how long do I feed sugar water to bees in warre hive in sc?

My waree hive was weak so I began feeding it sugar water this spring. I lost a lot of bees to the flooding here and they only had one box of comb built. I stop feeding my langstong hive for I thought it had a lot of honey reserved, This is my second yr, I lost my langstrong hive but the waree hive is going strong building in three boxes now. Not completely drawn. I have been feeding sugar water with supplement. They were taking sugar water quite a lot but have slowed down, they just finished the quart off took them about a month. I notice ton of bumble bee forging about not a lot of honey bees. I just want to do the right thing,, sure getting honey be great but my main concern is keeping my hive strong. I have been checking for mites, I hate using any pesticides, I put a IPM board under it with Vaseline and it has been catching a few beetle and some larvae and have beetle traps inside as you know it is nearly impossible to check lower boxes without damaging combs...Been thinking doing a sugar roll just to make sure but sometimes to much bothering them I think does more damage,, sorry all the info just want to take good care of my girls I live in the lower part of sc

I'm no expert, but I don't feed my bees and even here in WI they are doing great, bringing in tons of pollen and flying everywhere. I wouldn't think that you need to feed them this late. Maybe the honeybees aren't foraging because they don't have to?

I resume feeding them because they had no reserve at one time..at one of my bee meetings I was told the bees could starve because they were so busy rebuilding and another said stop feeding.. I do see some bees coming in and out. I am just leary cos I lost one hive. I only have one window in top box. They seem to be busy.. it is like ugggg!!! what do I do!!!

I wonder how honeybees survived before factories were invented to make sugar for them?

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:
I wonder how honeybees survived before factories were invented to make sugar for them?

That's exactly why I don't feed or treat or...

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:
I wonder how honeybees survived before factories were invented to make sugar for them?

The weak ones didn't.

I feed to start a new hive because I want better odds of them surviving, but not too much so they are weak and need constant pampering. Not sure what the right balance is.

that is funny me and my husband were just discussing that topic... so I think I will just let them be I was watching the bees earlier and notice some bees were bringing back pollen,, my hubbie said I was implying lazy bee's just like are kids todays.... so they need to get out the hive get out and explore so I will thank you all for the information,,,

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:
I wonder how honeybees survived before factories were invented to make sugar for them?

Back then, they didn't have keepers stealing their honey.

One of the things that has been most surprising to me as I've been on these forums, is that people make comments along the lines of, "I just got bees, and I'm so excited, because I expect to be able to harvest some honey in 3 years." I never understand that comment. I expect a colony to produce enough honey for harvest the first year that it's on the place.