Scot Mc Pherson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> The detriment is in supporting lines of genetics
> that would otherwise have 'been' removed.  ....if
> you feed bees that on their own cannot gather enough
> to feed themselves would not make the cut in the
> natural selection process, and so as keith says, are
> allowed to pollute the genetic pool.


The point that I saw was that commercial beekeepers,
and others, took most of the honey stored by the bees,
including that which they would have utilized over the
winter, and sold it.  The honey sold more than repaid
the beekeepers for the subsequent syrups that they
then fed to the colonies to carry them through the
winter.  They made more money robbing the bees and
then feeding them than they would have made if they
had left the necessary stores which the bees had
collected and stored to carry them through the winter.
 The bees had stored enough to carry them through the
winter and build up in the spring plus surplus for the
beekeeper.  The beekeeper just didn't let the colonies
keep that extra honey.

At least that is my understanding of why a lot of
beekeepers feed honey to their colonies in the fall.

Mike in Alabama




__________________________________
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005
http://mail.yahoo.com

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---