|
Thu, Nov 23, 06 at 13:18
| I thought of something many years ago that I never got a chance to try. A sort of mad scientist idea. I used to live next to a guy who would collect maple sap and boil it down into syrup. It seemed to take a lot of energy. So I was wondering if one could feed the sap to bees instead and let them concentrate it. It might be too dilute so a little preboiling might work to get the concentration up enough for the bees. I wonder what it would taste like.
Hey don't blame me if your hive dies. Regards,
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by konrad___far_north 3 (My Page) on Thu, Nov 23, 06 at 20:47
| I don't think honey bees would take the sap, you still need to boil it....then what? Feed it to honey bees? You can try but I think they only take it when there is no flow, I rather have the girls get nectar from the flowers. [Better Honey] People mix honey with maple syrup and sell it as maple honey. Konrad |
|
| Indeed, bees take nectar, not sap. And the sap doesn't keep very long, and it flows as winter ebbs, with nights below freezing... long before the bees are much active. However, this is hardly an original idea. Decades ago, a spoof column appeared in "Gleanings in Bee Culture" presented this idea. |
|
| Maple sap is about 1.5% sugar on average and has a shelf life similar to milk. I've mixed maple syrup with honey, added yeast and water... I call it "Maple Mead", my wife calls it "Tractor Fuel" |
|
| I have to wonder this: My honey, when it's carefully handled and bottled raw tastes so much better than the stuff in the stores, and is purer (I practice chemical free beekeeping), why would I want to mess with flavorings? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Bees and Beekeeping Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.