My friend/mentor suggested I feed honey instead of the 2:1 syrup I had in the bottle on top of the obs hive. Then, later, I realized my honey has all been heated to re liquefy it. That makes it a no-no for feeding doesn't it? What is it, HMF's or something? Or is that only a problem if honey has been treated at higher temps?
Quote from: twb on January 15, 2009, 07:39:12 PM
My friend/mentor suggested I feed honey instead of the 2:1 syrup I had in the bottle on top of the obs hive. Then, later, I realized my honey has all been heated to re liquefy it. That makes it a no-no for feeding doesn't it? What is it, HMF's or something? Or is that only a problem if honey has been treated at higher temps?
If you are going to feed honey you need to do either of the following: If sugared feed it as fondant or re-liquify it. If liquid thin it out into a thinner syrup so the bees will take it faster. Trying to feed pure honey to the bees can be frustrating because, since it is the same thing as they have in the comb, they will only take it as they need it. More often than not they will not move it into the cells for storage up leave it in the feeder until they need it.
If you thin your honey before feeding what is the ratio of water to honey?
And what about the HMF's or whatever they are called. Is that just a concern if the honey has been heated to temps over 160F or something? Anybody know? Thanks.
Quote from: twb on January 16, 2009, 07:48:17 PM
If you thin your honey before feeding what is the ratio of water to honey?
1:1 is as simple as it gets.
QuoteAnd what about the HMF's or whatever they are called. Is that just a concern if the honey has been heated to temps over 160F or something? Anybody know? Thanks.
If you're buying honey from the store to feed your bees then I'd worry about high heat changing the fructose but since most honey in grocery stores are a world wide blend (including china) I would recommend using granulated sugar instead. If you're feeding you won honey back to your bees the conly real concern is the question of whether or not any of your hives had a serious disease. There is no need to heat honey above 125 F even when reconstituting granulated honey.