ARE MY BEES BE STARVING?
As summer progresses, our bees are likely to struggle to keep up with the demands the nest requires. Here are seven signs that starvation could be occurring in your hive.
Robbing
Bees that are hungry will rob neighboring colonies to survive. As nectar sources dry up, honey bees will take any opportunity they can find to feed their hives. That includes taking what belongs to another hive. Read “I’m Being Robbed” to learn how to stop robbing as soon as it starts. Note: Bees do not rob for pollen, only nectar or honey.
Mean bees
Bees that are normally very calm will become aggressive when they are starving. Have you ever found yourself a bit testy when you’re hungry and can’t eat? Bees are no different! See “It's Hot and My Bees Are Being Mean.”
Undersized bees
When there is a lack of resources for forager bees to bring back to the hive, the hive will withhold its feeding of larvae in order to survive. As a result, the larvae that emerge will be smaller bees. Not only will they be undersized, but they will also underperform. Research studies have shown that bees raised in dearth or starvation mode are less likely to perform normal duties to the standards of bees raised in healthy conditions. This can even be true of the queen. Her productivity and growth are directly tied to the amount of care and feeding she receives from her hive.
Nectar shortage
Probably the most obvious sign of impending starvation is the lack of nectar or honey in a hive. As nature fails to produce, the hive will resort to using its stores to support the colony. These reserves can dwindle from prolific to gone in a matter of days when no nectar is coming in. Keeping a regular check on your colonies will ensure that you spot this decreasing resource.
Absconding (they all left)
This is an unfortunate symptom of a starving hive. Basically, the hive leaves to look for a place where there is more food. Nothing left to do here …
Cannibalization
Bees that experience a prolonged lack of resources will begin to consume developing larvae. Doing so gives them a nutritional boost as well as reduces the population (fewer mouths to feed).
You may have heard: "Having more hives enables you to share resources between them!" Well, that is true! Successful beekeepers will tell you that, had it not been for the ability to share honey, nectar, bees, and brood, their success rate would not be nearly as good. Now's the time to build your apiary—2024 summer bees sales end August 23! BUY NOW!
Queen stops laying
A natural reaction to the absence of food is for the queen to stop making more babies. It’s actually a circle of events. The nurse bees will slow the feeding of the queen because of the lack of food, and the queen slows laying because of the decrease in her food intake.
Feeding to prevent starvation
When we read all of the above, we can’t walk away and think we have no role in the outcome. Feeding is the answer. Overall, we can make the decision each time we enter a hive. Do they have enough stores to maintain the hive? At any given point during the year, 30 pounds of stored honey will carry most hives through lean times. This equates to three fully capped frames of honey in the top box of a hive. As mentioned, these stores can rapidly decline and disappear in a matter of days; therefore, we feed! Feeding 1:1 sugar syrup or premade syrup nonstop throughout summer will ensure that your hive enters fall with the proper population to bring in a fall nectar flow. Pollen can be fed this time of year if you see your area is lacking in the resources to provide it to them naturally.
Dry pollen (open feed) can be utilized for them to store and continue to raise brood, and pollen patties can be used to feed directly to the bees (inside) to maintain their health. Pollen is required for producing babies. A good indicator the bees are lacking pollen is “dry brood.” This is obvious when you don’t see the larvae in a pool of white jelly as they are developing. In the event of dry brood, feed pollen.
Check out our collection of bee feeders.
Dry brood
Continue a regular hive inspection schedule. Observe your bees’ activities before you enter the hive as well as inside the hive. Let’s face it—our job as bee “keepers” is to ensure we maintain healthy bees that will make it through winter and come out ready for spring! Even if you aren’t thinking “winter,” you can bet your bees are.
A very common question this time of year is whether or not to feed pollen supplements. My answer most of the time is, "Do your bees need it?" Watch as Blake shows us what an "average" summer hive that is low on pollen looks like.
1/1 vs 2/1 Syrup Feeding