A recent conversation with my Mum has sparked this post and I think it raises and interesting point regarding the health of bees.

Obviously one of the benefits to keeping bees is the crop of honey provided but lets not forget why the bees make the honey in the first place….its certainly not for us to put in our tea? No, it is of course to help them survive the harsh winter months. But we can supplement their food/diet with sugar syrup and fondant I hear you cry! This I imagine is especially prevelant in more commercial apiaries but perhaps its a common practise with beginners through to experts. If so, should it be?

So we come to the crux of the issue. Is harvesting all the honey and the supplement of bees food detrimental to hive health; their immune systems in particular? The beneficial effects of honey have been well documented and we know it is a natural antiseptic. Surely honey as a complex solution that has evolved alongside the bee over tens of millions of years, cant be replaced with a simple sugar solution without having a detrimental effect on the bees.

Perhaps the lack of their natural food source is effecting their ability to combat disease and parasites? Could aggressive and greedy beekeeping techniques be contributing to the demise of the honey bee?