Watered down honey instead of sugar water

[John ssss]

Has anyone ever tried watering down honey to spray bees when installing instead of sugar syrup? Just wondering if that's a totally ridiculous idea.

[HONEYDEW]

welcome, It would be a bad idea if you don't know the exact source of the honey, because of the possibility of disease spores and chemicals and such that honey could contain. Even if it comes from a store it is not guaranteed not to have American Foul brood (AFB) spores in it... just stick with sugar water, beet or cane and the bees will be fine...

[Solomon Parker]

Honey contains natural yeasts which are inhibited from reproducing by the high sugar concentration and low water content. If you mix water in, you're looking at mead in short order. Stick with honey if at all possible, high sugar content syrup otherwise.

[Honey-4-All]

As a person that sells just short of a 1000 packages a year I have always dreaded the "spray them with sugar" statement.

The reason is that its something that can get screwed up right quickly.

To much volume the bees get soggy. To much sugar in the solution the bees get gummed up. Doing this trick involves the right mixture and patience. You need to give them what they will consume and then wait. Its a spray, wait, watch and repeat game. Sometimes the bees need the feed. at other times they just need the water.

Generally a 5 -10% solution will give the bees water and the energy they need to avoid a crisis if starving.

Feeding honey is not a wise idea for reasons listed previously. I doubt that honey mixed with water and applied to the bees immediately will be fermented. If it the only option you have to feed bees it is definitely preferable to letting them boil or starve to death.

Go slow and go lite.

[Michael Bush]

I wouldn't spray them. I've seen too many sticky dead bees in my time...

As far as FEEDING honey, I wouldn't water it down because, as mentioned it will spoil quickly.

[Solomon Parker]

My mistake, I misinterpreted. I thought it said feeding. As for spraying, I'd stick with water if I were you.

[John ssss]

Not for nothing, but I've never actually tried spraying my bees. But, I also have only installed one pkg - being new to this and all. I didn't read about spraying them until after I already installed it.

I was just curious if it wold work. I thought maybe I was onto something

[Jim 134]

Can you say American Foul brood (ABF)


BEE HAPPY Jim 134

[John ssss]

Can you say American Foul brood (ABF)


BEE HAPPY Jim 134

Yes, but that doesn't mean I know what it American Foulbrood means. lol

Since we are on the subject AFB: Wouldn't feeding honey contaminated with AFB, to bees, be as bad as spraying them with it?

[mac]

Yes..

[deejaycee]

Since we are on the subject AFB: Wouldn't feeding honey contaminated with AFB, to bees, be as bad as spraying them with it?

It would, and it is. That's why you don't see recommendations to feed honey of unknown origin.

And by 'unknown origin' beeks generally mean anything they haven't produced themselves from colonies they have thoroughly inspected and know to be healthy.