Proper feeding of bees is of great importance for insects. The strength of the bee colony during honey collection and the success of their wintering directly depend on the quality of the composition that is used. It is important to strictly adhere to the timing of nutrient addition. Compliance with the recommendations for the manufacture of products used for feeding is also of great importance.
Types and timing of fertilizing
Spring feeding is of particular importance for bees. It is aimed at solving the following problems:
- prevention and elimination of pathologies;
- stabilization of feed supplies;
- stimulation of the uterus to lay eggs.
It is also possible to replenish feed stocks. This procedure is carried out at any time during the active summer of the bee. In some cases it is necessary to carry out winter feeding. It is required when there is a shortage of feed supplies.
Various substances can be used as fertilizing. Beekeepers distinguish the following options:
- without adding various substances;
- using vitamins and medications;
- with stimulating components.
What can you feed bees?
A variety of products are used to feed bees. To choose the best option, you need to analyze all the pros and cons.
Sugar syrup
Most often, sugar syrup is used for spring feeding. It is recommended to give it in small feeders, not to use it to obtain commercial honey. When primroses appear, liquid sugar feeding can be used to stimulate bees to fly out for the first bribe.
To make the composition, you need to take pure sugar, add warm boiled water and mix thoroughly. The amount of sugar affects the consistency of the syrup. It could be like this:
- thick - sugar and water are mixed in a ratio of 2:1;
- medium - components are combined in equal parts;
- liquid - sugar and water are combined in a 1:2 ratio.
The finished product must be placed warm in sub-frame and over-frame feeders. On fertilizing days, the areas around the hives should be clean. In this case, the entrance should be opened for only 2-3 bees to fly out.
Otherwise, there is a risk of attracting thieves from neighboring apiaries to the supplies.
Yeast feeding
The composition must be prepared each time before application. It sours quickly and therefore cannot be stored for long periods of time. To get 1 liter of fertilizer you will need:
- 600 grams of sugar;
- 3 glasses of water;
- 50 grams of fresh yeast;
- half a glass of honey.
First, sugar must be mixed with water and boiled for several minutes. Strain the hot syrup. Then measure out fresh yeast and mix with 2 tablespoons of sugar to the consistency of sour cream. Add the mixture to the syrup, stir again, heat again and bring to a boil. Then the fertilizing should be cooled to +30 degrees, honey should be added, mixed and poured into the feeders.
Honey is full
Making honey sati is not difficult. Today there are many recipes for this product. Sometimes beekeepers add dried insects, plants, and pieces of lard. You can also use basic recipes for the substance. These include:
- Thick is full. It is used when all the honey is removed from the hive. To do this, honey must be mixed with warm water in a ratio of 4:1.
- Average full. It is suitable for breeding bees. To feed, you need to take 2 liters of honey and boiled water. Mix the ingredients until smooth.
- Liquid full. This option is used if there is a supply of feeding, but the queen needs to be stimulated to lay eggs. In this case, take 4 liters of boiled water for 2 liters of honey.
Rules for spring feeding
In spring, it is permissible to use viscous types of fertilizing. It is recommended to give them to bees as follows:
- in the evening - this helps to avoid theft in the apiary;
- in warm weather - this will help the bees fly out of the hives.
Feeding with liquid substances is carried out in the following ways:
- in external feeders - in this case it is not necessary to climb into the hive;
- in the rear feeders - an excellent solution that helps avoid theft;
- in the upper feeders - helps to maintain the heat of the sugar syrup for a long time;
- bags - hungry bees can easily gnaw through the film;
- in cellular frames;
- in glass jars.
Why is it necessary to use protein food?
Protein products are especially important for growing organisms - larvae. Therefore, adding nutrients in the spring is of great importance.
In this case, you can use protein sugar paste. To prepare it you will need the following substances:
- 1 kilogram of soy flour;
- 300 grams of milk powder;
- 5.5 kilograms of powdered sugar;
- 2 liters of flower honey;
- yeast;
- pollen.
To prepare a useful composition, it is recommended to do the following:
- Add milk powder to soy flour. It is also worth mixing the mass with yeast and flower flour.
- Add powdered sugar.
- Add flower honey.
The resulting composition is used as a protein supplement, which is well absorbed by bees.
Therapeutic and stimulating supplements
If, with the arrival of spring, there are suspicions that bees are experiencing symptoms of diseases - primarily nosematosis, measures must be taken immediately. Identifying the disease is quite simple. As it develops, neat bees begin to defecate directly on the flight board and the walls of the hive. At the same time, there are traces of diarrhea on the frames.
In such a situation, feeding must be combined with a medicinal product. One of them is Nozemat. The use of sugar syrup with the addition of acetic acid has an effective preventive effect. To do this, you need to mix 3 grams of the product with 1 liter of water and 1 kilogram of sugar.
Quite often, beekeepers use stimulating additives.During the spring fertilizing period, it is recommended to apply pine infusion. To get a strong family after wintering, you should use Apimax as a top dressing.
In early spring you can start using sugar syrup. Adding cobalt will help make it more useful. This will affect the scarlet. In this case, the number of brood will increase by 20-30%. You can use “DKM” or “Pchelodar” as useful additives.
Common mistakes
When feeding bees, novice beekeepers can make common mistakes:
- Pour the remaining sugar syrup around the hives. This leads to theft.
- They do not comply with the deadlines for applying fertilizers. The fact is that liquid syrup will force the bees to leave the hive. Therefore, it should be used after dry and warm weather has established.
- Do not feed bees in winter. If there is a shortage of food in the hive, this can lead to the death of insects.
- Don't feed bees in the spring. This forces insects to conserve their remaining supplies, which leads to a decrease in brood levels. As a result, family development slows down and its productivity decreases. Due to timely feeding, it is possible to stimulate the laying of eggs by the queen and increase the productivity of the bee colony.
Feeding bees is considered an important activity that helps make the colony stronger and more resilient. Ultimately, this has a positive effect on insect health and increases honey collection.
