the value of Extracted honey.

But if the nucs get robbed out and killed because I'm feeding them, I've lost the value of the nuc.

>Also I took a pretty sever beating awhile back for stating my opinion that honey is the beteer bee food.

I agree. So does Eva Crane.

 

[FordGuy]

this thing about feeding honey versus feeding sugar water misses the point -

This morning I found a queenless hive with queen larvae filled queen cells on three different deep frames.

I began building two nucs, while leaving the 3d frame in the origingal hive to produce a replacement queen.

I had not prepared for feeding nucs with sugar water, so my only option was to rob frames of honey and place them in the nucs.

Now I can go back later with more time and remove the honey, place corn syrup in there, but the reality of this is it's not worth the trouble of opening the hives up to do this.

 

[Sundance]

My Nuc's have a hole in the top with 1/8 mesh below.

The hole saw I use is the same size as a regular canning jar lid. I punch holes in the lid with a small nail.

Quart jars work great for Nucs. When its time to feed I just bring out another set of pre-filled jars and do a swap.

Cheap, effective and cute looking.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/Sundance1955/SpringNucs.jpg

 

[george dilley]

i do the same even with full size hives and if i need a lid for a nuc i just use a full size lid over hanging on each side

 

[Jim Williamson]

>I do the same even with full size hives and if I need a lid for a nuc I just use a full size lid over hanging on each side.

Lid? At my first Georgia Beekeepers meeting, I said "lid" and they laughed at me for the rest of the weekend.