[log in to unmask] wrote:

> <<  Knowing the conventional wisdom on
>  trying to overwinter with honeydew, I decided to see for myself if it was
>  as bad as claimed. It was.  >>
>
> And yet in the forested areas of continental Europe honeydew has been a
> mainstay of bees for thousands of years for over wintering.  Maybe you need
> the right sort of bees for a honeydew area.

Might, but it is more likely the honeydew. There are many variants which
are related to the plant/tree and to the insects secreting the honeydew.
Some honeydews are definitely harmful to any sort of bee, winter or
summer.

I have noticed here in Maine that if someone gets thorough the winter
with losses of 1/3 or more, they think that is the standard for all,
since some of their friends also suffer the same sort of losses. While
there are those who have few winter losses and they are considered
abnormal. So even though there may be "no problem" with something it
does not mean there is no problem. Bees are very forgiving.

All depends on our expectations or the standards we set.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine