[Owen]

I made a split some time ago and it doesn't seem to have built up like it should. I did only fed a few weeks because the flow was on. My question is can I start feeding and give them a pollen patty this late in the year and have them build up a little before the winter? Here in the Sacramento valley it bees can fly almost every day and it seems that there is somthing flowering all the time.

Owen

 

[jean-marc]

Isn't that what all the fellows do to prep for almond pollination? I'm sure that surup and a pollen patty will help them build up especially if they can fly.

Jean-Marc

 

[sierrabees]

They will ignore a light syrup this time of year but if you make it 2:1 or heavier, or preferably high fructose corn syrup which you can pick up in small quantities from Mann Lake in Woodland, they should take it up. Pollen is equally important.

 

[tecumseh]

sierra bees sezs:
They will ignore a light syrup this time of year

tecumseh questions:
now why would they do that? are they unable to access the feed or is there other sources available? just wondering why....

 

[Finman]

.
<I made a split some time ago and it doesn't seem to have built up like it should. I did only fed a few weeks because the flow was on.>

It takes it's own time. When you make a split it is unnecessary to feed when bees get honey and pollen from nature.

It is important to put the colony into the space which it is able to keep warm for brood.

If you feed the nuc it only fill valuable combs and are away from brood.

3 brood frames are almost minimum if you try to get a new colony. If they have not enough bees add again frame of emerging bees. You may take young brood from nuc and give it to big hive. But it is better take food frames to bigger hives if tiny hive is going to filled with honey.

When ordinary yield flow is over you may split you big hive into two. If you do that during yield you will loose summer's yield.

Be carefull with size of colony when you start and don,t give too much space to bees. And don't raise you own queens in nucs because it is waiste of time.