Honey vs sucrose, HFCS

[John B]

Here's an interesting article from Scientific Reports.

Scientific Reports is a primary research publication from the publishers of Nature, covering all areas of the natural and clinical sciences.

Diet-dependent gene expression in honey bees: honey vs. sucrose or high fructose corn syrup

Marsha M. Wheeler & Gene E. Robinson

Scientific Reports 4, Article number: 5726 doi:10.1038/srep05726

Received 02 May 2014 Accepted 26 June 2014 Published 17 July 2014

Severe declines in honey bee populations have made it imperative to understand key factors impacting honey bee health. Of major concern is nutrition, as malnutrition in honey bees is associated with immune system impairment and increased pesticide susceptibility. Beekeepers often feed high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or sucrose after harvesting honey or during periods of nectar dearth. We report that, relative to honey, chronic feeding of either of these two alternative carbohydrate sources elicited hundreds of differences in gene expression in the fat body, a peripheral nutrient-sensing tissue analogous to vertebrate liver and adipose tissues. These expression differences included genes involved in protein metabolism and oxidation-reduction, including some involved in tyrosine and phenylalanine metabolism. Differences between HFCS and sucrose diets were much more subtle and included a few genes involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Our results suggest that bees receive nutritional components from honey that are not provided by alternative food sources widely used in apiculture.

Some of the genes that were activated differently in the honey-eating bees have been linked to protein metabolism, brain-signaling and immune defense. The latter finding supports a 2013 study led by U. of I. entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum, who reported that some substances in honey increase the activity of genes that help the bees break down potentially toxic substances such as pesticides.

[Matthew Hennek]

Not surprising that a varied diet is best for bees.

During the summer, do bees feed mainly on honey or nectar brought into the hive?

There have been a few studies that showed that feeding honey vs sucrose/hfcs doesn't improve winter survival. Not sure how this plays into the picture.

[Mike Gourlie]

This is obviously a concern that should serve notice that food supplements other than that which is natural (honey) is not advisable. 

However, as happened to many last year when early cold weather facilitated an early end to nectar flow, what choices does one have? It would be either to supplement with something else if there is insufficient honey stores available or allow the bees to die.  The same can be said with supplemental feeding for a weak hives in the late winter/early spring. 

I would be interested to know what the researchers' take is on these types of situations.

Sent from my iPhone

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[John B]

Another choice is to harvest the honey in the spring rather than summer or fall. Instead of guessing the fall nectar flow and how much honey the bees will need for winter, you could wait until the following year to harvest - after you do your splits and when the dandelions are in bloom. Any extra is all yours.

[Betsy True]

By then, John, the honey is often crystallized.

On Mar 18, 2015, at 10:52 AM, John B <tranqu...@gmail.com> wrote:

Another choice is to harvest the honey in the spring rather than summer or fall. Instead of guessing the fall nectar flow and how much honey the bees will need for winter, you could wait until the following year to harvest - after you do your splits and when the dandelions are in bloom. Any extra is all yours.

Betsy True

bt...@wisc.edu

home: 608 821-0048

cell: 608 577-1134

[John B]

Hi Betsy, Have you checked out Bliss Honeybees?

Kat Nesbit has some good info on this site.

Here's the link for her Spring Honey Harvest

http://www.blisshoneybees.org/blog/2013/03/14/Spring-honey-harvest.aspx

[Dale Marsden]

I am filing the application to have a free booth at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days in late August.   We, the  DCBA, will have a 10X10 foot space and a couple of tables & chairs. Electricity is included free.  WI FI is extra and we won't have that. 

Will anyone within the Dane County Beekeepers Assn. be able to provide an empty  top bar hive for demonstration?  Also pictures  which I will incorporate in part of the display.  Any help making up the display would be appreciated. I will try to set up a planning meeting in May.  

We could also use a nice observation hive, at least two deep Langstroth frames?   I can supply the frames of bees and queen for it.   

 I will be asking for volunteers again later this summer.  

Thanks 

Dale Marsden

Exhibit chairman for the DCBA 

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[Betsy True]

We have an observation hive you could borrow. We will need it back for a mid September Cross Plains event.

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[Dale Marsden]

Thanks Betsy, I will make a note of it.

Dale

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From: Betsy True <bt...@wisc.edu>
To: mad...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: [madbees] Farm Technology days

[Marcin]

Last year, I left all the honey on hives for the winter with intentions on harvesting in the spring. So some of the colonies went into winter with 6 medium hive bodies on them. None of the colonies made it to the top box, some were in the 5th box, majority were in the 4th box and lower parts of the 5 box. When I took the boxes off, about 50% were crystallized. I just put those in my seed starting greenhouse and let the sun do it's work. I set it in my backyard and was worried about bees, ants, critters, squirrels and everything else getting into it, but nothing did. I sealed up the greenhouse best I could and placed a thermometer inside. This was done when daytime highs were in low to mid 70's. The highest temp I reported inside the greenhouse was 114 degrees. 5 or 6 days later 90% of the honey was liquefied. But I don't think I want to go through this again.