Last Year I Started Beekeeping - So Exciting

[chigger bait]

Question: How long does it take bees to realize the top feeder is food? And how will I know when they are no longer taking syrup? Thanks!

Not long.

I would say they will take syrup as long as they are drawing wax out in their brood boxes.

You have a nice set up.

 

[madamwlf]

Thank you. I love sitting out there watching them work.

 

[chigger bait]

It is addictive.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Julie: I have a question about the Honey B Healthy Recipe, How do you disolve the lecithin? am I using heat? And, this recipe is for the base... that I ADD to a quart of water one TBSP at a time, right?

Still no bees here. : ( DH got a tentative delivery day of this Wednesday, but I think that is going to fall through too. I feel like I'm hatching eggs.... another lesson in patience for me. DEFINITELY NOT one of my strong points.

Chigger: I LOVE your labels. We've got quite a few Tulip Poplars on our property, DH loves them.

Madamwlf: Thanks for the pool tip! We do not have a water source close by, there is a low lying teeny tiny stream about 500 meters away (guess~ ta~mate) on a neighbor's property, so I'm digging the swimming pool idea!

Does anyone have suggestions on plants that could be put in to keep the bees happy?

 

[JohnWills]

I don't have bees, but have thought about getting some. Hope you get lots of honey

 

[sgtmom52]

Julie: I have a question about the Honey B Healthy Recipe, How do you disolve the lecithin? am I using heat? And, this recipe is for the base... that I ADD to a quart of water one TBSP at a time, right?

Still no bees here. : ( DH got a tentative delivery day of this Wednesday, but I think that is going to fall through too. I feel like I'm hatching eggs.... another lesson in patience for me. DEFINITELY NOT one of my strong points.

Chigger: I LOVE your labels. We've got quite a few Tulip Poplars on our property, DH loves them.

Madamwlf: Thanks for the pool tip! We do not have a water source close by, there is a low lying teeny tiny stream about 500 meters away (guess~ ta~mate) on a neighbor's property, so I'm digging the swimming pool idea!

Does anyone have suggestions on plants that could be put in to keep the bees happy?

Put the lecithin in a little hot water and let it sit for several hours. You can also make this in a blender ~ do not use your good blender for this as it is difficult to get the spearmint & lemongrass oils out of it! This is the base. You can use 1 teaspoon per quart of water. I do not feed it all of the time. I usually spray it on comb when hiving bees or add it to 1/2 of the jars when feeding, so they also have plain sugar syrup.

I hope you get your bees soon. We just got our 3rd swarm yesterday and none of them were from our hives!

The pool tip is nice ~ however it is a bit of overkill. Bees don't need that big of a water source and it would be harder to maintain & keep mosquitoes out of. I would go with a much small container. A bird bath works well.

 

[ThePigeonKid]

Honey Bee Healthy ?
What do you all think about it? I heard when I get my packaged bees that I can spray this on them and the queen and let the queen loose write then. Is this true?

 

[madamwlf]

We went into the hive today. I moved a few frames to the ends so I could put empty frames towards the middle. They have been quite busy. Looked like 3 frames drawn out. I have noticed they aren't really taking the syrup anymore. I'm very happy with the progress they are making!

 

[sgtmom52]

Honey Bee Healthy ?
What do you all think about it? I heard when I get my packaged bees that I can spray this on them and the queen and let the queen loose write then. Is this true?

I think it does has benefits when used properly. I don't use it all the time when feeding as I think plain sugar syrup is best. I do use it in a sugar spray which I spray on the comb when hiving packages or swarms to help them "settle in" . I think it helps make the comb more attractive to them and encourages them to draw new comb.
I do not release any of my queens when installing packages. I allow the bees 3 days to release the queen to make sure that they have accepted her. Releasing her too soon can be a death sentence for her and the entire hive unless you can replaced her fast. It is not worth the risk to me. I even go back in 3 days to the hives I have at a farm 10 miles away. I would not trust the Honey B Healthy spray to assure the queens acceptance.

 

[sgtmom52]

We went into the hive today. I moved a few frames to the ends so I could put empty frames towards the middle. They have been quite busy. Looked like 3 frames drawn out. I have noticed they aren't really taking the syrup anymore. I'm very happy with the progress they are making!

When moving frames around make sure not to "rearrange" comb that has eggs or brood in it. That disrupts the brood nest and makes it harder for the nurse bees to care for the larva. As the nectar flow has started in your area, they may slow down or stop taking the syrup. You may want to make sure that they still have some available if they have rainy days when they can't forage.