Heard at the association meeting: "feed early or feed never." Why exactly does late feeding fail?
Second-year in Galway. At Tuesday's association meeting one of the old hands said "feed early or feed never" and everyone nodded like it was scripture, and I nodded too, and then I got home and realized I don't actually know WHY late feeding fails. If a hungry colony gets syrup in late October, surely syrup in the hive beats no syrup?
Is the problem that they won't take it down? That it goes off? Something about the cluster? I've got one colony that's lighter than I'd like and I'm trying to work out how much runway I actually have. The ivy's just starting here so maybe that changes the maths too. Would love the mechanism, not just the commandment — this forum's been better at explaining than the meetings, honestly.
#fall-feeding#syrup#winter-stores#beginner
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4 replies
CorkBeeRon · Sep 5, 2026
The mechanism has three failures stacked up. One: below about 10°C the bees cluster and won't visit the feeder at all. Two: even if they take it, ripening syrup means fanning the water out of it — from 40-odd percent water down under 18 — and a cold-weather cluster hasn't the workforce or warmth to do it. Three: unripened syrup sits in the comb, ferments, and a winter diet of fermented feed gives them dysentery. So late syrup isn't neutral, it can be actively worse than nothing. Your runway in Galway is realistically the end of this month, and the ivy will do some of the work for you.
MieleMarco · Sep 5, 2026
CorkBeeRon explained it perfectly. In Tuscany I tell beginners: syrup is a September word, fondant is a December word. If you find a light hive after the cutoff you have not failed, you just change tools — a block of fondant or candy directly over the cluster needs no ripening, no flying, no fanning. They eat it where they sit. Fourteen years and I always keep fondant in reserve for exactly this.
elif_arici · Sep 6, 2026
Second-year in İzmir and this thread finally made it click for me too — I never understood that the bees have to WORK on syrup before it's safe to store. Follow-up if I may: does the same cutoff apply in mild climates? Our October is still 20°C most days, so is my window just... longer?
GalwayBees · Sep 6, 2026
elif_arici I believe from other threads here the answer is yes, warm-climate windows run later — lucky you. Mechanism understood: it's not that late syrup sits there useless, it's that it can rot in the comb. Feeding the light one starting tonight, 2:1, and MieleMarco's fondant reserve is going on the shopping list as the backstop.