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Author Topic: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?  (Read 18389 times)

Offline rail

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Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« on: May 15, 2011, 12:27:53 pm »
Any advantages to adding lemongrass oil or spearmint oil to sugar water for feeding a new package?

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Offline Michael Bach

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2011, 01:00:57 pm »
The advantages are it speed consumption, does not allow it to forment as quick, and it cleans the bees digestive track.

Studies have shown that Honey Bee Healthy or Pro Health are just as effective against nosema as antibiotics.

I use pro health on my hives.

Offline Finski

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2011, 04:00:49 pm »
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It makes no advantage. Nosema is not a summer problem.

Give sugar so that bees take it in 24 hours. So it does not ferment.
If bees get nectar from nature, syrup does not help after that, when bees get some stores in combs.
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Offline Robo

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2011, 06:12:41 pm »
Make sure you use an emulsifier such as lecithin,  or there is a risk that the pure oil left at the end can be hazardous to the bees.
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Offline CapnChkn

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2011, 06:44:28 pm »
I've put a few drops of LGO, Peppermint extract, and Anise extract in their feed for about a year, and I get different results.  I've had them ignore it, and I've had it where I opened the jar and turned around to get the syrup bottle they would get in the jar and drown a half dozen before I turned back.  They seem to love the smell, I can't tell you if they like the taste.
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Offline AliciaH

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2011, 07:13:48 pm »
Spearmint Oil is one of the ways to combat tracheal mites, too.

Offline The Bix

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2011, 08:55:44 pm »
I use a combination of lemongrass oil, spearmint oil and thyme oil in the 1:1 syrup.

Offline SmokeEater2

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2011, 03:33:37 pm »
I usually put a drop of Lemongrass or Peppermint oil in the syrup. My bees seem to take more of it in the spring than they do of the plain syrup.

Offline Finski

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2011, 04:43:49 pm »
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Where have you got your recipes?
Have you seen any researches about usefulness of these stuffs?

Thymol has used at least 50 years as " good for everythin


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Offline The Bix

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2011, 05:45:15 pm »
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Where have you got your recipes?
Have you seen any researches about usefulness of these stuffs?

I got my recipe from a commercial beekeeper here in Colorado who runs several hundred beehives.  He has done alcohol washes regularly to determine the effectiveness of mite control specifically with regard to the thymol, and has had good success...as in never lost a hive to varroa mites he's given the thymol.

I have not read much research on the subject, don't have the time.  I am a new beekeeper and have chosen to lean on the depth of his experience and so far I haven't lost of hive due to varroa either.

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #10 on: May 17, 2011, 01:41:56 am »
The upside is it's an antimicrobial which means it will kill Nosema.  The downside is it's a antimicrobial which means it will kill the healthy bacteria in the bees' gut and in the pollen that needs to ferment in order to be digestible.  The other downside is a "feed stimulant" also acts as a "robbing stimulant".
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Offline Finski

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2011, 01:47:20 am »
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Varroa is not handled by feeding thymol syrup. It is sure.
Thymol is gasified.


Very strange if a professional beekeeper has not lost any hive to varroa.
I have not met such a Ironman.

Read Maarec disease control letters. USA has great beekeeping universities. Use their knowledge.  but Europe is ahead in varroa controlling.
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Offline Finski

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #12 on: May 17, 2011, 01:56:47 am »
The upside is it's an antimicrobial which means it will kill Nosema.  The downside is it's a antimicrobial which means it will kill the healthy bacteria in the bees' gut and in the pollen that needs to ferment in order to be digestible.  The other downside is a "feed stimulant" also acts as a "robbing stimulant".

but what feeding we are talking about?

Winter feeding is its own question.

Feeding in summer starwing bees or to get  combs cheap, is one question. Never use essential oils in summer when you are going to get honey from hives.

Disease control is own serious question.

Someone says something but do you really understood corectly that?


I know beekeepers who has never problems. I do not trust them.
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Offline Tommyt

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #13 on: May 17, 2011, 07:51:32 am »
Apple Cider Vinegar ??? Anyone


Tommyt
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Offline Hemlock

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #14 on: May 17, 2011, 09:55:34 am »
The upside is it's an antimicrobial which means it will kill Nosema.  The downside is it's a antimicrobial which means it will kill the healthy bacteria in the bees' gut and in the pollen that needs to ferment in order to be digestible.

Michael,
Would you say the same thing about Apple Cider Vinegar?

Tommyt,
I use ACV all Spring & Fall but not so much in Summer except for with newly hived packages.  It extends the life of the syrup and seems to aid against Nosema.  I currently recommend it to everyone  (sans, maybe, what MB has to say about it...)
Make Mead!

Offline Finski

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #15 on: May 17, 2011, 10:29:52 am »
Apple Cider Vinegar ??? Anyone


Tommyt

Why?

Once I feeded home wine that in drunk bees accept a new queen. When their head cleared, they killed the queen.

Bees were really drunk. When they tried to fly into upper entrrance hole, many collided against the wall.

Mere syrup is best summer drink to bees.
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Offline Hemlock

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #16 on: May 17, 2011, 12:33:49 pm »
Finski,

The Cider is not 'Hard' cider.  It is not alcoholic it's a vinegar instead.  I understand it's pH is more on par with the bees and it keeps the mold out of syrup.  It is suppose to aid the bees against Nosema as well.

Make Mead!

Offline AliciaH

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #17 on: May 17, 2011, 12:37:11 pm »
How much ACV for a gallon of syrup?

Offline Finski

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #18 on: May 17, 2011, 01:52:25 pm »
Finski,

The Cider is not 'Hard' cider.  It is not alcoholic it's a vinegar instead.  I understand it's pH is more on par with the bees and it keeps the mold out of syrup.  It is suppose to aid the bees against Nosema as well.



That is magic, not beekeeping.

Syrup make no food substrate to mold if it is clean.  I have studied how to avoid nosema and it does not exist in those stuffs.


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Offline Finski

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Re: Feeding: Sugar Water with Essential Oils?
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2011, 02:02:19 pm »
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Research
http://www.apidologie.org/index.php?option=com_article&access=standard&Itemid=129&url=/articles/apido/abs/2008/04/m07071/m07071.html

Received 16 July 2007 - Revised 18 January 2008 - Accepted 4 March 2008 - Published online 25 June 2008

Abstract - The potential of some natural compounds (thymol, vetiver essential oil, lysozyme, resveratrol) for the control of nosema infection in honeybees was evaluated. A first trial aimed at screening substances, in candy preparations, on the basis of their toxicity to honeybees and bees' dietary preferences. None of the tested substances showed an increased bee mortality or decreased bee preference, and were therefore considered suitable for further testing. In the second trial the effects of the natural compounds on nosema diseased honeybees were evaluated: bees were individually dosed with nosema spores and fed candies prepared with the screened substances. The results showed that bees fed with thymol and resveratrol candies had significantly lower infection rates, and bees supplied with resveratrol prepared candy also lived significantly longer. We suggest that thymol and resveratrol could be useful in alternative strategies for the control of nosema disease.


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