Medicated candy boards?

[Hopeful]

I tried something new yesterday, which is obvious since I am a new beekeeper. I added Honey-B-Healthy to my candy boards! I am starting with two of my hives, but am considering doing it for all the hives (12) next year if it works. I hope it will be okay, since there does not seem to be anything dangerous to bees in the list of ingredients. Any thoughts?

[qa33010]

Never thought of it for candy boards.  I use it mainly when I need to feed in the spring and ... actually when I feed.  Since I see it mainly noted for the increased health of the bees, I see it as nonmedication.  Do you add it while the candy is still extremely hot?  Is there a chance of changing the chemical properties from heat?  Have you called the company to see if this is okay?

About the only thing I'm not fond of is the sodium lauryl sulfate.

[Finsky]

. I added Honey-B-Healthy to my candy boards! I am starting with two of my hives, but am considering doing it for all the hives (12) next year if it works. I hope it will be okay, since there does not seem to be anything dangerous to bees in the list of ingredients. Any thoughts?

Why? What is the purpose?

Honey-B-Healthy® (HBH) seems tp do wonderfull stuff but what is the original proplem what you cure?

http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/varroa/honeyBhlth.htm

[Scadsobees]

I can't say if it would hurt any.

I would, however, hesitate to add anything non-sugar to the candy board.  If they are consuming candy, they are not usually able to fly and cleanse, and anything that they can't digest will build up and cause problems.  The HBH is more of a general health thing...more the smells, makes it more agreeble, etc.  A candy board they will eat regardless if they don't have any honey, and you don't really want to encourage them to consume it, since it is only there for an emergency.

As I said, I can't say it would hurt.

Rick

[Finsky]

As I said, I can't say it would hurt.

Rick

When I do something to bees, I never have thought whom it hurts?  Where it comes from.

Seems to me that stuff is vain. Even beekeepers recoomed 10-20 different method which are unnecessary. Mite calculating is one vain thing.

[JP]

Finsky, I'm not sure if you're understanding Rick correctly or I'm not understanding you correctly. Rick is referring to whether or not the HBH will affect the bees negatively not whom but what, and that "what" is bees.

[Scadsobees]

As I said, I can't say it would hurt.

I'm just pointing out that I don't see any positive benefits, but since the candy boards are already created, I don't know if it actually hurt the bees over the winter.

Use them, see what happens, and then let us know afterwards how it worked. ;)  Who knows?  How many things do we know and use everyday that didn't seem useful until that one person decided to try and it worked awesome!!  :-D

Rick

[Finsky]

As I said, I can't say it would hurt.

 I don't see any positive benefits, but since the candy boards are already created,

When I read the list, many of them are bluff. I know that.

If I were you, I would put candy in cow's horn and then let the horn be near hives. Full moon is good too.

[JP]

Good idea Finsky, that way the bees will go to the candy if they want to. Perhaps a small experiment would be wise.

[Finsky]

Perhaps a small experiment would be wise.

Lets look what qnd how small

    *  We add 1 teaspoonful of HBH (ca 5 ml) to a quart of 1:1 sugar syrup in order to stimulate brood rearing, pollen collection and to initiate early spring development in honey bee colonies. We start feeding in mid-February and continue until the bees have nectar coming in and they begin to stop feeding on the HBH.
    * We add 2 teaspoonfuls  to
-  in casees of dysentery  if it is nosema, only fumidil B helps 
- PMS, ....????
- chalk brood .... no chemical treatment helps in chalk brood

- or other ailments.   ???
- greater tolerance or resistance to the ailments.--- ???


    * We add 4 teaspoonfuls of HBH (ca 20 ml) to a quart of 1:1 sugar syrup when we introduce queens, ..  if queen setting is a propblem


    * We apply some of the HBH syrup to our skin in order to reduce stinging behavior; when the tarsi touch the HBH, the bees fly off instead of stinging.  ..... how feeding candy prevent stinging? that may be that experiment?


    * We add about 20% of HBH to 85-100 ml of 50% formic acid during fumigation of brood chambers for varroa and tracheal mite control. --------We have 20 good varroa consept and what is that

    * We apply the stronger syrups to two colonies when combining them, in order to reduce defensive behavior of the workers. ---- I put 2 same size just together and approvement is 100% and no dead.


So I cannot se any reason to feed HBH candy

[Scadsobees]

They advertise healthy vigorous hives.  We need those all year round including the winter....

http://www.honeybhealthy.com/HoneyBHealthy.html

"HONEY-B-HEALTHY is a honeybee feeding stimulant composed of lemongrass and spearmint oil concentrate. HONEY-B-HEALTHY helps promote healthy vigorous hives when used as a feeding stimulant. Use as a feeding stimulant for late winter, early spring, and during dearth's of nectar. Also add to your feeding mix to help build up packages, nucs and swarms."

Try it, see what happens.  My point is that experimentation can give unexpected results that are different than what one might expect.  If you have a closed mind and say it won't work, then it won't because you won't try.

I may not try it because I may not see the benefits, but I would encourage others to try if it doesn't seen harmful, and share results.  Some "idiot" had to be the first to spray his hives with acid (oxalic, formic) to kill mites.  Stupid? It worked and lots of people use it now.

Rick

[Finsky]

"HONEY-B-HEALTHY is a honeybee feeding stimulant composed of lemongrass and spearmint oil concentrate.

HONEY-B-HEALTHY helps promote healthy vigorous hives when used as a feeding stimulant.

Use as a feeding stimulant for late winter, early spring, and during dearth's of nectar. Also add to your feeding mix to help build up packages, nucs and swarms."

Try it, see what happens. 

My point is that experimentation can give unexpected results that are different than what one might expect.  If you have a closed mind and say it won't work, then it won't because you won't try.


Rick

He he and heh, don't teach duck to swim! .Try your self if you believe it.  I have studied all nutrition reports of bees from internet which have done in professional level.  I use in spring pollen patty and electrict heating. Have you tried them? It makes spring build up 3 times faster than natural development.

You can use your brains and select what you do. That is why you have knowledge. If you do what ever others say, you have not your own brains.  So it is.

I think that it is better to leave this forum again.

[Hopeful]

Necessity is the mother of invention. You see, I had just gotten these bees after all of the honey had been taken off, leaving them with no food. Two of my hives are in shallow supers stacked three high with no feeder. It was too late to medicate them conventionally, and I had to feed them pronto. So I made up some candy boards in lieu of a feeder and added a bit of HBH to the mix to they could get something more. No big-time experiment here, just trying to help my bees get the best start they can for the winter in emergency conditions.

I have found in three short weeks that beekeepers tend to disagree with each other quite a bit. What one guy swears by, the next guy swears at! As a newbee I will have many questions for a while, I hope that I can get some valuable counsel. Thanks for all of your opinions! :)

[Brian D. Bray]

I have found in three short weeks that beekeepers tend to disagree with each other quite a bit. What one guy swears by, the next guy swears at! As a newbee I will have many questions for a while, I hope that I can get some valuable counsel. Thanks for all of your opinions! :)

That's because micro-climates very so much within just a few miles that 1 beekeeper in Oregon may have to tend his bees as if he were in Sakatchawan and the next 1 down the road has weather like Cailfornia. 

I live on an Island at the top of Puget Sound, my conditions are often much different than another beekeeper just across the channel on the mainland.  You can move from 1 house to another and find that what had worked at the old place doesn't seem to work now.

[Scadsobees]

I use in spring pollen patty and electrict heating. Have you tried them?

Ahh, exactly to my point...to me it seems useless and dangerous to try the electric heating, but somebody had to try it first, and I wouldn't discourage that first person from trying it and sharing the results.  And then it was proven to be useful in certain situations!  I may use it in the future, although the benefits here aren't going to be as great as by you, Finsky.
Sure we know how HBH works in syrup... but how can one read up on the effects of HBH in candy boards if it hasn't been tried?   :-D

Oh yes, us beeks are an opinionated bunch.  As a dozen beekeepers a question and get 15 answers :)

A lot of it is climate, but so much is also personality.  Some people are very disciplined and want everything to go just perfect, and some just want a little honey and to watch the bees work.  I'm somewhere in the middle  8-)  Take all the opinions, throw in a pinch of salt, then start trying the ones that seem to work best to you.  I'm not too offended if you don't take my advice :-P

Rick

[Finsky]

I have found in three short weeks that beekeepers tend to disagree with each other quite a bit. What one guy swears by, the next guy swears at!

I started 45 years ago and the first notice was that really what you have done. I met 20 beekeepers and they all had only right system.
So I decided to use my own system and it is to use own head, what ever it follows.  Luckily I met one of the best beekeepers in Finland and he teached me how to make big honey yields.


 

You see, I had just gotten these bees after all of the honey had been taken off, leaving them with no food.

I do that every autumn and then I feed hives full of syrup. It takes  one week when 20 kg sugar are in comps and then they need another week to cap it. Bees cap the food when cells are full. So much you need to feed them.

I se from forecast that you have still good weather and you may feed your bees with syrup.
http://www.wunderground.com/US/OK/Oklahoma_City.html

When I feed my hives for winter, normal temp is by day 15C and at night 5C.   At it's best our weather is in the beginning of September at it's best same as you have now.

To Rick . Bees are just simple creatures. Beekeeping does not earn so much philosophy as you tend to use. Good queens, big hives and good pastures. That is only what you need. And selling much honey is the boring side of system. No philosophy - you loose your mind or a least hair  if you try philosophy with beekeepers.

[Cindi]

Finsky, come on, you just started posting in the forum again, recently, it is not your time to get out of here, you have lots to speak about, and you know darn well, many of us listen to your words, don't be so sensitive.

Remember, Rule #6:

Don't take yourself so seriously!!!!! That is a rule that my Husband abides by and let me tell you, it works!!!!  Have a wonderful day in this great life we're all livin'.  Cindi

[Jerrymac]

Mine is "Don't take life so seriously. You won't get out alive anyway."

[Finsky]

Don't take yourself so seriously!!--- That is a rule that my Husband...........

Yeah, that rule works if I am in company humorous people, foreign or friends.

Jep, I just learned universal rule # 86 : "Try to not take your seriously, see what happens.  Experimentation can give unexpected results that are different than what one might expect.  If you have a closed mind and say it won't work, then it won't because you won't try."

Rule 87: "Try to chop firewood seriously, see what happens.  Experimentation can give unexpected results that are different than what one might expect.  If you have a closed mind and say it won't work, then it won't because you won't try."

WIFE



HUSBAND

[Cindi]

Finsky, ha, aha, ha, ha.  Now those were funny pictures.  Have a wonderful day, best of this life. Cindi