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Hi all new beekeeper. I bought two nucs this spring and both are doing great they have tons of honey in the two brood chambers and I put a honey super on the top and that is almost full. My question is I split one of the two hives in June and it has two brood chambers there is brood on the inner 4 frames on both boxes but no honey and very little pollen. Should I feed them sugar water now and would this cause the other hives to rob it as they dont need any feed.
Second question I performed a sugar roll and found only two mites should I treat or leave alone?
Thanks for the help
Tim
Second question I performed a sugar roll and found only two mites should I treat or leave alone?
Thanks for the help
Tim
I think you got to feed that split to give them enough food for the Winter. If your other two hives really are full of honey on the top then you can probably swap out a frame or two of honey from them to your split hive. If there is a goldenrod flow in your neck of the woods then they will refill, if not, then you can feed those hives as well to top off their stores. Three hives will take up more net feed than just one.
But as Ron mentioned, don't do open feeding right now. That would turn into a massive cloud of bees (some yours, some your neighbors, all sharing mites and other problems), yellow jackets, and wasps. Your split would only get a small fraction of the feed you put out. Internal feeders are much better. I like the Mann lake pro feeders with the cap and ladder.
http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/product/FD-805.html
I won one in a lottery a few years back and was very pleased at how well the bees use it. You will have to pop out a frame or two to make use of it, But if you grab a few empty frames, swap them with honey frames in your other hives, you will have the space if you take those honey frames and put them in the fridge or chest freezer. When you take out the feeder in a month or so you take out those honey frames from the fridge and slide them in to fill the space.
Probably a good idea to have a entrance reducer on most of your hives right now unless they are very strong or there is a locally great goldenrod flow.
But as Ron mentioned, don't do open feeding right now. That would turn into a massive cloud of bees (some yours, some your neighbors, all sharing mites and other problems), yellow jackets, and wasps. Your split would only get a small fraction of the feed you put out. Internal feeders are much better. I like the Mann lake pro feeders with the cap and ladder.
http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/product/FD-805.html
I won one in a lottery a few years back and was very pleased at how well the bees use it. You will have to pop out a frame or two to make use of it, But if you grab a few empty frames, swap them with honey frames in your other hives, you will have the space if you take those honey frames and put them in the fridge or chest freezer. When you take out the feeder in a month or so you take out those honey frames from the fridge and slide them in to fill the space.
Probably a good idea to have a entrance reducer on most of your hives right now unless they are very strong or there is a locally great goldenrod flow.
Thanks Ron,
On the split I have two deep brood chamber no Honey supers on it. The other two hives have two deeps and a honey super on it and they are doing fine.
On the split I have two deep brood chamber no Honey supers on it. The other two hives have two deeps and a honey super on it and they are doing fine.
I would feed but I would feed on top closed in.
This split how many boxes do you have .
I run two deeps and a medium super so I can have a total hive wight over 165 lbs for winter.
I use 1 gal epoxy lined cans to feed .
Figure 1 gal 2/1 sugar water for every 10 lbs you need.
Your mite count I find the sugar shake to not give good resolutes.
I do alcohol shake 1/2 cup bees that's about 300 bees . Mite count over 3% is getting to high they would need Treatment .
Hope this helps
Ron
This split how many boxes do you have .
I run two deeps and a medium super so I can have a total hive wight over 165 lbs for winter.
I use 1 gal epoxy lined cans to feed .
Figure 1 gal 2/1 sugar water for every 10 lbs you need.
Your mite count I find the sugar shake to not give good resolutes.
I do alcohol shake 1/2 cup bees that's about 300 bees . Mite count over 3% is getting to high they would need Treatment .
Hope this helps
Ron
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