WINTER FEEDING
It is well known that the survival of a bee colony and its condition in the early spring depends largely on the hive property and quality of the feed. Health and productivity of the colonies are fundamentally contingent on the feed supplied.
Honey – the four-thousand-year-old natural bee food and also the pattern for every feeds for bees, consists of predominantly two basic sugars: fructose and glucose.
BEE FEED
Every good beekeeper knows that it is only possible to use adequate substitution for the honey he or she deprives the bees of; after all he or she use the honey for his/her health or economic profit.
APIVITAL® syrup is a feed meeting this requirement and keeps your bees in good condition over the whole wintering.
A good bee feed:
- must be composed of those sugars, that a bee is able to pro spend: fructose, glucose, sucrose (sucrose is a two-component sugar – the only double-sugar that a bee is able to break down to fructose and glucose)
- amounts of its components must be precisely balanced so that the final solution does not crystallize even at low temperatures – especially in combs
- must not contain any substances dangerous for the bees
- should not contain any substances that the bees cannot spend and utilize. Excretion of those substances means biological and energetic burden for the bees and of course a financial burden for the beekeeper.
What should a good bee feed contain
| MAIN COMPONENTS |
|---|
| fructose |
| glucose |
| sucrose |
| water |
What should a good bee feed not contain
| SUBSTANCE | COMMENT |
|---|---|
| maltose | Maltose composes of two molecules of glucose. It is very hard for a bee to spend it and there is a threat of maltose getting into honey. |
| triose, tetrose and all other for bee indigestible "-ose" sugars and oligosaccharides, often generally refered to as "higher sugars" | a bee is not able to spend and process |
| HMF (Hydroxymethylfurfural) |
If a bigger amount of HMF is contained in the feed, the bees will try hard to remove it and to "clean" its future supplies. They will try to lower its level to a minimal level or to the acceptable level.
See Ceksteryte (2006) a Jachimowicz (1975) .
(Czech honey maximum HMF level contained is 20mg/kg HMF)
See Ceksteryte (2006) [1] and Jachimowicz (1975) [2]. (e.g. Czech Honey maximum HMF level contained is 20mg/kg) |
DANGER IF USING INAPPROPRIATE FEEDS
The use of inappropriate feed makes the bee "store" the indigestible substances in its excrement sacs. In case the excrement sacs are full and there is no possibility to fly out due bad weather, bees defecate inside the hive, which is likely to cause nosema and the bees’ death.
Nosema is besides varoa the most common bee disease in our country. One of its main causes is bad nutrition. Proper feeding and hygiene are considered the best prevention against nosema.
Sources:
[1]
Violeta Ceksteryte, Jurgis Racys. The quality of syrups used for bee feeding before winter and their suitability for bee wintering. Journal of Apicultural Science. 2006, 50, 1,
[2]
Jachimowicz T. and El Sherbiny G.
Zur Problematik der Verwendung
von Invertzucker fur die Bienenfutterung.
Apidologie. 1975, 6, 121 – 143.
