>Ted Fischer wrote:
 
>It is for this reason that bees store not only honey (energy source) but
also
>pollen as a source of protein, vitamins and minerals for their total
metabolic
>needs.  For energy, sugars will do just fine, and are what they normally
>collect anyway.
>
>Ted Fischer
>Dexter, Michigan USA
 
 
    Yes, you are right, a STRONG colony will go in winter with enough pollen
(bee bread reserves).
 
    The questions are:
 
    * how often are the colonies really helped to enter strong in winter?
 
    * how often the beekeepers are really looking or measuring the amount of
bee bread, honey, propolis a bee colony has BEFORE wintering?
 
    * sugar processing, done on the bees biochemical expense will not
diminish the total reserve of vitamins, proteins, minerals from the hive,
just before wintering?
 
    As far as I know, normal honey has at least 70% mono-sacharides which
needs NO processing, while sugar is 100% a di-sacharide which needs it
entirely.
 
    So, the conclusions I can take here are:
 
    * sugar is a good source of energy, but it takes also a lot of
bio-energy in order to be processed; in other words, the bees which will
process, in their own body the refined sugar will get metabolically speaking
TIRED, even exhausted, especially if they have not all necessary vitamins,
enzymes (bee bread, honey, propolis) etc. necessary for this processing;
 
    * tired bees (colony) = lethal risks under bacterial and viruses
infections specific for the cold seasons;
 
    * a weak bee (colony) can transmit the viruses, before dying, to other
new born bees (other colonies); these other bees (colonies), even if they
have been strong at the beginning, under a long and difficult winter may die
too;
 
    I think that this theory may explain why there are so many beekeepers,
all over the world, which are very disciplined and listen to the
"authorities" but they find lately in spring more than 30-60% from their
colonies dead...
 
What are these disciplined beekeepers do? They:
 
* treat with Apistan and alike after they took as much as possible honey
from their hives, producing in most cases what is called a immunitary
"depression" (weakening);
 
* replace the rich in nutrients, enzymes, minerals etc. honey with the
extremely poor sugar; processing this sugar, again,  will consume from the
bees bodies many minerals, enzymes, nutrients, thus increasing, second time,
the "chance" to obtain a really weak resistance against viruses, bacterias,
fungi, parasites...
 
* even if that colony will not die during the winter, she will be able to
transmit the above mentioned infectious factors to other colonies, or worse
to, other apiaries in early spring...
 
 
    I know that this subject is very sensitive for many beekeepers which use
probably for years this old "sugar methodology".
 
    I receive also private "advises" to be more "cautious" with my opinions
in order not to disturb some important people from the list...
 
    I may be wrong, but I feel that sooner or later our best scientists will
find other methods, more bio-ecologically ones, in favor of our bee colonies
and not in our personal budget...
 
    I believe that Nature, or God if you prefer, has found the best ways to
select the strongest bee colonies through millions of years of evolution,
and we, "clever" humans, have still a lot to learn...
 
    Sincerely, as always,
 
        Stefan Stangaciu,
       Constanta, Romania
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