Thymol crystals sugar surup recipe ?

[Tom Bick]

I guess the real trick is minimal feeding or no feeding at all something I am going for this year and for future years. The minimal bit for me will be a late thymol syrup I started this last year and every thing I have read about it makes sense to me and although one feed at the end of last year is no proof but my bees all came through the winter fit and strong and the preventative measures for nosema makes the thymol syrup a good thing to me.

 

[SixFooter]

Made my mixture up last night ended up with a really milky look mixture.

I work in litres so wanted to build a calculator to ensure I put the right amount to the sugar syrup. By my maths if you convert an imperial gallon to 4.54609 litres. Which makes 1.1 ml a litre (minor rounding but 1.1ml makes it easier for end user!)

So with 0.11ml to every 0.1l in mind i've built the following:

http://logics.co.uk/thymolcalculator.aspx

Would someone be able to check i've got my maths right???

Thanks,
Chris

Surely it doesnt matter that much. It's just bucket science. I Just put a splurge in. It's a metric splurge btw.

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Surely it doesnt matter that much. It's just bucket science. I Just put a splurge in. It's a metric splurge btw.

I haven't got a clue if it matters was just following the original instructions and need something to guide me, im sure a few ml other etc wont matter etc.

 

[Alabamaeee]

Tom.

Any update on your experiences with the feed, as your original post is 2009 and would be interesting to hear your results over the winters since then?

 

[Tom Bick]

Tom.

Any update on your experiences with the feed, as your original post is 2009 and would be interesting to hear your results over the winters since then?

I think you are looking at the year I joined the forum 2009 and not my original post on the thymol syrup mix.

I only started with the mix last year so no great personal experience to talk about as yet but Hivemaker on this forum champions the stuff and thats good enough for me to give it ago, also a few papers published on testing is good reading and good evidence it has good results on colony health and helps the bees with nosema.

I also dont think its anything new and for some time has been written about as a good tool against nosema and perhaps as we moved towards administered drugs got left behind. It apparently works by blocking the non active nosema spores in the bees from developing into nosema so giving the bees a chance to clear themselves from the disease.

Like I say I only tried it for the first time last year but this year was very impressed with the health and condition of my hives in the early spring so will definitely be giving them a gallon each later this year.

Links to papers interesting read

 

[herefordshirehoney]

Are you planning on adding the mixture to fondant too?

 

[Tom Bick]

No not in fondant.

Actually have not got a clue on how you would put it in the fondant and get it even throughout.

Although the 2nd paper is titled Thymol in Candy it actually refers to candy or syrup.

 

[Alabamaeee]

Tom,

I probably mixed you up with Hivemaker's post on the recipe

The papers are interesting and it would seem it's a good thing to do. Just wonder if I fed thymolated syrup and then a few weeks later treat with thymol based medicine for Varroa would it be too much for them to handle?

 

[Tom Bick]

Hi Alabamaeee to be confused with Hivemaker is a compliment in deed. Hivemaker may have other thoughts

Personally I think you have to think hard when to feed the thymol syrup and this will be dependant on each colony as you want them to eat it and not just store it.

If you give the bees the thymol syrup when they are still foraging and nectar is available to them then this will be wrong.

As I see it I have two options when to feed the thymol syrup the first when I have removed all the honey and have started thymol varroa treatments in September. The bees are still active and in the past I have had to feed during this time. The advantage of this to me was that it would start to work on the bees in good time before the winter. However I have moved my bees over to double brood and as a result the bees will not need feeding during thymol treatments.

My 2nd option was and the one I will do this year is to give the bees the thymol syrup later in the year, I have not decided how late as this will be dependant on conditions. The theory on this is that it will be the last food going into the hive and one hopes the first consumed (famous last words) One advantage of the thymol in a late syrup is it will stop the syrup fermenting.

I will be keeping the quantity down to a gallon for each colony and they are reasonably large colonies. Also as things look right now I may have to remove full brood frames of honey to make room for the brood and this soon diminishing brood nest will in time leave room for the syrup.