Sponge for water feed

[Cindi]

Just a quick thought.  It seems that bees need extra water when it is cold and can't get out to get water.  How would this idea work, any thoughts?

If a very moist sponge was placed through the front entrance on the bottom board, whether it is screened or solid, would/could this provide a water source for the bees.  Or would they get annoyed and chew it all up and take it outside.  Hmm...I think that they probably would chew it up, now to think about it. 

What about a sponge that was enclosed in a wire mesh bag apparatus so they could not get their mandibles through to chew? 

What about a very shallow dish with wire mesh attached so they can stand on it and protrude their tongues to sip? 
Great day. Cindi

[Finsky]

One of our professional beekeeper have given water to brood rearing. It is simple.

You have a food supplies case or shallow small foodstuff box (what is that called. I did not find proper term). Then made tiny holes into cover. Put the case upsides down on inner cover where bees may come and soak water through holes.   

[IndianaBrown]

It seems that bees need extra water when it is cold and can't get out to get water.

Cindie, I agree that providing water where it is easy for the bees to access sounds like a good idea, but it really should not be necessary unless it is very dry in your area when brood rearing starts.  The problem in winter is avoiding wet bees.  :)

In the summer I use my top feeders as an internal watering system. (I don't want my bees to be a nuisance in nearby swimming pools.) http://betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=409

As you can see here: http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php?topic=6546.msg38876#msg38876 ...I got knocked down when I tried to share an idea on using the feeders as a kind of 'vented' top cover to keep my bees warmer, avoiding the need for an external vent hole but still preventing their condensation from becomming a problem.  When I pointed out that the condensation collected in the feeder would be available to them if they needed it I really got slammed.   :?

For what it is worth it seems to be working, although the winter has been relatively mild thus far.  On days when they break cluster I have seen bees taking water from the feeder.

[Finsky]

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Why Cindie writes about  providing water is probably derived from my patty feeding writing. My experience is hat when you start early pollen or patty feeding, and bees do not get drinking water during csow covered groung, their larae will be destroyed or become sick.

2 years ago I lost all open brood for 10 days when snow covered ground during 7 days and it was frost all the day. In that case you save brood by drinking water.  However I hade 2 weeks' capped brood in hives and soon bees emerged and start to nurse new brood. They do not open capped brood. But a heavy chalkbrood bursted too and it take time to vanish.

Otherwise bees need not water in winter because they survive without it. They may drink but actually they do not need. The disturbance what you cause with care taking is bigger than benefit.

During my 16 years pollen feeding I have noticed that if I start feeding when snow covers the ground, almost all larvae become sick and are destroyed. And chalk brood continues after that and worst in small colonies. .

[Cindi]

IndianaBrown.  I was referrring actually to when Finsky was speaking about the bees and pollen patty feeding, that is what prompted my response.

I read the Betterbee info about the hivetop feeder.  It is rather expensive in my eyes, almost $20 US for one.  Gotta be a better way, that is too expensive for my liking.

I read the old posts too, I don't think that you got really "slammed" hard.  It is sad that you got that impression, I don't think that anyone meant any harm.  They just voiced their opinions, and they didn't seem overly negative.  Great day.  Cindi

[Finsky]

Our beekeeping reasearcher and many other says that springfeeding with pollen is vain job. Even more say that electrict heating is vain, even doomed operation.

But however these has teached how colony works and what is "natural laws" in spring build up. There are many misunderstanding how colony live year around. People believe what they want, but real researching tells what affects in progress.

Researching means too that learn from anothers but don't do stupid things if you know it stupid. 

I have not used spring water feeding but it is better to learn for that situation when it is needed.

The most awfull thing for those "vain effort" - specialists is that yeast is very good protein source for bees. Honey and yeast together - WAU! Nowadays I put soya flour less and a lot dry yeast.  Waked up yeast make awfull adour into house. Dry yeast is much more better.

When I feed hives and I drive with car every week 200 miles, half of cost is gasolinne cost.

When you feed will pollen patty in spring I recommend  to use some terrarium heaters too. It reveals the the need of warm  in growing hives. It put in new light screened bottom and many ather things.

.

[Cindi]

Finsky, I cannot believe how far you have to travel to go to your beeyard.  That is an entire day in my eyes.  Why don't you move closer?  LOL.  It must be probably no less than 3 hours each way, at a comfortable speed.

What do you mean, "light screened bottom and other things"?  Define.

When I make the pollen patty in spring, I make it with brewer's yeast, pollen and sugar syrup.  This is evidently very good for the bees and they like it very much.  They sure do eat alot of it.  I have many frames of pollen in the freezer.  This is a result of combining so many hives to try to make at least some a little bit stronger. 

Do you remember me saying that I went down from 10 hives to 4 hives.  I don't think that little hive that had 2 frames of bees will make it through winter.  Just a loss that I have to bear, it saddens me is the only thing, poor colony.  So I have quite a bit of stored pollen and honey frames from combining hives.  I will give these to the bees, as well as the pollen patty as extra protein if needed.  There was no disease present, so the honey is safe.

Great day. Cindi

[empilolo]

Soy flour. Do you grind up the beans yourself ? I know from my fish breeding/fry rearing activities that - at least for fish - best feeding results with soy are obtained if soy is toasted at 177C for 10 mins (lab results). In practice, I preheat the (baking) oven to 200C, then fill the trays with soybeans, bake them for 15 mins, let cool, mill. This process deals with the growth inhibitor in soy and increases protein digestibility.

I always treat soy in this way, therefore, i would be interested if anybody tried and compared results with non-baked soy products in bee patties. Just curiosity.

[Kirk-o]

Bees are pretty smart they can find water
kirko

[Finsky]

Bees are pretty smart they can find water
kirko

But if out temp is below freexing point they cannot come out.

[Finsky]

Soy flour. Do you grind up the beans yourself ?

No. I bye from shop or as in this case, but I have got sac food which is meant as milk substitute for baby pigs. It's nutrient content is stabilized.