Red Field Bees?????

[L Daxon]

This morning I was having my coffee by my hive just enjoying the "girls" when I saw what I thought looked like an overly reddish colored bee land and go into the hive.  I thought I was just seeing things.  But within the next few minutes I saw several more land and go in.  It dawned on me that my neighbor had recently hung a hummingbird feeder with that red nectar and yesterday and this morning I noticed it was covered with bees.  Could this nectar be turning/staining some of my field bees red?  Is the red dye in the nectar harmful to the bees?  Will I be getting red/pink honey/comb?  Should I ask my neighbor not to use that red dye stuff, or else get a hummingbird feeder than has a bee gard.  I noticed the bees don't seem to keep the hummingbirds away from the feeder.

[AllenF]

Red food dye sounds like a good answer.   Get a pic or two of the red bees.   And the humming bird feeder in corrupting your honey, but I don't think there is anything you can do about it.

[super dave]

i watched a show on humming birds one time a few years back. they had a little part on how the red dye was really bad for the birds,so maybe your neighbor could use just sugar water(the birds will still go to it even if it is not red)--either way there is not much you can do to control your bees,like AllenF

[hardwood]

I don't know if the red dye would color the bees or not but would suspect that the bees would really have to roll around in the stuff first. I have seen red bees and yellow bees from the pollen that clings to them...can you get a close look?

Scott

[L Daxon]

Well, I don't know if that red humming bird nectar turned my bees red but it sure did turn the honey red/pink.  I checked my super yesterday and sure enough every so often on a couple of frames there would be a cell or two of "red" honey.  Really stood out amongst the white wax/pale yellow honey.  I am sure it had to be a result of the red dye in the nectar some of the bees consumed at the humming bird feeder.  I  am just glad the humming birds leave this area around mid-Sept. so the humming bird feeders should be coming down soon.

[deknow]

...that is _not_ nectar in the hummingbird feeder.  the red stuff in the honey supers is _not_ honey.

deknow

[L Daxon]

deknow:  you are correct.  Poor choice of words on my part.  Should be  humming bird syrup instead of nectar and stored humming bird syrup instead of honey (even though the bees have added their enzymes to it and altered it slightly.)  I will try to be more accurate in the future.

[Bee Happy]

I guess this is kinda pointless but the bees shouldn't be able to reach the syrup in a properly working hummingbird feeder. (the bees will empty it before the humming birds even know it's there.)