Feeding from set ivy honey

[Beagle23]

Has anyone had a problem with this?
A local beekeeper mentioned that he lost a number of colonies over the winter after feeding back ivy honey.

I'm currently feeding some to a split which has chomped through the initial stores I included

 

[Swarm]

Nothing wrong with Ivy honey.

 

[Beefriendly]

A local beekeeper mentioned that he lost a number of colonies over the winter after feeding back ivy honey.

No problem with ivy honey being fed to bees.
It would be more relevant to ask this local bee keeper how he varroa treats before winter. I suspect this might have more of a bearing on his losses.

 

[beeno]

In winter Ivy honey can be a problem as it requires a lot of water for the bees to use. In summer it is not a problem unless they store it again.

 

[Beefriendly]

In winter Ivy honey can be a problem as it requires a lot of water for the bees to use.

Why is that a problem?
They need to dilute/dissolve it a bit to get to 50% dilution. But in winter water via condensation etc is plentiful.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

In winter Ivy honey can be a problem

Really?
Only in the minds of the misinformed

 

[olriley]

One problem an SBI mentioned with ivy is that it can flow so well in some locations that the hives become honey bound and end up with a small winter cluster. So no problem with the honey per se.

 

[beeno]

Well, in common with other beekeepers on this forum I took the advice of the forum and overwintered my bees exclusively on ivy one year. It was the worst overwintering my bees have had and I am not doing it again. With the large colonies I have overwintered of late in my polyhives I no longer get noticeable condensation. Would the bees collect much ivy nectar if it weren't for the fact that we harvest most of their honey stores and in most parts of the country that is all that is left for them to forage on?

 

[Beagle23]

We get a huge honey flow here. I harvested the main Summer 2017 crop in early September, and by the end of the month I had nearly three supers full of ivy honey, most of it setting fast. Most of it got cut from the frames and I've been feeding some back to the bees at opportune moments.
I've had no issues with it and wasn't concerned until the other beek mentioned that he blamed it for his winter losses

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It seems that some beekeepers will blame winter losses on anything apart from sheer bad luck.
Or their ineptness

 

[Beefriendly]

It seems that some beekeepers will blame winter losses on anything apart from sheer bad luck.
Or their ineptness

Or, in many cases, a willingness to admit they didn't treat for varroa in the late summer/autumn the previous year.

 

[oliver90owner]

Or, in many cases, a willingness to admit they didn't treat for varroa in the late summer/autumn the previous year.

That was included in JBM’s post. Ineptness.

 

[beeno]

... by the end of the month I had nearly three supers full of ivy honey, most of it setting fast. Most of it got cut from the frames and I've been feeding some back to the bees at opportune moments.

Most people would consider that an issue.

 

[beeno]

My bees were out in +5C collecting water this spring and that was without having to cope with granulated stores.

 

[Swarm]

My bees were out in +5C collecting water this spring and that was without having to cope with granulated stores.

Loving every minute of it I expect and coping just fine.

 

[Beefriendly]

That was included in JBM’s post. Ineptness.

I'm sure you will agree that repeatedly stating the importance of effectively treating for varroa may eventually sink in one day.
Or were you just fishing for a rise?

 

[Beefriendly]

Loving every minute of it I expect and coping just fine.

Seeley's recent articles in ABJ and BBKA magazine suggests they shiver constantly in these conditions to maintain thorax at flying temperature and very very short flight times. I'm not sure I'd anthropomorphically suggest they love every minute of flying at 4-5C. They are desperate for water to either dilute stores and/or produce food for larvae...a bit of condensation inside hive and problem solved.

 

[Finman]

First of all bees need water to make food to larvae.
.

 

[Beefriendly]

First of all bees need water to make food to larvae.
.

Yes, you caught me in the middle of adding this correction in...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Most people would consider that an issue.

Eh!?