Crazy weather ?

[MikeyN.C.]

Going to be in the high 50's-60's for 2 weeks. Hives have 2" shims with hard sugar cakes on top. Lows are going to be around low to mid 40's.
I'm community feeding ultra- bee(dry) bee's are taking almost 1 1/2 cups a day. Bee's are so heavy with ultra-bee , they miss landing and have to crawl up to entrance.
Q is do y'all think I should set out a community 2:1 sugar water feeder ?

[van from Arkansas]

Yep, agreed Mr. Mikey, unusual weather: 71F on the 25th December here is Arkansas.  My bees also adore the Mann Lake ultra bee, I community feed the pollen.

Regarding your question of community feeding sugar syrup to your bees, there are some considerations:

1.  Your present stores are adequate or they are low?
2.  Do your bees have room for the queen to lay.
3.  Do you plan to harvest honey early, no beek wants sugar syrup in their honey.

Regarding 1. and #2, I just inspected a few hives and my hives stores are good, packed hives: ;so much honey in the hives I question if there is enough cells for the queen to lay.  So no way would I feed syrup at this time with my current heavy stores.

I harvest honey in June so I don?t like feeding syrup in late Winter or Spring.

Enjoy the Holidays
Van

[Nock]

Taking the ultra bee here as well.

[MikeyN.C.]

#2 does Q have room to lay ?
This is something I've missed in reading or don't remember. When winter solstice happens do forage bee's , not understand . and can back fill , in that time ?
Of course they do it in summer . Then they can abscond and have a chance ?

[FatherMichael]

Had some bees doing orientation flights on Christmas day! LOL

I've really enjoyed this hive.  It's like your kids -- you worry about them, do your best for them, pray, and love it when they do well.

[Acebird]

We move down to southern FL last year in Nov.  The winter was paradise compared to upstate NY where we came from.  Now it is like monsoons in Nam and it is suppose to be the dry season.  Heaven help us if this is the dry season.

[BeeMaster2]

It has been a strange year here in Florida this year. It rained From January until a little into summer, then we had 4 months of dry weather and rainy drizzly days since. I am not complaining, I need the rain for my pastures.
Jim Altmiller

[Barhopper]

Ligustrum is blooming a little again around us. Bees in town are on loquat hard. Tons of pollen coming in. Checked a few hive the other day. One has a fair amount of drone brood. In December! Split coming soon for that one.
Bees in the woods by the lake are starting to get going. Not nearly as much pollen as the town bees but doing ok. Looks like Spanish needle and wild mustard to me. Red maple and willow will get going shortly.
Haven?t looked at the bees on the farm in awhile but with no frost the Spanish needle should still be blooming down there.

[yes2matt]

Going to be in the high 50's-60's for 2 weeks. Hives have 2" shims with hard sugar cakes on top. Lows are going to be around low to mid 40's.
I'm community feeding ultra- bee(dry) bee's are taking almost 1 1/2 cups a day. Bee's are so heavy with ultra-bee , they miss landing and have to crawl up to entrance.
Q is do y'all think I should set out a community 2:1 sugar water feeder ?

I had a "community" syrup feeder once and will not do it again. They work for some folks tho so I can't say beyond that.

However, once you start feeding, you gotta keep feeding until the flow starts. Because the income of "nectar" tells the colony to "go for it" and start spring buildup, and more bees need more food. So if you get them started on buildup and then take away the feed you can starve them. Especially in NC we always (since I keep bees I notice now) get a cold snap in March. So you gotta keep them on feed once you start.

I've got two little nucs just holding on down here. One I gave some dry sugar, the other I'm going to make some 2:1 (3:1 if I can) and put on today.

[FatherMichael]

My goal in the new apiary is to achieve minimal intervention with no feeding and little treatment.

To achieve this goal will experiment with feral bees put into insulated hives with a small entrance, 3/8x5".

[Bob Wilson]

Does anyone else have open nectar in their comb? I only checked the two outside frames, but they are heavier than when the winter began. I don't see anything blooming anywhere. All the trees have dropped their foliage, and I only gave bees one quart of syrup last October. This is my first winter as a beekeeper, but as I understand it the bees will move their stores around as they see best. Correct?

[BeeMaster2]

Bobil,
Bees definitely move honey around the hive as they use it and also to open up the brood area or close it up.
Check your maple trees. Look for tiny red flowers. They should start blooming soon if they have not already done so.
Jim Altmiller

[Barhopper]

Saw quite a few maples blooming today on my way to the coast.

[Donovan J]

Saw quite a few maples blooming today on my way to the coast.

Maple trees still dormant here. Hey first post of 2020!

[CoolBees]

Does anyone else have open nectar in their comb?...

My bees have open nectar now - out here on the left Coast. Definitely depends on where you are located, and what the weather is.