Spring can be a challenging season for bee colonies, even those that have survived years. Without food stores in place until warmer temperatures arrive and flowers blossom, bees will need sugar syrup as an emergency source.
Boardman entrance feeders are ineffective at this time of year due to bee clusters needing to break apart to reach them, only being able to process syrup on relatively warm days. Instead, use a frame feeder.
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1. Sugar Syrup
Tradition dictates that early Spring beekeepers feed a thin sugar syrup (1:1 sugar:water) as part of their preparation for the main honey flow. This feed mimics nectar flow and prepares bees for honey production.
Once the weather warms up and flowers begin blooming, these checks become much less necessary. You can quickly assess your colonies’ food stores by simply lifting them without opening. If they feel heavy when lifted without opening them up, that could indicate they contain ample supplies.
If you decide to feed, it’s best to use an internal feeder. Boardman feeders require bees to break their cluster during cold days in order to access it while entrance feeders encourage robbing from bees outside the hive. Mason jars with nail hole punched lids may also work but this method tends to leave syrup dripping down onto bees below. Vitafeed Gold or Hiveworld Brood Powder can also be added as feeding stimulants and nutritional supplements.
2. Pollen
Pollen patties provide bees with vital springtime nutrition. Pollen contains proteins, lipids, sterols, vitamins and minerals which all play an integral part in maintaining colony health.
If your bees appear short of stores during either your Spring inspection (heft the hive and check its weight) or later in the season after pulling honey supers, continue feeding fondant made with two parts sugar to one part water until there are signs that natural forage is again abundant. At this point you should also add Fumagilin-B, an anti-Nosema medication, to this solution for optimal performance.
Make sure to use pure granulated white cane sugar and not beet sugar as bees are unable to process the latter effectively. Booker in Llandudno Junction provides large quantities of this pure white cane sugar at discounted rates; simply present your membership card at the counter and request a day pass!
3. Water
As spring arrives, it is vitally important that beekeepers provide their bees with enough sugar syrup until their natural food sources have returned in sufficient quantity to sustain brood building and foraging during the main honey flow. Doing this can ensure they will build enough strength for brood building and foraging as part of the main honey flow.
Bees require additional feedings during times of dearth or when there is not enough food in their environment – this varies based on location and seasonal weather fluctuations.
Small to medium colonies should use a dry sugar solution as their source of food, consisting of granulated sugar placed on a hive mat or candy board and then soaked in water to create a thicker sugar syrup. This should be done during spring and autumn when bees can absorb it through their bodies or via condensation.
Feed this type of feed using pure cane sugar instead of beet sugar which can lead to nosema. We generally suggest making a 1:1 sugar to water syrup in spring time for optimal results.
4. Honey
As soon as the temperature warms up, it will be time to feed your hives honey. Over the winter, bees consume stored honey and pollen before spring flower bloom starts; therefore supplemental feeding can help your colony develop and prepare itself better for an eventual honey flow.
Feed your colonies so they have enough population for brood rearing and collecting new wax, as well as to help fight off wax moths and small hive beetles more effectively. A larger population also means better protection from wax moths and beetle attacks.
An early spring super of full shallow or medium honey super is an excellent supplement to feed your colonies in early spring, provided the syrup you are using has been properly aged to be easily digested by bees – otherwise its sugar will be absorbed and fermented by their gut microbiota, possibly negatively impacting their colony.
