FEEDING BEES * G.F. TOWNSEND, CANADA Sometimes honeybee colonies must have their natural food supply supplemented because it is of insufficient quantity or quality. The feed most commonly supplied is a sugar-water syrup made by dissolving cane sugar (sucrose) in water. Do not use other sugars. Feed requirements and methods may vary from country to country and from area to area. The recommendations try to cover all situations. In some cases, references to particular areas are made. Most honey producing countries feed according to spring or autumn and tropical areas feed according to dry or wet seasons. Some countries do not permit drug feeding but others do. Autumn Feeding The cheapest and most efficient method of feeding bees for winter is to leave a super of good honey from the previous crop with each colony. Honey with a high dextrose content, one which granulates fast or has a high moisture content, is not suitable as a winter feed particularly in cold climates. Where necessary, this type of feed should be supplemented with sugar syrup. A heavy syrup made of two parts sugar to one of water is used. Warm syrup fed all at one time is preferable to intermittent feeding. If a colony requires more than one feeder can of syrup, put them on all at once. This is less likely to stimulate bees into late brood rearing. Spring Feeding Spring feeding is necessary when sufficient feed was not provided during the previous autumn. A colony should never have less than 7 to 9 kg of feed or the equivalent of three or four good combs of honey, in order to maintain brood rearing at a high level. If it is necessary to feed syrup early, while the weather is cold, the best method is to fill three or four combs with a heavy sugar syrup and place them in the colony, in direct contact with the bees. For filling the combs, use a sprinkling can or a pail with the bottom perforated with nail holes. Hold the combs on a 10 to 20 degree slope over a flat pan or tub and pour syrup into the open cells, commencing at the high end. When both sides are filled in this manner, a comb will carry just over one kg of syrup. Two parts of sugar to one part of water makes a suitable syrup for comb feeding. In central Europe, the feeding of bees by the filling of combs with a heavy syrup is not recommended as it causes an excessive accumulation of moisture in the hives. Queen cage candy is often used as this time. When the weather is warm enough to permit the cluster to break or the bees to fly, it is best to use feeder pails or open feeders supplied with a lighter syrup made of equal parts of sugar and water. The supply of feed should be watched very closely during heavy brood rearing periods. Types of Feeders Many types of feeders are used, but the ordinary friction top (Fig. 1) pail is the most popular or, in some cases, glass jars. A few small nail holes in the lid permit the bees to remove the syrup. These containers of syrup are inverted on the hop bars over the cluster of bees. An empty hive body is placed around them and the hive cover on top. Care should be taken to avoid leaky lids because the syrup will escape too rapidly and be wasted or start the bees robbing. Feeder pails must be level to avoid leaking. The Boardman feeder is quite popular in many countries and consists of a glass jar with perforated lid placed in a holder which is inserted into the entrance of the hive. Open feeders are sometimes used for spring feeding. This permits feeding a number of colonies with a minimum of labour when bees are able to fly, since individual colonies do Fig. 1 Friction Top Feeder Pails Showing Perforations * This subject is published by the Beekeeping Technology and Equipment Standing Commission in the Technical Recommendation no. 3-V-2 of APIMONDIA
not have to be opened. Troughs or tubs of syrup equipped with floats to prevent the bees from drowning are placed in the bee yard. Wooden racks, straw, or maize cobs make satisfactory floats. A roof or cover should be provided a few inches over open feeders to protect against dilution of the syrup by rain (Fig. 2). Fig. 2 Open Feeder with Wooden Float Division board feeders and bulk trays are favoured by some. The division boand type is a small boxlike syrup container that will fit into the place of one comb in the brood nest. The tray syrup feeder is placed under the hive cover and will hold several kg of feed. Access is provided for the bees at one end along the centre (Miller feeder). Feeding Combs of Honey For autumn feeding the outer combs of the food chamber, which are usually lighter than the others, are removed and heavy combs of honey put in their place. It may be necessary to replace more than two combs. For spring feeding, one or two combs may be added to a colony whenever it is getting short of feed. Occasionally, this type of feeding must be resorted to in order to save a colony from starvation. In such circumstances, score the capping on the comb to give the bees quicker access to the honey. If necessary, in the spring, combs of honey may be taken from colonies having an abundance to give to others, which are short of feed. If there has been any recent infection of American Foulbrood in the apiary, combs should not be moved from one colony to another. Dry Sugar Feeding The use of dry sugar instead of syrup for early spring feeding or emergency purposes will save much labour. Some beekeepers have been so successful in using dry sugar that they have ceased to use syrup except for autumn feeding. The sugar should be of the finest granulation available. The sugar may be placed on an inner cover with a hole in the centre, or on a square of tar paper over the frames, covered by a queen-excluder or inverted inner cover. If quilts are used, a small stick under the quilt will provide sufficient space for the bees to work the sugar placed on a paper over the frames (Fig. 3, Fig. 4).
Fig. 3 Dry Sugar Feeding Fig. 4 Dry Sugar Feeding Water for Bees Honeybee colonies require water to add to brood food and for cooling the hive during hot weather. Water will be gathered from any nearby source and, as a result, bees may become a nuisance around stock watering tanks, bird baths, swimming pools, etc. In areas where gatherers are troublesome or water is not nearby, clean water should be provided in the apiary. Water may be provided in the same manner as open feeders for syrup. It may be supplied to the colony by using perforated plastic bags or water bottle feeders. Adding Drugs to Bee Food The following information is provided for use in those countries which permit the use of drugs in disease prevention. Many countries do not either recommend or permit the use of drugs. Sodium Sulphathiazole If extracted honey is fed back to colonies, sodium sulphathiazole should be added as a preventive for American Foulbrood infection. It may also be used in all feed in areas where disease is continually present, such as in locations around cities and towns. Procedure As a preventive, use sodium sulphathiazole at the rate of one-half gr per 6 litre of feed. Dissolve the drug in warm water and then add to the feed slowly and by continuous stirring. Be sure the drug is thoroughly mixed into the feed. Drugs should not be fed to bees just prior to or during a honey flow. Fumidil-B Fumidil-B may be added to sugar syrup to control Nosema. It is of most value in weak colonies and package colonies. Use 100 mg of active Fumidil to a colony and feed one or more times, as required, during spring. Where trouble has bees encountered it is worthwhile to feed Fumidil in the fall to suppress the winter increase of infection. In this case use 200 mg per colony. Oxytetracycline Oxytetracycline gives good protection against European Foulbrood. It is also effective against American Foulbrood. 25 gr of active oxytetracycline will treat about 50 colonies. Because this drug breaks down over relatively short periods of time it is not suitable for autumn feeding.
Pollen Feeding In some areas, owing to adverse weather conditions, there may be a shortage of pollen for spring brood rearing. Unfortunately, no suitable complete substitute for pollen has been developed. There are several means by which the pollen, supply may be supplemented. The best of these requires the collection of pollen (Fig. 5, 6) in the previous year by pollen trap. This pollen may be stored in a deep-freeze (approx. 20 O C) or mixed with one part granulated sugar to 2 parts pollen and stored in a tight container at room temperature. Fig. 5 Pollen Trap in Place Fig. 6 Pollen Supplement This supplement is made by mixing 1 kg of pollen to 3 kg soybean meal and kneading to a dough with 12 kg of warm, thick syrup (two parts of sugar to one of water). This is made up by making the pollen into a paste with a small amount of water, then adding the pollen to the syrup and mixing. The soybean meal is then added and kneaded to a dough-like consistency (add a little extra soybean meal if necessary). The cakes, approximately ½ kg in weight and 3 cm thick, are placed on waxed paper and inverted directly over the frames of the brood chamber. (Fig. 7). Fig. 7 O.A.C. Pollen Trap
Mixtures for Feeding of Bees Autumn water. Sugar-Syrup The proper mix for sugar and water for winter feeding is 1 kg of sugar to ½ litre of Honey and Sugar Mixed Since honey contains on an average 17 per cent water, the proper mix for winter feed would be 50 kg of sugar, 200 kg of honey, 25 litres of water. The addition of the sugar to the honey tends to prevent crystallization of the feed. Honey Only To mix honey and water for winter feed, add 10 litres of water to 40 kg of honey. Some honeys tend to granulate very fast. If any of these honeys are fed back for winter, at least 10 per cent sugar syrup should be mixed with tem to prevent granulation. Spring Sugar Syrup: 1 kg of sugar to one litre of water. Honey and Sugar Mixed: 50 kg sugar, 200 kg honey, 150 litres water. Honey Only: 50 kg honey, 25 litres of water. Stimulative Feeding (when plenty of honey present). Sugar Syrup: One kg sugar to 2 litres water. Honey and Sugar Mixed: 50 kg sugar, 200 kg honey, 300 litres water. Honey only: 50 kg honey, 50 litres water Feeding in Tropical Areas Feed in tropical areas is usually either during a prolonged dry or rainy season. Open feeders or the use of honey for feeding either mixed with sugar or alone is not recommended in these areas owing to the possibility of starting robbing. The feed supply during these periods of no bloom must be checked every 2-3 weeks and 1-2 litres of a 50% sugar syrup added at one time as needed.