When to stop feeding

[Donovan J]

I've had 2:1 syrup on my hive for about 3 weeks now and they've taken 2 quarts so far and working on a third. My question is when to stop? When they stop taking it or when the temps drop? The upper box is packed with honey and brood but the bottom is relatively empty. We're still getting highs in the upper 60s with lows in the 40s and this looks to continue for the foreseeable future with a possible warmup to 70s in early November

[The15thMember]

Your temps are at the low end for liquid feeding, any cooler, and it's probably too cold for them to take it.  The bigger question in my mind is how much honey/stored syrup do they need to overwinter in your area?  Another thing to consider is whether they are still rearing brood, and if you want to be sure they still have space to do so.  I would feed until they are as full as you want them, unless it gets too cold first.  That's what I'm doing right now with my hives.             

[Donovan J]

Your temps are at the low end for liquid feeding, any cooler, and it's probably too cold for them to take it.  The bigger question in my mind is how much honey/stored syrup do they need to overwinter in your area?  Another thing to consider is whether they are still rearing brood, and if you want to be sure they still have space to do so.  I would feed until they are as full as you want them, unless it gets too cold first.  That's what I'm doing right now with my hives.             

They have about enough to overwinter right now. I just wanted the queen to move to the bottom and start laying there so they can really fill up the top but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'll take off the food after this last quart and see how they do. Thank you!

[The15thMember]

They have about enough to overwinter right now. I just wanted the queen to move to the bottom and start laying there so they can really fill up the top but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'll take off the food after this last quart and see how they do. Thank you!

So are you feeding to try and encourage the queen to lay?  Or just to encourage them to rearrange the hive?  Because you could always move frames around and rearrange things the way you want them, although the bees might just put it back the way they like it.    If you are feeding to get them up to winter weight, I'd say if they are there, then you can stop.  But if you are feeding to simulate a flow to keep the queen laying, then a slow feed like you are doing may be a good idea until it's too cold.  As always with beekeeping, it just depends. 

   

[Kathyp]

your winters are not overly harsh and you have the advantage of it being fairly dry.  Your biggest risk is that they go through stores because of the warm days and end up short later in winter.  At this point, the queen should be backing off laying no matter what you are doing and that's a good thing if your hive population is high now.  She will back off laying and the workers will backfill with syrup.  They need time to cap it/cure it before your days get too cold.

You'll have to keep an eye on them and how much flying they do now and over winter.  Lift one end of your hive and get an idea of how heavy it is.  You can use that as a measure of how much food they might be going through.  On a warm day later on, you can look in the top of the hive with a flashlight and see if they seem short of food. 
I wouldn't worry too much about what the queen is doing or where she's doing it.  They'll figure that part out on their own. 

[Donovan J]

They have about enough to overwinter right now. I just wanted the queen to move to the bottom and start laying there so they can really fill up the top but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'll take off the food after this last quart and see how they do. Thank you!

So are you feeding to try and encourage the queen to lay?  Or just to encourage them to rearrange the hive?  Because you could always move frames around and rearrange things the way you want them, although the bees might just put it back the way they like it.    If you are feeding to get them up to winter weight, I'd say if they are there, then you can stop.  But if you are feeding to simulate a flow to keep the queen laying, then a slow feed like you are doing may be a good idea until it's too cold.  As always with beekeeping, it just depends. 

 

I was feeding to bulk them up after the bear attack and top them off before winter but I guess I'm just anxious 

[Oldbeavo]

Donavan J
2:1 syrup will not stimulate a queen to lay.
At your approaching winter i think you are better to pack them down if the bottom box is empty.
Many bees survive in a single box that has good supplies.
A single packed down full of bees uses less honey the leaving extra space on them.
Bees will pack down tighter than you think and survive well. Just look at the Canadian BK's that shed single boxes.

[Michael Bush]

You should have a target weight and stop when you reach it.  That weight should allow for room for the bees to cluster.

[Kathyp]

That weight should allow for room for the bees to cluster.

Many bees survive in a single box that has good supplies.

He has the potential to have his bees break cluster quite a bit over the winter.  He's in my old stomping grounds    My concern for him is that he be able to check over the winter that they have enough food as they will probably have quite a few flying days depending on how this winter goes for them.