Jim said "what would happen if one removed ALL honey from a
hive in an area with no fall nectar of any significance, and fed the heck out
of it in August and September?  Has anyone tried this?  I can't imagine that
either sugar water or HFCS provides the "balanced diet" that bees really need."

Removing all honey from a hive and then feeding either sugar syrup or HFCS is, in fact, a common practice in Europe and is not all that uncommon in the US and Canada.  Moreover, either seems to meet all the nutritional needs of adult bees.   

In Europe this is done primarily because of the steep differences between honey prices and sugar syrup.  Their honey prices are very high because their consumers and packers are "educated" to reject the imported honeys that have been so over-processed that they are only sweet...with no honey taste.  (They laugh at the honey at the honey from Argentina and China that we accept so readily.)  Their sugar prices are also very low because of high world production...and a lack of subsidies that keep our own sugar prices approximately 2X world prices.

Those taking all honey and feeding syrup in the US and Canada do so because of one of two reasons:

1.  They can sell all their honey at retail prices, so they are in the same situation as the Europeans.  An example is the large Canadian producer just outside of Montreal...perhaps someone can help me with their name?  

2.  Studies have shown that syrup is better than honey as a winter food.  This is the situation with the Diehaults (sp?) in Michigan.  I understand this is because syrup doesn't contain the "ash" content of honey...but I don't really understand what that means.  Again, perhaps someone else can help on this one.

So, the good news is beekeepers can feed syrup to their hearts (and wallets) content, without danger of harming their bees.

Lloyd      


Lloyd
Lloyd Spear, Owner of Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacturer of round comb honey equipment and Sundance pollen traps