Feeding bees for the winter with sugar syrup. Time and amount of feeding

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Breeding and caring for bees is a responsible and laborious process. After the summer season, the owner of the hives should take care of the condition of the insects and food supplies. For a successful wintering of bees, it is necessary to carry out top dressing in the fall. This procedure will help to keep the maximum number of individuals in families in the cold season with good he alth and strength for the future flight.

Preparing bees for winter

After the summer season, the owner of the hives needs to revise the colonies. How to prepare bees for winter? To do this, he must calculate the age of the uterus and the number of brood. These data will help him decide on the need for additional measures to prepare bee colonies for wintering.

If there is evidence on the farm with insects of different "strength", then the bees should be fed with sugar syrup, because the stocks of natural honey usually go to weak families.

When all kinds of diseases are detected in insects, the evidence must be treated with special veterinary preparations. Thus, before the onset of cold weather, families will be able to restore their he alth andget stronger. Also, the necessary medicines are added to top dressing.

Do I need top dressing?

In winter, bees experience two phases of life and development. The first half of this time of year is characterized by complete calm and peace in the evidence. During this period, insects practically do not move in nests and do not eat food. They are gaining strength and energy for the next stage.

The situation is completely changed in the bee colony with the appearance of brood. At this time, insects begin to be active:

• feed the brood;
• maintain a certain temperature at the breeding site;
• regulate humidity.

Due to such violent activity, they expend a large amount of energy, which must be restored through nutrition. Therefore, autumn feeding of bees with sugar syrup can help families to produce high-quality brood.

Optimal time for the harvesting process and use of sugar syrup

Experienced beekeepers are divided. Some believe that top dressing can be done at the end of autumn, others insist on the spring version of the use of syrup. When to start feeding bees for the winter?

Still, it is believed that it is better to carry out this process at the end of August and before the beginning of September. The years of bees at this time noticeably decreases and the period of nectar flow ends. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that there are no flowering plants near the hives. Otherwise, the bees will fly to these flowers, and not process the sugarsyrup.

In the southern regions of the country, feeding bees for the winter with sugar syrup can be done until October 5-10. Here at this time the average daily temperature is still above 100. In other parts of the country, it is better to complete this process before September 15-20.

Late feeding does not allow insects to completely process food before the birth of offspring. And in the process of processing top dressing, young individuals should not participate in any case. This occupation will simply destroy them. The main task in the winter of a new generation of bees is to gain strength and energy for the spring-summer season. Such insects simply wait out the cold period in comfortable conditions.

The late brood delays the first flights of the young. This leads to the fact that insects begin to empty themselves into honeycombs. And bees do not use such places for harvesting honey. Thus, in the next season, the collection of nectar and its processing into honey may be significantly reduced, and individuals may also be affected by a bacterial infection.

Insects process syrup to feed bees for approximately 14 days. During this period, the temperature regime on the street is extremely important. If this process is carried out in the spring, then the process of scarring of the uterus can be accelerated, which will lead to the loss of a large number of insects.

How to achieve the first processing of sugar syrup and the correct calculation of its quantity

To do this, before carrying out feeding work, you need to place two empty frames inside the hive. Thus, processed syrup insects will be placed in these honeycombs. According to the way the bees begin to absorbfood from the middle of the hive. Then, closer to the spring period, they will move to the combs on the side, where there will be reserves of natural honey.

Feeding bees for the winter with sugar syrup should be carried out in a certain amount. Calculating the required weight is quite simple. To do this, you need to decide on the total amount of food for the whole winter for one family. According to the estimates of experienced beekeepers, 2 kg of honey is needed for 3,000 insects (one street of the frame).

According to the rules of beekeeping, the main part should be natural food. This is honey that bees make. The owner of the evidence at the end of the season leaves him on the frame. It contains all the necessary substances for the life of insects.

Honey, which insects produce from sugar syrup, can make up 30% of the total feed. It is worth noting that the calculation is made from the mass of sugar, and not from the weight of the syrup. This means that 1 kg of honey bees produce from the same amount of sugar, and not a ready-made sweet solution.

Features of syrup preparation

In autumn, individuals should not expend much energy on the process of splitting complex polysaccharides into monosaccharides. Also, they should not spend a lot of time sealing the combs. To do this, feeding the bees for the winter with sugar syrup should be carried out strictly according to the schedule, observing the exact proportions of the components when preparing the solution.

Sugar can be used beet and cane. It should not contain foreign impurities. Water for making syrupmust be cleared. It must be boiled and defended for several days. During this time, a precipitate forms in a container with water, which must be drained.

If sugar has absorbed a lot of moisture during storage, then the finished syrup is cooked for 10-15 minutes. Thus, it will be possible to avoid infection of bees with fungal diseases. Boiling the syrup is strictly prohibited. You also need to strictly ensure that it does not burn, otherwise the insects will not be able to process it.

You need to cook syrup in an enamel bowl. It should be thick. To process a liquid sweet solution, the bees expend a lot of energy and enter the wintering mode weakened. This will affect their he alth and honey quality next season.

Composition of syrup for feeding bees for the winter

Beekeepers have tried many different feeding recipes. Proven and high-quality formulations are now used:

1. The most optimal ratio is 3 (sugar): 2 (water). Thus, 60% of the sugar content of the syrup is obtained. For example, to prepare 10 liters of ready-made food, you need to take 6 kg of sugar and 4 liters of water. To prevent crystallization, acetic acid is added to the mixture in a proportion of 0.3 ml per 1 kg of sugar. This ingredient has a good effect on the quality of wintering bees. They have a more developed fat body and produce excellent brood in the spring.
2. You can increase the immunity of insects with the help of cob alt supplements. This component favorably affects the young. Bees increase resistance to diseases andin the spring with good strength go to fly. You can buy this component at a pharmacy. There, the substance is sold in the form of cob alt chloride tablets. These 2 tablets are enough to add to 2 liters of ready-made syrup.
3. Recycled syrup honey does not have enough nutrients for bees. To bring the composition as close as possible to natural, cow's milk is added to the sugar solution. Thus, the bees can use 76% of the required nutrients. To prepare such a syrup, you need to take 20% less water. After the finished syrup has cooled to 450, you need to add milk in the amount of water missing to the proportion. So, to prepare 10 liters of syrup, you need to use 3.2 liters of water and 0.8 liters of milk. Such a solution is fed into the hive in a warm state.
4. Baker's yeast is often used in recipes. In this case, the syrup is cooked in a ratio of 1:1. For 10 liters you need to take 250 g of pressed yeast. They need to be ground into half a liter of ready-made syrup and then added to the entire solution, mixing well. Such top dressing of bees for the winter with sugar syrup will provide the insects with a sufficient amount of trace elements and vitamins. When using dry yeast, soak it in advance at the rate of 12 g per 1 liter of ready-made syrup.
5. To avoid nosematosis, you need to add Fumagillin to the syrup at the rate of 250 ml per 12.5 liters of finished feed. The medicine must be diluted in clean water before use.
6. To protect the hives from ticks, you need to add a small amount of needles to the top dressing. Also this supplementprovides families with extra vitamins and smells good.
7. You can replenish the protein in the diet of bees with the help of a chicken egg. To do this, beat the egg well with a whisk or mixer and strain it through cheesecloth. The ingredient must be added to the finished syrup. For 1 family of bees, 1 piece will be enough

All additional ingredients are added to the cooled syrup. Ready food should not be boiled or overheated. If necessary, boil the finished syrup, you need to periodically remove it from the heat before boiling.

Preparation of syrup

Water in the required amount is settled in advance. Then it is brought to a boil in an enamel bowl and set aside from the fire. Only in this case, the required amount of sugar is added and mixed thoroughly.

When using a liter jar to measure the amount of ingredients, you must not forget that only 800 g of bulk substances are placed in it. After the sugar is completely dissolved, the syrup is left to cool to 400.

Now you can add the necessary additional components to the feed to increase the amount of vitamins and microelements. Also, natural honey can be poured into the finished mixture in an amount of 10% of the total amount of the solution.

Bees seal honey from syrup into honeycombs, process it, reduce or add the required amount of water. Therefore, you need to carefully prepare sugar syrup for bees. Proportions 3:2 must be strictly observed. So, a syrup with optimal density is obtained, and itsit is easy for insects to process into sugar honey and not spend extra energy.

How to carry out the feeding process

It is important not only to prepare the syrup correctly, but also to distribute it correctly. Otherwise, all preparations will be in vain. An experienced beekeeper knows exactly the time and amount of feeding bees for the winter for his farm. Young owners should familiarize themselves with the basic methods. Feeding bees with sugar syrup is done:

• small quantities at a time (up to 1 liter);
• large quantities (1-3 liters).

The first way is more acceptable and justified. In small doses, bees process sugar syrup into honey faster and better. The enzyme produced for the breakdown of sugars (invertase) is sufficient in sufficient quantities for the entire serving of top dressing.

The second method can be used under the condition of a large and strong family. It is also relevant under the condition of good brood in the hive. Feeding bees for the winter with sugar syrup takes place with the help of upper feeders and sometimes side feeders. Empty combs are removed from the hives in advance. From the upper feeders, insects take the syrup faster and process it, because it cools more slowly there.

Autumn feeding of bees with sugar syrup is done in the evening. Drops of sweet solution should not fall on the walls of the hive or on the ground around it. Otherwise, the bees will fly out and perform additional collection actions, and the food will not have time to process.

What container should be used?

Sugar syrup for bees(proportions must be strictly observed) can be placed in the hive in several ways:

• ceiling or side feeders that are lined with bridges of wood or straw to avoid dipping insects in the syrup;
• 3 liter jars;
• packaging bags;
• filling empty honeycombs.

In small farms, improvised devices are often used when autumn feeding of bees with sugar syrup is performed. So, the prepared mixture is placed in a 3-liter jar, in which the neck is then covered with gauze folded in several layers. The jar is turned upside down and placed in the upper sections of the hives. The syrup should not flow out of the container. The bees suck food through the gauze protection.

Using feeding bags

The cheapest and most convenient way is to use packing bags for feeding. They differ from polyethylene in greater strength and the presence of microscopic pores, which allow the smell of syrup to spread well throughout the hive. Thus, you do not have to pierce the packages yourself.

With such a container, the bees will spend minimal effort on puncturing the bags, and the sugar solution will not drip onto the walls and floor of the hive. This method is often described by many professionals in the beekeeping section. Feeding bees for the winter with bags takes a minimum of time and physical effort.

The bags are filled with ready-made syrup and tied. They fold in the evening on the top framescarefully so as not to crush the bees. This design is insulated and closed. In a few days, the bees will completely take away the top dressing and will process it.

In order for insects not to refuse to take food in this way, it is necessary to add a little natural honey to the syrup for smell. This method is considered the most common and convenient.