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Sugar slurry: another feeding option

While many of us are debating the virtues of sugar cakes vs. granulated sugar for winter feeding, others avoid the controversy by using a sugar slurry. The slurry is partway between dry sugar and liquid sugar, at a point where the sugar is wet but doesn’t actually dissolve. Technically, a slurry is a thick suspension of solids in a liquid, but this is very close in appearance and texture to a true slurry. It is generally fed in a baggie feeder and is made as follows.

You take a baggie—say a gallon size—and measure into it 9 parts of sugar and 1 part of water by either weight or volume. You close up the bag and knead the mixture with your hands until it is thoroughly combined. You place the bag on the top bars inside an eke or spacer rim, then you slit the bag with a knife. The moisture content is almost ideal for winter feed. It is not so dry that it needs additional moisture, and it is not so wet that the bees refuse to eat it.

The 9:1 proportion yields a solution with roughly 10% water. This is drier than honey but wetter than fondant. Some beekeepers like to get closer to 12% water, which can be achieved by measuring 8 parts of sugar to 1.1 parts water.

In prior years I have made slurries using granulated sugar, pollen substitute, a few drops of essential oil, and just enough water to make it muddy but not wet—about the consistency of thick brownie batter. I use this instead of pollen patties in the spring because it is less likely to dry out and become hard and unpalatable.

One problem I have noticed with slurries is that sometimes the sugar dries out along the slit in the baggie, forming a crust that seals the bag. This can be remedied by cutting an opening about one ¼-inch wide instead of making just a slit. I use a utility knife to remove a rectangular piece of plastic about 4 inches long and ¼-inch wide diagonally across the center of the bag. This makes a feeding trough for the bees.

Another problem with slurries—as with anything fed in a baggie—is that the bees have to eat from the top of the bag instead of from the bottom. This requires them to break cluster and so is most effective on those days when the temperature in the hive is warm enough to allow them to crawl to the top of the bag. However, baggies have the advantage of being thin enough that the entire contents are readily warmed by the heat rising from the cluster.

Slurry bags are easier to prepare than sugar cakes but more work than dry feeding. I don’t advocate one over the other but, if you are anything like I am, you like options. Sometimes a particular hive responds better to one method than another, and slurries offer you another “try-it” for a problem hive.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

Preparing a top-bar hive for winter

In spite of all the winter alterations I’ve made to my Langstroth hives, I’ve never done anything to my top-bar hive. Previously, when the temperature dipped into the 20s for more than a day or two, I’ve moved it into the garden shed, a space I keep in the 40s so things don’t freeze. I don’t like this method, mostly because I need help moving the hive, but also because I have to keep monitoring the outside temperature and deciding when to move it. And when the hive is in there, I have no room.

This year I’m going to do three things to the top-bar hive to make it similar to the overwintering Langstroths:

  • Add a feeder eke above the top bars
  • Add a woodchip-filled quilt box above the feeder
  • Add ventilation holes to the gable ends of the roof

I’ve never needed a feeder eke before because the gabled roof is hollow, which provides plenty of space above the top bars for syrup-filled baggies, sugar cakes, and pollen patties. But adding a quilt box will close access to the “attic” space, so a feeder eke below the quilt box will be necessary if I want to feed.

Since the hive is large (approximately 36 inches by 20 inches) I am going to add two cross pieces on the inside of both the eke and the moisture quilt so they don’t fold into parallelograms.

The thing I haven’t figured out is how to keep the hive aligned when the finished parts are stacked in place. The roof is telescoping, but when you put a telescoping roof over a shallow eke, it gets kind of squirrelly and slides out of place easily. With two shallow ekes below it, it will be even worse.

I’ve thought of using a hook and eye on each end of the roof, but I don’t know if they come long enough to reach from the roof to the hive body. I’ve also thought of using a tie-down. It’s the raccoons and possums that are most likely to knock the roof off—and there are plenty of them around. So until the hive is propolized into a unit, I will need to hold it together somehow.

So I’ve measure the hive, drawn a sketch, and now I’m off to buy 1 x 3-inch boards. I already have a hole saw*, hardware cloth to cover the vents, and all the necessary fasteners, such as screws, nails, and staples.

This doesn’t seem like a difficult project. Besides deciding how to critter-proof the roof, the hardest part will be finding 1 x 3-inch lumber, which my local Home Depot doesn’t always keep in stock.

Rusty

HoneyBeeSuite.com

*Please note: Microsoft Word keeps trying to make this read “whole saw.” I actually have a whole saw—a whole hole saw—but try convincing Microsoft of that.

How to tame a baggie feeder

Although more art than science is required to use baggie feeders, they are still my favorite bee “service” because they drown so few bees and because I can use them in any type of hive, including a top-bar. Since many beginners will be using them this spring, I assembled a list of dos and don’ts that may help. Mostly it takes practice.

  • The very best zip-top bags are made from freezer-weight plastic. The worst (in my experience) are the double layer bags, which are made from two thin layers instead of one thick layer of plastic.
  • A ten-frame Langstroth hive can accommodate two one-gallon zip-top bags. If you are using a different size hive or a different size bag, lay some bags on your top bars to see what pattern will work for you. You don’t want to figure this out with full bags of syrup.
  • Make sure the spacer rim or shallow super you are using to hold the feeder is deeper than a filled bag. To test, just fill a baggie with water and lay it inside the rim. There must be bee space between the top of the bag and the inner cover or lid.
  • If you are going to label the bags with contents or date, write with a felt-tip pen while the bags are still empty.
  • To fill the bags easily, stand them in a high-sided bowl, open the bag as wide as possible, then pour in the cooled syrup.
  • Fill each bag only one-half to two-thirds full. If they are totally full, all the syrup will leak out when you slit the bag.
  • Squeeze the air out of the bag and then zip it shut all the way to the ends.
  • Lay the bag on a flat surface (such as a table) for a few minutes, then check for leaks.
  • If the zip top is leaking at the ends, fold a piece of duct tape over the zipper and press tightly all around. This stops the leak and holds the bag together.
  • Don’t stack the filled bags. If you are going to carry them in a bucket to the hives, put them in the bucket side by side. Too much weight on top can cause them to burst open. If the bucket is rough on the inside, line it with a towel.
  • Before you head out to the bee yard make sure you have a sharp knife or box cutter, some extra baggies, and a roll of duct tape.
  • Make sure the tops of your frames or top-bars are smooth. If you used nails to assemble wedged top-bars, make sure there are no nail-tips poking through the wood. These will rip your bag instantly. In hives where the top bars seem rough or splintery, you can cut thick brown paper the size of the baggies and lay these down first. (Cut paper in advance if you think you will need it.)
  • Hold a baggie by the top and place the bottom near the side of the feeder rim. Very slowly lower the baggie down over the bees. As the syrup flattens out into the bag, the bees will get out of the way. This is not as hard as it sounds and it’s kind of fun to watch the bees move away from the bag. Just go slowly.
  • Now, cut the slits. I usually cut the first one diagonally in the middle of the bag and about four inches long. Don’t slit the bag where it starts to curve downward–just do it on top. Make two more slits parallel to the first and about an inch away. These should be about an inch shorter. (Your knife needs to be really sharp. These plastic bags are really delicate until you try to slit them with a knife, at which point they become indestructible.)
  • Be very careful not to insert your knife too deep and cut the bottom layer of plastic. (This is more apt to happen if your knife is not sharp and you end up pushing down on the plastic.)
  • If you accidentally nick a bag you can patch it with a piece of duct tape. If things really go awry you can pour what’s left of the feed into a new bag.
  • If you absolutely must move a slit bag that still contains syrup, you can weave your hive tool though the slits in the plastic and lift the bag straight up.
  • When it’s time to feed more syrup, you can refill the bag by lifting the top part with your hive tool and pouring in more syrup. Or you can leave the old bag in place and put a new one on top of it. (This takes care of those sharp places.)
  • If the bees don’t drink the syrup, make sure the bag is slit. If it is, take a small dropper and add a couple drops of essential oil (anise, peppermint, tea tree, etc) or a little Honey-B-Healthy. The syrup will be gone in no time.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite

 

If a bag leaks at the zip ends, I use duct tape. It should extend beyond the ends, as shown.
If a bag leaks at the zip ends, I use duct tape. It should extend beyond the ends, as shown.

Baggie feeders and package installation: update

In my earlier post on installing a package, I said you couldn’t use a baggie feeder while you were using my method of installation because there wasn’t enough room on top of the remaining five frames to lay the bags. What I failed to mention is that you can place a baggie feeder on top of the inner cover and the bees can come up through the opening in the inner cover and get the syrup.

So, if you want to use a baggy feeder, place the inner cover over the brood box and position the bags so they don’t block the hole. Put the spacer rim (small super) between the inner and outer cover, in order to make room for the bag of syrup. If you forget, you will squeeze all the syrup out of the bag.

If syrup remains when you return to remove the shipping cage, handle the inner cover gently so the syrup won’t spill.

Rusty

How to use a baggie feeder

A baggie feeder is nothing more than a 3-inch deep super—a perfect tool for the hobbyist. You can buy them, build them, or slice an existing super into several layers. Each feeder will hold two 1-gallon plastic zip bags of sugar syrup. If you prefer, you can use just one bag of syrup and use the remaining space for pollen patties, grease patties, or whatever else you like to feed your bees.

Done correctly, the syrup won’t leak out of the bags. Bags should be filled only about two-thirds full. Just hold the bag upright by propping it in a deep bowl or pan and fill with cooled syrup. At this point you can add any supplements you want, such as Honey-B-Healthy or essential oils. Then carefully squeeze out most of the remaining air and close the zip top. Make sure the bag is zipped all the way to the ends.

Handle these bags carefully. If you squeeze or drop one . . . what a mess! I usually make several and place them side-by-side in a bucket. When you go to your hives, remember to bring a sharp blade or box cutter. I also carry a roll of duct tape in case of a pin-hole leak.

The hardest part of the entire process is placing the bag on top of the upper frame of bees. Once you remove the covers, the bees will flow out between the frames. Brushing them away may help, but I usually hold the bag over the bees, lower it till it touches the frames and slowly lower it more until it’s lying on its side. If you go slowly, the bees will move out of the way as it comes down.

Once it’s in place, you can slit the top. Some people make an “X” but I like three parallel lines about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. It seems like all the syrup might flow out, but it doesn’t. The plastic just floats on the surface and the bees line up at the slits and draw out the syrup. Somehow, they get every last drop out of the bags. After years of doing this, it still surprises me to see the totally empty bags.

The thing to remember is this: don’t cut too deep or you will slit the bottom as well. Be careful because the syrup will find its way through the tiniest nick. Also, don’t forget to install the feeder frame before you replace the covers.

The bags are good because they keep mold away from the syrup, they prevent bees from drowning, and the warmth from the cluster keeps the syrup from freezing. When the bags are empty, just throw them away. I’ve heard of people re-filling them, but I’ve never tried.

Rusty
HoneyBeeSuite