~This is our hummingbird feeder. Someone forgot to tell the honeybees that. ~
~The bees did their dance and passed the word, " Front porch! LOTS of sugar water!" The hummingbirds don't seem to like to mingle with the bees , and the bees had the sweet stuff all to themselves."
The glucose and fructose which make up the better part of it ( honey ) are more easily assimilated by the human body than white sugar , because they have already been partially digested by the bees. This can be important for both the very young and the very old with either immature or failing digestive systems... Honey contains around 300 calories, against 400 for the same amount of sugar;"......"it ( honey ) is also fattening-with around 80% sugar it could hardly be otherwise-a fact often overlooked by those dazzled by its health giving image." HONEY, FROM HIVE TO HONEYPOT by Sue Style
Note:Current medical wisdom says honey should NOT be fed to babies a year of age and under!
~This is our hummingbird feeder. Someone forgot to tell the honeybees that. ~
~The bees did their dance and passed the word, " Front porch! LOTS of sugar water!" The hummingbirds don't seem to like to mingle with the bees , and the bees had the sweet stuff all to themselves."The glucose and fructose which make up the better part of it ( honey ) are more easily assimilated by the human body than white sugar , because they have already been partially digested by the bees. This can be important for both the very young and the very old with either immature or failing digestive systems... Honey contains around 300 calories, against 400 for the same amount of sugar;"......"it ( honey ) is also fattening-with around 80% sugar it could hardly be otherwise-a fact often overlooked by those dazzled by its health giving image." HONEY, FROM HIVE TO HONEYPOT by Sue Style
Note:Current medical wisdom says honey should NOT be fed to babies a year of age and under!
15 comments:
Good Morning Kathy - delightful photos! I've read/heard children younger than six months should not eat honey. Do you know this to be true? I did know honey is easier to digest because it's, partially, pre-digested...clever bees! God has made all things wonderful, hasn't He?
That is crazy! I've never seen so many bees on a hummer feeder!
Thistle Cove Farm, Sandra, I have heard the same also, I should have stated that fact!
Mildred, The bees emptied that feeder as soon as I would fill it up!It was crazy....and fun to watch!
LOL, we had a hummingbird come in our caravan before because we had just gotten drinks from a drive through and they gave us red straws but it was trapped in our van for a day I think but we rolled down the windows and it flew out though!
This is the exact reason why I don't put out a feeder...I get Bumblebees and the birds stay away. So now what do you do?
I know that bees can be "pesky" at times but I enjoyed seeing them on your hummingbird feeder. We have some problem with bees here in my part of Texas-they are very scarce.
Most of the time, I have to hand pollinate the squash because there aren't any bees. I really would love to see some drinking my sugar water. I had a huge problem with wasps though. I've finally learned from reading that you should use a weaker sugar solution to deter wasps. It's working so far!
AMY, I am glad the hummingbird got out and I hope it was O.K. They sure are attracted to color, it might be a flower you know!
Noble Pig, I like the bumblebees, they're pretty harmless. It is the hornets and yellow jackets that are bad, bad news!Then and the ants!
SOUTHERN Comfort, lack of bees is a problem in your area I know. We have so many bees, Orchard Bees, Bumblebees, honey bees....I did not know that about reducing the sugar content of the syrup! I will try that when yellow jacket season comes round again!
I believe the issue with younger children is their underdeveloped digestive systems - that honey can contain bacteria which kiddos can't handle. I am not sure I agree with this theory (sort of like the antibacterial everything so people never develop resistance to things) but then I don't have small babies! fascinating picture Kathy - so where have the hummers gone?
Great stuff to read about honey! I just ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich for lunch.
I love the blue feeders. And I think the bumble bees are beautiful. But I can see how they could be a problem. Nature is always iteresting.
LindaSue, I am not sure about the honey / baby thing either, the stuff I was reading about this also stated that other foods cause the same problems....I would prefer to err on the side of caution!
A.Joy, was it some of Dad's honey on your sandwich?
Mary, I loved the honeybees on the feeder, it is the wasps and yellow jackets I discourage, they not only sting us but kill and consume vast numbers of honeybees and bumblebees , and also deplete the hives of brood and honey!
Such an interesting post. We have the same problem with wasps here on our feeders. We try to keep bees away as we have the "killer" bees in our area where a few people have died over the past couple of years. Blessings,Kathleen
My goodness- they must be hungry!
That is a beautiful hummingbird feeder, too, Kathy!
I think you need to post a sign, "No bees allowed!" :)
Oh, this is another thing Whitney will be very interested to see when we come! She calls all bees "mumblebees", which I happen to think is very fitting. :-) We actually have some GIANT mumblebees around here, that look so heavy their poor little wings can barely carry them!
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