>It would be informative to have some kind of input from different areas and
beekeeping systems on the ratio of sugar to honey production, on a weight (not
cost) basis.  

That would ignore other factors - especially management.

For most of my beekeeping years (40+) I averaged around 70lbs per colony based on autumn count (i.e. the number of colonies that I fed the previous autumn).  But I was younger then and moved bees to various crops and spent much more time on management: 7 day inspections, rigorous control of swarming etc.

Now that I am older I do not have the energy for all that work!  Average crop is not probably around 50lbs.

Feeding has not changed for probably 30 years after I discovered bakers fondant.  No more mixing or transporting of sugar syrup, very easy to feed large numbers of colonies very quickly, no robbing, no more brood nests filled with sugar syrup...

So although my average crop has reduced, that has nothing to do with feeding.  With fondant the bees eat as much as they need and leave the rest untouched.

One thing has changed over the years: as I have worked towards breeding native dark bees, the amount of fondant required has dropped from sometimes more than 50lbs to perhaps less than 14lbs - and 10% of that is water.

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

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