To Feed or Not to Feed

[BretB]

I am not a bee keeper and live in Bend Oregon. This is my first post so hope I got this in the right place. The bees are coming in to my bird feeder and from what I have read they may be starving? The temps during the last few days have been between 45 and 60 during the day and in the thirties at night. It has been a really dry winter. We live on an organic 1/2 acre and grow a huge garden. This time of year not much grows except for a few herbs. We had a beekeeper try to keep some bees here a few years back but it didn?t work out. There are bees all over in the summer when the garden is growing and we realize how important they are. I am looking for advise if we should try to feed these or not. I researched a few things. Some say yes and some say no. What would you do? Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks for any replies.


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[van from Arkansas]

Mr. Bret, hello and welcome.  Your question is opinion based and not moral.  You are doing a good thing feeding the birds.  As in your statement above some beekeepers: will say yes, others no to feeding bees.  I don?t see any harm with the bees poaching off a bird feeder. 

Now if your sugar feed has red dye added to the sugar a local beekeeper might not like the red nectar in their hive, However, no serious harm.  So if you enjoy the bees keep the bird feeder.  If the bees are not wanted, change your style of bird feeder.  Good thing that you care enough about Nature to ask.  Blessings

Van

[BeeMaster2]

Bret,
Welcome to Beemaster.
This time of year is when many Beekeepers are feeding their bees to build them us, at least in the south.
Never feed store bought honey. It probably has American Foul Brood. Just feet them 1 to 1 sugar water.

[BretB]

I read something online that said if they were into my bird feeder they were probably starving. This concerned me as I love having them around and want to help if I can. What about one of the bee feeders that is a quart canning jar, holes in lid, upside down in a deep plate, with pebbles around it? It said to make a sugar and water solution using white sugar. I might try one of these unless it will mess something up. Just want to help the little guys if I can.


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[van from Arkansas]

Jim, you are correct.  Store bought honey is pasteurized at 140F, which destroys the natural very beneficial antioxidants/enzymes in honey, prevents crystallization and kills bacteria, BUT does not destroy bacterial seeds, or spores as they are properly called and America Foulbrood certainly has spores.  Good catch, Jim.

Van

[Acebird]

I am not a bee keeper and live in Bend Oregon.

Do not feed bees that are not your own.  It causes contaminated honey for those that are raising bees for that purpose.  Bees do not need human intervention unless humans are causing a problem for them.  Most efforts toward "saving the bees" is counter productive.

[BretB]

I am not a bee keeper and live in Bend Oregon.

Do not feed bees that are not your own.  It causes contaminated honey for those that are raising bees for that purpose.  Bees do not need human intervention unless humans are causing a problem for them.  Most efforts toward "saving the bees" is counter productive.

I thought that may be the case. Thank you for the reply.


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[CoolBees]

I am not a bee keeper and live in Bend Oregon.

Do not feed bees that are not your own.  It causes contaminated honey for those that are raising bees for that purpose.  Bees do not need human intervention unless humans are causing a problem for them.  Most efforts toward "saving the bees" is counter productive.

Brettb, I believe Ace has the correct answer to your question.

I am a beekeeper. If my neighbor was feeding my bees sugar water, it would ruin the value of my honey. If I didn't know it was happening, I could run into trouble with my customers, if they figured it out before I did. My customers might think I was false advertising, even lying, about the quality of my honey - and I would be innocent, but unable to prove it, and unable to know what happened.

Spring is coming in your area (Bend is very pretty) - the bees will have plenty to eat shortly.