> "One notable comment from their presentation was in regard to the care and 
> feeding of bees themselves. Lactobacilli, bacteria that deliver protective 
> and beneficial benefits to both humans and bees, were not found in bee's 
> honey stomach during the winter months when the bees under investigation 
> were fed sucrose, indicating that certain bee-feeding practices may have 
> dangerous and unwanted affects on bees."

I notice the symposium is held by a honey _promotional_ group and that 
details of the procedures leading up to those conclusions are not 
mentioned -- that I can see, at least.  To me the source is questionable, at 
best, for several reasons and much more information must be obtained and 
considered before the idea is given any credence.

To point out just one obvious flag: There is no mention of when the sucrose 
was fed and whether other feed was available as well.  It is well-known by 
beekeepers and researchers that feeding only sucrose syrup  _during_ winter, 
or on the absence of other normal hive stores is not good practice.

When fed correctly, sucrose makes superior winter stores, but should not be 
fed on an ongoing basis from a feeder during winter, except in an emergency, 
when the best result to expect from such feeding is mere survival.

Ideally, syrup is fed in fall in plenty of time for the bees to invert and 
store it, preferably over some pollen, and perhaps cap it.  When it is fed 
correctly, sucrose provides as good or better wintering and spring 
performance than many honies.

There are many pitfalls for the inexperienced and unwary, and one is the 
believing of one or two line summaries of 'research' conducted to prove an 
agenda.  Not to say that this is the case here, but that report does seem to 
walk a lot like a duck.

allen
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/
---
Of course, it is very important to be sober when you take an exam. Many 
worthwhile careers in the street-cleansing, fruit-picking and 
subway-guitar-playing industries have been founded on a lack of 
understanding of this simple fact. -- Terry Pratchett  , Moving Pictures

 

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************