🐝💗Our Backyard Beekeeping Journey!💗🐝

[drstratton]

I don't have much experience with feeding dry sugar but a condensing hive like @Sally PB setup is perfect for dry feeding. I've had very good results with condensing hives. Bees need water to use dry sugar, and a condensing hive gives them the water they need. But it is important to have less insulation on the sides than the top for condensation to form.

We're not using dry sugar. We're making sugar blocks, made with, sugar water, vinegar and since I have it on hand I will add some honey bee healthy. We are only insulating the top. I will share some pictures of our setup once it's complete. We have all of the components, just need to put it all together. Dale will be doing that today. I'm going to be gone for a few days, but he will take pictures for me. We will make the sugar blocks when I get back home.

 

[Sally PB]

Our latest Bee Nerd meeting (what hubby calls the bee club) was about setting up a condensing hive, and the science behind it. One of the presenters is a high school science teacher, the other is a meteorologist. Both have been beekeepers for several years. I wish they could make their presentation into a video and put on the club website.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

We're not using dry sugar. We're making sugar blocks, made with, sugar water, vinegar and since I have it on hand I will add some honey bee healthy. We are only insulating the top. I will share some pictures of our setup once it's complete. We have all of the components, just need to put it all together. Dale will be doing that today. I'm going to be gone for a few days, but he will take pictures for me. We will make the sugar blocks when I get back home.

I too, as Apismillifera, have NO experience with dry sugar. Seems to me it would drop through the newspaper, wax paper or parchment paper to the bottom boards. Plus the bees waste time chewing the paper. I also don't use burlap or wood chips in a condensation shim. The solid blocks for me, do a great job of wicking condensation and moisten the sugar for the bees to work a little easier. Temps for the rest of the month are mid to high 30s F at night and low to high 50s daytime. Just venting for condensation so far.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Our latest Bee Nerd meeting (what hubby calls the bee club) was about setting up a condensing hive, and the science behind it. One of the presenters is a high school science teacher, the other is a meteorologist. Both have been beekeepers for several years. I wish they could make their presentation into a video and put on the club website.

You can watch a video on the Betterbee YouTube channel.

Interview with Experts: The Condensing Hive Concept with Dr. David Peck and Bill Hesbach​