In message  <[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]
writes:
>       For Honey Bee's dry feeding is ok in an emergency situation,
> but not so good as a regulated or metered way to feed honey bees to
> increase stores or stimulate brood rearing....
 
   We have always fed dry sugar over the cluster during the winter, because
we don't want to overstimulate the bees.  Then in spring, we use syrup to
*jump start* them.
 
    The weather has *finally* turned cold.  We've had two nights in the upper
teens.  I'll be watching to see if that did in the yellow jackets.
 
   We were able to mostly stop them by stopping up entrances.  Yellow jackets
(and ants) are always a plague, if we try to feed sugar in the fall, so I
usually wait until mid December to January to start feeding.  I just have
never seen yellow jackets here in February.
 
Bill Lord says:
>I am interested in your comment about dry sugar feeders.  You must find them
useful if you are using them but could you describe your experiences with
them and give a rough description?
 
    Bill, we've used dry sugar feed through the winter for several years, and
the bees winter beautifully.  There are two styles.  One is just a rim, about
1 1/2 to 2 inches. A sheet of newspaper is laid over the top bars, and the
rim is filled with sugar.  (I threw away the issue where they told about
cutting the honey program; I didn't want to dishearten them.)  The cluster
lays just below the sugar and eats through the paper to take it.
 Condensation from the hives on cold nights will make it pretty much into a
block.
 
   The rim is best for weak hives, because they can always get the feed
directly, but it is a nuisance, if you want to get into the hive later.  On
good strong hives, I place a bottom on the rim, with a hole in it.  This
contains the sugar better, and bees will take it as needed, but won't do too
much when it is cold, and they are not directly in contact with it.
 
    I plan to start syrup in about three weeks on breeding stock and weak
hives.  Syrup can be fed in the rim type by using four or five layers of
newspaper without any holes.  It will seep through the paper and the bees
take it very well. Occasionally they'll punture it too soon and some will
drain out, but I don't think there is much waste. This is nice if the syrup
has crystals that would clog up a feeder.
 
    I figure the best way to survive is to develop systems that are cheap in
materials and labor, but get the job done.  We do have some can-type and
division board feeders, but not nearly enough, and they slow us down a lot,
anyway.
 
    I looked at quite a few yesterday (about 45 Farenheit).  You know, they
were smiling, as they munched away!
 
[log in to unmask]                      Dave Green
Eastern Pollinator Newsletter, PO Box 1215, Hemingway, SC  29554