Robin said, of "sugar syrup", and other feeds other than honey:

> If so, the larvae will have been fed a deficient diet, as syrup has the
> same sugar content as nectar but includes none of the vital traces of
> minerals, vitamins and medicinal substances possibly expressed by plants in
> their nectar...

In what context are these "traces" described as "vital"?

  Are we to read this as "vital to the physical health
  of bees", or "vital" as in having a "vital mystical
  life-force" as used in the context of Reiki, Qigong,
  chakra tuning, tantric yoga, aromatherapy, herbalism,
  acupuncture, or homeopathic "healing" without benefit
  of an actual medical degree as a homeopathic doctor?

Also, if the substances at issue are "possibly expressed
by plants", then is it just as possible that they are
NOT expressed by plants?

I want to forward your message along to the folks at the
Institute of Wellness and Holistic Apiary Therapy
( http://www.bee-quick.com/bee-quick/rpt2/ ) in hopes of
getting a summary of the research done to date in this area,
but I can't until I understand "vital".

> 50% of modern drugs are extracted or derived from plants.

Yes, but these drugs have no known value for insects.
These are drugs for mammals.

Given the tiny trace amounts of minerals found in honey, and
the obvious fact that honey is highly-concentrated nectar,
I'm confused as to how such miniscule components of nectar
(rough estimate, take the amounts found in honey and divide
by at least one order of magnitude) could be mission-critical
to the health of bees.

I do know that larvae have been raised on all sorts of diets
under controlled lab conditions, and subjected to post-mortem
chemical analysis many times, each time finding no discernable
difference between sugar-water, HFCS, and nectar.  (Most often,
deficiencies show up as enzymes that are out-of-wack, but this
is not my area of specialization, so there may be other tests).

Bottom line, Bob certainly WISHES his bees had access to nectar,
but the drought/dearth FORCES him to feed his bees right now.

I also WISH my bees had better flight conditions, but we are
getting all the rain to which Bob was entitled, and I am feeding
100% of my observation hives at honey retailers, as they are
very low on stores.  Production hives are clearly making much
smaller crops this year, but they are not yet "in danger".
The rains have created a bumper crop of clover, and may provide
a rally in the late innings of summer.

The wet conditions have been so bad here in VA USA that first hay
cut was a complete disaster for those of us who cut hay intended
for horses. (Cows can handle less than "dry" hay, and/or slightly
"fermented" hay, but horses can't.)

Anyone want some square bales of hay fit only for cows?
I thought not.

                        jim

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::