# Left over honey, what can I use it for?



## RCorl (Mar 24, 2012)

My two tbh that I started from packages last year made it through the winter and have several full bars of honey left over, as well as several partial bars. They are very active and are bringing in pollen and nectar, from somewhere.(The maple buds aren't even very swollen yet.) I am starting two new hives from packages next week. My question is, should I leave the honey in the current hives, move some or all to the new packages hives, or would it be ok to get my first tastes of the fruits of the bees and my labors? They were fed a couple of quarts of 2:1 syrup last October in each hive.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Well, I would use some honey myself, and use some to start out the new packages.

Keep in mind that there is a _possibility _that some of what you may harvest could be stored syrup from last fall.


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## praxis178 (Dec 26, 2012)

I'd use it to give the new packages the biggest head start you can. 

You will be able to <touch wood> pull a bar or two for the table in a month or two from the established hives anyway. So not long to go for the rewards of being a beek


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## RCorl (Mar 24, 2012)

praxis178 said:


> I'd use it to give the new packages the biggest head start you can.
> 
> You will be able to <touch wood> pull a bar or two for the table in a month or two from the established hives anyway. So not long to go for the rewards of being a beek


Thanks Praxis178, I hadn't even thought ahead to getting some fresh honey. Now my mouth is watering thinking about it. I think I'll take your advice and give some to the new packages, and wait for the fresh new honey for myself.


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## SteveBee (Jul 15, 2010)

Just adding my two cents worth, but I've read and been told that you should only feed honey to bees from their own hive. As in you took too much and have to give some back. There's a possibility of transmitting bad things from one hive to another.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

They will burn up honey in a hurry rearing brood this spring. I'd let them. I'd say the odds of transferring beneficial microbes is much higher than transferring pathogens. Especially when the honey is from your hive and it was healthy.


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## SteveBee (Jul 15, 2010)

And there you have it. That is advice I will follow. Since my post a few minutes ago, I switched over to the Treatment Free forum and watched the video of Michael Bush talking about the bee super organism. I think anyone using TBHs is probably interested in treatment-free methods, and this explains it all.

Don't mean to go off-track. Here's the link.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...rief-philosophy-of-treatment-free-bee-keeping


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## RCorl (Mar 24, 2012)

Mr. Bush, are you saying to let the original hives keep it for their broodrearing, or is it ok to spread it out between the originial hives, and the new packages for their brood rearing?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>So, are you saying to let the original hives keep it for their broodrearing, or is it ok to spread it out between the originial hives, and the new packages for their brood rearing? 

I'm saying I wouldn't harvest it. I would use it however it would be put to best use. In the case of a package, they could use a drawn comb for the queen to lay in, food to rear brood from and a comb as a guide to get them on the right track. That's a great use for it. If I wasn't starting a new colony, I'd leave it for the old colony so they could raise brood from it.


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