feeding sodas ..coke&pepsi??

[blkcloud]

I dropped off some cardboard at our local recycling station a couple of weeks ago and outside the building was a cold drink can collector..full of drink cans and bees...I mean bees out the ying yang... they were really working those cans..my question is..would it be ok to buy some elcheapo 2 liters and feed my bees over the winter with them?? I have seen some off brand 2 liter colas for .50 cents before, I dont think I could mix up the sugar water that cheap.. thanks!!

[nc checkers]

The concentration of sugar or corn syrup actually is too weak in drinks. Much of the water has evaporated from the empty cans and whats left is thicker than normal. soft drinks are about the same sweetness as sweet tea and we make a gallon of tea we use 2 cups of sugar. when feeding bees you would use 5 or 10 lbs of sugar in a gallon.

[Apuuli]

So if you bought just the syrup for a soda you could feed it to your bees and get coke-syrup-honey? Assuming it wouldn't kill your bees of course... and you had nothing better to do... It'll be the next big thing. I can see it now!

[PA Pete]

Caffeinated honey! :eek:

[Apuuli]

Hmmm, maybe the bees would forage at night then...

[bee whisper]

I think it would be a bad idea!

[ScadsOBees]

>> Hmmm, maybe the bees would forage at night then...

No, they'd just run around the hive trying to find something to do, their eyes doing this :eek: :eek: getting in the way of the workers, then the next day they'd be really tired and not able to work efficiently.

Or they'd get a raging case of dysentary :eek:

[dickm]

I once saw totes (250 gal containers) of what I think was coke syrup or chocolate syrup in a commercial bee yard.

[blkcloud]

(when feeding bees you would use 5 or 10 lbs of sugar in a gallon)
I think I remember reading where Walter Wright suggest feeding a weak solution because the nectar from the flowers is not real stout like the 5-10 lbs of sugar per gallon would be..?? the weak soluiton is more like what they are use to gathering..

[Alienor]

Cola contains phosphoric acid which kills bees.
Their metabolism can't take it....

[Michael Bush]

>Cola contains phosphoric acid

Maybe it will kill the mites. ;)

[applebwoi]

Would all that caffine give the beez a buzz? Iliked the comment about foraging at night-ha.

[Alienor]

:D I see always my bees on the compost heap sitting on the coffee grounds and drawing the liquids. But I haven't seen yet a flying bee at night not even in summer on a full moon night

[Walts-son-in-law]

[ October 28, 2006, 05:47 PM: Message edited by: Walts-son-in-law ]

[Oldbee]

Please!! just feed pure cane sugar and water!!