BEEKEEPING: Summer Trickle Feeding

For regions with hot, dry summers, ensuring that your beehive has plenty of food available is critical. After your summer harvest, trickle feeding through the summer months is recommended if your hive has less than 30 pounds of honey stored in its second brood box.

Simply put, summer trickle feeding entails feeding a quarter to a half-gallon of 1:1 syrup each week rather than infrequent large amounts of syrup. The concept is that this will simulate a natural nectar flow and will encourage the hive to continue to grow or at least maintain during a time of year when they typically begin to decline in strength. This is especially true in regions that have very hot and dry summers with little nectar or pollen flow.

Now, this is not critical. If your bees are not located on your immediate property or you want to go on a vacation for a month, your bees aren't going to die if you don't practice trickle feeding. If this isn't a good option for you, then the goal is to feed your bees more syrup more quickly, until they have about 30 pounds of honey stored in the second brood box and two to four frames of honey stored in the lower brood box. This will ensure they do not go hungry over the summer. Check back every two to three weeks and feed to help maintain that 30-pound excess in the second box. Remember, a medium box completely full of honey is about 40 pounds, and a deep box completely full is about 60 pounds.

Keep your bees busy and productive in the summer months and get a jump-start for next spring's honey production. Watch as Blake shows us how to draw comb on new foundation using the trickle feeding method during what would normally be a no-production time.

BEEKEEPING: Drawing Comb in the Summer Months by Trickle Feeding

In the warm summer months, beekeepers face the challenge of keeping their bees productive and healthy. One effective strategy is "trickle feeding," a technique designed to encourage bees to draw comb even during off-peak periods. This approach not only keeps the bees engaged but also prepares the hive for future growth and health.

Key Strategies and Benefits

• Continuous Engagement: Keeping bees busy during summer prevents idleness, mimicking the non-productivity seen in idle teenagers.
• Health and Productivity: Busy bees are healthy bees. Engaging them in comb building activities enhances their overall health.
• Trickle Feeding Technique: Feeding approximately 1/4 gallon of syrup per week to the hive encourages bees to draw out new comb.
• Post-Harvest Hive Management: After honey has been harvested, adding a new box of foundation helps utilize the bees' capacity to work, even when major nectar flows have ceased.
• Utilizing Existing Structures: Depending on the hive's current configuration, new foundations are added either on top or directly above the brood nest to promote comb drawing.
• Management of Bee Space: Careful placement of boxes, especially in relation to brood, optimizes space and encourages bees to expand upward and fill new comb.
• Monitoring and Control: Regular checks for pests like varroa mites and ensuring the hive's structural integrity are crucial.
• Optimal Results Through Practice: Regular implementation of trickle feeding and hive inspection leads to better outcomes in comb production.
• Resource Allocation: Efficient use of resources, such as syrup, during off-peak months maintains the hive’s productivity without overexertion.

Trickle feeding during the summer offers a proactive way to maintain bee health and hive productivity. By systematically feeding and strategically adding foundation boxes, beekeepers can ensure their hives are not only active but also prepared for the coming year. This method proves beneficial in keeping the hive structure filled and the bees in optimal health, demonstrating that even during slower months, there is valuable work to be done.