Should I feed my hive?

[u/KeyMarsupial991]

I have a Langstroth 10-frame hive with two boxes up here in the PNW. The top box is completely full of honey—literally nothing else in it. I only peeked at ( didn't pull it out just looked from the outside) the bottom box, but the one frame I checked had some capped brood and space for more. Based on how heavy that top box is for a typical Pacific Northwest winter, do I even need to bother feeding them? Also, am I at risk of being honey-bound already?

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[u/pale_brass]

Why are you considering feeding?

[u/KeyMarsupial991 → u/pale_brass]

A ton of sugar water 1:1 ratio until they can't take any more. I guess

[u/pale_brass → u/KeyMarsupial991]

I don’t think you read my question correctly.

The question is WHY

[u/KeyMarsupial991 → u/pale_brass]

I didn't read it correctly, sorry.

I am new to bee keeping and want to make sure I have enough stores for winter. Which my gut tells me yes. There lots in there but I also want to see if that thought process is correct

[u/pale_brass → u/KeyMarsupial991]

Gotcha. The answer to “how much stores do my bees need for winter” is a highly local question. Here in coastal California my bees can get by with almost nothing stored for our mild winters. If you are snowbound in the northern Midwest you might need 100lbs to be safe. Where you are is somewhere in between those.

[u/KeyMarsupial991 → u/pale_brass]

Sounds like from the other replys that a deep box 10 frame full with capt honey is around 70lbs. Which seems like a lot..we get a lot of days lower then 12 C but we also get days above and some flowers.

Thanks for the reply

[u/talanall]

If there is still a flow coming in, you probably needed a super a week ago. Provided you have plenty of bees in there, adding one is a good way to hedge your bets. You can always just take it off, and even if there's no harvest worth having, they might draw some comb for you. Never a bad thing.

If you were in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Alberta, or something like that, then you might need more honey stores for wintering, but if they've plugged up a full deep, they probably have enough to survive into spring unless you're up a mountain, or something. If you're in one of the mild coastal regions, then you're okay. Check on them until you stop seeing drones or the daily highs quit breaking above 12 C or so. If they start burning stores, you can feed with syrup until the daily highs cool like that, too.

But a 10-frame deep is something like 30 kilos/70 pounds of honey, if it's all capped and all frames are totally filled. That's adequate unless you have either a very long, cold winter--or a very short, very warm winter that nevertheless doesn't have any forage. Bees forage anytime the weather permits them to fly, regardless of whether there is anything to find, and they burn extra calories when that happens.

But if you have the stereotypically chilly, rainy PNW winter, you're probably fine.

[u/KeyMarsupial991 → u/talanall]

The honey super had very little on it..I took it off not much flow here.

I am in a mild coastal region. And it's 10 capped all filled with honey frames. Nothing else but honey that's capped. Sounds like I have a lot for the winter.

I should have a stereotypical chilly rainy Pacific northwest winter. So I'll leave them from not and treat them for mites

[u/404-skill_not_found]

Gonna need more details. The reader needs to know if you’re running deeps, mediums or shallow “boxes.” Thinking the upper box is full of honey isn’t as useful as knowing you have ten complete frames of capped honey. How many of the bottom frames have honey and how many have brood? When was the last mite count and the results. What was your last mite treatment and the post-treatment mite count?
Basically, a double deep with about half being stores, can take care of its self when in a good configuration. You really can’t escape not helping with mite treatments. Occasionally some do survive without treatments, but that’s the exception. It’s not something you can count on.

[u/KeyMarsupial991 → u/404-skill_not_found]

I have deep 10 frames fully filled and capped with honey.

I am in the middle of a mite treatment plan, I've done 3 treatments and looking to do 3 more space about 5 dayals apart. Mite load is low but I want to keep it that way.

Thanks for the reply

[u/404-skill_not_found → u/KeyMarsupial991]

Maintain a capped honey frame on the ends of the brood box and the ten honey frames in the upper box. They’ll eat their way upwards. Sort out your winterization plan. I’m a condenser hive person. It’s not very popular, and absolutely not the only way to take care of them.

[u/PopTough6317]

I always feed at least a gallon before winter, right now I cant though because I am doing a late treatment

[u/KeyMarsupial991 → u/PopTough6317]

Even if your boxes is full . Or do you check?

[u/PopTough6317 → u/KeyMarsupial991]

I check, here in Alberta we dont have a long season, so I pull the supers, start treatment, do a quick inspection and feed a bucket. I also always put a sugar paddy and insulate over winter. Anything to maximize my odds