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The purpose of autumn feeding is to prepare the bees for the difficult and protracted winter period. A successful winter for all members of the bee family is a guarantee of a rich harvest in the new year. It is important to stock up on insect food in a timely manner. Feeding bees in the fall is a whole science that every successful beekeeper must master.
The importance of autumn feeding of bees
After the last harvest is harvested at the end of August or beginning of September, the bees begin to prepare for wintering. To prevent insects from starving during the cold period, part of the honey is left in the honeycombs.
When feeding insects in the fall, the beekeeper performs the following tasks:
- Providing them with nutrients until spring arrives.
- Carrying out disease prevention by adding medications to the feed.
- Stimulation of queen oviposition and population growth of the bee colony.
Incentive feeding of bees in the fall during a season with unfavorable weather conditions allows the queen to not stop laying eggs.At the same time, old bees will not die from diseases, and young insects will receive a sufficient supply of protein and vitamins to start working in the spring.
As soon as the first pumping of honey has passed, the bees are fed so as not to stop the honey collection process. The loss of the taken product is replenished; its deficiency does not affect the working capacity of insects.
The beekeeper must annually in the middle of summer create a supply of beebread and pollen for the wintering wards. On average, this is 2 frames of substance per 1 hive.
When to feed bees in the fall
For autumn feeding, beekeepers replace excess honeycombs in the hive with feeders designed for 3 liters of syrup. Glass drinkers in the form of jars, packaging bags, and perforated plastic bottles are also used for these purposes.
For complete feeding, sugar syrup is prepared. Autumn food is more nutritious than spring food. The syrup is prepared in a 1:2 ratio (water-sugar).
Honey satiate is another type of autumn food. It is prepared from 1 kg of honey diluted in 1 liter of warm boiled water (50 ° C).
After the last honey collection, they begin to put food into the hives. The timing of feeding bees in the fall may vary depending on the region. Basically, the procedure begins in the second half of August, ends in the first half of September, the 10th is the deadline.
Later feeding in the fall is considered unbeneficial for insects. Young individuals will die during the processing of syrup before reaching spring.Only old insects are involved in this process, which will not live to see the first thaw anyway.
The bees begin to be fed for the first time in the fall after the final pumping of honey. The procedure begins on August 20. In the southern regions, the process may begin later: in early September, but no later than the 10th. In the second half of September, the event will not give the insects the opportunity to process all the syrup before the offspring appear.
How much to feed bees in the fall
To calculate, you need to know the approximate number of bee colonies in the apiary. Syrup or syty is prepared at the rate of 200 g per family per day. Syrup prepared in a ratio of 1:1.5 (sugar-water) is considered to be of higher quality and suitable for autumn feeding of insects.
For the first procedure in the fall, no more than 1 liter of fresh syrup is poured into the feeders. During the day they observe how the bee colony processes it. As the insects consume the sweet food, the next portion is added. If families eat less sweet food, it is removed and fresh food is added in smaller quantities. The syrup must not be allowed to sour.
To raise brood for winter, 0.5-1 liters of honey per hive daily is enough. The birth of young individuals will be completed by mid-September. Until mid-October, after a cleansing flight, the bees will go to winter.
What to feed bees in autumn
Sugar feeding is considered the most beneficial for an apiary. Honey food is considered more beneficial for insects, but more expensive for the farm.
The following substances are used as fertilizing in apiaries in the fall:
- honey;
- sugar syrup;
- honey fullness;
- a mixture of honey and sugar.
The type of food is determined by each beekeeper empirically.Any complementary food has its advantages and disadvantages.
How to feed bees with honey in the fall
For feeding, choose 2 frames with honey, print them out and place them in the first row in front of everyone else. You can install them along the edges.
If the honey in the honeycomb begins to crystallize, soften it with a small amount of boiled water, dripping it into the free honeycombs. Once it becomes liquid, it is sent to the hive.
Damage to the product occurs if it is stored in the hive for a long time at temperatures above + 10 ° C. Also, it should not be boiled or given to insects. This substance is poisonous to them.
If there is no product sealed in honeycombs in the apiary, collected (centrifugal) honey is used for autumn feeding. Before giving it to the bees, dilute it with water (1 glass of boiled water per 1 kg of product). Everything is combined, poured into an enamel pan, and heated in a water bath. As soon as the mass becomes homogeneous, it is poured into feeders and sent to the hive. To save money, honey and sugar are used to feed bees in the fall.
Feeding bees in autumn honey well-fed
Honey diluted with water in certain proportions is satiation. It is prepared in the fall so that the queen bee does not stop laying eggs after the movement. For autumn feeding of honey bees, the following proportions are taken: 4 parts honey and 1 part warm boiled water. If a product with wax residues is used for complementary feeding, take a quarter more of it than indicated in the recipe. The finished substance is carefully filtered. The honey feed is placed in the hive after the honey has been completely removed.
How to feed bees in the fall with honey and sugar
Feeding bees in the fall with sugar alone is not good for them. To process sugar, insects spend a lot of energy and then die. Honey is easily digestible and easier for bees to process. Therefore, in the fall, 1 or 2 frames with a sweet substance are left in the hive. Additionally, sugar syrup is prepared. Combined feed, more gentle on the bee body.
You can make sugar syrup in proportions of 1:1 or 1.5:1 and add up to 5% honey. This autumn feeding of bees with honey is considered more nutritious than with syrup.
How to properly feed bees with syrup in the fall
In autumn, syrup is prepared in a ratio of 1.5:1 (sugar-water). This ratio is considered optimal for autumn complementary feeding. First, bring the water to a boil, then add sugar and cook until it is completely dissolved. Once the mixture has cooled, it is poured into feeders and sent to the hive.
Feeding bees in autumn with Kandy food
This type of food is a viscous substance resembling plasticine.
It is prepared from crushed sugar and honey. The food can be easily placed at the bottom of the hive. Insects start eating it in January, when all other nutritional reserves have run out.
For the Kandy mixture, the ingredients are taken in the following proportions:
- honey – 250 ml;
- powdered sugar – 0.75 kg;
- boiled water – 100 ml;
- vinegar – 0.5 tsp.
For the mixture, the sweet product is taken unacidified, fresh. Powdered sugar should not contain starch.
Crushed sugar is mixed with honey, the remaining ingredients are added. The mixture will resemble dough; knead it until it becomes homogeneous and stops spreading.
Thin cakes weighing 1 kg are made from the finished fondant and placed in the hive. You can place food at the top above the frames or at the bottom of the hive.
Autumn feeding of bees with infusions and decoctions
To improve the health of honey insects and support them in winter, decoctions and infusions of herbs are used. They are combined with all types of food.
To combat ticks, use red pepper tincture. To prepare it, take the dried pod and grind it. For 1 liter of boiling water you need to take 55 g of chopped pepper. Next, the ingredients are combined and infused for at least 12 hours. Afterwards, the infusion is combined with sugar syrup prepared in a 1:1 ratio. Top dressing and pepper infusion are mixed in a ratio of 1:10, respectively. The mixture is added to feeders and placed in the hive. Insects are fed this way 3 times a month with an interval of 10 days.
Effective infusion for nosematosis: 20 g of dried St. John's wort, 10 g of calendula, 20 g of mint. Combine the herbs, pour a liter of boiling water, cook for 15 minutes in a water bath. As soon as the broth has cooled, it is filtered and combined with syrup.
Take 1 liter of sweet fertilizer prepared in a 1:1 ratio, and 50 ml of herbal infusion. The liquids are combined, mixed thoroughly and added to the feeders in the hives. Insects are treated this way every other day for a month.
How to feed bees in the fall
For food, use ceiling feeders with a maximum capacity of 3 liters; 1 liter capacity is also suitable. The syrup can be poured into empty honeycombs or plastic bottles with holes.
In autumn, insects are fed at the rate of 200 g of syta or syrup per bee colony per day. Depending on the number of inhabitants of the hive, the daily food intake and the number of feeders that can be placed are calculated.
Feeding in the fall is carried out in the evening once a day, when insects stop flying. Food left overnight should be eaten by morning. If this does not happen, the next day they give a smaller amount.
Monitoring the apiary after feeding
After feeding in the fall, bee colonies are inspected. Unproductive insects are discarded, and those born in August are left with their mother families. In September, all the honey has already been pumped out, so stronger bee colonies can take food from weaker ones. This needs to be monitored. If an insect tries to get into the entrance not directly, but as if from the side, it is a stranger and must be driven away. Otherwise, weak bee colonies will be left without food for the winter.
Conclusion
Feeding bees in the fall is an important procedure that is carried out after the last swing. It helps support weak insects and breed new offspring before winter. Stimulating feeding of bees in the fall is important for increasing the number of hive inhabitants.
