[PCM_old]

On the inter-net boards you hear a lot of "talk" about bees storing
sugar water in the cells, and they have frames of sugar water honey.

I question this, I often say get a book look it up, but so far I haven't found any research.

The way I see it the bees use the sugar water for their own nutretion they do not transport it back to a cell for storage.

Now if they did take it for storage, wouldn't it have to go thru the bees honey making process before going into the cell then the moisture reduced to honey/water percent before capped ? Thus making it into honey !

I've talked to two small commercial beekeepers and they both said if it's in a capped cell it's honey.

I've been wrong a FEW times before so just wondering if any one knows about any research on this.

You can tell I'm bored, just another 3/4 in of rain today, about 10 in. this past week, AND, another week of rain predicted.

Thanks
PCM

 

[indypartridge]

The way I see it the bees use the sugar water for their own nutretion they do not transport it back to a cell for storage.

Yes they do. I can't cite any studies, but I've seen it in my own hives when I had to feed them late winter/early spring. Also, at a Children's Museum about an hour from me, they have an (indoor) observation hive. The bees are fed sugar water all thru the winter, and you can see them storing and capping it.

Now if they did take it for storage, wouldn't it have to go thru the bees honey making process before going into the cell then the moisture reduced to honey/water percent before capped ? Thus making it into honey !

Except that the base is refined sugar and not nectar. It's adulterated honey. At the museum I mentioned above, they've done extraction demonstrations and their 'honey' looks and tastes like sugar syrup.

 

[WayneW]

Have also seen this on my own hive. I guess it could be "called" honey. It is in cells and capped, but if you scratch a few cells open and taste whats in there........... it sure dosent taste like honey. I have been lucky so far, in that i have not had to "feed" my bees sugar syrup as food. I only feed 2:1 mixture which stimulates comb building, and helps greatly when trying to get them to draw out foundationless frames. Im sure they pack away some of it, but the honey i got off my hive last fall was thick as tar, and close to the same color yum yum yum.........