Should I feed colony which already has 4 frames of stores?

[Finman]

I guess the distinction I am trying to make is the difference between what the OP and others whose colonies came through winter with lots of autumn feed, and people who are deliberately feeding bees to get processed syrup.

false swarms are a good way to get ridd off winter food. When you give foundations to the hive, give 3-4 frames winter food to the swarm in the middle of box. After a week food is gone and frames are full of larvae and foundations have been drawn.

It is same if the winter food is honey. It is crystallized and you have to mobilize it.

2 brood system is good. It has space to 4 sugar frames. When you revolve those two boxes, winter food will disappear.

But remember: winter food is pure sugar. It is not poison.

 

[MandF]

But remember: winter food is pure sugar. It is not poison.

Exactly!

 

[oliver90owner]

Ignorance of the law is no defence. Hobbyists who sell honey with sucrose added (from whatever source - be it deliberate or excessive winter feeding) would be treated the same.

Once on the system the details will be there forever (as far as you are concerned).

No different than the speeding motorist who says he did not know his speedometer was reading incorrectly. Guilty as charged.

 

[MandF]

I have already said, as long as it still within the legal limits.

My point was, aside from the legal limits (which a lot of people ignore anyway, for example with labelling), having some sucrose in the honey is not the end of the world, as finman said it isnt poison.

And if you had one early extraction which was slightly over, then hold on to it and mix it with a later batch to bring it back under again. Or keep for your personal use.

Hassle, yes, undesirable, yes, but a disaster - no!

 

[oliver90owner]

Hassle, yes, undesirable, yes, but a disaster - no!

I wasn't even considering any hassle; it is un desirable and is illegal.

For instance, if you are describing your product as blossom honey when it is known that it contains sugar from a bag....

 

[Finman]

.
Heh heh heh .

I trust on our constitution that we will not punished twice for the same reason.

That is why stupidoes will be not punished because they have allready punished.

 

[MandF]

Hassle, yes, undesirable, yes, but a disaster - no!

I wasn't even considering any hassle; it is un desirable and is illegal.

For instance, if you are describing your product as blossom honey when it is known that it contains sugar from a bag....

Erm, would you like to clarify how exactly having a sucrose content below the legal maximum, is illegal?

What I said, and will say again, is that *if* you do have a batch of honey which turns out to be above the legal limit for sucrose, then all you have to do is mix it with another batch until it goes below.

It is not illegal to extract honey with a high sucrose content, just like it is not illegal to extract unripe honey. It is only illegal to SELL that honey to the public.

 

[MandF]

Hassle, yes, undesirable, yes, but a disaster - no!

I wasn't even considering any hassle; it is un desirable and is illegal.

For instance, if you are describing your product as blossom honey when it is known that it contains sugar from a bag....

As for your latter point, I disagree - if you call your honey "blossom honey" there are 2 legal points;

1. It is "honey", ie doesnt contain over 5% sucrose (amongst other things) - it can contain "sugar from a bag".

2. It has a high enough proportion of pollen from blossom, off the top of my head I think the pollen count has to be 70%+. It can contain "sugar from a bag".

 

[oliver90owner]

Not worth arguing with you. You don't appear to have much in the way of principles.

Perhaps you would not care if your honey contained a bit of dog sh*t either. I wouldn't be wanting any of your honey, that is for sure.

 

[newportbuzz]

just to poke this a little bit.

Can many people who sell their honey prove where there nectar comes from????? I know i cant.
Whats to say its not from the local tip where the local baker spilt(or tesco lidl aldi etc) some sugar and put it in a bin bag??????.
How about jam jars at the recycling station?
How about all those loverly ice lolly sticks and sticky wrappers, coke bottles etc.
If you want to start playing this game you should be testing for all that stuff aswell. And thats not counting the other nice way of getting funny honey from robing hives ?? Whats sets off robbing ohh ya feeding week ones.

im fairly sure the trading standards arnt to bothered with a little bit of sugar in honey its fellas laundering huge vats of syrup thats the problem. Possibly thats proven by a maximum level permisible rule not a not allowed rule??



ps all my honey goes to freinds and family and of course bribery

 

[MandF]

Not worth arguing with you. You don't appear to have much in the way of principles.

Perhaps you would not care if your honey contained a bit of dog sh*t either. I wouldn't be wanting any of your honey, that is for sure.

The point is RAB, and its something that you bang on about when it suits you, the bees will do what they will do. We cant force them to forage on nice stuff, we cant force them not to drink water off dog sh*t.

We sometimes have to feed them, we cannot force them to use our sugar syrup to feed brood, or build wax, and store nectar.

*If* we have to feed them more than usual, ie like right now, then as we cannot be sure how much of that feed will end up in supers, then I guess you are suggesting that we cannot sell ANY of it?

Just like if you see one of your bees drinking water off a cow pat, you will decide you cannot sell ANY of your honey?

So, do tell us, if you have to feed syrup over the next few weeks, you will not be selling any of your honey?

And I also notice on another post just now that you think its ok to extract honey from brood frames. So, frames of honey with some syrup is a big no no, yet frames of honey which have had larvea/pupae are absolutely fine?

I wouldnt be wanting any of your honey, thats for sure.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Blimey - its just like winter all over again

 

[MandF]

Can many people who sell their honey prove where there nectar comes from????? I know i cant.
Whats to say its not from the local tip where the local baker spilt(or tesco lidl aldi etc) some sugar and put it in a bin bag??????.
How about jam jars at the recycling station?
How about all those loverly ice lolly sticks and sticky wrappers, coke bottles etc.
If you want to start playing this game you should be testing for all that stuff aswell. And thats not counting the other nice way of getting funny honey from robing hives ?? Whats sets off robbing ohh ya feeding week ones.

im fairly sure the trading standards arnt to bothered with a little bit of sugar in honey its fellas laundering huge vats of syrup thats the problem. Possibly thats proven by a maximum level permisible rule not a not allowed rule??

Exactly! RAB is an expert though, he can tell his bees what to do and where to go. He is perfect in every way. Apart from selling honey from brood frames which is generally frowned upon, but as that suits him it is fine.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

 

[MandF]

Blimey - its just like winter all over again

Well it is when the forum God gets all righteous, and also cannot seem to understand the role of devils advocate.

He seems to have missed the point that my one year of selling honey last season came from a hive overwintered on its own forage, and a split hive only fed to help draw out foundation.

Unlike him, however, I dont pretend to either know it all, or occupy the high moral ground.

 

[MandF]

Instead of posting, why dont you ask the person who is forcing you to read this thread to stop doing so?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Instead of posting, why dont you ask the person who is forcing you to read this thread to stop doing so?

Not being blessed with seeing into the future, until I read a post I don't know what its about. If you wouldn't mind starting up a bitching thread in the off-topic section I'll gladly ignore, but this one claims to be relating to feeding a well stuffed colony.

 

[The Cumbrian]

Blimey - its just like winter all over again

You mean it isn't winter? Sorry I hadn't noticed the change.

 

[newportbuzz]

You mean it isn't winter? Sorry I hadn't noticed the change.

i have not taken off my jumper yet so im gunna agree with you altho it is making some moves towards summer. Our hawthorn has buds now.

 

[MandF]

Not being blessed with seeing into the future, until I read a post I don't know what its about. If you wouldn't mind starting up a bitching thread in the off-topic section I'll gladly ignore, but this one claims to be relating to feeding a well stuffed colony.

It is DIRECTLY related to that.

We are talking about having to feed our colonies right now, due to the rubbish weather here in the UK and the risk of colonies starving. Stuffed colonies or not.

If you listend to RAB that would mean that anyone who does have to feed now cannot sell their honey as there is no way of telling whether that will eventually end up in supers.

Do you agree with that?