Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner
Cancel

Is restricting access to syrup in the Spring a good idea?

2539 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  BeeCurious, 
BeeCurious
I posted these pictures in the Photo Gallery, but I was hoping to get some feedback on the idea.



A separately screened 3/4" PVC pipe provides limited access for stimulative feeding in the Spring. A piece of screen is simply pushed into the normal (large) access area from the bottom.


The bees don't seem to mind and perhaps it avoids packing the brood area with syrup. In any case, it limits the number of bees that can "belly-up" to the trough.
See less See more
2
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
M
I'm curious why you're restricting access. In early spring, I let the girls take as much as they want, when they want, to build up. When they stop taking the feed, or when the flow starts, I pull the feeders.
Reply
Save
Like
S
Do you have any close ups or diagrams?
Reply
Save
Like
C
it looks like its made for a 5 framer nuc -

in the spring nucs seems to get honey bound very fast - restriction is almost needed to keep them from swarming but lets them draw wax

what we do is just feed every other week on the nucs - if they are on full drawn comb if new foundation we feed until they are drawn and then start skipping until they stop taking it or i move them to 10 frame boxes for resale

i like the idea of it though-
Reply
Save
Like
BeeCurious
concrete-bees said:
it looks like its made for a 5 framer nuc -

in the spring nucs seems to get honey bound very fast - restriction is almost needed to keep them from swarming but lets them draw wax
Click to expand...
Yes, I added restricted feeder tubes to a few of the nuc feeders I built and I may do the same for some eight-frame feeders.

I setup a nuc hive for my neighbor and there has been a good number of bees going and coming from the small feeding area.

When I have the time I'll try to post photos with more detail. The brass insert/jar feeders seem restricted too. Here is a pic from Randy Oliver's website:
http://www.scientificbeekeeping.com/images/stories/beenutrition/fb3-6.jpg
Reply
Save
Like
BeeCurious
Bump! Any more opinions?

BeeCurious said:
I posted these pictures in the Photo Gallery, but I was hoping to get some feedback on the idea.



A separately screened 3/4" PVC pipe provides limited access for stimulative feeding in the Spring. A piece of screen is simply pushed into the normal (large) access area from the bottom.


The bees don't seem to mind and perhaps it avoids packing the brood area with syrup. In any case, it limits the number of bees that can "belly-up" to the trough.
Click to expand...
Reply
Save
Like
sqkcrk
As was asked, why do you want to restrict access to the feed?
Reply
Save
Like
BeeCurious
sqkcrk said:
As was asked, why do you want to restrict access to the feed?
Click to expand...
As I mentioned in the original posting, I believe it will provide the stimulative effect while possibly limiting excessive filling of the broodnest. At least that was my intention.



Oh! Did I mention that some of my hives are 22 miles from my home. If the bees can be stimulated without draining the feeders so quickly it would be a plus.
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Beesource Beekeeping Forums
A forum community dedicated to beekeeping, bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, honey production, health, behavior, hives, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Bee Forum Beekeeping 101 Equipment/Hardware Diseases and Pests The Queen & Bee Breeding
Top