FEEDING TIME FOR THE HONEY BEES

I checked my honey bees this morning, for the first time in about 6 weeks. There is a lot of goldenrod blooming, and some wild flowers. In spite of all that the bees were critically low on their honey stores. I mean I didnt see any capped honey. Thats bad.
So I mixed up some sugar water for them and got with the feeding program.
Im just saying. I thought they were ok. Since I havent taken any honey from them since the middle of July.
All you bee keepers --May want to check your hives. It looks like I will be on a regular feeding program untill spring.

My neighbor had something like that happen. Checked and had no honey. Turned out to be worms and mites. Hes got them set up with feeder too and going to help them through the winter.

I have been working for the last three weeks. Putting in med. strips and giving sugar water.

What are you treating?

I need to check mine too. I pulled my honey late and still haven't gotten around to bottling it. If they haven't put up any honey this fall, they have missed a great opportunity. We've had a prolific Goldenrod bloom and enough rain along to help the Goldenrod produce a decent quantity of nectar.

I'm going to be disappointed if I have to feed.

I'm treating for varroa mites. Put in strips for 40 days then pull them out.
WARNING!!! If you treat your hives make sure you have pulled all the supers you plan to use for honey extracting next year.
You do not want to sling honey from waxed that has been treated.

For you guys that are feeding. Are you using a front or top feeder?

Shed Master, have you heard about Oxalic Acid treatment for mites? I haven't treated my bees, they came from stock that has never been treated. If I do have to treat, I'm going to use OA.

I am using top jars. I took a 2 3/4" hole saw to to a top board and made a hole for a mason jar lid.. Im having a problem with a couple hives trying to rob the weaker one. I may move the weaker one to try and stop it.
I'm mixing sugar water, and 2 teaspoons Honey bee healthy to 1/2 gallon. it will be gone the same day.

FurFlyin we have a few in our club that are using the acid treatment this year. I will next year if they have good results.

Collerdncornbread stay on top if you think you have robbing. I had a hive they wiped out in couple days. I mean they took everything.

I checked them, and fed again monday. I closed up the front hole to 2". on the weak one. I filled all the feeders, and was carefull to not drip any syrup on the hives. I have screen bottom boards and I may have dropped too much syrup over the frames which went to the ground the other day. I think I have that solved.
I know they can wipe one out very fast. I had it happen years ago when I was robbing. I had 30 colonies in one apiary and I decided to look into the brood chamber of a weak hive, I guess all the supers I had on the truck had a lot of bees grabbing free honey and when I opened the weak hive they dove in. The queen left and they swarmed away. I re-hived them later that day 1/4 mile from there.
thanks S.M.

Where do you guys buy your sugar? It could really get expensive buys sugar at walmart!

I bought a 55 gal drum for $90.00 they said it was bout 500 lbs.

Shed Master, where at if you don't mind me asking?

A local man here in Calhoun Co. He gets it somewhere in Ga. and buy a trailer load.
Not sure how many he has left. I can find out if he's still has any for sale if you want?

I haven't used much but I buy mine at a local bakery. I think I paid $22 for a 50lb bag. I was told that the cheap 55 gal drum sugar is what's left in a barge after the good sugar has been removed. I don't know if that makes it unfit for human consumption, or unfit for bee consumption, but what I have seen had a good bit of contaminants in it. Contaminants being black specks, I have no idea what it was.

When you feed sugar water, it's best to add a little apple cider vinegar to it. Nectar typically has a pH under 6. I don't use any essential oils or honey bee healthy in mine because there is some research that says that can cause problems. Like anything else, just do what works best for you.