It is quite rare to feed bees with honey. It is much better to leave the food product in the combs and, if necessary, install them in the nests. If this is not possible, other substances have to be used. At the same time, not every beekeeper knows exactly why bees are fed sugar. This type of nutrition is used only if other options are not available.
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Why are bees fed sugar?
Most beekeepers try to avoid feeding insects with sugar syrup. However, sometimes it is not possible to do without it. At the same time, feeding goals differ depending on the season:
- Feeding in spring. At this time, bee colonies are rapidly developing and need a lot of food.Often in the spring there is a situation where there is no bribe. The reason may be damp and cold weather. In this case, the bees need to be provided with the required amount of food. To do this, you can use frames with honey or sugar syrup. It is worth noting that insects will eat this food long before the start of the main honey collection. Therefore, you should not be afraid that sugar will get into the beekeeping product.
- Feeding in autumn. At this time, bee colonies are preparing for winter. To do this, they require a certain amount of food - honey and bee bread. Sometimes beekeepers pump out all the collected honey, and in the fall they give the insects sugar syrup. The bees eat it before the main honey harvest begins. In this case, sugar does not get into the honey.
- Feeding during honey collection. In such a situation, bribes are present in natural conditions, but beekeepers do not go to the honey collection site or, under the influence of natural factors, the bees cannot collect nectar. In this case, insects have to be fed to keep them alive. In such a situation, the beekeeping product can be counterfeited.
What kind of honey will this make?
When feeding insects with sugar, they make low-quality honey, which differs significantly in appearance and taste from the natural product.
The sugar mass is characterized by the following features:
- bland taste;
- weak aroma that is similar to old honeycomb;
- cloudy and gelatinous consistency;
- lack of pollen in the composition;
- high granulated sugar content.
Falsification can only be determined in a laboratory. A counterfeit product usually has fairly low bactericidal properties and contains a minimum of active ingredients. In this case, there is practically no therapeutic effect.
It is not recommended to feed bees with sugar syrup.However, sometimes it is not possible to do without it. At the same time, adding the product to the diet of insects negatively affects the quality of honey.
