In a message dated 5/17/98 10:17:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
 
<< I have several frames of honey left over from last year and would like to
 feed them to my bees this year. I have two hives in my back yard.  This
 honey is crystallized on the frames.
 1. Can I just set them a few yards away from the hives and have the bees
 come and rob them?
 2. Will the bees turn this crystallized honey into good honey that can be
 extracted? >>
 
  1.  That's extremely risky. You are apt to get robbing started, if there is
no nectar flow on. There will be hoards of bees cleaning up the honey, maybe
even from other hives in the area. While they are robbing they have an
excellent chance of spreading disease and parasites to one another. After they
finish off the honey you put out, they will go looking for more, and they may
jump on a weak hive and rob it out. In the meantime they will get quite
defensive with each other, and you, your kids, your dog, and your neighbors
may wind up getting stung.
 
    If they are the same size as the frames in your brood box, just put them
into it, alongside the cluster. If they are a different size, put the frames
in a box, fill it out with empty comb or foundation, and set it on an
excluder, over the brood box.
 
  2.   Generally, the bees will rework the honey, given enough time, and you
may be able to extract it. Or they may eat it up, then replace it with new
honey. Sometimes, if they get a heavy flow, they will throw out the crystals.
 
[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
 
Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
http://users.aol.com/SweetnessL/sweetlit.htm