Bees that won't eat honey?

[likes2grill]

I don't have my hives yet so I thought I would put out some sugar syrup so I could get a closer look at some of the bees that are around here. I put out a dinner plate full of 2:1 right next to the flowers they are foraging on. Nothing touched it for 2 days so i put out a dinner plate full of store bought honey. Its been a week now and nothing has even stopped to look at it. Any clues to why?

             Thanks, Dan

[Finsky]

If bees get well honey from flowers it atracts more than honey jar. So they do in summer.

[Robo]

Bees prefer "real" nectar over sugar syrup or even honey.

Don't you like fresh food over frozen or canned food?

[Mici]

hmmm, now that the topic is started, would it stimulate them if you'd pour in a drop of let's say...rose oil?