Feeding and checking food reserves
Colonies should always have enough honey, at least 5 kg. This can be estimated considering that a full honey comb can contain 2-2.5 kg of honey. Stock assessment can be done during the visits to the apiary or through the use of electronic scales.
Stocks must be constantly assessed, especially during critical periods when bees do not have the opportunity to forage such as: in winter, during prolonged periods of bad weather, and during droughts.
Rescue feeding is essential for the survival of hives in winter and other seasons. Optimising it is important for the wellbeing of colonies and to keep costs down. Winter and autumn rescue feeding should be done with candy. The use of sugary syrups can give problems such as fermentation in the cells or an excessive increase in humidity inside the hive. In late winter - early spring, feeding can also be done with protein candy, which also provides a stimulus for brood development.
The candy can be placed in the inner cover by making an opening on the envelope and positioning it at the feeding hole of the inner cover. Make sure that the bees, even when in cluster, are exactly under the feeding hole so that they are in direct contact with the candy. The candy can also be placed directly on the frames, after having made an opening on the envelope.
In mid-spring and summer, feeding can also be done with sugary syrups, which also stimulate eggs deposition and provide water, which is particularly important in times of drought. Syrup can be placed in pocket feeders, which can also function as a divider.
The syrup can also be administered in feeders to be placed on the inner cover, which does not require the hive to be opened, but these types of feeders usually have a smaller capacity than pocket feeders.
In any case, before adding the syrup it is necessary to check that there are no dead bees or no mould or mucilage has formed.
Feeding, in any season, can also be done by adding honey frames.
These frames must come from healthy hives, or at le
BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING
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