Why Your Colonies May Need Pollen Patties Are you new to the beekeeping community? You may be surprised to hear beekeepers talking about buying or making pollen patties. Don’t bees collect their own pollen? Yes, they do. But sometimes the bees can use a little help. Feeding pollen patties can be the difference between having […]
Feeding Honey Bees Sugar Water-The Right Way
Feeding Honey Bees Sugar Water – Updated! Mixing sugar water for bees is one of the first tasks most new beekeepers attempt. Feeding new colonies can mean a big boost in development. But, you need to do it right to avoid problems. Each year thousands of beekeepers invest time in feeding bees sugar water. And, […]
One Emergency Method of Feeding Bees in Winter
Reasons for Feeding Bees in Winter In a perfect situation, honey bees work throughout the warm months. They collect pollen and nectar. The nectar is converted into honey and stored for Winter. A healthy honey bee colony in a region with plenty of nectar sources should be able to sustain the cold months with their […]
How to Make a Pollen Feeder for Bees
An Easy & Inexpensive Way to Make a Pollen Feeder It is a common practice for beekeepers to offer pollen or pollen substitutes to honey bee colonies. This gives the honey bee colony a boost at certain times of the year. A drought may cause a lack of natural pollen or rapidly building early Spring […]
The Secret to Successfully Feeding Fall Bee Colonies
Feeding Fall Bee Colonies – One Last Time The cold weather is here or will be in a few days and most beekeeping jobs should be finished. Hopefully, all colonies are queen right and varroa mite counts are low. Each colony should have good honey stores. Even so, most years I add a strategy to […]
Feeding Bees For Winter Survival
Feeding Bees For Winter Survival In a perfect world, beekeepers would never need to be concerned about feeding bees for winter. Every season would provide abundance nectar for all colonies. And some beekeepers feel strongly about the issue of feeding bees …..or not feeding. However, nature has many uncontrollable factors. The honey bee colony is subject to the same environmental […]
How to Feed A New Package of Bees: Keys to Success
Why Feed a New Package of Bees? Knowing how to feed a new package of bees is very important to the novice beekeeper. Understanding why is even more important. Local forage conditions and summer droughts affect the condition of your colonies. Buying a package of bees is the most common way to acquire new honey […]
How to Make a Bucket Feeder for Bees
Making An Bucket Feeder is Easy If you are a beekeeper, you will most likely want to make an open bucket feeder at some time. The term “open feeding” refers to a feeding station that is away from the hive. The honey bees fly to the feeder – fill up with sugar syrup and fly […]