Feeding bees their own honey

[L Daxon]

Is there any downside to feeding my girls back their own honey?

I am trying not to feed sugar water to my girls since it is not as nutritional as nectar/honey.  I just keep back extra frames of honey in the freezer.  If in the late winter, early spring I think any of my hives need extra food, I either insert an extra frame or two directly into the hive (thawed first, of course) or open feed the frame(s) or even extra bottled honey back to the girls...I've noticed some really dark honey stored in the burr comb this spring and wondered if it was the honey I fed back to them.  

I quit feeding sugar water/pollen substitutes and doing any kind of treatments for mites about 2 years ago and all 4 of my hives came through this winter with flying colors.

[sc-bee]

No problem.....if it is your own and you know it has a disease free history.

[L Daxon]

Yes, I understand the problem feeding my bees honey of an unknown origin. Not really sure what is in there.  I would only feed my girls back something they had produced and survived on.  Just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking some reason why it wouldn't be as healthy for them.    But I guess there is not much difference in them opening up the stuff they stored for winter use while it is still winter and them gobbling it up a few months later when I set it out for them as a stimulant feed.

[BeeMaster2]

The reason we never feed store bought honey is that it is a mixture of honey from hundreds to thousands of hives. Mostly commercial hives. Most commercial hives are treated for American Foul Brood. They keep it in check but it never goes away. The honey has spores in it that are just waiting to enter a hive that is not treated. That is why we never feed commercial honey to our bees.
Jim