The Apple Experiment...

[Hemlock]

Biting into an apple the other day i thought, As sweet as this is why cant i feed this to the bees?  So for kicks i ground up one apple (juiced) and mixed it with an equal portion of water.  Then set it outside for open feeding.  Of course it turned brown immediately.  The Wife said she "hoped i liked Yellow-Jackets, cause your going to get a ton of them". 

The first day passed with little interest by Honey bees.  A few yellow jackets did stop by.  The second day the honey bees were all over it and sucked down every bit of liquid available.  All that now remains is the solid bits of pulp.  Yes there is a nectar dearth.  Yes the bees are being fed syrup in the hives.

So I wonder if this would aid in nutrition.  A supplement to be mashed up and open fed at the same time syrup is being given to the colonies.  Not together but apart.  Not that i will buy apples for the bees.  I have a wild pear that fills my lawn with several bushels of drops each year.  I think those are even sweeter.

Just saying...

[rdy-b]

  My bees like WATTER MELONS  ;) RDY-B

[Kathyp]

i have done it with apples and figs.  you wife is right though.  i got more yellowjackets than honeybees.

[Hemlock]

My bees like WATTER MELONS  ;) RDY-B

Every time the word 'Mellons' comes up i wonder if someone is joking. :-D  But sure, i'll try that too.

i have done it with apples and figs.  you wife is right though.  i got more yellowjackets than honeybees.

She has only One fig tree.  If she caught me feeding her figs to the bees she'd kill me!  Though i saw a few yellow jackets, & wasps, & hornets, the pile consisted of mostly honey bees.  I guess i'll try some more.

[BlueBee]

Maybe I should mash up some of my paw paws and see what happens.......

Paw Paws smell a bit like a banana  :evil:

I've read many times on this forum that it is not wise to provide winter food to the bees that has any kind of non digestible carbs in it.  Don't know if that philosophy applies this time of the year or not?  In VA your bees probably get a lot more cleansing flights than we get in MI, so maybe it isn't really an issue.

[Hemlock]

...get a lot more cleansing flights than we get in MI, so maybe it isn't really an issue.

We can get a fly day almost every week.  I'll look into that indigestible thing.  That's why i asked.  Thanks

[BlueBee]

Somebody else will probably pipe in with a better answer, but if I recall the reasoning went something like this:

If you feed your bees anything other than carbs they can completely metabolize, then what they can't convert to energy goes into their gut and accumulates there with other wastes until the bees can get a cleaning flight.  

If the bees are trapped in a hive for long periods of time and they are eating things other than sugar/honey, the non digestibles eventually overfill their gut and they defecate inside the hive.  If they have Nosema, that spreads the spores thru the entire hive.

I'm assuming if your bees can get out for a cleansing flight once a week in VA, this scenario probably won't be a problem for your bees.

[T Beek]

Hmm, very interesting topic.  We've got several apple trees and as anyone who grows apples knows there are always quite a bit of un-used ones (gotta invest in a cider press) at seasons end.  We always left them in a big pile for the deer (hunting season is coming) but have also noticed indigenous insects as well as honeybees gathering/feeding around the piles. 

Never gave it much thought really, regarding whether its harmful or beneficial to honeybees, that is.  But we've never had any issues w/ nosema so it wasn't on the radar.  I want to know more now, perhaps we should be putting them out later?????  Don't know.

thomas

[uglyfrozenfish]

T Beek:  Get a cider press or make one. It is worth it.  I got one a couple of years ago, this year I pressed over 20 gallons of cider.  Some we drank, some we canned into juice for my girls and some we're making into hard cider :-D.  Plus after your done pressing cider you can still use the apple pulp for deer bait! win win!

While working on the press I too had honeybees fly up and start working on some of the fruit that I had discarded.  Sucking up the juices I imagine.  I was suprised to see them working the fruit but whatever they want is fine with me. 

[T Beek]

Thanks, and you're right.  You've inspired me to finally bite the bullet and buy or build a press.

thomas