Feeding Honey

Steel Tiger · April 10, 2016, 05:33:32 PM

I have several quart sized jars of honey that's partially crystallized. These are from what I left as winter food for the hives a couple years but we got hit with blizzards and snow storms for weeks in a row, which killed off the hives.
I'm thinking of giving some of it to the two newly hived colonies. What's the best way?
Mix it with water? if so, what %?
Give it as is and make slightly larger holes in the jar lids?

divemaster1963 · April 10, 2016, 10:33:23 PM

Just warm the honey in coffee hot water bath for a time. It will liquefie back. The feed it back as normal.

John

KeyLargoBees · April 11, 2016, 10:38:01 AM

So this honey is from hives you think were killed by the winter?

If there is ANY doubt that the hives may have had any sort of other issue would it still be safe to feed? Can a more experienced Beek comment please. The thought popped into my mind and not sure it has any validity.

Michael Bush · April 11, 2016, 10:46:44 AM

Anytime you lose a hive you should look for evidence of Varroa and evidence of AFB. But usually hives lost in winter are not due to AFB. I would look anyway. Scale in the brood nest that the bees can't remove would be evidence that would require further investigation. Lack of it would indicate they probably did not have AFB. If there are dead capped larvae, do a rope test. If you find scale or ropiness, do a Holts milk test (add them to 93 F nonfat dry milk (mixed with water according to the directions on the milk). If it's AFB the milk will clear and most of the white will precipitate. Or send a sample to Beltsvill.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beespests.htm#afb

Steel Tiger · April 12, 2016, 03:25:01 AM

Quote from: KeyLargoBees on April 11, 2016, 10:38:01 AM
So this honey is from hives you think were killed by the winter?

If there is ANY doubt that the hives may have had any sort of other issue would it still be safe to feed? Can a more experienced Beek comment please. The thought popped into my mind and not sure it has any validity.

One of the storms shifted the hives. From the distance, it didn't look like anything was wrong. When I finally was able to get out to the field, the top box was pushed nearly 1/3 off the bottom box.

If it happened during the blizzard, they would have had to survive 5 or 6 weeks of weekly and biweekly snow storms with temperatures dropping below zero a few nights.

I'm 99% sure it was the winter that killed them.

It IS good honey. I've been eating it since last May. It started to crystallize because I didn't bottle it right away. Now I know, never let it sit in a bucket.

KeyLargoBees · April 12, 2016, 08:00:35 AM

Feed em then :-)

BeeMaster2 · April 12, 2016, 01:02:40 PM

Steel,
It will crystallize in the jar just as fast as it will in the pale.
You should have no problem feeding it back. Just bee sure to use inside feeders so that you do not cause robbing.
Jim

Dmrauch · April 17, 2016, 05:25:18 PM

Quote from: divemaster1963 on April 10, 2016, 10:33:23 PM
Just warm the honey in coffee hot water bath for a time. It will liquefie back. The feed it back as normal.

Definitely showing my absolute newness, but. . .

how exactly is 'feed it back as normal'. How does one feed it back?

divemaster1963 · April 17, 2016, 08:19:47 PM

You can use it in place of sugar sryup in a upside down Mason jar with pin holes in lid.

John