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Feeding bees with syrup in August is an important part of caring for bee colonies. This is due to the fact that the number of young individuals depends on feeding. In August, bees are still actively collecting nectar. In the third ten days of August, honey is collected, insect syrup is added, and the hives are prepared for wintering.
The importance of feeding bees in August
Many inexperienced beekeepers, having harvested honey, completely forget about feeding the bees at the end of August.
At the end of September the cold weather sets in and the bees gather on the honeycombs. They either refuse to take the offered syrup or transfer the feeding to the honeycombs, leaving it without processing. This food turns sour quickly and should not be consumed.
If you do not give nutritional mixtures to the bees, then after wintering the swarm will be quite weakened, because old and weak individuals will die, and new ones, due to lack of food, will not be hatched.
In what cases do bees need feeding in August?
In beekeeping, fertilizing with honey in August can solve a number of significant problems.Adding sugar syrup or other nutritional mixtures to the hives is necessary in the following cases:
- to increase the clutch produced by the queen of the hive. Thanks to the addition of syrup in August, you can significantly increase the number of young workers for collecting honey in the next season;
- to maintain the required level of insect activity, which allows individuals to collect the required amount of honey for wintering;
- to create a food supply for the winter if the bees have very little honey left. If you give nutritional mixtures throughout August, this will allow families to make reserves for the winter of about 16.5–17 liters.
Adding a liquid nutrient composition is important at a time when the apiary is located quite far from places with late flowering honey plants.
Feeding methods
Many experienced beekeepers recommend placing frames with a small amount of honey behind an insert board for feeding insects in August. If there are no frames, then you need to prepare sugar syrup.
When using syrups, it is recommended to make a laying in the evening, which will allow the bees to process everything and fill the honeycombs by the morning. For each family in August, it is recommended to add up to 1 liter of nutritional mixture at night.
In addition, it will be beneficial for insects if you give them last year’s honey. If the amount of honey is small, it can be diluted with water and then poured into the feeders. Another common method is to lay bee bread. You can use powdered or fresh milk as a protein mixture. If necessary, it can be replaced with a solution based on water and granulated sugar.
Feeding bees in August with sugar syrup
In August, bees are fed sugar syrup. This method is the most popular. It is recommended to use it if there is no beebread during honey collection or the weather conditions are unfavorable. With the help of syrup you can stimulate the development of brood.
In August, syrup should be given once every 3 days. Each feeder should contain about 500 ml of syrup. Thanks to this diet, individuals will always be active and healthy. The preparation recipe is simple, just mix granulated sugar and clean water in equal proportions and dissolve the ingredients.
The liquid mixture is given in the evening, which helps to minimize the number of individuals flying out of the hive. It is necessary to remove the remaining feed and add new one. If insects are not fed, the level of productivity will be significantly reduced, which will affect future offspring.
Preparing the nutritional mixture
To prepare a nutrient mixture for feeding insects in August, you should adhere to certain proportions: 6% granulated sugar, 40% water. Most beekeepers use a 1:1 ratio. If you take into account that feeding will be early, then you should stick to a 2:1 ratio. This mixture will be closer to nectar.
The water used must be soft and free of foreign impurities. Sugar is of high quality. The water is stirred until the granulated sugar is completely dissolved. It is not recommended to melt the ingredients over a fire, as there is a chance that the sugar will burn.
When the temperature of the liquid is +40 °C, add 1 g of citric acid for each kilogram of granulated sugar.As a useful additive, you can add honey at the rate of 10% of the total amount of the nutritional mixture.
How to feed bees in August
In order to provide bees with stimulating fertilizer in August, it is necessary to apply it correctly. A step-by-step algorithm for performing all the work of laying the sugar solution is as follows:
- It is necessary to remove the top insulation from the hive.
- A special feeder should be installed on the frame, which already contains food prepared for the bees.
- Several rafts are first made in the feeder container.
- Once the feeder is placed in the hive, close the lid and return the top cover to its place.
This procedure can be repeated as many times as necessary.
Feeding bees with honey in August
You can’t be late with adding nutrients for bees. Otherwise, the food will be processed by insects leaving for the winter, and the individuals will be worn out. Around August 15–16, honey is pumped out, nests are reduced and the first feeding is applied. Only the brood remains in the hives.
Additional feeding is stopped after the last brood has emerged - around the beginning of October. During this period, there is either no brood or only a small amount. Empty cells are filled with honey by insects. As a top dressing, you can prepare a sugar-based solution or give settled honey, about 1 kg, which is pre-wrapped in several layers of gauze.
The amount of nutritional mixture that insects require for wintering depends entirely on the strength of the colony and the presence of empty cells.As a rule, insects can process from 2 to 6 liters of sugar syrup daily.
Conclusion
Feeding bees with syrup in August is an important stage in the life of insects. Today, experienced beekeepers use a large number of different types of fertilizers. Thanks to this diversity, you can increase productivity, productivity and get healthy insects after wintering.
