(By: Bob Noel and Jim Amrine)
During cold weather the feeding jar can be insulated to keep the treated syrup warm. This is an excellent way to feed during late winter and early spring, especially with no incoming nectar to dilute the treatment. During this time of the year the bees will usually be in the upper supers and will take the syrup 24 hours a day, delivering the treated syrup directly to the brood area.
There are six bees under the lid of the jar below. The problem we have encountered when feeding treated syrups during the honey flow is that only eight to ten bees at a time can feed under the jar. And, with hundreds of nectar-filled workers entering the hive every minute, this type of feeding is ineffective during the honey flow. We are developing a large-capacity reservoir wick system to wick the syrup directly up to the brood area for the nurse bees to consume and deliver to brood cells during honey flows, and to direct field bees carrying nectar to the supers above.
