January Honey

[BeeMade]

I inspected my two hives Tuesday afternoon and discovered that the bees have produced almost three frames of honey since I installed a new medium super on each box. I'm in central Texas where its not nearly as cold of a winter as in other parts of the world.

Is it normal for bees to produce honey during this time of year?

 

[For want of a better word]

I inspected my two hives Tuesday afternoon and discovered that the bees have produced almost three frames of honey since I installed a new medium super on each box. I'm in central Texas where its not nearly as cold of a winter as in other parts of the world.

Is it normal for bees to produce honey during this time of year?

Is anything normal in America at the moment?

Yeghes da

 

[Erichalfbee]

I inspected my two hives Tuesday afternoon and discovered that the bees have produced almost three frames of honey since I installed a new medium super on each box. I'm in central Texas where its not nearly as cold of a winter as in other parts of the world.

Is it normal for bees to produce honey during this time of year?

If there is a flow the bees will make honey if they don’t need it to feed themselves.
They will even make it from syrup

 

[Antipodes]

In parts of Australia, generally the subtropics (down to around the Byron Bay area), they tend to get their best flow in winter, from what I understand. The locals think of it as winter, but it's not really cold. A couple of weeks with long pants instead of shorts.

 

[Ian123]

You are aware pants are jocks when talking to the mother land!!

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

In parts of Australia, generally the subtropics (down to around the Byron Bay area), they tend to get their best flow in winter, from what I understand. The locals think of it as winter, but it's not really cold. A couple of weeks with long pants instead of shorts.

I am in northern England (UK). In June/July 1984 (their winter) I was 16 nights in Coonabarabran in the New South Wales outback for amateur astronomy. Compared to England the weather was like autumn turning into spring, but they had the first snow for 20 years.

 

[ShinySideUp]

In parts of Australia, generally the subtropics (down to around the Byron Bay area), they tend to get their best flow in winter, from what I understand. The locals think of it as winter, but it's not really cold. A couple of weeks with long pants instead of shorts.

I wear shorts all year round, even in the snow...but then I'm weird

 

[Newbeeneil]

I wear shorts all year round, even in the snow...but then I'm weird

You weren't a postie in a former life were you Shiny?

 

[SDM]

I i

Is it normal for bees to produce honey during this time of year?

A question for someone more local to you.
I've seen hives make honey when there isn't a flow on, just at one site. I know of at least half a dozen feral hives nearby. The only explanation that makes sense to me is my bees are robbing deadouts.

 

[BeeMade]

I have been feeding them a sugar/water solution since mid-December.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

I have been feeding them a sugar/water solution since mid-December.

It is possible, indeed probable, that you do not have honey but bee-processed sugar syrup in your honey super.

CVB

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

Youtube video is about cutting-out a stray bees' nest in Hawaii, where the weather is tropical:: in that video at time 22:03 is a picture of a cut-out honey-store comb, and the commentator seemed surprised about how very thick the comb was.

 

[BeeMade]

It is possible, indeed probable, that you do not have honey but bee-processed sugar syrup in your honey super.

CVB

I thought of that so ... I tasted it and yes, its full-blown, home-grown, pure, raw honey. My wife loved it.

Since this is my first year of beekeeping, I can only imagine that they are turning the sugar water into honey because it looks like they have more honey in the frames than they are eating.

FYI - I bought these two hives in mid-Nov, 2019 and hadn't conducted an inspection of the boxes until the other day. These bees seem very active and rather aggressive but smoke is my friend in dealing with them.

 

[Poly Hive]

Uh huh............. I wonder if you get the Captain Obvious adverts...?

PH

 

[BeeMade]

Uh huh............. I wonder if you get the Captain Obvious adverts...?

PH

Well Mr. BeeMade ... welcome to the forum!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Since this is my first year of beekeeping, I can only imagine that they are turning the sugar water into honey because it looks like they have more honey in the frames than they are eating.

BeeMade
The bees are eating the sugar syrup, putting it into the cells then capping it. It isn’t honey. It’s syrup.
Try the rough and ready honey test and get back to us

Here's how to do the water test:

Fill a glass with water.
Add one tablespoon of honey into the glass.
Adulterated or artificial honey will dissolve in water and you will see it around the glass.
Pure honey on the other hand will settle right at the bottom of your glass.

 

[drex]

Remind me not to buy any of Beemade's honey when he starts producing.
Glad he seems to be enjoying his bees, but suggest he reads up a little.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

BeeMade, you would have been better putting your question in the beginners section - it just might have avoided the sarchastic answers!
(Beekeepers here aren't getting out to bother their bees at the moment in the UK so some of them bother each other!)

However you are witnessing how bees convert sugar syrup into stores that they would use in times of no nectar flow. So now you know!

 

[For want of a better word]

It is possible, indeed probable, that you do not have honey but bee-processed sugar syrup in your honey super.

CVB

Seems this is normal practice in some Asian countries.
Now conspiricy theory abounds that this is how the Tesco Honey got contaminated and had to be removed from the shelves.... bought up by one of the big beekeeping equipment suppliers and now being sold as a feed supplement?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Seems this is normal practice in some Asian countries.
Now conspiricy theory abounds that this is how the Tesco Honey got contaminated and had to be removed from the shelves.... bought up by one of the big beekeeping equipment suppliers and now being sold as a feed supplement?

I hope it doesn't contain any pathogens