When practicing beekeeping, you often need to feed insects. Usually sugar syrup is used for this purpose. In order for the addition of the substance to be successful, it is important to adhere to the proportions of the preparation of the composition. At the same time, many beekeepers resort to feeding bees in the spring with sugar syrup in bags. This is usually done in March and April - before flowering begins. This procedure helps stimulate the bees.
Why do bees need feeding?
Spring feeding of bees is required to stimulate insects. This procedure helps to activate the uterus.Thanks to this, she begins to lay eggs in the absence of flowering honey plants.
Pros and cons of technology
The use of such fertilizing has the following advantages:
- When it gets cold, insects are not very willing to go to the feeder, while the bags are on the frames and warmed by the warmth of the bees' nests.
- It can be difficult to place the feeder on top of the frames, while a flat bag can easily be placed in this place.
- When using feeders there is a risk of syrup spilling or splashing, whereas when using bags there is no such danger.
- You can distribute fertilizer in this way very quickly - it only requires a few steps.
- Feeders have to be disinfected from time to time, whereas when using bags there is no such need.
However, using this feeding method has only one disadvantage. The container may rupture, causing syrup to spill. This problem occurs when using a defective product or excess syrup.
How to feed bees with syrup in bags
To prepare carbohydrate nutrition for spring, you should take the following ingredients:
- 1 liter of water;
- 2 kilograms of sugar.
First, you need to bring the water to a boil, then add sugar to it. The composition must be stirred until the sugar dissolves. The result will be a thick syrup. It needs to be cooled to +40 degrees.
To speed up metabolic processes in insects, you can make a composition with citric acid. To do this you will need the following:
- 1 kilogram of sugar;
- 0.85 liters of hot water;
- 2 grams of citric acid.
First you need to mix sugar and water. Then add citric acid and heat for 70 minutes in a water bath.
The resulting syrup needs to be poured.This is not difficult to do. To do this, it is recommended to take a wide and flat container and pour some water into it. You need to put a bag on top and pour syrup. For this you will need a measuring container. Then you need to expel the air and tie the product. After this, you need to dip it in a bucket of clean water. This will help wash away any remaining sugar and prevent the insects from sticking to each other.
In order for the bees to start taking food, individual beekeepers apply a little substance to the outer part. However, it is important to consider that this can lead to bee theft and attacks on the colony. It is much easier to place the bag on the frames and pierce it with a needle in several places. The bees will then be able to quickly find the bag and begin selecting the syrup.
Some beekeepers do not smear or pierce the bag at all. They just put it on the frames. Usually bees quickly find feeding, chew through the material themselves and choose the feeding.
Applying fertilizer in bags has many advantages. This method allows you to quickly feed a large number of bees in a relatively short period of time. Spring feeding has a stimulating effect on insects and promotes their activation.
