> Fact is, bees won't build much comb on syrup alone, they need pollen


I would say not correct.   A few years back I did a trial with 40 fall packages.  I was testing feeds and weight loss.  Shook packages with fall nurse bees.  Bees were kept in packages for 10 days.  At the end of the test I was pondering what to do with them,  the plan was they would die,  but I was surprised at how good they looked yet.

All packages were dumped 2 packages per single on foundation.  This was after killing frost,  but a warm fall.  Fed syrup as much as they would take.  All 20 drew and filled at least one deep,  many of them filled a second deep. Never had any brood,  and the pollen stored was essential zero ( a cell or two)   most survived the winter fine,  if I recall I lost 2 out of 19??  Zero nectar or pollen was available to them,  and no pollen sub or anything fed to them.  Ended up with close to 30 completely drawn deeps of pretty wax.

Didn’t start out as a test of that,  but was a very interesting result.

Charles

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html