Where I live in middle England, oilseed rape is in full bloom by the first
week in May.

To get the benefit, that is when I need my maximum foraging force and this
means getting the queen to start laying by feeding in mid-February.  I have
been doing this successfully for 15 years and the only problems occurred in
those years when May was wet and all those bees were unemployed!
(Everything in beekeeping is a gamble, though - and I bet it will go on
being so when you have got all these marvellous inventions that you think
are going to reduce the odds!)

There are certain constraints to be observed.

1)  The food should be half strength syrup for immediate consumption, not
the saturated solution you give them in autumn for storage.  Candy does not
have the required effect, either and it does not matter what stores they
already have. You have to convince the colony that here is a source of fresh
nectar.  Am I right in thinking that a bee can only digest liquid and it has
to go out and fetch water in order to dissolve candy?  If so, you might as
well save them the trouble by dissolving it for them.

2) It must be a contact feeder.  If the bees have to go up and over to find
the syrup, they will just not bother.  The quantity I feed is 1 litre a
fortnight until they don't seem to need it.  Small quantities in big feeders
leak so you need a supply of 1 litre feeders.  We used the 1 kg. plastic
tubs that you buy from the supermarket containing low fat spread and similar
commodities.  The lid is indented by one bee space so all you have to do is
punch about a dozen holes.

2a)  Here's a tip to reduce spillage.  Hold the tub up in front of you using
both hands, fingers on top, thumbs underneath.
Press lightly on the lid with the fingers and gradually reduce the pressure
as you roll the tub upside down.  Do this, holding it over the feed hole in
the crown board so any small spillage goes into the brood box and lets them
know the feeder is there. I do a similar manoeuvre with big feeders, with
hands on top and the whole thing pressed against my chest.  This procedure
should be rehearsed with plain water several times.

I was lucky in my bekeeping because the local farmers grew autumn and spring
sown rape and ditto beans; hence in good years I averaged 100 lbs per hive
with the all time record of 297lbs for ordinary national hives with single
queens.  From 12 hives I supplied 6 village stores within a 5 - mile radius
and was regarded as almost commercial.

Living in an island where it is impossible to get more than 72 miles from
the sea, I have difficulty in visualising the circumstances of some other
members of this group; last week, somebody mentioned having hives 150 miles
away which is incredible.  No wonder he cannot do the 8-day inspections that
are usual over here throughout the swarming season.  For most British
beekeepers, remote indication means signalling from the bottom of the garden
to the house.

Looking back over this posting I seem to have mixed up past and present
tense.  That is because I have not quite adapted to having sold off the bees
2 years ago.  Any way, the backache has gone!

Happy Honey Harvesting.   Rex Boys.