# Feeding naturally



## mrqb (Jul 17, 2011)

if your going to feed them honey i would feed on top,an entrance feeder will likely draw unwanted,to the hive,if you don't have a hive top feeder you can use a ziplock bag and cut a 1inch slot in it with a razor blade,whats wrong with sugar syrup?


----------



## Dana (Mar 26, 2005)

Are you sure they need to be fed? Are they out of stores? Feeding carries the risk of causing robbing.


----------



## Solomon Parker (Dec 21, 2002)

The natural thing to do would be not to artificially stimulate them. Feeding itself is not natural. And the jury is still out on whether or not artificial stimulative feeding works better than a hive which is well supplied in the fall.

The best stimulant is spring pollen. It's about that time. You're going to be having a pretty nice couple of days. Natural stimulation.


----------



## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

Like QB said, 

If you put honey in an entrance feeder, you will set off a robbing frenzy. This is guaranteed. Have you checked their stores?

Shane


----------



## DLMKA (Feb 7, 2012)

I'm in central IL and the maples will be opening up today, you can't be too far off.


----------



## Fuzzy (Aug 4, 2005)

"I was thinking of putting some of their honey in an entrance feeder."

Honey "naturally" contains some yeast spores. Once you thin the honey with water, the spores will activate and begin to ferment thus producing CO2 and Aocohol.
The CO2 will increase the pressure in the jar, pushing the liquid out faster.


Bottom line -- Bad plan


----------



## mike haney (Feb 9, 2007)

"... as this will be the first time any of my hives have made it through the winter. ..."
heres my 2 cents worth: learn to keep bees,THEN learn about "natural" and "treatment free" and other variations of beekeeping.


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>heres my 2 cents worth: learn to keep bees,THEN learn about "natural" and "treatment free" and other variations of beekeeping. 

And mine would be to start out right and save a lot of rework and trouble...

If the hive is light then I would feed to avoid them starving. If it's not, I don't see any reason to feed. Feeding has a lot of downsides, not the least of which is setting off robbing when there is nothing blooming.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfeeding.htm


----------



## bobber128 (Jun 6, 2010)

Thanks for the replies! I have decided not to feed, especially as the unusual weather we are having is sure to jump start the plants soon. 

As for our bee keeping success, we are very new to bees (3rd season), however after talking to other Michigan beekeepers with 40+ years experince, it is not unusual to have a 40-60% loss in recent years, with some experienced keepers having total losses after doing everything "right". We have chosen to start off in a more "natural" manner due to having young children who consume our honey, as well as seeing that treatment does not equal success. We do anticipate having bee loss, but so far have not experienced a higher percentage than others in the area. Thanks again, Sarah


----------

