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Feed Buckets leaking

Posted: October 30th, 2016, 4:18 pm
by Biermann
Hello,

I am still feeding syrup on my hives, 3 Gallon pails with screen in the lid.

The bees are slow to take-up the 30kg, could be two reasons: they could be pretty full already and/or the cool and cloudy weather we had over the past 3-4 weeks. The hives are heavy, so probably a combination of both.

One thing I noticed more, the pails leaking in to the hive in the afternoon when they warm-up. Some syrup comes out on the bottom board, is this normal? I hope my queens get out of the way or have a rubber suit.

Cheers, Joerg
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Re: Feed Buckets leaking

Posted: October 30th, 2016, 8:33 pm
by BadBeeKeeper
It's caused by variations in pressure due to temperature changes.

Re: Feed Buckets leaking

Posted: October 30th, 2016, 8:51 pm
by Biermann
Sorry Bad, I thought it was from the bees female traction.

I should have asked a question: can it be bad for the bees, can they drown in the syrup?

Probably a silly question.

Re: Feed Buckets leaking

Posted: October 30th, 2016, 9:30 pm
by Allen Dick
Having syrup run out and onto the floor is not good. It seems your bees do not need the syrup, or had arranged the brood nest before you put it on.

It is wise to feed immediately after pulling honey since the bees tend to create a honey band above the brood and are reluctant to go up even a few inches to take overhead feed.

On the other hand, they may be out robbing outside the hive. That's just how they are. They will take feed from below or outside, but leave whatever is above up there once they settle down.

What do your hives weigh? I see they are doubles.

Re: Feed Buckets leaking

Posted: November 6th, 2016, 5:09 pm
by Biermann
Hello Allen,

Sorry for not getting back sooner, but I did not have the time to weigh the hives until today.

The feed buckets were removed the day after your message and I hope i did not create to much of a mess for the bees with the syrup showers. Seems they had good stores already and I should have taken the time to weigh them before adding the 30 lbs of syrup. A frame feeder would have probably done.

I have a complete empty hive, drawn frames and the weight is 59 lbs.

My hives weigh gross 148 - 152 lbs, so net, honey, bees, caps and who knows what else between 89 - 93 lbs.

I am very happy with this weight and will look inside next week when we have a sunny day since I need to remove the Apivar strips and winterize the hives. Hope I find some space still free, but the bees are using up some stores now because of the warm weather.

All the best, Joerg

Re: Feed Buckets leaking

Posted: November 6th, 2016, 7:45 pm
by Allen Dick
My hives weigh gross 148 - 152 lbs,
That is pretty well ideal.