Autumn feeding of bees with sugar syrup

Feeding bees in the fall with sugar syrup is carried out in case of poor honey production, a large volume of pumping, if the bees did not have time to prepare a sufficient amount of product for wintering or honey of poor quality. Fertilizing in the fall is given at a certain time, following the preparation technology.

Goals and objectives of autumn feeding of bees with syrup

Feeding the colonies in the fall is necessary to create a sufficient amount of food for the further wintering of the swarm. The best option is honey. Feeding bees with sugar syrup in the fall helps preserve bee products so that maintaining an apiary is commercially viable. There are a number of special cases when fertilizing in the fall is necessary:

1. The location of the apiary is far from honey plants - the insects have stocked up on honeydew honey, a toxic product for them.It is completely removed from the hives and replaced with a sugar solution. If the nectar crystallizes, the bees do not seal it; it is also removed.
2. The rainy summer prevented the insects from flying out for a bribe; they did not collect the required amount of nectar for honey production.
3. Replacement measure after pumping.
4. Poor flowering of honey plants.
5. Sugar syrup is prepared for bees in the fall with the addition of a drug to treat swarms.

In the Central regions, when honey collection is poor, incentive feeding is used in the fall, which stimulates the instincts of the family. The measure is necessary if the queen stopped laying early. They give sugar food in small portions, the receiving bees in the hive perceive it as a bribe, they begin to intensively feed the queen, who, in turn, resumes laying. For this purpose, maintaining proportions is irrelevant.

What syrup to give bees in the fall

They use the classic version of preparation and with a variety of additives. The choice depends on the climatic conditions of the region, the wintering location and the condition of the swarm. Main types:

• traditional, consisting of sugar and water - it includes the necessary additives or is given in its pure form;
• inverted – based on natural honey;
• honey full - syrup is prepared for feeding in the fall in a certain proportion of water and honey, used to stimulate the uterus to lay eggs.

Its preparation does not take much time and does not involve significant material costs. Such food is given only to a strong family, the weakened one is strengthened with frames from another hive.

Feeding is carried out:

• using special feeders;
• give the required amount of the product, do not overuse it, otherwise the family will stop procuring nectar on its own;
• Use good quality sugar for cooking;
• in good weather, the best processing of the solution into honey takes place at a temperature of 20⁰ C;
• To prevent theft, complementary foods are given in the evening, after the foragers return to the hive.

Do not give the solution hot.

How to make syrup for bees in the fall

Preparing complementary foods requires maintaining a strict ratio of water and sugar. The bees are fed in the fall with sugar syrup prepared in accordance with the proportions. A solution that is too thick may crystallize when placed in honeycombs. Beekeepers use the product in different concentrations. In addition to the classic one, inverted meals are prepared for weaker families.

Sugar syrup for bees in autumn: proportions + table

Strong families winter safely. The pickers wear out when flying over long distances. Young insects in the hive spend a lot of energy processing and clogging the honey into the combs. To relieve them, fertilizing is carried out with a sugar product in the fall.

Cooking technology:

1. They take only white sugar; they do not use yellow cane sugar for feeding.
2. Pour water into the container and bring to a boil.
3. Add sugar in small portions and stir constantly.
4. Keep the mixture on fire until the crystals are completely dissolved.
5. To prevent burning, do not boil the liquid.

Cool to 35⁰ C, fed to families. It is recommended to take soft water. Hard accelerates the crystallization process; it is preliminarily settled for 24 hours.

Table for preparing sugar syrup for autumn feeding of bees:

An inverted sugar solution is given to weaker swarms in the fall. Insects spend less energy processing honey into honey, and the survival rate of bees after wintering is higher. The bee product does not crystallize and is better absorbed by insects. Preparation of fertilizing:

1. Make a 70% solution from sugar.
2. For autumn feeding of bees, honey is added to the syrup in a ratio of 1:10 (10% of honey from the total volume).
3. Bring to a boil, stirring well.

The mixture is removed for 1 week to infuse, before distribution to the hives it is heated to 30⁰C.

How to prepare syrup for bees with vinegar in the fall

Nectar from honey plants brought to the hive has a neutral reaction, just like autumn complementary foods. Ready honey is acidic. Bees are more willing to accept autumn feeding with sugar syrup and vinegar and spend less energy for processing and clogging into honeycombs. The acid in the solution accelerates the breakdown of sugars and greatly facilitates the work of insects.

To prepare 80% essence, use 0.5 tbsp. l. for 5 kg of sugar. Beekeepers prefer apple cider vinegar as an additive; it supplements the feed with microelements and vitamins. The swarm tolerates wintering better, and the queen begins laying eggs earlier. Prepare a sugar solution in the amount of 2 tbsp. l. vinegar per 1 liter of product.

How to make syrup for bees with hot pepper in the fall

Hot pepper is added to fertilizing in the fall for the prevention and treatment of varroatosis. The family reacts well to the component, pepper improves digestion, ticks do not tolerate the additive. Pre-prepare the tincture:

1. Finely chop 50 g of fresh red pepper.
2. Place in a thermos, pour 1 liter of boiling water.
3. They insist for a day.
4. Add 150 ml of tincture to 2.5 liters of solution.

Autumn feeding of bees with sugar syrup with hot pepper stimulates the queen to lay eggs, and mites are shed from the bees. Give the product to the swarm at the rate of 200 ml per 1 street.

How to feed bees in the fall with sugar syrup

The main task of feeding is to ensure that the family survives the winter with sufficient food. Feeding bees with honey in the fall is impractical, so they provide a sugar product. The quantity is calculated taking into account:

1. In what climate zone is the apiary located? In cold, long winter conditions, food is needed in greater quantities than in the southern regions.
2. If the hives are located on the street, the insects will spend more energy on heating, so the food supply should be sufficient; the apiary for the winter should be located in omshanike will cost less product.
3. A colony formed with 8 frames uses more honey than one overwintering with 5 frames.

Frames installed for the winter must contain more than 2 kg of sealed bee product. On average, one family accounts for up to 15 kg of honey. In the fall, the sugar solution is given 2 times more than the missing norm. Some of it will be used to feed insects during processing; the rest will be sealed in honeycombs.

Timing of autumn feeding of bees with sugar syrup

Feeding begins after completion of honey collection and pumping out bee products. Artificial nectar is given in August, work is completed no later than September 10. The timing is dictated by the life cycle of insects. Bees processing raw materials spend a lot of energy, which they will not have time to restore before winter. Most of the individuals will die.

If raw materials are supplied to the hive throughout September, young bees that have recently emerged from the brood will join in its processing; they will weaken by winter; in the spring, dead bees will be added to the hive. The queen will perceive the supply of nectar as a full-fledged bribe and will not stop laying eggs. The young will come out too late, in cold weather the young animals will not have time to fly around, and the feces will remain on the honeycombs. The swarm will not take honey from this framework; the family is doomed to death, if not from hunger, then from nosematosis.

Ways to feed bees in the fall with sugar syrup

In beekeeping, a feeder is a mandatory attribute for completing a hive. Feeding devices come in different types and with all sorts of installation options. Feeder options:

1. The hive is installed on a board near the entrance of the bees to the hive; it consists of a small wooden box divided into two sections, in one of them a container with food is placed.
2. The Miller feeder is installed on top of the hive and has a passage for bees.
3. A frame device in the form of a small wooden box, wider than the frame, the edge protrudes from the hive, it is placed near the nest.
4. An open feeding method, when liquid is poured into a small container and placed near the entrance to the hive.
5. The bottom feeder is installed closer to the back wall inside the hive; food is supplied from the container through a hose; the bottom of the device is equipped with a float so that insects cannot stick.

The traditional method of container feeding is often used. Glass jars are used and the liquid is held in a vacuum.The device is installed above the bees, the food comes out of pre-made small holes.

Autumn feeding of bees with sugar syrup in bags

Autumn sugar feeding for bees can be carried out in durable plastic bags so that the material does not tear:

1. The prepared food is poured into a bag, the air is released, and tied 4 cm above the liquid.
2. An improvised feeder is placed on top of the frames.
3. There is no need to make cuts to exit the feed. Insects will gnaw through thin material themselves.
4. A single dose is calculated in accordance with the number of bees in the family. A swarm of 8 frames processes about 4.5 liters of raw materials into honey per night.

Observing bees after autumn feeding with syrup

During autumn feeding, the behavior of the family is constantly monitored. The phenomenon is quite rare, when the substituted honeycombs remain empty and the insects are not active. Sealed honey in old frames is not enough to feed the swarm, and the sugar solution in the feeder remains untouched.

Why don't bees take syrup in the fall?

There are a number of reasons why bees do not take syrup in the fall; they need to be identified and eliminated. A common reason for refusing to process a sugar product is:

1. The appearance of a strong honeydew, as a rule, in August, bees switch from honeydew to honey collection and do not take additional feeding.
2. The bee triggers and a large area with brood. A weakened insect will abandon the transfer of artificial nectar in favor of warming the young.
3. Infection spreads inside the hive; sick individuals will not stockpile.
4. The spoiled (fermented) product will remain untouched.
5. Late time for feeding if the air temperature is about +10⁰C the bee stops taking bribes.
6. Do not rule out the appearance of a foreign odor in the hive from mice or from the material of the container into which the liquid was poured.

One of the serious reasons for refusal is the uterus. Before the main honey flow is completed, in bad weather the queen stops laying and does not resume laying during feeding. Worker bees wear out and move away; there are not enough young bees to carry and process artificial nectar.

Another reason why feeding remains untouched is an old queen whose reproductive period has ended. There is no new brood, the old individuals have worn out in the honey harvest, the swarm is weak, there is practically no one to spend the winter with, such a family will not take feeding and is unlikely to survive the winter. If, after determining the cause and eliminating it, the insects still do not process the solution, the swarm is fed with candy.

Conclusion

Feeding bees with sugar syrup in the fall is a necessary measure to ensure that the swarm has enough food for wintering. Activities are carried out after the main honey collection and pumping out of bee products. Beekeepers rarely practice the method of overwintering on a natural product; there is a risk of honeydew nectar getting into the reserve and developing nosematosis. The processed sugar product is more easily accepted by the digestive system of insects and is a guarantee of a safe winter with a minimum amount of death.

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