Edit: it looks like both articles really focus on commercial beekeeping. I don’t know where I will land on this. The honey I get is not food for the bees during the winter. Bees overproduce honey if the conditions are right. I only harvest honey that contains no brood (baby bees) and is separated from the laying queen. The food for the hive stays near the brood core, which is where bees stay during the winter.
I haven’t lost a hive yet during the overwintering process. I also have not substituted with any sugar feed. The only thing that I have supplied the bees is a 100% pollen “patty” from local pollen and water during the hottest part of the year.
Edit: it looks like both articles really focus on commercial beekeeping. I don’t know where I will land on this. The honey I get is not food for the bees during the winter. Bees overproduce honey if the conditions are right. I only harvest honey that contains no brood (baby bees) and is separated from the laying queen. The food for the hive stays near the brood core, which is where bees stay during the winter.
I haven’t lost a hive yet during the overwintering process. I also have not substituted with any sugar feed. The only thing that I have supplied the bees is a 100% pollen “patty” from local pollen and water during the hottest part of the year.