August 7 To Feed or not to Feed

What is blooming for the bees this time of year? Not a whole lot. A "Dearth" for the bees is when nectar levels are low.  The weather is also usually drier during this season causing what nectar there is available to be diminished.  Behind my hives, there is a field of beautiful red clover. I thought, "Yes, this will be great for my bees"  Unfortunately though, I've heard from another beekeeper that honeybee's tongues are too short to be able to get nectar from the red clover. The two types of clover blooming now that the bees can feed on are Ledino and Alsike clover.  Because two of my hives are July starts I decided to feed them 1:1 sugar syrup. They are still building up, still drawing out new comb and have lots of new brood to feed.  I don't want them starting to go through their honey stores. I want them to save that for winter. So on the 7th  of August I started placing a quart of syrup in each hive. They have been drinking down a quart in less than 48 hours for over a week now. I'm looking for sales on sugar!  Waiting for Goldenrod and Aster to start blooming!

Honey bee on Purple Cone Flower in July. The Bee Balm or Monarda in the background was only visited by Bumblebees, not the Honeybees as I had hoped.