Comments on: The Importance of Spring Feeding https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/ Sun, 24 Mar 2019 03:11:24 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 By: Keeping Backyard Bees https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/#comment-82403 Sun, 24 Mar 2019 03:11:24 +0000 http://keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=1424#comment-82403 In reply to Deborah.

Hello Deborah,

The bees thank you! Your one feeder will most likely bee feeding all nearby bees. Some people recommend against this because it can spread disease from colony to colony, but in the scenario that there is currently no forage for them, you are probably doing the most right thing. Keep an eye out for forage becoming available, they are opportunistic and may keep visiting you as opposde to doing their jobs as pollinators.

]]> By: Deborah https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/#comment-82395 Sat, 23 Mar 2019 19:05:38 +0000 http://keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=1424#comment-82395 I live in Alberta and I have two separate hives that live under a building with cement footings. I do not have access to the areas but the bees have come out earlier than usual due to some very warm weather for the time of year. There is nothing for them to get pollen from and due to the decimation of bees I want to give them a chance to live. I didn’t know what else to do so I made a sugar food that I found directions on the internet for in regards to the one hive. They have been out for a week and have been feeding well off the screen covered plate I have been using. This morning I discovered that another hive on a different corner of the same building have come out and are desperately looking for food. Can anyone provide me with advice they appear hungry even going into my poultry feed and eating on the feed. Do I continue with the syrup or can anyone give me any direction. I have provided them with some sugar water as well but would prefer to be getting some good advice

]]> By: Yvonne https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/#comment-82153 Sat, 16 Mar 2019 17:31:13 +0000 http://keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=1424#comment-82153 Take off the hive lid, put an empty box on top of the top board, and invert a mason jar with holes punched in the lid over the hole in the top board. Better than a poultry feeder because bees don’t need to keep the top box warm. Sun doesn’t spoil the liquid, ants aren’t a problem.

]]> By: everything in moderation https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/#comment-51170 Wed, 17 May 2017 15:50:32 +0000 http://keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=1424#comment-51170 In reply to earth and me.

feeding bees sugar is not at all why they are collapsing. lack of forage can be a problem in some areas and hence feeding your bees may be necessary. i don’t advocate taking their honey and replacing it with invasive sugar feeding but if you have bees that have gone through their winter stores or new bees that have nothing, it won’t hurt them to give them something. it’s going to rain here for the next few days and i just started a new colony. i’ve put a few gallons of sugar water in the hive so they don’t starve. once the weather is good again, they can forage for nectar. feeding sugar water is not the worst thing if you are doing it appropriately.

]]> By: earth and me https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/#comment-46068 Thu, 09 Mar 2017 16:17:40 +0000 http://keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=1424#comment-46068 Hello Jennifer, I know you mean well but your spring feeding syrup is one the worst thing you could do to for your bees. Did you harvest honey last fall ? How much did you get? What ever you took you need to give it back to them. You see the way you and most backyard beekeepers learned to keep bees was based on the commercial system. Did you know how feeding sugar water to the bees started ? Check it out and you will find that the commercial beekeepers realized how cheap sugar and corn syrup was so they robbed the honey to get a high price and then fed the bees sugar water in the spring. How long do your hives last before they die out? Are you buying bees every couple years? That is because honey is the one main source of the bees food. It is so packed with minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, etc…that the new baby bees need to be “healthy”. Have you compared the nutritional value of refined sugar to honey. Every backyard beekeeper that adopts the sugar water feeding is slowly killing their bees. Weakening their hives till they collapse. What should you do ? Only harvest honey in spring after you check the long term weather forecast and know how much you need to leave for your hive. There may be years you don’t harvest at all. If you are in this for the money people wont like hearing this. I am in this for the bees.

]]> By: Jeff Reed https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/#comment-46063 Thu, 09 Mar 2017 14:30:07 +0000 http://keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=1424#comment-46063 Jeff, Here is a website that send me e-mail newsletters – thought you might like to read them. 🙂 Janice

]]> By: NancyDawn https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-importance-of-spring-feeding/#comment-6061 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 16:44:52 +0000 http://keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=1424#comment-6061 Great article!

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