# Filling comb with sugar syrup.



## EastSideBuzz

I was thinking of taking my extracted deep frames and putting them into a tub of thick sugar water and letting the cells fill up. Then drying all the water out of them and having a solid sugar source to put into the hives that need feed. They will clean it out as they need it. Kind of a feeder. Has anyone tried this? + - of this idea.


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## sqkcrk

If you put the frames into a tub of thick sugar water and let the cells fill up, they won't. You'd think they would, but they don't. You have to rain the syrup down onto the cells, otherwise surface tension keeps the cells from gaining much syrup at all.

How would you dry the water out of them?
When were you going to use them?
There are better, more practical and convenient, ways to feed. I would bother doing this.


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## katmike

Or laying the frame horizontal and shaking granulated suger into the combs. Let the granulated suger harden by setting in a moist environment for a few days?


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## EastSideBuzz

katmike said:


> Or laying the frame horizontal and shaking granulated suger into the combs. Let the granulated suger harden by setting in a moist environment for a few days?


Oh I like you idea. 

Two reasons. One it is getting to late to feed. The second is for the spring boxes that I wont be able to feed. I like the pour dry sugar idea. I live in Western WA and everything is a moist environment.


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## beemandan

Just guessing since I haven’t ever tried this but I think that putting either syrup or sugar into empty comb won’t speed up the delivery process. In both cases I expect that the bees will remove it and put it where they want it. Add to that the fact that they will need to add enzymes, reduce the sugars, and in the case of plain sugar they will need to add moisture as well to make it useful. Once they’ve done that they will store it as they see fit. I think delivering it in a conventional fashion will be as effective….and maybe more so.


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## Adrian Quiney WI

Eastside, perform a search through Ron Householder's posts. His beesource name is Honeyhouseholder. He has a system of spraying syrup onto frames, then putting them in with packages late winter. They build up quickly enough that he splits them again in spring and uses them to harvest a honey crop. I remember that he started in a small way with a garden sprayer and now uses something larger. 
Also I recall seeing a video on beesource of French Canadians with a syrup sprayer on a fixed bar; They slid the frames under the sprayer and sprayed syrup into them.


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## hpm08161947

I experimented with this the other day. I used a garden sprayer hooked to a trash pump that attached to a tote of syrup. It produces quite a force. I only did 10 frames, but was quite surprised at the weight that was forced into those cells. Felt almost like a full super of honey. I put it on top of a hungry deep... so will see how it does.


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## EastSideBuzz

Adrian Quiney WI said:


> They build up quickly enough that he splits them again in spring and uses them to harvest a honey crop. I remember that he started in a small way with a garden sprayer and now uses something larger.


So I ordered 50 Nucs. The way it works is I take a deep box lid and bottom 6 frames of built comb and 1 frame of honey. They put in 3 frames of bee's and a queen. They take them to Prunes and I get the Nuc after prunes. They need the frame of honey to eat while the season starts. The more food they have the better they do. So taking 1 frame of honey and 5 frames of sugar filled comb's will give them the groceries they need to survive. I could take a frame feeder filled with crystallized syrup also. So this is one of the uses for filling frames. It is also tough to come up with 50 frames of honey needed so being able to make frames of food means I can extract the honey and not feed it back to them. Honey is worth more then sugar.


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## Michael Bush

You can sprinkle syrup into the cells, but dipping doesn't work, as sqkcrk said, the surface tension keeps it from getting into the cells. but some smaller drops and some momentum will get it in.


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## EastSideBuzz

Michael Bush said:


> You can sprinkle syrup into the cells, but dipping doesn't work, as sqkcrk said, the surface tension keeps it from getting into the cells. but some smaller drops and some momentum will get it in.


So I am thinking filling them with sugar granules and then spritzing them with water and letting it dry will do the trick. Or on my wet supers just pouring sugar on them and letting it harden will work also.


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## BigGun

I saw a video somewhere(probably YouTube) where the guy made something he called icing and he used a spatula to spread it into the comb.


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## Michael Bush

>So I am thinking filling them with sugar granules and then spritzing them with water and letting it dry will do the trick. Or on my wet supers just pouring sugar on them and letting it harden will work also. 

The result will be comb filled with hard sugar... not necessarily bad, but not the same thing as syrup which is also not the same thing as stores as the bees will not have inverted the sugars...

>I saw a video somewhere(probably YouTube) where the guy made something he called icing and he used a spatula to spread it into the comb. 

In fully drawn plastic (PermaComb or HSC) this should work fine. In wax comb I'm afraid it would just mash the comb.


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## pascal

I sometime use a "frame filler" inspired from this site: (sorry french speaking)

http://www.frenchbeefarm.com/framefiller.htm

and a video

http://www.frenchbeefarm.com/video_remplisseurdecadre.html

I build my own frame filler with a plastic laundry room sink, two drilled PVC pipes an a gas motorized water pump who recirculate the syrup from the sink to the pipes. That's was working great but you need to add a good filter on the system, because the debris (bee legs, wax...) will soon block the hole in the pipe. I use an old water filtration system filled with cloths.

If you recirculate the syrup for a moment, it get hot and that create a real frenzy when you introduce filled frame in the hive. And that's true, filled frame are very heavy.

I stop using it for a few reasons:
-I used it in early spring (mid march), and here in Quebec, humidity is the main concern in spring, wasn't a good idea to introduce so much humidity in the hives.
-I feed generously at falls, so the girls doesn't need so much food in early spring.
-in that time of the year, everything is covered by snow. It's difficult to drive a truck to the field with barrels of syrup, sink gas pump etc... 
-it' 1 million time more easy to carry a few pack of candy, introduce them upon ventilation hole and bring back the insulation sheet on the hive without disturbing the bees, if they need it, they will go get it.
-by filling a lot of frame from hive to hive, you get a lot of chance to spray AFB if present. A big part of the syrup sprayed on the frame is recirculating in the system.

your idea of giving them to nucs is good, but be careful if you move the hive, if shaked the syrup will flow out from the cell. I try one time to fill the frame at home and carry them to the field an I did a real mess.

this is all my experiences with frame filler, hope this will help.

Pascal Fournier


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## BigGun

BigGun said:


> I saw a video somewhere(probably YouTube) where the guy made something he called icing and he used a spatula to spread it into the comb.


I was wrong it was only pics but, here's a link. http://wvbeekeeper.blogspot.com/search?q=Icing


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## challenger

Does anyone have any idea as to what size pump is required for a setup such as the one in the French site? I read what I could from their website but there information doesn't translate to what I have in mind which is a 110 or 220 volt system using a gear pump. I have a decent size hydraulic pump that I've never run any hydraulic oil through and, being it is a gear pump, I thought I would try to make one of these frame filling units for filling comb?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Howard


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## trykonxlgold85

i can't offer you any advise about size but a word of caution, even if you never ran hydraulic oil through that pump i would bet that the factory did.


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## Dave Burrup

Why work so hard? Filling comb with sugar or syrup is going to be messy and time consuming, just put sugar on top of the frames. The bees will liquify it and put it where they want it when they need it. Putting syrup in frames and then ito the hive will raise the humidity level resulting in more condensation. Dry sugar will reduce the condensation as well as keeping it from dripping into the hive. 
Dave


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## sqkcrk

trykonxlgold85 said:


> i can't offer you any advise about size but a word of caution, even if you never ran hydraulic oil through that pump i would bet that the factory did.


Is this standard operating procedure for pump manufaturers? Even pumps which food such as honey is pumped thru? Why do they do that?


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## trykonxlgold85

sqkcrk said:


> Is this standard operating procedure for pump manufaturers? Even pumps which food such as honey is pumped thru? Why do they do that?


No any food grade pumps would be tested with food grade oil like corn or vegetable


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## sqkcrk

Oh, duh to me, I read the Post you were replkying to and I see he has a hydraulic pump. Thanks. I should go back to work.

By the way, Kelley Co had a frame filler device which one could pull behind ones truck which sprayed syrup into combs. Look it up.


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## psfred

Filling comb is an old idea, and it works pretty well as emergency feed.

It's time consuming, messy, and doesn't work all that much better than a candy board, but it is easier for the bees to get to the syrup. Probably only possible to fill one side properly, it will spill out if you flip the comb over.

There is no need to worry about inverting the syrup, the bees can use sucrose just fine. They make honey by inverting the sucrose because it stays liquid better for winter storage, but filling comb with syrup is emergency feed, not overwinter prep!

Peter


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## challenger

trykonxlgold85 said:


> i can't offer you any advise about size but a word of caution, even if you never ran hydraulic oil through that pump i would bet that the factory did.


Of course I would clean the pump prior to using it however I was looking to do this as a test. I ran water through my setup and it worked perfectly. I ended up talking to a pump manufacturing company and I ordered a food grade bronze pump that I will run with an electric motor.




Dave Burrup said:


> Why work so hard? Filling comb with sugar or syrup is going to be messy and time consuming, just put sugar on top of the frames. The bees will liquify it and put it where they want it when they need it. Putting syrup in frames and then ito the hive will raise the humidity level resulting in more condensation. Dry sugar will reduce the condensation as well as keeping it from dripping into the hive.
> Dave


I am using a saturated sugar solution and it is 67% solids. I am not worried about the humidity personally-the syrup is nearly as thick as honey.



psfred said:


> Filling comb is an old idea, and it works pretty well as emergency feed.
> 
> It's time consuming, messy, and doesn't work all that much better than a candy board, but it is easier for the bees to get to the syrup. Probably only possible to fill one side properly, it will spill out if you flip the comb over.
> 
> There is no need to worry about inverting the syrup, the bees can use sucrose just fine. They make honey by inverting the sucrose because it stays liquid better for winter storage, but filling comb with syrup is emergency feed, not overwinter prep!
> 
> Peter


So far I feel like the filling of frames is not going to be nearly as messy as spraying. The vat I will dip the frames in is fairly deep. I have it setup with the two spray bars about 4" apart so there will be no flipping the frames-just dip up & down a couple of times.
Thanks-Howard


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## sqkcrk

challenger said:


> So far I feel like the filling of frames is not going to be nearly as messy as spraying. The vat I will dip the frames in is fairly deep. I have it setup with the two spray bars about 4" apart so there will be no flipping the frames-just dip up & down a couple of times.Thanks-Howard


That won't work. Surface tension will keep the cells from filling. Syrup has to be rained down into the cells either under pressure or from above w/ a sprinkler.If you want to go low tech, punch a bunch of holes in the bottom of a coffee can and scoop up the syrup and let it rain down onto the surface of the comb. That's how I did it.


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## challenger

sqkcrk said:


> That won't work. Surface tension will keep the cells from filling. Syrup has to be rained down into the cells either under pressure or from above w/ a sprinkler.If you want to go low tech, punch a bunch of holes in the bottom of a coffee can and scoop up the syrup and let it rain down onto the surface of the comb. That's how I did it.


I must not have explained myself properly because this system absolutely does work. Check out this video please:
As I mentioned I have tried ALL feeding methods and, for me, the coffee can method is terribly time consuming.
One of the biggest issues is that 2:1 syrup is much too viscous. It is almost as if 1:1 is about like water and the 2:1 that I purchased from a sugar refining company in Charlotte NC is much closer to the viscosity of honey than any syrup I have ever made myself. Some of this may be due to the fact that the syrup is a bit colder right now that I am used to seeing it.


http://www.frenchbeefarm.com/remplisseur-de-cadres-2/

I do not see a way to put this link in as a URL??? so anyone interested will have to cut & paste.
Thanks
Howard

BTW-if this turns out to be a failure in regards to inefficiency and/or messiness I'll be the first to admit. I have absolutely no problem trying things because of an idea that may pop into my head. I've done all sorts of experimenting with too many interests to list and, needless to say, most have failed. The successes are always worth every failure. I have found beekeepers in general to be extremely set in their ways and their way is the only way. I know this is a generalization but I've met hundreds and I feel my sampling has been thorough enough to make this bold statement. This is why I quit going to my local club meetings. There were several members that were open to ideas but the ones that have kept bees for a decade or more will tell you exactly how to keep bees and have no desire to make any changes.
Thanks
Howard


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## AstroBee

Cool video. I wish I had a rig like that!!


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## sqkcrk

challenger said:


> So far I feel like the filling of frames is not going to be nearly as messy as spraying. The vat I will dip the frames in is fairly deep. I have it setup with the two spray bars about 4" apart so there will be no flipping the frames-just dip up & down a couple of times.
> Thanks-Howard


Yes, something broke down between calling spraying messy and saying that dipping will work just fine, dipping into a deep vat. What is illustrated in the video is someone dipping combs between two streams of syrup being sprayed. Exactly the same as the Kelley system I mentioned a number of Posts ago.

Your wording thru me off, dipping into a deep vat. Dipping combs into a vatr of syrup or a barrel of syrup won't work. What one sees in the video will.


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## beez4life

Hey guys , this is jeff from beez4life,in my opinion and you can look it up, white sugar and hfcs wreaks havoc on the bees immune system.....just use a top feeder and fill it up with honey that is what they make to feed themselves threw winter.


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## hpm08161947

beez4life said:


> Hey guys , this is jeff from beez4life,in my opinion and you can look it up, white sugar and hfcs wreaks havoc on the bees immune system.....just use a top feeder and fill it up with honey that is what they make to feed themselves threw winter.


This might not be as disease free a solution as you think.


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## beez4life

I only use the honey they have made from that hive .i do not mix honey.it is there honey

AND PLEASE LOOK IT UP WHITE SUGAR IS BAD. FOR INSTANCE IN A HUMAN BODY CANCER THRIVES ON WHITE SUGAR


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## sqkcrk

Thanks for the advice. Duly noted.


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## Barry

beez4life said:


> IN A HUMAN BODY CANCER THRIVES ON WHITE SUGAR


We really don't need you shouting with caps. Human . . . insect, human . . . insect. Is there a connection here?


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## beez4life

I am a holistic beekeeper this is why i do it this way,no chemicals no antibiotic ,we have great success in beekeeping

beez4life.com


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## Rader Sidetrack

beez4life said:


> FOR INSTANCE IN A HUMAN BODY CANCER THRIVES ON WHITE SUGAR


But .... all those preservatives in Twinkies cancels out the effect of the nasty cancer-causing white sugar. So Twinkies are the perfect food ... for humans, at least. :lookout:


*Look it up! You'll see! 
*


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## The Honey Householder

WOW! Almost forgot where I was when reading this thread. My operation sprays over 6000 frames of yes HFCS each year to start packages. The key on spraying is to keep the over spray contain and a good filter on the recycling pump.:ws: Well an a few other things.:digging:


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## hpm08161947

beez4life said:


> I only use the honey they have made from that hive .i do not mix honey.it is there honey


So why extract it to begin with? So unless you only have 1 or 2 hives, it could make for some interesting accounting...


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## psfred

White sugar is fine for bees, other sugars are suspect, although HFCS is OK so long as it's in good shape. It's what honey is made of, mostly, before the bees convert nectar into honey.

Far better to feed them white sugar if they need it than let them starve, I say.

Peter


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## FlowerPlanter

I saw a video some using a squeeze bottle and spraying the sugar water into the cells, made it look easy and not too messy, I might give it a try some time.

I use white sugar, I might use HFCS if it was cheaper. but once you figure the water weight and I think the only way to get HFCS cheap is buy in commercial quantities. White sugar in commercial quanities is also alot cheaper.

There is an interesting study on this site about bee fed sugar, HFCS and grape syrup. 
"Caged bees survived longest on sucrose syrup"
So it apears that white sugar is better for bees then honey.

http://www.beesource.com/resources/...rup-as-maintenance-food-for-caged-honey-bees/

http://www.beesource.com/resources/...n-selecting-sugars-for-feeding-to-honey-bees/


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## hpm08161947

FlowerPlanter said:


> I use white sugar, I might use HFCS if it was cheaper. but once you figure the water weight and I think the only way to get HFCS cheap is buy in commercial quantities. White sugar in commercial quanities is also alot cheaper.


It takes approx. $1500 for me to make up a tote of sugar syrup, whereas I can buy a tote of HFCS for aprox. $750 (275 gal). I am sure there are places where commercial sugar can be purchased, but the labor factor is pretty big.


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## beez4life

all about the money ..you should try thinking like a bee,do they make honey or sugar water.

to protect the bee, money is not the answer,giving them the proper food is and there environment is

if the bees make honey out of sugar water,it is not true honey from flowers is it? then they store it and eat it for winter, were is all the nutrients ?there is none ,so there immune system gets weak and than they die. 

not good for the bee feeding them junk food ,just like a human


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## Rader Sidetrack

beez4life said:


> all about the money ..


Money is something few of us can do without, including _beez4life_.

You can see at his site below that he certainly *is not giving away* his own products.
http://www.beez4life.com/

And just in case you didn't get the message earlier, this is from his home page.


> To preserve the immune system of the bee we only feed them their own honey (NOT TOXIC WHITE SUGAR). *Sugar is void of any nutrition and contains bleach and chemicals*, that wreak havoc on their immune system, decreasing their ability to fight off dis-ease and viruses and in our opinion weaken the hive.
> http://www.beez4life.com/


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## sqkcrk

beez4life said:


> all about the money ..you should try thinking like a bee,do they make honey or sugar water.to protect the bee, money is not the answer,giving them the proper food is and there environment isif the bees make honey out of sugar water,it is not true honey from flowers is it? then they store it and eat it for winter, were is all the nutrients ?there is none ,so there immune system gets weak and than they die. not good for the bee feeding them junk food ,just like a human


We got it. You can stop Preaching now.


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## hpm08161947

All about the money? Well yea! This beez4life guy sells a single hive (2 mediums) of bees for $785.... That's the highest price I ever heard of.... sounds like someone else is all about the money.


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## FlowerPlanter

hpm08161947 said:


> It takes approx. $1500 for me to make up a tote of sugar syrup, whereas I can buy a tote of HFCS for aprox. $750 (275 gal). I am sure there are places where commercial sugar can be purchased, but the labor factor is pretty big.


Wow if I could buy HFCS at 1/2 the price of sugar and mixed, I think alot of us would. But the problem is HFCS cost alot more at the store. And even at the bee supplier "bring your ouwn bucket and save" "must buy minimum of $100" and still pay 2x the price of white sugar in the store.


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## sqkcrk

hpm08161947 said:


> All about the money? Well yea! This beez4life guy sells a single hive (2 mediums) of bees for $785.... That's the highest price I ever heard of.... sounds like someone else is all about the money.


I guess we had better stop giving our bees away Herb. Next season my nucs will be for sale at $400.00 each, but only because I am in it for the bees and not the money. Which will be evident by the number I sell. lol


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## beez4life

Hey thanks alot for looking at my websight,my products are the best...just keep on feeding your white sugar and watch your hives die and wonder why.just trying to help you guys out before you kill more bees


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## Rader Sidetrack

beez4life said:


> Hey thanks alot for looking at my websight,my products are the best...just keep on feeding your white sugar and watch your hives die ...


Its too bad that your _marketing _skills aren't a little better. As the saying goes, "_it's easier to attract bees with honey than with vinegar". _ :scratch:

What is the point of insulting potential customers? Put a little more effort into polishing your website, correcting spelling errors, and tone down the rhetoric, and you might sell more ...


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## beez4life

Hey thanks doing just fine. Since you guys have been talking about me ,a client has bought out all my complete hives,thank you very much,again stop feeding white sugar very bad ,that was the point from the start ,just trying to save the bees .we all need to make money,again thanks for puting my web out there


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## rweakley

The fact that you have sold out your overpriced complete hives only proves P.T. Barnums maxum "There's a sucker born every minute!"


This guy has 3 years of experience and he's coming on here talking like he's the 2nd coming of Brother Adam or Dadant or Langstroth??? He may have a point that honey is better nutrition than sugar or HFCS, but the point is what are you going to do to keep your bees alive if honey isn't an option? I'm a hobbyist (maybe approaching sideliner) beekeeper who tries to leave enough honey for the bees to overwinter on, but when we are hit with a drought from June to basically now that just wasn't an option was it. There is also a difference between what makes sense for a commercial beekeeper and what makes sense for someone who has a few hives in their backyard. I'm pretty sure Honeyhouseholder is real happy with his arrangement to start over every spring with new bees and not have to worry about what they are eating in the winter. Sounds like Beez4life is happy with his set up, good for him, but don't think he needs to come on here and preach with his first 10 posts 3 years into the hobby/business.


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## beez4life

your like beaten a dead horse,I am not trying to preach anything ,my original question was why are you feeding your bees white sugar,it is so bad for them.god did not make white sugar....... again thanks for putting my sight out there.....ps you dont have a clue how long i have been keeping bees......just trying to help the bees thats all


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## sqkcrk

I believe if you read every one of your Posts in this Thread it is you who is beating the deadhorse. And, unless your Profile is wrong, you started out on your own in bees in 2009. Looks like 3 years to me. If that is wrong, you need to be more truthful in your Profile. No one likes to be misled or misinformed.


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## hpm08161947

beez4life: 

Your web site (not sight) seems to imply that you use organic/holistic methods to raise your bees. Does this mean you are a "Treatment Free" beekeeper?


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## beez4life

14 years with my uncle ,3 on my own....good by


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## Rader Sidetrack

beez4life said:


> ....good by


I guess this means that _beez4life _is not likely to placing any paid ads in the _For Sale_ forum. Sorry about that, Barry! :lookout:


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## psfred

White sugar (high purity sucrose) is fine for bees, it's what they get in nectar after all. HFCS is fine so long as it doesn't contain any hydroxymethylfurfural, it's very similar to honey.

You should not feed any other sugars to bees -- only high purity sucrose or inverted sugar (a mix of glucose and fructose) or pure high fructose corn syrup. Brown sugar, demerara, or other less refined sugars contain things the bees cannot digest and will give them dysentery.

Bees don't need much protein while clustered until they raise new brood, but they do need a carbohydrate source to provide energy to heat the cluster during winter. How much more "natural" can you get than what plants produce -- sucrose!

Peter


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## sqkcrk

What do you think about agave nectar?


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## psfred

Agave nectar as in the liquid produced by the nectaries in the flowers or some other man-made concoction?

Peter


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## sqkcrk

It is a product found on grocery store shelves labeled Agave Nectar. I don't know how it is produced.


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## cg3

sqkcrk said:


> What do you think about agave nectar?


Expensive.


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## cg3

sqkcrk said:


> What do you think about agave nectar?


Expensive.


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## psfred

I'd stick with plain syrup -- less expensive, you know what's in it (nothing but sugar, water, and maybe some apple cider vinegar).

The bees don't need artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, all of which are likely present in the Agave Nectar.

Peter


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## The Honey Householder

Thanks Rod for dragging me into this. B4life should know white sugar is better for your bees then mud. We've feed bees all kinds of things to the bees and yes they still made use a GOOD crop. One year we had a load of strawberry jam gave to us and we mixed it with HFCS. The only bad thing is we had to dump the strawberry seeds out of the feeders.:scratch: The bees ate the rest. We bought a half load of restaurant mix( sugar, salt, and pepper mixed) for $.02 a lb feed and weed killer all in one. Bees carried the salt out and killed the grass and weeds in front of the hives.:applause:


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## rweakley

The Honey Householder said:


> Thanks Rod for dragging me into this. B4life should know white sugar is better for your bees then mud. We've feed bees all kinds of things to the bees and yes they still made use a GOOD crop. One year we had a load of strawberry jam gave to us and we mixed it with HFCS. The only bad thing is we had to dump the strawberry seeds out of the feeders.:scratch: The bees ate the rest. We bought a half load of restaurant mix( sugar, salt, and pepper mixed) for $.02 a lb feed and weed killer all in one. Bees carried the salt out and killed the grass and weeds in front of the hives.:applause:


Sorry, I was just using you as the ultimate example of a successful beekeeper who has come up with a way to not have to worry about what his bees have to eat in winter. Bees what bees??? Lol As you pointed out if there is no honey for the bees (because you took it all or because of drought or who knows what) sugar or hfcs beats nothing. And you can be a purist with dead bees or a bad guy who feeds sugar in those cases.


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## FlowerPlanter

beez4life said:


> ...just keep on feeding your white sugar and watch your hives die and wonder why.just trying to help you guys out before you kill more bees


Humans have been feeding sugar to bees for a very long time. We still have bees? How is that possible?
Sucrose is what bees eat.

In this study caged bees live longer on table sugar then honey or HFCS.

http://www.beesource.com/resources/...rup-as-maintenance-food-for-caged-honey-bees/


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## BEES4U

12/03/2012
You can easily spray the sugar syrup into the cells with an agricultural "T" fan jet nozzle.
I cut the brass end off a new hand pump garden sprayer, soldered on a copper fitting with threads, screwed the nozzle on, pumped the pressure up a few pounds and filled the combs. You should be able to fill both sides of a deep frame with a quart of syrup per side for a total of two quarts/frame.
Good luck.


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## Ian

The beekeeper in the video would go out and provide a frame of syrup to his hives in the spring, replacing an empty one in the nest. The bees would use that frame of feed up immediately. He said it seemed that they would turn that frame of feed into brood. Worked very well, especially managing hives in singles, where as you do not want to douse them with a pail, and yet you still needed to get some into them. 
The system has kinda gone by the way side, as it is good for a few hundred hives, so much work. Its also messy, and can create a robbing problem if not careful.


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## beemandan

I, still for the life of me, can’t understand why anyone wants to feed bees by putting sugar syrup into comb. No matter what, the bees must remove it. If they consume it directly they remove it. If they are going to store it they must remove it. They cannot leave it in the cells as is. How can it be any simpler to fill the comb so that the bees can remove it? Practically any other sort of feeder has to be more efficient for both the bees and the keep.


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## Ian

generally its not used to provide the bees feed to store, its provided at a time where as the feed will be consumed. and yes very time consuming but the bees can access it very easily and its a great way to instantly provide feed to a hive that needs feed


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## beemandan

Ian said:


> the bees can access it very easily and its a great way to instantly provide feed to a hive that needs feed


 I understand that you have much more experience than I do, but I still don’t see it. A division board feeder or even some type of top feeder (or even baggies, buckets, jars) will deliver as well or better. In addition the large surface area of exposed syrup increases by a huge factor the likelihood of robbing. It simply appears counterproductive from every aspect, in my opinion.
But then I suppose, like so many other things, it is something my old brain just can't grasp.


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## Ian

think of it this way,

In the spring, managing a 10 frame single, 
the beekeeper decides to make a feed round, 
not feeding to bulk the hive up so pail feeding is out of the question 

the amount of work to take a frame or two out of the single to put in a feeder, to which is filled with syrup, then remove the feeder in a few days and replace with a frame is more work than if the beekeeper is to simply replace a frame in the hive with a syrup frame. 

The feeding is done, the bees access the feed immediately and there is no need to come back and remove the frame feeder.

I do not use this method of feeding but know many who do. Its used for very specific feeding strategies and works very well when developing spring time hives.

a frame feeder is nice but when its only used for two weeks of the year, it basically just gets in the way and adds alot of equipment and expense for no reason,


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