Feeding with Miller feeders with honey and water

[WiredForStereo]

I had a thought while reading back posts from the BioBee list. There were discussions about feeding watered down honey and that it would ferment, but if you fed straight honey, the bees would have to collect water to use it. In any instance, if you used Miller type feeders, you could put honey in one side, and water in the other, or to save the bees trips to get water, just put water in them in the summer.

Thoughts anyone?

Sol Parker

[Michael Bush]

I have put water in boardman feeders for the bees and they use it. They still may gather water also.

Watered down syrup will ferment also. It's the "watered down" part that allows fermentation.

Bees don't need water to use honey. They eat it all winter without water. They use water for cooling the hive. I think they would need water to eat dry sugar, but I don't have any research to substantiate that. There are people who feed dry sugar for winter feed but I always wondered how the bees could eat it without going out for water.

[odfrank]

I fed a lot of new hives honey syrup in '96 when I was restocking from my first wipeout from mites. All the new hives then were wiped out by a vicious batch of American foulbrood. I always suspected the honey feed.

[Clayton]

Hi,

I always feed honey. Never have I had it cause an AFB outbreak.

Clay