Spare super of crystallised ivy honey

[jackstraw]

I have a brood and two supers which are full of stores and the bees are still very active. The striped back they arrive with tells me that they are on Him Balsan and the ivy bushes near the hive are full of activity. I took a super off and brought it home and have put the other under the brood box.

I extracted about 10lb from the full super with about 20lbs left in - it's white and crystallised which points towards it being ivy honey

My intention is to feed this back to them in the spring, I have Carnolians and so they will be up early and immediately have a large brood needing feeding.

But I have a nagging feeling that I've read somewhere that bees find ivy honey difficult if not useless as a source of food. I think it is due to the lack of moisture.

Have I got my wires crossed somewhere or is this correct - if so what should I do with the three quarters full frames of solid crystallised honey?

 

[REDWOOD]

Bees will use the Ivy honey but I find they will use the liquid form first and often find these frames untouched in the spring. if you have a mixture of both don't stress over it.

 

[Arfermo]

My intention is to feed this back to them in the spring, I have Carnolians and so they will be up early and immediately have a large brood needing feeding.
But I have a nagging feeling that I've read somewhere that bees find ivy honey difficult if not useless as a source of food. I think it is due to the lack of moisture. Have I got my wires crossed somewhere or is this correct - if so what should I do with the three quarters full frames of solid crystallised honey?

The usual method of feeding back crystallised comb honey, whether OSR or ivy is to uncap any cells and then dip the frame(s) in warm water. That liquidises the surface honey and the bees deal it from there on.

 

[BeeJayBee]

I have a nagging feeling that I've read somewhere that bees find ivy honey difficult if not useless as a source of food. I think it is due to the lack of moisture.

Ivy has been in this country, and in the rest of this part of Europe, for at least 12,000 years. It's insect pollinated. It's unlikely that bees would bother collecting the nectar if it wasn't any use to them.

Try not to worry too much, they know how to use it.

 

[Ely]

My bees have been living on it four the last 4 winters. No Problem.

 

[itma]

... super with about 20lbs left in - it's white and crystallised which points towards it being ivy honey

My intention is to feed this back to them in the spring, …

But I have a nagging feeling that I've read somewhere that bees find ivy honey difficult if not useless as a source of food. I think it is due to the lack of moisture.

Have I got my wires crossed somewhere or is this correct - if so what should I do with the three quarters full frames of solid crystallised honey?

In order to make use of crystallised stores, the bees need water.

Finding and collecting water in cold weather is hard and dangerous work for the water-forager bees - they get chilled and die.

So, at the same time as giving the crystallised stores, you'd make life easier for the bees (and those stores more useful) if you also gave them water (or rather weak syrup) - perhaps in an entrance feeder.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

One of ivy's worst habits is as it crystallises, it looks just like brood at a quick glance. When you're looking for signs a Q has mated But what are source this year...