[Chef Isaac]

I am curious about the rate of syruup intake with hives. Firday late day I placed an inverted mason jar for feeders on my hives in another yard. I had to go back in that area Saturday night and one nuc and one hive completely took all the syrup. I did not check the others.

But this morning, I popped the lid on the hives at the house and a couple of them took all the syrup and some of them took about half and some of them took non.

Why? There is not much of a flow on here and if there was, no one would be taking the syrup.

I know it must entail how much brood is being reared and how much comb that is drawn out.

Right?

Any other opinions?

 

[Michael Bush]

Sometimes one is more greedy and takes more syrup and works nectar less. Sometimes one is more intrested in nectar and not in the syrup. Sometimes the jar leaks.

Most will take syrup whether there is comb drawn out or not and whether they are brood rearing or not. It's more a matter of if nectar is available or not or how greedy they are.

 

[Dave W]

Chef Isaac

Use the following as a "reference" unless you think your hive is EXACTLY like mine

4/12/03 Filled feeder w/ 21 cups (3 qts sugar, 3 qts water) non-medicated syrup
4/16/03 Added 7 cups 1:1 sugar/water.
4/19/03 Added 7 cups 1:1 sugar/water
4/23/03 Added 7 cups 1:1 sugar/water.
4/29/03 Feeder empty, added 14 cups 1:1 syrup.
5/3/03 Added 7 cups syrup. 25-30 dead bees in feeder.
5/12/03 Feeder empty. Added 7 cups 1:1 syrup
5/16/03 Added 7 cups 1:1 syrup
6/1/03 Removed Top Feeder, Feeder empty.
TOTAL - 77 cups or 4.8 gal (20# sugar)

10/5/03 Begin Fall feeding w/ 2 qts 2:1 syrup
10/6/03 Feeder empty, Added 2 qts 2:1 syrup
10/7/03 Feeder empty, Added 4 qts 2:1 syrup
10/8/03 Feeder empty, Added 2 qts 2:1 syrup
10/9/03 Feeder empty, Added 4 qts 2:1 syrup
10/11/03 Feeder empty, Added 2 qts
10/12/03 Not empty, Added 2 qts
10/13/03 Empty, Added 1-1/2 qts
10/14/03 Empty, Added 3 qts
10/26/03 Empty, Added 3-1/2 qts
11/3/03 Empty, Removed Top Feeder.
TOTAL - 26 qts or 6-1/2 gal (52# sugar)