Feeding Study

[farmdon]

Found : http://www.cababstractsplus.org/google/abstract.asp?AcNo=20023188238


English Title: The influence of enriched syrup on bee colony development.
Personal Authors: Mladenovic´, M., Gajic´, D., Jevtic´, G., Nedic´, N., Mirjanic´, G.
Author Affiliation: Poljoprivredni fakultet, Beograd-Zemun, Serbia and Montenegro.
Editors: No editors
Document Title: Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry, 2002 (Vol. 18) (No. 5/6) 333-337

Abstract:
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different feeding programmes on the honey and pollen production and on brood and honey bee (Apis mellifera) development in Yugoslavia. Three feedings were carried out from the middle of July 1999 to the end of March 2000. The feeding programmes were feeding with only syrup (1/1 sucrose-water), feeding with fruit juice syrup (1/1 sucrose-fruit juice) and feeding with milk syrup (1/1 sucrose-milk). Colonies were equalized in terms of the number of frames and brood areas and had young queen bees of the same age. Feeding was conducted at 10-day intervals. The behaviour of workers, population development, brood production, honey and pollen reserves were observed after feeding until the spring of the following year. It was shown that honey and pollen production was highest in the group fed fruit juice syrup, being 5.7 and 0.9, respectively. This group also had the highest colony population (4.48) in the spring of 2000 and showed the best brood rearing (3.1). The highest pollen reserves after wintering was found in the group fed milk syrup. In conclusion, feeding milk syrup promotes high colony populations and brood development while feeding fruit juice syrup stimulates better honey and pollen production and can be recommended to beekeepers.


Publisher: Institute for Animal Husbandry

[jean-marc]

So what kind of fruit juice was fed to the bees?

Jean-Marc

[farmdon]

Don't know ... the study seems to go against all the stuff we are told ... thats why I posted it.

I thought maybe someone would pipe up and say something like " Oh yeah, I tried that in 1978 and this is what happened"

Or maybe some thrill seeker would try it on their bees and report back.

[Michael Bush]

I gave them several gallons of strawberry juice one summer. No ill effects but they weren't confined in any way as the often are in the spring and fall.

[farmdon]

That milk syrup thing .... Thats got me thinking ... And you know that can't be a good thing!

[JoeMcc]

Im pretty sure one year a hive packed a frame with blackberry juice. It even had a slight tang. Will they do that?

JoeMcc

[danno1800]

it's got me thinking also...this could get DANGEROUS!!! -Danno

[riverrat]

Im pretty sure one year a hive packed a frame with blackberry juice. It even had a slight tang. Will they do that?

JoeMcc

Sure will. During a dearth bees will collect about anything they can that is sweet. They will pack it away the same has if it wasa nectar.

[MichelinMan]

That milk syrup thing .... Thats got me thinking ... And you know that can't be a good thing!

I am certainly not an expert, but I would refrain from giving bees milk. The following quote comes from http://www.beesource.com/pov/usda/supfeeding78.htm

"...They (the bees) cannot utilize the carbohydrates galactose, mannose, lactose, raffinose, dextrin, inulin, rhamnose, xylose, or arabinose."

Now "cannot utilize... lactose" does not mean it is harmful per se, but I would not want to experiment with it. I`ll stick with the tried and true stuff and leave the experimentation to those who can afford it. BTW, I couldn`t find anything on the net to back this study.

MM

[Grant]

Somebody assist the ignornant. What is sugar-milk?

I have a hard time believing it is, well, sugar and milk? Skim or 2%?

Grant
Jackson, MO

[farmdon]

We mix non-fat dry milk in some pollen patty recipes, so why is this not another way to supplement them?

Why can't one of our University programs try this. Use some of those CCD dollars .... or maybe not ....

After some point the feed crosses the line between feeding sugar and pollen sub and just combines the two .... its a hot dog ..... You get your carb and your protein in a liquid sandwich.

[tecumseh]

grant ask:
Somebody assist the ignornant. What is sugar-milk?

tecumseh suggest:
lactose?

[farmdon]

Reading it again, I read there are 3 types of feed:
1. Sugar/water 1:1
2: Sugar/Fruit juice 1:1
3. Sugar/Milk 1:1 type of milk not specified, we need to find the original study and why doesn't one of our university friends do that please. Its available from CAB Abstracts, which by the way I don't have as a resource.