Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[Safronsue]

hi, I'm getting a bees for my tbh this weekend from a friendly commercial bee keeper here in greece. The chap knows nothing about tbh's and is using trad methods and moving his hives from place to place. He has agreed to bring me a small hive and help transfer using phil's chop and crop video which I sent for him to watch. Exciting !

He says I will need to feed the bees sugar. I've been reading around and getting a bit confused by conflicting info so thought I'd just ask a new question about whether to or not and how exactly. Seems sensible to have the means in place to do so from the beginning. I have made my tbh according to phil's plans with an end entrance. We have a large garden with varied plants and trees and are surrounded by fields and woods. Any advice gratefully accepted......thanks.

[Dexter's shed]

yes, feed the bees as advised by your local beekeeper, it's great having forums to ask advice on, but having someone close by that can help if need be is worth their weight in gold, yes you have a nice garden with plenty to forage on, but bees need that feed to help produce wax quicker, they will need to repair all the combs from your crop and chop, seems only right that you help them rebuild after destroying them

[Safronsue]

Ok. Sensibly put. Thanks.
Now how do I go about it?? Off to research ....if someone can point me in right direction....😀

[JGW07]

Feed a 1:1 sugar syrup. Don't invert it by adding vinegar or lemon juice (some still advise that you do, but research shows it doesn't help the bees and may actually shorten their lives). With my first hive, I used a quail feeder behind the follower board. The hole in the follower was level with the lip of the feeder trough so the bees could find it right away. I added beads and small stones to the trough to keep the bees from drowning and to make sure they couldn't get through the hole leading inside the jar. You can also use a mason jar. Just poke a few small holes in the lid and set it upside down on a couple pieces of wood so the bees can get under it to feed.
Good luck!

[Safronsue]

Thanks. I also found phil's video on YouTube on the subject.