Winter
Feeding Insight
We’ve had some warm days in December and outright balmy days throughout January. Most report that bees were flying and some were outright active – not just cleansing flights. Hopefully your bees had plenty of stores for winter and spring but if you feel you were a little light you could consider a feeding plan.
Options include loose sugar in the hive and/or some candy boards. Other ideas are grease patties (Crisco, sugar, perhaps some wintergreen), Fondant, and of course pollen patties for protein. One should be careful not to be intrusive and chill the brood. It is also advisable not to break all of the propolis seals in the hive so feed from the top if you must.
This is provided as food for thought (pun intended) and if you have
outright questions do consider some posts on the NWNJBA Yahoo forum –
you’ll get a preview and answers there from some of the more seasoned
beekeepers in the organization.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/northwestnewjerseybeekeepers/
Source for some beekeeping recipes: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Beekeeping/Recipes_for_the_Bees