Q: Mike, should I be feeding right now? A: Depends
If you are still getting a single deep frames drawn out from a Nuc you bought this year, and you haven't been feeding and the flow hasn't really done the job...YES! You would typically feed a new package or nuc to get them started and you SHOULD see new, drawn comb in empty frames or on foundation.
If you are planning to run double deep or double medium configurations and your bees have not started drawing the second box, consider giving them a kick with some thymolated syrup and even a probiotic ASAP and remember to checkerboard from brood box 1 to brood box 2 to encourage them to draw the second box's frames faster.
It would be NORMAL to see frames on the outside that have not been drawn as much (or at all) which is why you would want to work the outside frames in, and drawn frames toward the outside. Basically you want honey frames on the outside and brood in the middle. And this would be true of a single deep, a double medium, a mod, or a double deep (with the brood nest being split between the two boxes).
You also want to be seeing a "honey" or "nectar" ring around the brood nest, in the corners at least.
THIS IS VERY REGIONAL and you might have hives (like a client's last night) in an area that was recently mowed, or the flow has stopped, or the forage has diminished for some other reason and you should bee feeding weekly.
NOTE: If you have supers on, unless you are intending to use feeding to draw them out and feed back to the bees, you should NOT be feeding.
NOTE: If you are feeding and others have supers on still (many do) you should NOT be OPEN FEEDING, meaning use internal feeders only.
???? But Mike, WHAT should I be feeding them?
A lot of beekeepers mix up their own syrup 1:1 or 2:1 or even 3:1 depending on goals and season.
Many of my customers prefer to use my 'gut healthy' 'commercial beekeeper's secret recipe' preserved syrup for convenience (knowing exactly how much they have instead of mixing and ending up with too much or a mess) and for longevity. It will usually dry out and turn back to sugar before it ferments.
It's a bummer to poor out fermented syrup (should be checked weekly) and a pain to keep mixing it.
I have syrup in stock, both 2:1 (easy to transport and to add water to containers if you want to dilute because it is liquid to liquid) and 1:1 ready to go. My customers (and I) have seen better use and less waste, even better buildup and storage of the commercial recipe mixed syrup that I sell.
If you want to order ahead I can put it in 1 gallon easy to manage jugs for pickup. Or I can include them in trips for services. (KC Metro and surrounding areas only, no shipping).
I now have monthly and weekly options for maintenance services that can be automatically billed. Bringing out feed, probiotics, supplies etc. can be included in those trips with no additional charge for delivery. (KC Metro and surrounding areas only.)
So that's a little bit of an update for you.
Pricing for syrup, for weekly/monthly maintenance plans, etc. can be found at BeeResQ.com
BEE good!
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