Feeding honey back

[Griffo]

I took off a fine late 10 frames earlier this week, mostly capped but some not. In order to ensure a low moisture, I cleverly set up a box with an air inlet at the bottom, a dehumidifier in a couple of boxes with the frames on top in a super box. Going well this morning until I increased the dehumidifier setting. Went to have a look this afternoon and found the whole lot collapsed and melted with honey all over the floor. Anyway, apart from a ruined dehumidifier, I now have about 10kg of honey which I guess I hope I can feed back to the bees.
I am not at all sure how to do this and would appreciate some advice. My preferred method would be with a contact feeder, but will the honey need to be diluted? That is as well as sieving to clean it up after scraping it off the floor.

 

[enrico]

OMG, hard luck. What a mess! Heart breaking. I have never fed honey back to bees but I would imagine spooning it into a rapid feeder would do the job. The type with a hole in the middle and a cup that goes over the hole. That way they won't drown in the honey. I can't imagine it will need diluting.
E

 

[wightbees]

Apparently you mix it with water 50/50 I have asked earlier about this as I have buckets loads of the stuff to give them back!

 

[Ely]

Would adding a little fondant allow it to set to the fondant consistency and use it for emergency feed?

 

[Griffo]

I need to be careful one disaster doesn't lead to another.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Oh hard luck!
I have used a dehumidifier but just in the same room as the honey frames, and left the lot for five days

Yes you need to dilute it. Good luck, mate....i really feel for you

 

[Finman]

.
You can pack the honey and feed it next summer.

To feed now honey may cause a big robbing riot.

 

[Softley]

I'd be a little concerned about feeding it back to my bees. How clean is your floor? Are there any traces of cleaning fluid? Bleach? What's been walked in from outside? Five second rule is out the window I suspect.

 

[Softley]

.
To feed now honey may cause a big robbing riot.

Possibly, but not necessarily. There's plenty of nectar about in some parts of the UK.

 

[Jonathan]

Possibly, but not necessarily. There's plenty of nectar about in some parts of the UK.

Have to say in my experience any honey around the apiary in September,whether there is a flow or not, will cause problems

 

[Softley]

Have to say in my experience any honey around the apiary in September,whether there is a flow or not, will cause problems

Then you will fall under "possibly" and not "not necessariy".

 

[Goran]

If giving honey back.. if granulated I give it in women nylon stocking direct onto bars.. Never heard this caused robbing over here. If I have liquid honey I dilute it with water 1:1 and place it in quality ( which doesn't leak when you pour liquid in it) plastic bag for the freezer, also onto bars ( I usually pour 1,5-2 liters into bag of 6 liters capacity), make 2-4 small holes above with pin and press the air out, turn the miller feeder upside down. If needed I repeat the same.
If I am in fear of any mistake which I can make during operations I do it at the end of day before sunset.

 

[Griffo]

Well how about if, when I feed syrup in a week or two time, I just add a cup of honey to the syrup in each contact feeder and do the same thing in each of my 4 hives, at the same time. The shed floor was clean and no trace of any contamination in the honey after filtering.

 

[enrico]

Better than wasting it I would say!

 

[Softley]

Better than wasting it I would say!

What if it's now contaminated?

 

[Into the lions den]

1. You don't need to dilute it. Honey 50 50 with water gives a solution that's only 41% approx. sugars. Thinner than thin syrup and ferments almost as you look at it! Honey contains many natural yeast and mould spores.
2. Must do it INSIDE the hive to prevent robbing and it does not need any special treatment. Just cover it with straw or similar till you can only see a little of the honey and they will tidy it up spotless, then just tip out the dry straw.
3. We NEVER feed honey to our bees for fear of disease transmission, even if we know the source. But we have done this with golden syrup acquired due to being out of code, many tonnes of it, and it works just fine with no dilution and the covering material as described. That's even drier than honey so the idea dilution is required just aint so.

 

[Swarm]

Glad to hear the above, I've always had good results with a tray and straw. Not only do they clean it up, you also know it's gone when they start pulling bits of straw out of the entrance.

 

[Angularity]

I give them the cappings, in a tray inside an empty super. They rip it all apart to get the honey. I tried the straw system, but they seemed to get tangled in it and all gooey and dead, so I gave it up.

 

[Griffo]

There were a few bees hanging around inside the shed where the spillage occurred yesterday, and some of them ended up dead on the floor. While this could possibly be due to the detergent I used when cleaning the floor, I guess it could also be due to something in the paint or wood treatment that they have ingested.
So, decision made, the honey goes down the drain. Not worth the risk for a couple of kilos of honey.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

1. You don't need to dilute it. Honey 50 50 with water gives a solution that's only 41% approx. sugars. Thinner than thin syrup and ferments almost as you look at it! Honey contains many natural yeast and mould spores.
2. Must do it INSIDE the hive to prevent robbing and it does not need any special treatment. Just cover it with straw or similar till you can only see a little of the honey and they will tidy it up spotless, then just tip out the dry straw.
3. We NEVER feed honey to our bees for fear of disease transmission, even if we know the source. But we have done this with golden syrup acquired due to being out of code, many tonnes of it, and it works just fine with no dilution and the covering material as described. That's even drier than honey so the idea dilution is required just aint so.

Interesting that you fed golden syrup.