[milena]

I've seen the arguments about not doing this because of disease concerns. However I would like to learn how one feeds undiluted honey to bees.

My hive started late and suffered some set backs (dead queen); I am concerned about them having enough stores for the winter.

Also, anyone try feeding fondant?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNoIs3WpTbE

Thanks!

 

[Barry Tolson]

I have a TBH that I decided to start feeding..it has developed about 1/2 of the space available and I really want it to grow more before winter. I have in my stores several medium frames of capped honey. What I am thinking about is just taking a frame of this capped honey...placing it in the unoccupied area of the TBH...just sitting it in there upright and at an angle so it lays on neither one side nor the other...and scratching it a couple of times with the hive tool to expose some honey and get them working on it.
My hope is that they will take that capped(but scratched) honey from the back of the TBH and transfer up to the combs and cluster. I don't know if it will work, but I will post after I have a chance to give it a try.

 

[Stone]

I went with a beek friend when he was feeding his hives and he had his own take on top feeding: He has these large empty plastic peanut butter jars and he drilled lots of holes in the lids and then he filled them with sugar syrup. Then he takes two small blocks of wood and places them on each side of the top opening on the inner cover. This serves as the "ledge" on which he places the inverted jar of syrup over the opening. Since there is a space for the bees to crawl around underneath, there is less a chance of crowding. So the bees come up and lick the openings and the syrup only slowly drips out when the bees drink due to the vacuum created inside the jar.

I tried this in my TBHs. I did the same thing but I put the blocks of wood in a little plastic tray since I have a screened bottom. I shake a little syrup into the tray so the bees can smell it faster. I made some room next to the last comb and once the bees discover the syrup, it works great! The only problem is that you have to constantly fill up the containers EVERY day because they have to be small enough to fit inside the hive.