Feeding Bees and Starvation

March 2013 Starvation Risk. Important Information about Colony Food Levels

apiarymanager Feeding Bees and Starvation, National Bee Unit

advice from the national bee unit

With the continued poor weather looking to persist through to the end of March, colonies may be starting to run out of food (if they haven’t already). It would be advisable to check the food levels by opening the hive and making a very quick observation on their store levels. Key points to remember are:

• The colony may still have stores available which are at the other end of the brood chamber to the cluster of bees. If there are ‘empty’ frames between the two then the bees could still starve, despite food being in the chamber. Move the frames of food directly next to the outer frame where the cluster resides, ensuring that you score each frame of food (not excessively, but enough to stimulate feeding). Be sure not to knock or roll the bees when doing this and to be as quick as possible.

• If the colony has little or no frames of food then give them a block of candy or fondant. You want to aim for about 2.5 kg per hive and although this may seem to be a great expense, it is far less than the money you will have wasted should the bees die.

• Mini plastic bags that are used to store loose fruit in from the supermarket are perfectly acceptable for holding the fondant and cost nothing. Pack the candy in the bag and then pierce holes in the appropriate place once you get to the hive. If the bag seems fragile then you can double bag it (just be sure to pierce both bags).

• At this time of the year we would usually start feeding sugar syrup but with these temperatures it is still too cold. Place the fondant directly above the bees, turning the crownboard if necessary so that one of the porter bee escape holes is above the cluster.

Please be aware that this should be done as quickly and carefully as possible and although it may seem too cold to open the hive now, it is far better to do so knowing the bees are ok than not to and find later that they have died.

For more information please refer to Best Practice Guideline Number 7 – ‘Emergency Feeding’.

Are Your Bees Short of Supplies?

apiarymanager Feeding Bees and Starvation, PBKA

Remember to keep an eye on the stores in your hives by giving them a heft periodically. The queen is likely to start laying in earnest soon and the remaining winter stores can soon get used up. Late winter and early spring are the danger periods for lack of stores, so don’t risk your colonies. If you need to feed them now, use candy or fondant. You can use light syrup (1:1 by weight) in a contact feeder once the weather warms up and the signs of spring start to appear, especially if you want to build up a colony for queen rearing, or to split. Don’t use a rapid feeder, or pan feeder as NBU now suggest we should call it, though as it may be too cold for the bees to come up. For more information see BeeBase’s Best Practice Guide to Feeding Sugar.

Remember too that bees need energy food (sugars) and protein (pollen). Raising young bees takes a lot of both. So in addition to making sure that sugar is available in liquid form stored from last year (honey or fed in late summer as sugar syrup) or in fondant form make sure that pollen or a pollen substitute is available. See this Feeding Pollen and Pollen Substitutes guide on BeeBase for more details.

Starvation Risk – Advice from the National Bee Unit

apiarymanager Bee Health, Feeding Bees and Starvation

With the on-going poor weather, there is a real risk of bee colonies starving. “Please check for stores in the colony and if in any doubt feed your bees. You should feed with either a fondant or a thin syrup [PBKA feed mix ready reckoner].

Further information on feeding bees can be found in Best Practice Guideline No. 7, on the Advisory Leaflets page of BeeBase (click here).”

This is a good opportunity to reminder to register on Beebase to get emailed with the latest updates on bee health[webmaster].

Do your bees have enough stores?

apiarymanager Feeding Bees and Starvation

Given the relatively cool weather we are having at the moment which is limiting foraging activity and the increasing size of our colonies, lack of stores is a serious threat. It is advised therefore, that you check your colonies for stores and feed if required. Do not assume however, that you can gauge the level of stores simply by hefting alone, as the increased brood also adds significant weight to the hive. Better safe than sorry!

Ambrosia Bee Food

apiarymanager Feeding Bees and Starvation

With white granulated sugar becoming more expensive, many beekeepers are turning to specialist alternatives with Ambrosia Bee Food being very popular.  The product is specially formulated for bees by its manufacturers in Germany, the sugar used comes from sugar beet apparently but which has been processed using enzymes to produce a feed which is very close to nectar, will not ferment or otherwise degrade and is highly acceptable to the bees.

Unlike many products sold for bees this one seems to work.  Ricky Wilson uses it in his queen rearing colonies and reports good results with rapid colony buid up.  He is also planning to obtain a bulk supply for sale, in smaller quantities, to members – will let you know more about this when we have details. Frank Gellatly also reported good results when we were discussing this after our AGM.

You can read more about the product in this helpful brochure from the manufacturer.