NEVER GIVE BEES FEED DURING A PERIOD YOU WANT TO COLLECT NECTAR FOR HONEY
Beekeepers are starting to feel the pinch when thinking about increasing their colony numbers. There are a few ways to increase your counts; splits from successful hives, buying a package of bees, or collecting feral colonies. Buying packages is how I'll be growing my apiary until my girls are established, which means I need to supplement them with feed. The other reason to feed is to trick the queen into becoming more productive prior to a desired pollination period, or contract.
Feed Options: the Syrup
The Basics: In beekeeping, the concentrations are often discussed in ratios and the assumption is that everyone is talking in ratios of sugar to water. When most say, "2:1 syrup", it's 2 units of volume sugar to 1 unit of volume water. In smaller quantities, measuring by weight or volume is negligible. Sugar has a density of about 849 kg/cubic meter and water is 1000 kg/cubic meter, or 1.77 pounds per quart and 2.00 pounds per quart.
1. Granulated sugar syrup, or glucose syrup, is a simple syrup commonly used in cooking.
Some may want to talk about the benefits of eating less processed foods or raw foods, which doesn't apply to bees. Brown sugar and molasses (byproduct of sugar production) contain compounds which are not good for bees so avoid them. Keep in mind that all living creatures and all cells can absorb and use glucose for energy. As for the preparation, I recommend heating the water to no more than roughly 130 degrees Fahrenheit, I microwave the water for about 20-30 seconds per cup. The hotter the water the more time is needed to let the syrup cool. Never put hot syrup on, or near, a bee hive as the bees will find it and kill themselves while trying to feed.
2. Corn syrup, or High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), is used most often because it is cheap and readily available by the tanker load. Fructose is found in nectar but this simple sugar is found in some nectars but it is not as easily digested. Tupelo honey is an example of flower nectar which bees will collect that is high in fructose. The only consideration with corn syrup is dilution methods, no heating is necessary. While this sounds like an easy solution, it is not recommended by any beekeeper I have ever met and is only used by large operations for its simplicity.
3. Honey from extraction is another option and comes with the most cautionary warnings. While honey that has been extracted is what bees will gravitate to the most, it is also the most likely to transmit disease. Unless you absolutely know the source of the honey, never feed it to your bees. It is a vector for spore forming bacterial and fungal diseases among bees, including the devastating American Foulbrood.
Between refills, I sterilize/sanitize as best as possible to minimize bacterial and fungal growth on the containers themselves.
Pollen Substitute
Pollen substitutes are commonly available from any of the major beekeeping supply companies and there are a number of brands to chose from, including recipes to make your own. Often these powders are mixed with syrup, or melter honey (byproduct of melting wax cappings), and formed into patties which are then put on the top of the frames. The patties are typically wrapped in wax paper to prevent them from sticking together and from falling to the bottom of the hive. When feeding syrup during a dearth of nectar, it is a good idea to include a pollen substitute to balance the sugar with protein and fats. Putting a patty on a bee hive is like giving them an MRE, meal ready to eat. It isn't desirable as a food source but it will supply the bees with essential proteins and strength the hive may need to increase brood prior to a particular bloom or to help out a new package of bees.
I've only had experience with Megabee and it was my substitute of choice because of David Miksa. He is a scientist by nature, has been experimenting with all the variables of brood rearing and queen rearing, and lives within 150 miles of Tampa Bay. If he found that he gets better results from using a particular product and is willing to be quoted as such, I'll trust it.
The Pinch
The inspiration behind this blog is the increased pressure on the sugar market. Sugar prices are going to get to nearly 50% more than they were last year. I'm predicting $30 for a 50 pound bag of sugar by the summer. It's not a huge leap given that the price has risen $3.80 in the last 6 months and is now ~$27.80 at Costco. I have heard that the Super Walmarts were selling 25 pound bags for about $12 early in February, but my lack of faith in Walmart's suppliers (the Chinese produce sugar now?) keeps me from giving them my money. When I check Restaurant Depot, I'll post their prices. [Edit: $25.99 as of 2010-02-26; so I bought an extra 200 lbs]
The Reasons for the increase: The major sugar produces have suffered from weather. India had drought, Brazil was water logged, and Florida had a 2 week cold snap. Beekeeping this year will be expensive and citrus will be paltry because of the same freeze. Add to it, increased demand for sugar to replace HFCS in foods. I applaud our food processors for making the change.
Another Feed Reference, it's a wiki
No comments:
Post a Comment