Spring feeding and importance of high density syrup

[Acebird]

What does sugar water honey look like?

If you go to the other site Lauri has some excellent photos comparing capped honey to capped sugar water.  The problem is when it gets mixed you can't tell visually anymore.  You can get away with selling honey that is contaminated with sugar water at a farmers stand but if anyone gets wind of it you won't sell much in the future no matter how pure it is.
Commercial beekeepers know what they are doing so if there is some mixing it is infinitesimal or it is on purpose.  So as a back yard beek if your bees don't need feed don't give it to them.

I have read a lot of posts from newbies and I can say with a lot of conviction that worrying solves nothing and most often causes a newbie to do the wrong thing.

I don't know if you watch NCIS and are tuned into Gibs rules but if he was a beekeeper rule #1 would be:  If you don't know, you don't do.

[chorrylan]

Bees don't seem to mind what ratio you mix the sugar at but..  higher density syrup can sit around in drums etc for a lot longer before you have to worry about things like fermentation and if like me you're lugging if by hand you don't have to carry as much water in the process.
For these reasons I pretty much always mix 2:1 sugar:water regardless of the time of year.

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[Jim134]

Are you trying to feed to stimulate honeybees ?
Are you feeling too build up storage ?
Are you trying to produce honey or are you trying to produce bees ?


            BEE HAPPY Jim 134 ?

[BeeMaster2]

2 to1 is good for feeding in the fall for the bees to store it but in the spring you want 1 to 1 or less to stimulate the queen to build brood. It tells her there is a flow on. 2 to 1 tells her they are using stored honey.
Jim

[Acebird]

Water can be added at any time to make a 2:1 solution into a 1:1 solution so I can see where it makes sense to make just the 2:1 for storage.

[Jim134]

  If you want to raise brood in the springtime. You will only use one hole in your feeder. If you flood feed like most all the bees will do is store it. With one hole they will raise brood. I do this about a month before dandelion season. The mixture of syrup is 2:1. If you do this do not stop . Until a good flow of natural nectar is coming in
https://goo.gl/photos/xt6WpQnJxubczfQ97

          BEE HAPPY Jim 134