# Hello from Pataskala Ohio



## JOHNYOGA2 (Sep 30, 2008)

A hive very light on stores headed into winter needs to be fed. A lot. They need two deeps heavy with honey and you are fast running out of time. Feed 2:1 (sugar:water), as much as they will take.


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## kldreyer (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks-- thought I would be doing that, didn't realize it was time to do it now. Is this typical of italians, or is it an odd year? Is there such a thing as a 'normal' year?!


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## JOHNYOGA2 (Sep 30, 2008)

Well, it is an odd year, but September is normally the time I start to feed hives that are short on stores. That way they have a full six weeks or so to cure the necture (in this case syrup) into honey stores. This year saw rain during most of the major spring flow so most of us didn't get any serious honey to extract and the bees were grounded just about every third day during the summer months, so things are light in most hives. When you start feeding, since it has been a light year, think about reducing the enterance to assist the hives in resisting robbers, who should be pretty aggressive this year.


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## kldreyer (Sep 8, 2009)

Gee whiz, drinking almost a gallon of syrup a day! That hive is* ROARING* on the inside. Watched for a while this aft, did not see any obvious robbing. Have the entrance narrowed down. Happy hour& ladies night, rolled into one. Hope this is headed in the right direction!


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## JOHNYOGA2 (Sep 30, 2008)

The roar is from the bees fanning inside the hive to drive off excess moisture and concentrate the syrup into "honey". It takes them some time to get this done. Since time is short in the Fall, that's why you feed 2:1, it has less water for them to have to deal with evaporating. In the Spring, 1:1 is fine because they generally are using that as immediate food, not for long tern storage.
Good signs! Enjoy BEETV.


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