Every few years we raise a new crop of beekeepers who want to feed bananas to their bees as a winter supplement. The forums are filled with anecdotal stories of bees thriving on ripe bananas while overcoming every imaginable pathogen and parasite. A recent Instagram posting explained that the potassium in bananas will help the […] Read more
This post relies heavily on personal opinion, so take it or leave it. I’ve heard much talk of pollen subs lately, so I decided to add my two cents. My thinking on pollen substitutes has evolved over the years, and I’ve become less and less enamored with the idea. That said, commercial and migratory beekeepers […] Read more
No. Honey bee dysentery is not caused by a pathogen, so it is not “catchable.” Honey bee dysentery arises when the food a winter bee eats is high in solids, usually known as ash. These solids hold water in the gut and cause it to become distended. When the bees endure long periods of time […] Read more
Dysentery in honey bees is one of those unfortunate terms that results in nothing but confusion and misconception. It’s right up there with the word “organic” to describe food grown without manmade fertilizers and pesticides. If you apply the traditional meaning of organic—which, with a few exceptions, refers to chemical compounds containing carbon—then the large […] Read more
Yes, bees will eat crystallized honey and there is no harm in feeding it to them. Remember that crystallized honey is not a modern invention. Bees have had to deal with it from the beginning and they know what to do. In the depth of winter when bees cannot get outside, they use moisture that […] Read more
A number of beekeepers have said they feed their bees organic sugar (usually organic evaporated cane juice) and they firmly believe they are doing the best possible thing for their bees. Other folks are horrified at the idea because these products are not pure white and, therefore, contain impurities that may cause honey bee dysentery. […] Read more
While it is natural to sigh with relief when spring finally rolls around, in truth, spring is one of the hardest seasons for both bees and beekeepers. The perils of spring are many. Spring colonies that have overwintered face a particularly daunting set of circumstances. For example: By spring, the number of individuals in a […] Read more