Does anyone on here.....

[BKF Admin]

Yes I was pulling your cord Somerford,I do believe that essential oils are underused though by the majority of beekeepers.

The Yanks have done loads of work on the subject and I agree with many of the results.

Its better to cure ill's with essential oils rather than shop purchased medicines.

The only difference at times seem's to be marketing and price.

 

[Norton]

As I said before, it smacks of Quack medication and is Utter Utter Madness

Thanks ! Somerford.

 

[drstitson]

if people are unwilling/unable to produce their own queens OR want queens early in season than some sort of colony support/stimulation will be needed in those colonies that are intended to supply this demand for good quality "mass produced" queens.

a cocktail of things that bees are likely to come across in nature is fine by me - we're not talking palm oil and elephant tusk here - after all thymol is just one terpene out of many that has been selected for general use by beeks.

BTW - and this IS a serious question - anyone come across any details of lunar husbandry protocols for bees?

 

[Skyhook]

Its better to cure ill's with essential oils rather than shop purchased medicines.

The only difference at times seem's to be marketing and price.

I would add a proviso here for those less experienced than Norton- don't experiment, assuming that 'natural' means 'safe'. Naturally produced ingredients can have very variable amounts of active ingredient, making it very hard to dose correctly. I would rather take an aspirin than willow bark for that reason, and I would rather use OA than rhubarb leaves.

 

[oliver90owner]

Skyhook,

You are spot on.. The indications (from the numerous oxalic acid recipes/dilutions/troubles/worries) bears out that opinion admirably, I think.

Bees get a natural range of trace goodies over the year, given a wide selection of flora. If these are missing (a la monocrop) and they have predominantly the one main pollen for brood rearing, extra additions may well be beneficial. Overdosing or inappropriate additions can also end in a disaster for the bees.

Those 'experimenting' should at least be making regular comparisons with a control set of colonies - ie not all their eggs in the one basket, or a poor result is only a small difference to the whole apiary, or whatever.

Regards, RAB

 

[Haughton Honey]

So, after all of the input above are those who currently using EO-based recipes for their bees willing to post a few detailed and enhanced fondant/syrup recipes so that those of us who would like to start experimenting can give it a go?

I'll ask again......

 

[Hivemaker.]

I'll ask again......

Look at sticky posts on feeding thymol.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Look at sticky posts on feeding thymol.

Got those thanks Pete and I use your own thymol syrup recipe often, to great effect.

I was more interested in seeing some recipes containing an assortment of EOs, herbs and spices....with relevant quantities etc

 

[Hivemaker.]

Got some from another forum, from a guy i have been in contact with for the last couple of years,used some of it last spring,and Kev (beebreeder on here) used a lot of the pattie mixture last spring....just eo's though.copy paste them if you want.....he runs several hundred hives himself,and works with a guy that runs 4000....and has very healthy bee's, plus also does almond polination; you only hear about the one's who are having problems...very rarely the one's who are having no problems.

 

[Haughton Honey]

Got some from another forum, from a guy i have been in contact with for the last couple of years,used some of it last spring,and Kev (beebreeder on here) used a lot of the pattie mixture last spring....just eo's though.copy paste them if you want.....he runs several hundred hives himself,and works with a guy that runs 4000....and has very healthy bee's, plus also does almond polination; you only hear about the one's who are having problems...very rarely the one's who are having no problems.

That would be great, thanks.

Alternatively, if you don't want to post them on here feel free to PM instead.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Some links that you may like to look at as well....just a couple as there are hundreds.

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/naturaloils.html

http://www.ibra.org.uk/articles/In-vitro-effect-of-essential-oils-on-chalkbrood

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?seq_no_115=230111

 

[Hombre]

We won't listen, honest . . .
Regards, Pinnochio

 

[Hivemaker.]

This is very similar to Honey bee Healthy (HBH) the feed additive.
...................................................................................................

I have been getting a lot of requests for this info so I thought I would post it.

Patties – 5 gallon bucket mixture
2 Cups of Yeast
7 lbs of Sugar
8 drops of thyme
15 drops lemongrass
15 drops spearmint
Measure out the brewer’s yeast into a large container. Add your essential oils as measured above. I recommend using an eye dropper for precise measurements. Pour liquid brewer’s yeast into 5 gallon bucket. Add sugar slowly with mixing with an electric drill equipped with a “mud” paddle. Mix until the consistency is that of a thick mushy mashed potatoes. Add sugar or small amount of yeast to get consistency right. In feeding lots of hives I find you can then pour/spoon this mixture out of the 5 gallon mixing bucket into one used for feeding and then continue to mix a new batch in your mixing bucket. If you try and mix too much, you will burn out your drill which is why I recommend mixing in the above measurements.

Patties – Cement Mixer
4 Quarts of yeast
48-50 lbs of sugar
1 dropper of thyme
3 droppers of lemongrass
3 droppers of spearmint
In a large mixing bowl measure out 4 quarts of liquid brewer’s yeast and then add your essential oils. In a clean cement mixer pour the yeast/EO mixture. Turn on the mixture and begin to add the sugar. Continue to mix until well mixed and with a consistency of thick mushy mashed potatoes.

Liquid Feed – Sprayer (or feed)
3 Gallons of Water
20 lbs of Sugar
(1.5 droppers of thyme oil) – Optional for use with mite control misting or as treatment/feed
3 droppers of lemongrass oil
3 droppers of spearmint oil
5 teaspoons of Soy Lecithin Granules

In a 5 gallon bucket pour in one gallon of very hot water (not boiling). Mix in 5 teaspoons of Lecithin granules. With a mud mixer or similar mixer, mix in the granules for a couple of seconds. Add your lemongrass and spearmint oil to the mix and run the mixer again. Next, add two gallons of tap water. Mix again. Next, start adding your bags of sugar. Add a couple of bags and mix then add more. If you try and add too much at once it can burn out your mixer. Keep mixing until all the sugar is mixed well into the solution. You should have about 4- 4.5 gallons of feed ready to go.
(For mite control misting) Get a garden sprayer. Use one that has not been used before as you do not want chemicals in your feed. I label the one I use “Bee Feed” so it doesn’t get confused with anything. Pour in your mix and pressure up your sprayer. I use the fine mist setting. This allows you to mist a frame in one or at most two sweeps and doesn’t soak the frame or bees but gives it a nice even complete coating. Place into your hive and move to the next frame.
Lastly, I run two of these feeds with thyme and then just run them with lemongrass and spearmint. Towards the end of Nov. I will feed one more time with thyme. No special reason that I do this but experimenting around I found this works best for the bees. My mite counts since starting this method have been very low to zero.

Alternate Liquid Feed (makes up a smaller batch)
2qts. of water
2qts. of sugar
12 drops of thyme oil
28 drops of lemongrass oil
28 drops of spearmint oil
3 teaspoons of lecithin granules
__________________

 

[Norton]

I would mind seeing them as well as an email attachment:
[email protected]
Thanks
Norton

 

[Skyhook]

Hello,
Back to the original question. I use Ambrosia fondant and I heat it up, about a kilo at a time, in a microwave oven. To this I add 20% of my own pollen and 10% soya flour (not GM), ...

Ah yes, Soya flour. I had been thinking of using soya patties come spring, until I came across the following thread http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7995&highlight=soya Which I found not a little worrying.

Does anyone know of any just cause or impediment why I should be worried about using either Nektapoll or soya patties?

 

[Hombre]

10% soya flour, not GM.

I seem to recollect that about ten years ago there was a big outcry because of a massive mixing of GM and non GM soya seed, with the result being that no one could be certain that their soya seed was not mixed with GM any more.

To my understanding, that wasn't apparently a situation that could ever be reversed, that particular genie being out of the bottle already.

So today soya is soya is soya.

On the other hand there is a difference in the processing that produces the flour. I think that it has to do with the method of oil extraction, either cold pressed or acid reduced(?)

I'm sure that someone with a bit of knowledge out there can clarify. I believe one is supposedly fat-free and the other isn't.

 

[Skyhook]

Ah yes, Soya flour. I had been thinking of using soya patties come spring, until I came across the following thread http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7995&highlight=soya Which I found not a little worrying.

Does anyone know of any just cause or impediment why I should be worried about using either Nektapoll or soya patties?

To clarify, the link isn't about GM, its about dangerous (to bees) levels of pesticide residue in soya.

 

[BKF Admin]

Although I believe that essential oils are of benefit I dont believe that patties make any difference in our climate.

In my opinion you had just as well chuck the soya stuff straight in the bin for the same effect.

Just my opinion..

 

[Norton]

Hello,
Must be doing something right. The first drone eggs of 2011 have been laid over the past few days. So, the first grafts will be done the first week in February so that the first mature drones are ready for mating in mid February.
Best regards
Norton.

 

[MJBee]

colour me green with envy Norton, your queens will have emerged and been mated before the weather is good enough for a first inspection here.