Nucs,honey frames or sugar water the best?

[mdbee]

I have been using dead out honey over the years for my nucs with out any problems, is it better to use one to one sugar water or both? I have a lot of honey this spring.
Thanks,

[mdbee]

What I was trying to say is, if you put a frame of honey in the Nucs do you still need to feed them to get the best results?

Thanks!

[hardwood]

I personally feed (to simulate a flow) whenever I want them to draw comb/ expand brood. My thought is that if they only eat their honey they are only depleting their supplies. If they are bringing in new supplies (sugar water) they think a flow is on. Don't know if I'm correct in this but it seems to work.

Scott

[BeeMaster2]

And that is what a lot of beekeepers think.
Jim

[rbinhood]

When making a split feed, feed, feed, and then feed some more.

[BMAC]

I will second that.  Feed em.  Start them with that frame of honey and feed them afterwards.

[BeeMaster2]

I personally do not feed if there is a flow on. Which in town here is, luckily, most of the year.
Jim

[Beverly Bees]

Honey is better for them than sugar, if you have honey for them there is no reason to feed. 

[L Daxon]

I absolutely agree with Beverly.

Sugar syrup has a much different pH than honey, not to mention it lacks a bunch of vitamins, minerals, etc.  A high school student here in OK just did her science fair project on comparing the difference between feeding bees honey, sugar syrup, HFCS, etc.  She concluded the gut of the bees fed only honey were much healthier than those of bees fed the other stuff.

I am a BIG believer in keeping back as much of the hive's honey stores as possible to be able to avoid supplemental feeding with anything but the bees own honey.  Of course, occasionally you are going to get in a dearth, bad weather period, etc. where feeding becomes absolutely essential to keep the hive alive.  But I believe healthier bees is the first and best line of defense against varroa, AFB, etc.