Hello all,

I installed my package into my very first hive last Friday night, and have been sure to keep an entrance feeder full for them. First with the contents from the can that was in the package, and now with a refined white sugar syrup I've been mixing (not sure of the exact ratio, I fill a mason jar with sugar then pour water in to the same level, so its at least 1:1, probably a little higher).

I live out in the woods, and there are plenty of flowering privet hedges, honey suckle, wildflowers, etc for them so they aren't relying solely on what I provide, I'm really supplementing them more than anything else right now.

Been reading around, seems the best course is to keep the feeder stocked all season long, and thats fine. The jars last a couple days each and are easy to replace.

Question on my mind at the moment though, should I bother getting/making pollen cakes?

I'd like to promote rapid growth, possibly enough to add a second body box to it by the end of the season if possible. Don't know if thats viable or not yet, or if there is even a line between helping and making them dependent (they're insects, I doubt they're smart enough to learn to be dependent on human handouts).

So, those more learned than I, what say ye?
Best practice for feeding a fresh package colony during the first season?

This post was edited by Edymnion on Thu, May 30, 13 at 16:38