[Barney]

I guess I asked the question wrong. What I'm trying to determine is do the bees eat the syrup or do they convert it to honey before they eat it?
Thanks for the help
Barney

 

[USCBeeMan]

They eat the SS/SW if they have no stores. If they have stores then they will put it in comb for later. Hence, if they don't need any feed, don't feed them else they will put it in the brood chamber.

 

[brac]

either way they can't convert it to honey.

 

[USCBeeMan]

They can convert it to honey, but not in the winter and are clustered.

 

[IndianaHoney]

I'm with brac on this one, bees can not convert SS to honey. They can cure it down to a thick syrup for later consumption.

 

[USCBeeMan]

I have seen some of the new regulations on defining honey. One of them states that honey made from sugar water is not considered honey. I have also read where some people will feed a lot of SW so that the bees will make for honey and then blend the SW honey with the natural honey.

Plus I know that I have given my bees SW and accidently broke some capped honey. It was very light in color, sweet, but I could tell it was basically SW converted to honey. I also have read articles here and elsewhere that states that SW is the closet thing to nectar we can feed bees.

Hope someone, like M. Bush will come on and confirm or deny my information.

 

[Michael Bush]

They will invert the sugar with invertase. They will dry it down to 20% or less moisture. They will store it and cap it. So, from the bees' perspective, it is honey. But, of course, from a marketing perspective it is not.

 

[be lote]

china says it honey. ha ha

 

[NewbeeNnc]

I market my sugar water honey as Sourwood!

People just can't believe I have so much of it.

 

[Oldbee]

"..do the bees eat the syrup or do they convert it to honey before they eat it?"

Your question is,.. "kind of interesting",.. ,..:scratch:. Do they 'eat it' [or absorb it],.. certainly,..but do they derive energy/nourishment from sugar syrup/nectar before the normal [invertase/or other] chemical changes occur? I don't know. I would 'assume' they do derive energy on the way back from a nectar or sugar syrup source that was somewhat beyond the 3-4 miles of their normal flight range. This would sustain them better, than if they had an empty honey stomach :scratch:

 

[Countryboy]

Honey is winter/emergency food for bees. It is not the daily food during the rest of the year.

Bees eat nectar/syrup. When you inspect your hive during the summer, if the bees do not have open nectar in combs, then they are starving and you need to feed them syrup.