# Any Maryland beekeepers nectar flow ? How do you know?



## agastache (Jun 27, 2013)

I use feeder rims on my hives over the winter and when the bees quit eating the sugar and start building comb in the space, I figure they've got enough coming in to support them. I'm a little south of you, but all my colonies are fine without being fed now. there is nectar in several frames, and pollen coming in and stored. cool nights don't seem to be a problem--they aren't out foraging at night anyway. so, I would look to see if they have nectar being stored. if you are still worried, keep some sugar syrup on them for a little longer. I bet they don't need it.


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## missybee (Sep 6, 2014)

Thanks

We see a lot of nectar in the comb, a lot of pollen. We have some full frames of capped honey I could stick in the hives, think I will they are just dripping honey everywhere, easier than storing. Let them eat it if they want to if they don't we can pull it, I will mark the frames since they are sugar honey with some bee pro in them from fall. 

The frames came from our dead out hive, we lost one of four. For being total newbies we feel pretty good about our first winter.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

The frames that you think are nectar could be syrup if you are feeding. I simply keep the feeders on until the bees quit taking syrup. then I pull all feeders, and replace with honey supers. 
I would be careful about dripping honey around, and it could stimulate robing among your hives as well ad outsiders.


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

Feeding in spring isn't really necessary unless in emergency situations. There is plenty in bloom, the main flow is kicking in here. Not good advice to feed as blanket statement IMO.


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## agastache (Jun 27, 2013)

I think you're fine with not feeding at this point, given your description of your hives. I have not found bees to be at all inclined to robbing this time of year around here. and congratulations on getting colonies through the winter!


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## missybee (Sep 6, 2014)

We quit feeding a few weeks ago, they were not taking the syrup. The only one we are still feeding is a package that is exploding, we picked up in mid april and a split that most of the bees went back to the main part of the split. So it is like a 4 - 5 frame nuc right now, but growing. We had one angry nasty hive we split and requeened to calm down. 

btw agastache, I was raised in Rockville...........moons ago lol

Thanks for the input, we worry, maybe, too much.


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## jbraun (Nov 13, 2013)

I use Pollen.com now. They don't list everything that blooms but they can give you a general idea for your area.


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

A little west of you in West Virginia, our girls recently started bringing in maple pollen and putting down brood. We've been tracking their weight (we use a 330 pound digital hanging scale) and the hive was getting lighter, as much as 5 pounds a week. A couple of weeks back it warmed up enough that they started taking syrup eagerly. We fed them again last week. We're hoping they're bringing in nectar by now but won't be back up there until Tuesday.

We're hoping for a fast buildup, but threading a fine line between building up and swarming ... we need to replace a winter deadout.


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## missybee (Sep 6, 2014)

I am doing the opening of the brood nest with the cut foundation. (Following Lauri's post http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...sheet-of-foundation-in-deep-frames-experiment) and the opening of the broodnest ideas of Matt (http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?293602-When-to-Open-the-Sides-of-the-Broodnest/page2) They are doing a great job drawing them out, putting on the new foundation workers, drones in the empty space. 

Our one hive has drawn almost all the cut frames so we are getting ready to add more, keeps them busy. The split is still working on them. Just drawing out the foundation, starting to work on the empty space. New queen in that hive, we had to remove Mrs Nasty. 

The package has drawn out 4 cut foundation frames. They are cranking.

Thanks jbrawn, I use that to, when they said we had maple pollen our maples had not started. We are tiny bit higher than Frederick proper, surprising what that slight elevation difference does to the trees. 

Our yard is sloped, the trees (same young trees planted at the same time) at the top of the slope have huge opening leaf buds, the ones on the bottom of the slope have barely started.


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