Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: iddee on December 16, 2019, 02:59:01 pm

Title: The Bee's spring
Post by: iddee on December 16, 2019, 02:59:01 pm
Saturday, December 21, is winter solstice for us, but it is the first day of spring for the bees.  As the days get longer, the queen will ramp up egg laying to get ready for the flowers. Your hive population will double to triple before the first flower blooms, so the food will go much faster. The consumption of winter stores will increase as the number of new mouths to feed increase. Starvation will be much more of a problem as the stores decrease before the first nectar becomes available. Keep this in mind and watch your hives carefully.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Donovan J on December 16, 2019, 03:01:39 pm
They start laying this early? I didn't know. Better buy some more sugar!
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Ben Framed on December 16, 2019, 03:19:04 pm
Thanks Iddee
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Ben Framed on December 16, 2019, 03:23:31 pm
Iddee, do you have a favorite way of feeding your bees from Dec 21 to bloom, (if needed) ?
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: CoolBees on December 16, 2019, 03:39:45 pm
Excellent information Iddee. Thanks.

In my area, flowers and nectar should start popping out in the next 4-6 weeks. I can't wait.  :grin:
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Ben Framed on December 16, 2019, 03:42:26 pm
Excellent information Iddee. Thanks.

In my area, flowers and nectar should start popping out in the next 4-6 weeks. I can't wait.  :grin:

Wow! When do almonds start blooming?
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Nock on December 16, 2019, 05:12:06 pm
Wow. Another little tidbit of information you don?t get in the books. Thanks for posting.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Michael Bush on December 16, 2019, 05:26:58 pm
>Your hive population will double to triple before the first flower blooms, so the food will go much faster.

Not only will there be more mouths to feed, but most of that feed is burned up raising those bees.  It takes a frame of honey and a frame of pollen to raise a frame of brood.  Stores go fast once brood rearing starts.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: iddee on December 16, 2019, 06:45:53 pm

""Iddee, do you have a favorite way of feeding your bees from Dec 21 to bloom, (if needed) ?""

 Sugar water is best if the temp. of the feed can be kept above 55F. 12.7 C.

Otherwise, I like sugar cakes.  I stole this recipe from the internet.

   """ Take a 5 lb bag of white sugar
    Mix it in a bowl with 7.5 ounces of water and a few drops of an essential oil mix. our honeybee essential oil recipe below
    Mix the water in well
    Spread into the foil pans, or drop onto wax paper or paper plates and make round sugar mounds.

Depending on how warm and humid your house is these dry overnight or a few days. Sometimes they crumble and crack, I think this is due to the moisture content of the bag of sugar you are using. Chunks of sugar cake are fine, the bees don?t care, really.

It is key to measure the water precisely, i use scale; it makes a big difference. if you add too much water it doesn?t dry right, i think."""
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Ben Framed on December 16, 2019, 09:48:15 pm

""Iddee, do you have a favorite way of feeding your bees from Dec 21 to bloom, (if needed) ?""

 Sugar water is best if the temp. of the feed can be kept above 55F. 12.7 C.

Otherwise, I like sugar cakes.  I stole this recipe from the internet.

   """ Take a 5 lb bag of white sugar
    Mix it in a bowl with 7.5 ounces of water and a few drops of an essential oil mix. our honeybee essential oil recipe below
    Mix the water in well
    Spread into the foil pans, or drop onto wax paper or paper plates and make round sugar mounds.

Depending on how warm and humid your house is these dry overnight or a few days. Sometimes they crumble and crack, I think this is due to the moisture content of the bag of sugar you are using. Chunks of sugar cake are fine, the bees don?t care, really.

It is key to measure the water precisely, i use scale; it makes a big difference. if you add too much water it doesn?t dry right, i think."""

Thanks for you answer iddee.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: The15thMember on December 16, 2019, 11:07:26 pm
Great advice, iddee. A good reminder for newbees like myself.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: cao on December 17, 2019, 12:20:29 am

""Iddee, do you have a favorite way of feeding your bees from Dec 21 to bloom, (if needed) ?""

 Sugar water is best if the temp. of the feed can be kept above 55F. 12.7 C.

Otherwise, I like sugar cakes.  I stole this recipe from the internet.

   """ Take a 5 lb bag of white sugar
    Mix it in a bowl with 7.5 ounces of water and a few drops of an essential oil mix. our honeybee essential oil recipe below
    Mix the water in well
    Spread into the foil pans, or drop onto wax paper or paper plates and make round sugar mounds.

Depending on how warm and humid your house is these dry overnight or a few days. Sometimes they crumble and crack, I think this is due to the moisture content of the bag of sugar you are using. Chunks of sugar cake are fine, the bees don?t care, really.

It is key to measure the water precisely, i use scale; it makes a big difference. if you add too much water it doesn?t dry right, i think."""

I make those too.  I put a tablespoon of vinegar in place of the essential oil.  And yes just a little too much water will cause your cakes(or bricks) to drip for weeks or even months.  It is better to be a little short on the water.  If I think I put too much water, I will keep adding more sugar until it looks dry enough.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: CoolBees on December 17, 2019, 01:33:50 pm
Excellent information Iddee. Thanks.

In my area, flowers and nectar should start popping out in the next 4-6 weeks. I can't wait.  :grin:

Wow! When do almonds start blooming?

I'm not sure about the start date of the commercial Almond bloom.

I have an almond tree that grew up on its own accord here. It literally grew up thru an 8-foot high fence - winding and weaving it's way upwards, with a knarled twisted trunk and  branches spreading out both sides. I've documents its bloom for 3 years now. It can begin blooming as early as January 15, or last year it began blooming in the last week of February. The bees hit it hard when it blooms, and this signals the beginning of the main flow - to me.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: BAHBEEs on December 17, 2019, 03:15:06 pm
Glad I was planning to hit the Oxalic this week!
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: minz on December 17, 2019, 04:46:03 pm
Yep, good time to hit them with OAD before they brood up.
My sugar cake recipe: 4lb bag of sugar, 1/3c ACV (apple cider Vinegar) stir with a knife (will look like damp snow). Pour it onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Roll it flat and hard with a rolling pin. Put in the oven at warm (about 175 F) for 20-30 minutes. Better to crease it where you want to break it.
Your house will smell like pickles for the next week.

Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Ben Framed on December 17, 2019, 04:54:20 pm
Yep, good time to hit them with OAD before they brood up.
My sugar cake recipe: 4lb bag of sugar, 1/3c ACV (apple cider Vinegar) stir with a knife (will look like damp snow). Pour it onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Roll it flat and hard with a rolling pin. Put in the oven at warm (about 175 F) for 20-30 minutes. Better to crease it where you want to break it.
Your house will smell like pickles for the next week.

😁 a fellow would do well to have his own stove outside so the wife would not use the rolling pin on his head.. lol. Thanks minz.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: MikeyN.C. on December 31, 2019, 02:28:50 pm
I make mine like iddee. I use 9" tin pie pans, fill it half way , then place 4"?4" pollen patty, then fill with sugar to top. I put two on top frames with 2" shim (box) (10 frame box)one has pollen patty and other doesn't. If you get it to wet , just takes longer to dry. Souls be like wet sand but want ball up in hand.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: MikeyN.C. on December 31, 2019, 02:37:23 pm
Souls ? Should
I don't use oil or vinegar, late Jan. Bee's will be to the pollen.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: Bob Wilson on December 31, 2019, 03:01:20 pm
is it alright to add a few patties of sugar, even there might be enough honey and pollen left? Just to make sure? The bees will just ignore it if they don't need it. Right?
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: iddee on December 31, 2019, 03:11:28 pm
You are correct. Just remove it when the flowers bloom. You don't want them to mix it with your honey.
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: MikeyN.C. on December 31, 2019, 10:20:40 pm
Yes , pack on top for . insurance
Title: Re: The Bee's spring
Post by: BAHBEEs on January 13, 2020, 05:08:14 pm
I don't worry about sugar mixed in my honey because I do not ever harvest from the brood boxes, only out of supers sitting on queen excluders.  Unless they physically haul it up there...

Barry