BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > NATURAL & ORGANIC BEEKEEPING METHODS

Help! Best natural feeding options

<< < (2/3) > >>

The15thMember:
I agree with Kathy wholeheartedly.  Learning your local flows and understanding them in terms of your goals is critical to learning to manage bees, especially if you'd like to not feed sugar.  It's something that takes a few years of trial and error.  I'm in my 6th spring beekeeping and every year there seems to be one colony that I have mismanaged or has had some problem and needs sugar, but with more experience I'm hoping to make that a rarer occurrence. 

Michael Bush:
I try to manage them so they won't need to be fed.  Most years I don't feed them at all.  When I do need to feed them, I use white sugar.  Solids are not good for bees.  Brown sugar is not good for bees.  Molasses is not good for bees.  The more refined the better.  I add some ascorbic acid to the syrup to lower the pH and make it keep better.

Terri Yaki:
MB, in what form is the sugar when you are giving it to them?

Michael Bush:
Generally I feed syrup, but that depends on the time of year and the goal.  When you feed dry sugar it keeps them from starving and it usually doesn't get stored much, but it's there if they need it.  Syrup is more useful if you want it to get stored or if you want to stimulate brood.

Terri Yaki:
So it would be safe to just give them straight sugar? I have heard of sugar patties or loaf or whatever they want to call it and syrup but I hadn't hear of just straight sugar. I figured bees couldn't handle it for some reason.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page