Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[BugsInABox]

Noob here.
So I installed a 3lb package into my htbh 5 days ago. I snuck a look at 3 days - queen cage empty, 2 combs beginning to build out (about a 2 inch drop form the middle of the bar), couldn’t t see the queen but I THINK I saw some eggs in just one of the combs. Several cells of pollen, and a few more of nectar. Good number of bees with full pollen baskets crawling around (though I’m only seeing a small number in at the entrance with obvious full pollen load, say 1:30).
But I noticed they’d hardly taken any of the ltr of 1:1 syrup i’d given (in an inverted jar with pierced lid resting about 2 inches above hive floor on 2 strips of wood). So I moved it a bit closer to the cluster.
Today I’ve just had a look at the feeder, there were 2 bees actually taking from it but barley any has been taken again - maybe 100mls in the 5 days now.
Should this concern me? With the reading I’d done I’d kind of expected them to take a pint a day whilst drawing comb.
Planning a full brood inspection again in 2-3 days.
Cheers
Neil
PS the weathers been pretty mild this week here and the flying bees seem to be doing so purposefully now heading out on a consistent flight path. So could they just have found a flow and not be bothering with the syrup - whoop. Should I be seeing more pollen coming in.

[Barbara]

Sad to hear that you purchased a package of bees to populate your TB hive because it is a trade that, as Natural Beekeepers, we try to discourage because of the unethical way in which they are often produced, but I do understand why novice beekeepers starting out with TB Hives do it.

As regards the syrup, the chances are that they hadn't found it.... It is not "natural" for there to be a source of food inside a new hive, so they don't go looking for it.... instinct takes them outside to look for flowers to forage. If a couple have now found it, the chances are that word will get round and consumption of the syrup will increase.
Personally I would not inspect them for another couple of weeks and give them time to make some noticeable progress. I always advise people that I give swarms to, to wait 2 weeks before doing an inspection.

As regards the low percentage of bees carrying pollen, that is because they have nowhere to store it because they haven't got much comb yet and very little brood to eat it. Their main need at the moment is nectar (or syrup as a substitute) to fuel the building of comb. They cannot raise brood or store pollen or nectar without it, so most of their resources during this initial period go into creating that. It takes a lot of energy to create the heat required to work wax so the adult bees need a lot of nectar or syrup to do that and you inspecting them too frequently underpins that by breaking the cluster and causing the loss of that heat.

I think it is great that you want to inspect them and learn but it needs to be tempered with the needs of the bees to establish their new home in peace.

[BugsInABox]

Thanks for that steer and reassurance. I'll have a quick look at the feeder in a day or two. I was planning to have one more look at the brood to check I could see larvae as I wasn't 100% sure I saw eggs last time - but then I'll leave them a few weeks.

[jetam]

ciao....
we have very bad weather in mid europe, in slovakia last month (may). I did start to feed my bees (warre hive) last two weeks. I mix 1:1 syrup with "nozetom" and bees drink app. 1,5 liter in 36 hours.
If you don´t have opportunity to buy nozetom, just try to make syrup with bit of salt (tea spoon for 1,5 liter) (good is himalayan salt)

[catchercradle]

Minor point, sometimes if there is a very good flow of nectar the bees will ignore syrup. It is worth updating your location to say where about in UK you live. All bee keeping is local and there may be someone very close who will have an idea of what is happening locally.

Dave

[jetam]

Slovakia