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Subject:
From:
Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:08:46 -0400
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> Are you only feeding patties to your hives? No syrup at all? 

Yes. The patties do contain sugar, but I'm going to have to feed syrup, I know, since they are building up fast. 

All the syrup I have on hand is HFCS from 2002 and I was thinking that it is no good, so I sent a sample to the University for testing. I won't hear back for a few weeks. In the meantime, I will have to borrow some syrup from friends, I think. I've had the flu and been too tired to do much. 

I want to get all my old honey feed frames used up, but also do not wish to risk starvation. Syrup is superior in its availability compared to granulated frames and also good syrup dilutes the HFS that develops in older honey. Some of the frames may contain honey that is six or more years old, and I seem to recall, having learned on BEE-L, that by that age, the HMF is usually getting up there. 

Slapping on patties is easy and the consumption is around 0.15 lbs per day per colony, so now I have to keep going. I can't believe how many beekeepers just order a few patties per hive. It stuns me. 

I have to figure one patty per hive per week on average. That means six patties per hive just to get from now to the reliable pollen flows in late April and May. Moreover, last year I proved to myself that quitting then is not necessarily optimal. 

My best hives already inhaled four pounds of these Globals in eleven days and all that is left is a few scraps of paper and a tiny corner or two. 

Most of my hives still have enough weight for the present, and I don't want to stimulate the hives yet any more than I can help, but a few are light. 

I added frames of honey to them a few days back and yesterday I went through and noticed one of those hives had all eggs and no brood, but otherwise looked fine, so I gather that the previous brood all hatched and that they were near starving until I moved the feed in and they were able to mobilize it. 

I've been experimenting with let-alone beekeeping. Last year I fed no syrup, did not medicating, and put on patties in April. The bees did well, but I ran into some AFB. I may write an article... 

Anyhow, this year, encouraged by a good year last year, I decided to be more active. Usually I don't like to put on patties early, but when I saw the brood underway already, and some small bees, I figured I had better assist, so I slapped on patties and now have slabs of brood. It is still almost exactly a month to reliable pollen comes in. They are going to eat me out of house and home, but they should be ready to swarm or split by May 10th, and I plan to split, then split again. 

There are pictures in my current diary. 

http://www.honeybeeworld.com/diary/

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