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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Anthony Morgan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 24 Oct 2001 13:53:44 +0200
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James Fischer wrote:

> ..... what would happen if one removed ALL honey from a
> hive in an area with no fall nectar of any significance, and fed the heck out
> of it in August and September?  Has anyone tried this?  I can't imagine that
> either sugar water or HFCS provides the "balanced diet" that bees really need.

Here in mid-Norway (close to Trondheim) the local bees are carniolan (no
ferals).
We have two major flows:
-- wild raspberry + summer flowers in June/July
-- heather in August.

Whilst we do not have a harsh winter it is very long - October to April
plus minus a month either end. It is believed that heather honey is not
a good food source for over wintering as it contains a relatively high
proportion of non-digestibles that need to be excreted -- the result
being either dead bees (outside the hive) or a messed up hive with a
strong probability of sickness. Unless late August is extremely warm
there will be no brood by the middle of September. Local beekeepers,
without exception, take ALL the heather honey from the hives (including
from the brood chamber) in September, reduce the hive to one box and
feed sugar syrup (mix: 5kg sugar to 3 litres water), the usual amount
per hive would be in the region of 15kg of sugar. It is also believed
that the bees require winter food more for energy (warmth) than anything
else so that lack of vitamins and trace elements is not a big problem.
Certainly there are no indications that this use of sugar gives problems
with over wintering.

Very few hives take as much as 18kg of sugar. Hive populations are low -
one box for over wintering with maybe as few as 8 frames (plus
insulation spacers). Carniolans are renowned for being economical with
winter food and very often there is a significant amount still unused in
the spring.

Tony
--
Anthony N Morgan,
Førsteamanuensis
Institutt for Elektroteknikk
Høgskolen i Sør-Trøndelag
N-7005 Trondheim, Norway
[log in to unmask]
Tlf. 73 55 96 04
Fax. 73 55 95 81

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