You could try but I think they would ignore it. J
Not really...... could you stop feeding 2:1 now but instead feed a sugar block? My thinking is the sugar block would provide for their short term carbohydrate needs so that they will not consume the already stored syrup, but the sugar block would obviously not be stored anywhere so it would not take up the colonies limited cell space.
Kevin
You can speak with him through Bee-l. And I use sugar shims (made with slightly moistened sugar pressed in and dried) over the winter for moisture and never had gloopy sugar; in fact the hives did very well over winter here using those (there was an entrance in them, too) This was before I insulated the top cover but did insulate the outside. Maybe it was the upper and lower entrances that helped vent excess moisture? My experience.Yes the supposed benefits of the dry sugar being able to absorb any meaningful amount of hive moisture is often printed; In reality it takes very little water to turn sugar into gloop. Considering that each pound of honey consumed by the bees produces close to 12 oz. of water the absorbancy of dry sugar is negligible. In fact the metabolizing of the sugar produces its own excess water similarly to that of honey.
Another beekeeping myth! Sugar can certainly serve a purpose in augmenting scarce food stores but something else will have to take care of excess moisture.
Too bad Richard Cryberg is no longer with us.![]()
I use blocks all the time. when I did the dry sugar too many of mine just carried it out as trash.Dry sugar on wet newspaper on the top bars is better in that it absorbs a lot of moisture.
This has been my experience too. They seemed to consume the sugar block before the honey stores.here in coastal Virginia, we have warm winters and very busy bees in the box. I put a sugar brick in all of mine in December and sometimes need to replace it in January, as they seem to work it first before hitting the honey stores. I prefer they have the "real stuff" for Jan/Feb when they are raising the spring brood
It seems as if they will consume the resources from "outside" of the nest before they eat their "inside" resources.This has been my experience too. They seemed to consume the sugar block before the honey stores.
Exactly. That is why my insulated inner cover (I am in mid-MD) is made up of two layers glued together. The top layer is 1" solid foam insulation. The layer beneath that is Homasote sound board which is a great moisture absorber. The Homasote faces down and is placed right above the sugar block feeding shim. Stains on the Homasote are an indication that it is doing its absorbing job whether or not there are a few sugar bricks in place. My only concern used to be that I remove TOO much moisture during winter. Not all winter moisture is bad. Bees need water in the winter just as they do at other times. I want them to have moisture in the winter such as might form on the inside walls of on the outermost frames of capped honey. I just do not want so much moisture that it drips down from the top.Yes the supposed benefits of the dry sugar being able to absorb any meaningful amount of hive moisture is often printed; In reality it takes very little water to turn sugar into gloop. Considering that each pound of honey consumed by the bees produces close to 12 oz. of water the absorbancy of dry sugar is negligible. In fact the metabolizing of the sugar produces its own excess water similarly to that of honey.
Another beekeeping myth! Sugar can certainly serve a purpose in augmenting scarce food stores but something else will have to take care of excess moisture.
Too bad Richard Cryberg is no longer with us.![]()