Bee check

[Bridget]

Had a quick peak when it was warmer on Monday to see how much fondant left. Very little, with lots of bees on it so the question is should I give them a bit more? Too inexperienced to heft the hive and I don't want to delve deeper, into the brood box, to check their stores. They are active any day it's warm enough though some were caught out last week after the sun went behind a cloud and a cold wind blowing. I found a few bodies on the paving by the house.

[HensandBees]

personally I feel if you have some give them some more . if they want it they will take it, if they can get out to pollen and nectar they will go out in preference . better fed than starved ... start hefting your hive when you can assess contents anyway to get the idea of the weight for the future ,,,,,,,,,,

[gavin]

You may be able to see whether there are sealed stores near the tops of the frames without lifting any. Otherwise, I'd go with HensandBees, particularly given your location and the late spring you may have. March is a risky month.

[Bridget]

Great - thanks all

[Jon]

If you remove the crown board and cover the cluster with a tea towel for a couple of minutes you can pull a couple of frames from the back of the colony to check if there are stores present. It only takes a minute or two and it is reassuring to check that there are stores there. Many beekeepers overfeed in Spring, especially the new beekeepers. Having said that, you are well north of me and You need to wait for a mild day if you are going to have a quick look.

[Gscot]

Looked in the hive today and still 7 or 8 frames full of feed "Is it possible to give them too much feed ?" I gave them as much as they would take Sep.- Oct.Was thinking they might not clear the frames for the start of the honey flow and the old honey mixing with the new.

[Jon]

I checked a few today and although some were light, others had 4 or 5 frames of capped stores which would be at least 20 lbs. They wont consume that before the honey flow starts so I will have to remove these frames which have sugar syrup in them.

[Gscot]

"The full frames which you remove can they be used for anything and will they keep for any time ?"

[Jon]

I use them in nucs which I make up later in the year or feed them back to any colony which is light. They often need checking for stores in June especially if the weather is bad. capped stores should keep a long time. Open stores absorb water and start to ferment after a while.