>> I am a big fan of open-feeding.  Done right under right conditions,
>> nothing beats the efficacy of this method...

> I once open fed, but never again. It is a disservice to both your bees
> and to neighbors.

Well, actually, I don't know that I would recommend open feeding for all
people in a localities, but, open feeding -- like abandonment and many
other expert beekeeping techniques -- is just another tool in a smart
beekeeper's toolkit, and like many tools, it's application and risks
need to be appreciated, or harm may be done.  Some may never have a use
for such a tool.

Open feeding is an expert technique, and can bite you, if not used
properly, with complete understanding of the parameters.  In the proper
place, at the proper time, and in the hands of the right beekeepers,
open feeding is invaluable and irreplaceable.

> Check under the area where you open feed and you will find a lot of
> dead bees.

That is a clear indicator of a job that was not done right.   Too small
a feeding area for too many bees, or use of insufficient or
inappropriate floats is clearly indicated.

> The bees also get aggressive toward anyone in the area. A neighbor
> asked why she had bees bothering her when she never had that problem
> before. I was open feeding.

If the job is done right and the bees do not have to compete too
strongly due to a small surface area, if they do not run out of the feed
suddenly, there is often little commotion.

On the other hand, if the bees are normally agressive, and/or they are
near starvation, and there is a continuing total dearth and the days are
long and warm, with the hives located in an area where people and or
animals pass close by, problems can occur.  If it is honey and not syrup
being fed, the potential for problems is greater.

Nonetheless, many, many tankerloads of sugar syrup and HFCS are
currently being fed in my part of the world these early September days,
as Fall approaches, by beekeepers who know what they are doing, and have
few problems in the process.

For a more in-depth discussion of the details of open feeding, please
consult the archives.

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

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