Bananas over Honey Bees

[Rick 1456]

Quote : Beside the odor of bananas, mimic the sting pheromone,

To the best of my knowledge, it only "mimics" it to us, not the bees.
Just humor:
Bee keepers would have to put warning signs up around their apiary, pictures of a banana with a circle and a slash through it. "Warning, Banana Free Zone". Can you imagine the news reports, " An unsuspecting citizen strolling down the sidewalk, was swarmed and stung multiple times by Angry Honey Bees, simply because he peeled a Banana."
A Beekeeper was fined $500.00 for failing to erect signs warning his neighbors not to eat bananas out of doors.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Randy Ray]

Beside the odour of bananas, mimic the sting pheromone,
I should have said, Beside the "Fear" that the fragrance of bananas, mimic the their sting pheromone to the point of attacking, I would think it would be a great emergency food for them, so let me edit it here. lol

[Randy Ray]

A quote from a drunk author says: Contempt prior to investigation leaves one in everlasting ignorance. So now I'm not ignorant to the banana feeding and I don't condemn it.

[Rick 1456]

Glad you have a sense of humor (Wasn't directed at anyone anyway)
Gota watch it, this is a tough bunch sometimes My fav is the one "I keep a bee dairy,,,,,should have been diary.
Experimenting is how we learn. Part of the fun. I tried/experimented with EOs. I learned it did just did not work for me. Must work for some because there are lots discussing it.
Go for it.

[Randy Ray]

Rick Fisher
"I'm not a smart man, but I know that" Forest Gump

I like your signature it's almost sarcastic. LOL

[Vance G]

Get yourself a small vial of lemongrass oil and put a few drops in a quarter cup of honey and a cup of water. Put it in the blender to emulsify the oil into the honey and water and use that to make your pollen patties or mix with them. The bees will like them. When someone convinced ole dummy me to put banana on the top bar to treat chalk brood, they hopefuly got a good laugh but I got twentysome stings on the back of the hand placing the banana. People who tell you to use banana on bees are not neccessarily your friend!

I had to get some overripe bananas to build my yellow jacket trap. hmmm

Bees didn't touch their bee patty, it's now a little brick..

His stats say member since 2006, I think I will observe the situation.

[Randy Ray]

People who tell you to use banana on bees are not neccessarily your friend!

I didn't post this thread to do harm to folks. I posted it to inform that my experience with feeding my bees bananas didn't have the results you have had. Granted my strain of bees may be calmer than yours meaning the queen doesn't emit the sting pheromone at the drop of a hat. I also have bees that would sting me many times even if I am in the yard near them without bananas. It's just that queens strain. Unless bananas turn honey bees into killer bees I see no need to fear feeding them cheaply to make or keep them healthier.

[Oldtimer]

I'm sure this topic won't be popular for the bee food supplement makers

But perhaps the banana growers federation could lend their muscle!

Seriously though, why are you feeding the bees? To get them through the winter? To promote spring buildup? Adult bees consume very little pollen for their own use, If you are wanting to get a hive through winter, they need honey, or as close a substitute to that as possible, ie sugar syrup.
If you are wanting to assist brood development, they need honey or sugar syrup, plus pollen. The pollen provides all the vitamins, minerals, and PROTEIN, among other things they need, that are not in honey in sufficient quantity. I'm pretty sure a banana diet would leave them protein starved.

When you feed your hive bananas, and you see them "eating" it, what is happening to the banana? Could it be getting removed from the hive with the garbage?

[Randy Ray]

why are you feeding the bees? To get them through the winter? To promote spring buildup? When you feed your hive bananas, and you see them "eating" it, what is happening to the banana? Could it be getting removed from the hive with the garbage?

The only colonies I have which mac is owed that answer, is four nucleus hives in which I had started at mid summer. So yes buildup going into winter is imperative. I'd rather not feed any at all on the advice of Michael Bush's website reading. What I see and I had time to notice being not attacked, was honeybees licking the banana not chewing. Maybe after a while they do as they would a grease patty I guess, but it is eaten all up and with a queen laying in plain sight shows increase is on the colonies consensus.

[peacekeeperapiaries]

. Maybe after a while they do as they would a grease patty I guess, but it is eaten all up and with a queen laying in plain sight shows increase is on the colonies consensus.

Seeing a queen laying an egg in "plain sight" is not an indicator that the banana is stimulating her....colony buildup is her single focus, that's what she does....you just happened to catch a glimpse of her at work... Open enough hives and you will see queens at work and laying eggs while you watch...no banana necessary.

I would not suggest further banana studies in October to determine whether bananas will get them through the winter....at this point colony inspections are in order to determine what they have for winter stores...then a good dose of 2:1 syrup to make up the difference.

If they make it through winter a "banana study" could be conducted starting earlier next year....but I think several other posters have answered the question as to whether or not banana's are a viable alternative food source for bees...they need honey or syrup to make it through the cold months....

[Oldtimer]

is four nucleus hives in which I had started at mid summer. So yes buildup going into winter is imperative.

OK well if they are all roughly similar, feed 2 of them bananas, and 2 not. See how it goes. Give them all plenty of syrup though, they'll be needing that.

[Naymond Rae]

It's a great statement, but what does it mean?????

It means that even though he doesn't have several hives and such, he and those close to him have researched until blue in the brain and have gained a great deal of knowledge between two brains with one directive.. Hehehh just kidding.. it just means he has learned and is willing to learn as much as possible about beekeeping border lining an obsession. Also is willing to experiment and think outside the box and beyond concrete operational learning.

[Randy Ray]

Give them all plenty of syrup though, they'll be needing that.

Yes I feed syrup of equal portions of sugar and water from sealed baggies over the top bars.

[Oldtimer]

Also is willing to experiment and think outside the box and beyond concrete operational learning.

There are at least two kinds of learning. One, is stuff we figure out ourselves, ie personal experience. The other, is inter generational learning, ie taking on board what has been learned by those who went before.

There is a third catagory, that I see increasing amounts of, that I would not call learning, it's more likely a substitute for learning. It's when people come up with wild ideas and then support them no matter what. They will sometimes call this "thinking outside the box", but it's the wrong kind of thinking outside the box.

Now I'm not including you in this Randy Ray, because although I don't think the banana thing will work (the composition of the banana is wrong), you have at least, been quite reasonable in your presentation of the idea.

It will be interesting to get some follow up from you with any results.

[Naymond Rae]

TThere is a third catagory, that I see increasing amounts of, that I would not call learning, it's more likely a substitute for learning. It's when people come up with wild ideas and then support them no matter what. They will sometimes call this "thinking outside the box", but it's the wrong kind of thinking outside the box.

Oh yea i agree with you as far as the third kind. I have heard plenty of that type "Outside the box" thinking waaay too much, but it's usually trying to compare apples to a funnel web spider (just a metaphor) but I have had people try to tell me such things as a broken back can be fixed with more exercise... Now that type thinking I agree is not thinking outside the box. The safe "outside the box" thinking is the one where even though one is comparing apples and oranges they DO realize that they are at least fruits.

As you said earlier though it is a good idea to test it thoroughly with a control group and in a situation where inspections can be performed on a regular basis. The only way that i can see that happening through the winter is with an indoors observation hive.

[Randy Ray]

Who thinks bananas are poisonous to bees and not at all beneficial and why? I'd like to repeat my experiment of blended apples and bananas without the sugar and water mixed in, to keep it eatable and see if it is even a better supplement of natural nutrition.

[Oldtimer]

With you Naymond Rae.

Actually the good thing about this thread is it's one of those kind that will sometimes turn into a slanging match, but instead the whole thing has been done in good humor and is an entertaining read.

[sqkcrk]

Why would one want to have a source of artificial alarm pheromone inside of their hives? And, just because Alarm Pheromone smells like Bananas to us, do Bananas smell like alarm pheromone to bees?

[Naymond Rae]

Who thinks bananas are poisonous to bees and not at all beneficial and why? I'd like to repeat my experiment of blended apples and bananas without the sugar and water mixed in, to keep it eatable and see if it is even a better supplement of natural nutrition.

Most fruit in it self while ripening will produce a syrup of sorts, I personally don't think it's poisonous to bee's if it was then the ones that get into old ripe fruit on the ground. I read somewhere that in those instances the solids would cause the trots for a time. I have also read that limiting the Honey Bee's nutrition (only allowing them to pollenate and drink from Mono crops) causes issue's too. But then again I am a little bias...

[Naymond Rae]

Why would one want to have a source of artificial alarm pheromone inside of their hives? And, just because Alarm Pheromone smells like Bananas to us, do Bananas smell like alarm pheromone to bees?

I can personally say that it does rough their feathers, but I also SAW them eating at it.