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The provision of supplementary food to hive bees
Author(s) -
Butler C. G.
Publication year - 1946
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1946.tb06318.x
Subject(s) - brood , biology , pollen , sucrose , honey bee , honey bees , food science , sugar , bee pollen , botany , zoology
Sucrose syrup is less satisfactory than honey as a winter and spring food for bees: a mixture of approximately equal parts of honey and syrup is of almost the same value as honey alone. Feeding confined to early autumn induced the strongest spring development of colonies; syrup feeding in the spring may retard colony development, and food supplied at this time is apparently wasted. Feeding with syrup and pollen is advantageous only when a colony is lacking in stores of carbohydrate and protein. A total of four British Standard brood combs full of pollen provides sufficient protein for a colony on B.S. equipment from autumn until April: the best results were obtained by providing colonies on eleven B.S. combs, in early autumn, with 35‐40 lb. of honey, or honey and concentrated sucrose syrup, and four brood combs full of pollen.