In a message dated 01/12/2015 18:10:05 GMT Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

In his  opinion, we should not be taking honey that the bees might need for 
 themselves. And if they cannot produce enough to support themselves, then 
to  supplement them with artificial feed is to select for inferior  bees.



I concur with that view.  It is very rarely that I feed my bees,  certainly 
not every colony and not every year.  If I do feed, I add blue  food dye to 
the syrup so that I can see where it end up as I don't want to  eat/sell 
partly recycled sugar disguised as honey.  It is rare indeed that  I lose a 
colony to starvation and then mostly it's isolation starvation with  ample 
stores only a couple of combs away from the cluster.
 
Besides the standard National (UK) hives, I also run a few top bar hives  
and take my harvest from them in the spring at willow/dandelion flowering 
time  so I can be sure that what I take is truly surplus to their requirements.
 
Chris

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