Should bees eat crystallised honey

[oxnatbees]

A friend has bought a hive, found the supers are full of crystallised honey. From searching on this and other sites, I gather it's fine for us to eat, if you can get it out!, but they're wondering about whether it is safe to leave some for the bees, can anyone advise please?

I saw the tip on this forum about uncapping and spraying with water but I recall reading solidified honey can ferment because the liquid between crystals is >20% water, this gives bees indigestion / dysentry. But, bees must have been dealing with solidified hone forever, so what's the truth? Trouble with the internet is, it never forgets an untruth.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Well I've left osr on hives and I've observed through out the summer that it got used and then backfilled.
I didn't spray the frames either.
The same from the ivy this spring crstalized ivy honey frames given back to bees now all used up and capped brood in the frames.

Edit : I've come to the conclusion if they want to use the crstalized frames they will, if they want to rip down all the wax and start again they will.
To much info on the net as you say either true or not.

 

[enrico]

They will often move it and on the second digestion it never seems to be as solid! They will eat it with no problem

 

[user 819]

If the hive came with bees then only feed it to those bees and not other colonies, just in case you transfer any disease to other colonies. Nosema, EFB etc,etc.

 

[elainemary]

A friend has bought a hive, found the supers are full of crystallised honey. From searching on this and other sites, I gather it's fine for us to eat, if you can get it out!, but they're wondering about whether it is safe to leave some for the bees, can anyone advise please?

I saw the tip on this forum about uncapping and spraying with water but I recall reading solidified honey can ferment because the liquid between crystals is >20% water, this gives bees indigestion / dysentry. But, bees must have been dealing with solidified hone forever, so what's the truth? Trouble with the internet is, it never forgets an untruth.

Something I observed last season. A hive had lots of crystallised stores (was fed pre made syrup in late summer that ended up crystallising even in the feeder - won’t buy that make again). I left the stores in the spring in the hive for the colony to use. They took ages and built up far more slowly than others. I put it down at the time to the queen but I took the crystallised frames out eventually and then they built up quickly. This season after being topped up with Ambrosia last summer they’ve romped away (same queen now older).
Ive concluded to ditch badly crystallised stores and only use decent quality pre inverted syrup in late summer. It’s harder for the bees to work (they need to recrystallise, warm and add more water). Not worth the set back

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bees deal with crystalised stores no problem, in fact I have quite a few hives demolishing frames of it at the moment. In fact I opened a hive earlier which had two frames of crystalised stores given to them, theyt've cleaned every speck of honey out of them.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Bees deal with crystalised stores no problem, in fact I have quite a few hives demolishing frames of it at the moment. In fact I opened a hive earlier which had two frames of crystalised stores given to them, theyt've cleaned every speck of honey out of them.

Ditto, with my nucs when I transferred them I gave them honey frames some cystalized ivy and osr it all gone and there is capped brood in there now.

Edit : they have used it over the last three weeks, I have heard that the bees will dump it out but that's not what I've seen.

 

[Ian123]

Something I observed last season. A hive had lots of crystallised stores (was fed pre made syrup in late summer that ended up crystallising even in the feeder - won’t buy that make again). I left the stores in the spring in the hive for the colony to use. They took ages and built up far more slowly than others. I put it down at the time to the queen but I took the crystallised frames out eventually and then they built up quickly. This season after being topped up with Ambrosia last summer they’ve romped away (same queen now older).
Ive concluded to ditch badly crystallised stores and only use decent quality pre inverted syrup in late summer. It’s harder for the bees to work (they need to recrystallise, warm and add more water). Not worth the set back

You probably got ivy mixed in with the stores/feed, maybe little to do with the syrup. Bees deal with crystallised stores just fine. Ian

 

[oxnatbees]

Thanks! Great to benefit from this mass of actual experience rather than hearsay.

 

[Finman]

It is normal that honey crystallized during winter, and after winter bees eate such honey.

In summer I use to move side frames in the middle of brood area that bees eate the rest of winter food from frames.

And when I use douple brood, I add the second brood box, I move the side frames with winter food in the middle of thr lower box. Bees clean first those frames for laying.

In upper parts of frames may be winter food too. But I swap the douple brood boxes and bees clean all old food and they grow brood in the frames.

Swapping brood boxes is important that bees consume frames evenly.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Thanks! Great to benefit from this mass of actual experience rather than hearsay.

It is normal that honey crystallized during winter, and after winter bees eate such honey.

In summer I use to move side frames in the middle of brood area that bees eate the rest of winter food from frames.

And when I use douple brood, I add the second brood box, I move the side frames with winter food in the middle of thr lower box. Bees clean first those frames for laying.

In upper parts of frames may be winter food too. But I swap the douple brood boxes and bees clean all old food and they grow brood in the frames.

Swapping brood boxes is important that bees consume frames evenly.

Said like poetry

 

[Finman]

Said like poetry

What we need is melody
.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Said like poetry

Spike Milligan?

 

[Curly green finger's]

What we need is melody
.
The bees produce melody when they are on a honey flow.. The sound of apairys is melody enough.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Spike Milligan?

Monty Python

 

[Worker bee]

A friend has bought a hive, found the supers are full of crystallised honey. From searching on this and other sites, I gather it's fine for us to eat, if you can get it out!, but they're wondering about whether it is safe to leave some for the bees, can anyone advise please?

I saw the tip on this forum about uncapping and spraying with water but I recall reading solidified honey can ferment because the liquid between crystals is >20% water, this gives bees indigestion / dysentry. But, bees must have been dealing with solidified hone forever, so what's the truth? Trouble with the internet is, it never forgets an untruth.

It's totally fine if bees didnt want it they wouldn't store it. It's all gone in my hives. I wish I had crystalised honey left because mine are on syrup and they are surrounded by potential nectar sourses literally on the doorstep

 

[Curly green finger's]

Monty Python

No Frank spencer

 

[Erichalfbee]

That’s so funny but you know it’s going to get reported. Just a warning. In fact I’ll probably get inundated

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

What about some classical music then?

 

[Erichalfbee]

That’s better