[Tia]

I put 2:1 in a hivetop feeder to feed my weak hive and put field feeders out in the hopes of keeping the other hives from robbing. No one's robbing, but the weak hive isn't using the hivetop feeder. Why not?

 

[mark williams]

Tia:It's possible you still have a honey flow on in N.C,(golden rod-Aster),Don't know about you area,But here it is still on.>>>>Mark

 

[nursebee]

Are the holes large enough that if you shake the pail some sugar water drips?

 

[Kurt Bower]

Tia:
Since you are on the coast there is no doubt that you have a flow on.
Goldenrod 1-Aug thru 25-Oct
Aster 30-Sep thru 9-Nov

 

[Tia]

I have no doubt there is still a flow on, even though they aren't going to my goldenrod--they fly over and into the sound, so they're collecting elsewhere. But they're also taking the syrup from the field feeders. My question was just one of curiosity: why are they taking the syrup from the field feeders but not from the hivetop feeder (Miller type)?

 

[dickm]

They don't have a dance that conveys that the food is straight up about 10". I've had the same trouble in the spring. It seems to take forever for them to find it. Temperature has something to do with it, too. Dribble a little inside the hive. (not on the brood frames!) Did you put in some HBH or essential oils? They make robbing more likely but provide an identifier.

dickm

 

[Tia]

<They don't have a dance that conveys that the food is straight up about 10". >

Made me giggle. It makes sense, though. I left out the HBH because of the robbing situation and this is a weak hive I'm trying to build up. Maybe I'll add some & see what happens. Thanks

 

[?honey?]

I don'thave an answer but can add to the question. I had hive top feeders on 3 hives. One took lot of syrp the others little if any.The one had lot of bees working the feeder the other 2 only a very few curious bees. I switched the 2 non users to jars with holes in the lid on top of an innercover and they took syrup. Like if they just didn't figure how to use the hivetop feeders.

 

[2hives]

I put a Beemax hivetop feeder on each of my hives last week, put 2 gals. of heavy sugar syrup in each, in 4 days both feeders were empty. I put 2 more gals. in each feeder last night. Though there is still some nectar/pollen being brought into the hives, the bees are readily taking the syrup.

 

[Guest]

> They don't have a dance that conveys
> that the food is straight up about 10".

Sure they do - the "round dance" is used
for all sources that are very close to
the hive. You can even watch the bees
DO round dances to "advertise' a hive-top
feeder if you put a feeder atop an observation
hive.

 

[jalal]

ack,

i feel helpless thinking about it.

i'd hope that the jar's holes arn't fill with propolis .

 

[Got Honey?]

Along with what Jfischer said, the bees do communicate where it is but they still fly out to find the sugar water.
I use a paint can and cover all but a half inch or so in the inner cover and the bees from the hive will crawl up there and get the sugar water and fly out of the hole circle once or twice and re-enter the hive threw the main entrance. I don't know how well that Idea will work with normal hive top feeders, but works with gallon jars and paint cans.

BTW: Jfischer, on the evolution and the VAT thread a while back I was a bit of a jerk to you so I just wanted to apologize for that.

Joseph

 

[dickm]

>Sure they do - the "round dance" is used
for all sources that are very close to
the hive.<

Thanks Jim,
I didn't know this. That's what I get for making things up as I go along. Still, it's a little hard to see how they would work in a direction (in the dance) as straight up, since the dances seem to apply to the flat earth. Not much nectar in the sky. Sometimes I think they find a feeder on top of another hive faster. Also there seems to be no consistancy about which hives will find and use the feeder. On a recent Bee-l thread (I think) a couple of bigger 'keepers agreed that not taking the feed was a sign that there was something wrong with the hive; that it was time to check further. Also that the temperature of the FEED had been raised by the hives that took it! Perhaps a hive needs to be healthy enough to create the thermogenesis need for this?

Dickm

[This message has been edited by dickm (edited October 30, 2004).]