"Usually diluted. Ferments rapidly; feed only the amount that will be
removed from feeder within 48 hours."

Honey should not be fed diluted. The reason why people dilute it is
because the bees take it up quicker. They do because it's more like
nectar when diluted, however feed pure undiluted honey, the bees will
take it up slower and store it the way they do when combs break and make
a mess or when a beekeeper makes a sticky mess in the hive. Making syrup
1:1 has the effects it does in brooding and comb building because it
simulates nectar, diluting honey will do the same thing, and any syrup
that simulates honey will have the same effect. HOWEVER, for winter
feeding, we aren't trying to stimulate buildup, we are augmenting stores
for winter, the honey should be stored and ready for use, not have to be
processed and dried first. Sure bees have brood turnover for winter, but
I don't want them stimulated into spring brooding because they think
nectar is abundent.

Also, sugar water is just as susceptible to fermenting as diluted honey
is. However, yeasts do do better in diluted honey because of the nitrgen
content and trace elements, which you say honey has so little of that it
makes no difference. Anyone who ferments beverages can tell you what
yeasts will do in different environments.

--
Scot McPherson
The McPherson Family Honey Farms
Davenport, Iowa USA

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