While I was doing my grocery this morning, I remembered that I would need to feed my honey bees this spring before the nectar flow starts. This early feeding helps to stimulate the activity in the hive increasing its population, making the colony more productive and giving the honey bees a good start for the new season. In nature bees need proteins (amino acids), carbohydrates ( sugars), lipids (fatty acids & sterols), vitamins, minerals (salts) and water.
Once a luxury for the affluent people, white gold was kept in blocks and was heavily taxed thus not accessible to the commoners!
White sugar (refined sugar) is essentially 99% pure sucrose, a simple carbohydrate. This sweet comes from plants; most commonly from canes or beets. Sugars from any of these two plants are adequate substitutes for honey in the natural diet of the honey bees. However it has to be supplied as a liquid, a syrup of water mixed with granulated sugar.
Sources: www.sucrose.com
Honey Bee Nutrition Supplemental Feeding by L.N. Standifier
PS We are still working on building our first hive!
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