george seferiadis wrote:
> I cannot disagree more  than the absurd idea that feeding bees sugar =
> .syrup is better than honey.

In general, I agree.

However when you address over wintering in harsh climates, sugar syrup
is better than honey.

First- where winters are long and cold, bees do not always have an
opportunity for cleansing flights. Tests of bees confined for long
periods, such as a northern winter, showed sugar syrup to be superior to
all other feeds.

Second- not all honey is the same. There are many honeys that granulate
quickly and would be exceptionally harmful to bees over an extended
period. Heather honey, honeydew, and in my case a combination of
goldenrod and aster make dysentery more likely and reduces successful
over wintering.

Third- the bees are different. You have races of bees that are not
normally found in such climates or may be in an area that would not have
bees because of the climate, so what is normal would not work. We have
created an unnatural situation.

There was an interesting finding that when mankind shifted from hunting
to agriculture, the health of the species declined as did longevity.
However, in our age, a vegetarian lifestyle is promoted because it is
healthier. Why was it bad then and good now? You only have to look at
the diversity of foods available now and what constitutes a vegatarian
diet. Plus, our lifestyle has changed dramatically, more toward couch
potato than hunter-gatherer. We have drugs to counter ill health. We
have vitamins to supplement our diet. So what is natural for good health
- eating mostly meat- is bad and what is unnatural is good. But that is
because we have changed and have a new definition of natural- which, for
me, will be watching the Oklahoma-Nebraska game on a lazy-boy and eating
vegetarian foods like Doritos, not out chasing a deer through the woods.

We do the same with our bees for cold, long winters. We feed pollen
substitutes. We medicate. We remove bad honey and substitute it for a
better feed. We create an environment that is not natural but is
actually better than natural, since they would die if left to nature.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, ME