I'm new to beekeeping, and googled "online beekeeping course," and ended up at this site. They have a seven or eight lesson email course-free. Lots of good info, not really a course, just a series of emails that you read at your leisure. One of them address feeding and overfeeding. I'm not going to quote anything from there, as, the internet is full of opinions. Will let the experienced folks address your question. I tried to get directly to the course, but couldn't do it through the "front door." Perhaps you should just google as I did and it'll get you in if you're interested. Be well, Ev Here is a link that might be useful: Ploughshare Institute

In a new package with new foundation it takes allot of sugar to convert to wax for foundation, plus sugar honey. Feed until all brood box is filled up, then stop feeding and put on honey super if the flow is on. A in hive frame feeder works best for this, sugar water is near where they use it, bees can work 24hr. and sugar water stays the warmest, which means, bees take it more readily which translate to faster build up.

They take turns moving into and out of the cluster, and yes, they feed each other. As long as stores are available to some in the cluster, everyone will eat. If they can't move to a new food area, they will starve.

Pussy willow is one of the earliest pollen sources, but keep in mind that it is a small shrub. Easy to get plants, though; just cut small branches & root them in water. They grow quickly & will begin blooming in a couple years. Grape hyacinth is a good early nectar source, honey bees are swarming on mine when in bloom. They multiply quickly into clumps, and will multiply even more rapidly if divided. Malva sylvestris "Zebrina" is an annual flowering mallow, related to hollyhocks. It will bloom continuously from early Summer to late Fall. What makes this flower special is that it will usually survive the first frost or two, and is a good pollen source when most other flowers are done for the year. I plant it freely throughout my vegetable garden, honeybees will feed on them until a hard freeze... probably the last thing they feed on. It volunteers about as easily as its wild mallow cousins. Surprisingly, another good late-flowering bee plant is garlic chives... so they double as edible landscaping. The plants flower in August/September here, and bloom for several weeks. They are perennial, and multiply quickly to form clumps... but can be invasive, so are best located in a place of their own, where they can run freely. Be sure to dead head the flower stalks before the seeds mature.