Comments on: Bee Basics – Which Feeder?

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 13:53:54 +0000

In reply to Gimlet. Thanks Jane I'll have a look I see some orange pollen coming in now

By: Gimlet

Gimlet — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 18:25:17 +0000

In reply to Mary.

Hello Mary,
If they haven’t eaten your fondant – either they don’t need it or they are too weak to care.
You could take a look inside and if the cluster is very small and close to the top you could place a thin pancake of Neopoll or some other pollen enriched fondant directly on top of them. Or you could spray the cluster with a little warm 1:1 sugar syrup but we’re talking intensive care here. Sometimes they are just too weak to save.
I see why you might want to give them a thicker syrup but they might then need water to digest it…?

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 20:16:49 +0000

Hi me again
I think my bees are weak -light, not many out
They have not eaten fondant I put on at Xmas
So I was going to try syrup but winter or spring feed?
I thought winter/thicker might give them less work in a contact
feeder on the crown board hole. It’s still only 6 deg. or less

By: Gimlet

Gimlet — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:51:49 +0000

In reply to Mary keogh. How could they not!

By: Mary keogh

Mary keogh — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 17:11:51 +0000

In reply to Gimlet. O.k thanks for your time. They are loving the red hot pokers at the minute

By: Gimlet

Gimlet — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:14:57 +0000

In reply to Mary keogh.

Well, often some bees do drown.
There should be grooves around the cone to give the bees grip.
Make sure the little holes in the top of the cone cover are clear, or it can float – which wouldn’t help.
If there is robbing going on there could be fighting up in the feeder.
The sugar should be ok unless there’s an additive ie jam sugar which has pectin.
I don’t know what else to suggest.

By: Mary keogh

Mary keogh — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 11:12:31 +0000

45 the first day maybe these did drown, 35 the next in very little feed. It’s an english feeder, I often notice them scrambling like mad as if they can’t cling on to the cone. No treatment, Hive alive.
I’ll check the gap. Cheap Whitworths sugar from Dealz.
Regards

By: Gimlet

Gimlet — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 07:33:22 +0000

In reply to Mary keogh.

I never heard of that before.
How many bees?
Could it be possible that the bees drowned/died and the syrup crystallised around them?
What type of rapid feeder – is the feeding part sufficiently narrow to prevent them drowning?
Are you treating at the same time?
Also – what sort of sugar did you use?

By: Mary keogh

Mary keogh — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 19:01:03 +0000

Hi
I am feeding 2:1 syrup in a rapid feeder but for the past two days
the bees bits have been stuck to the crystallised sugar and they died. The syrup was clear going on.?
Thanks
Mary