Honey Bee Healthy Recipe Again....

[kenner]

I've been reading about winter feeding of bees and overall colony health.

I have a hive-top feeder that I plan to pack with 10# sugar cake.  I built a box for around it, giving the bees an entry hole above/over top the the plastic feeder.  So the bees can come up though into the cake and fly out, if they wish.

I found an interesting recipe for the Honey Bee Healthy "Concentrate" on an earlier thread:  https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=27437.msg262355

In addition to Lemongrass and Spearmint oils, I've read that Thyme and Wintergreen are also beneficial to bees.

Two questions:   Would it be harmful to the bees to add all four oils together in the mix?

About how much/many tbsp of this, should I add to the 10# sugar cake?

Thank you all!

[Michael Bush]

The three reasons I would not use essential oils in feed are, 1) essential oils kill microbes and microbes are essential for a healthy hive 2) essential oils interfere with communication in the hive which is mostly by smell and in the case of lemongrass oil it actually mimics one of the communication pheromones exactly 3) it sets off robbing.  Any smell in syrup sets off robbing.

As far as mixing them, I'm sure it won't work any better or worse.  Essential oils mostly are the concentrated immune system of the plants they come from which is why, despite very different odors, they tend to have very similar effects as far as being antimicrobial.    But they often have different other effects.  I don't consider any of them beneficial to bees.  Perhaps bees with serious Nosema might benefit from thymol or lemongrass oil or one of the other essential oils, if you managed to keep them from getting robbed.  But killing off the gut bacteria actually makes the bees susceptible to Nosema, so I would not use it as a preventative.  High concentrations, of course will kill the bees.  I would keep them low and well distributed in the feed.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesnotreatments.htm
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfoursimplesteps.htm#ecology

[kenner]

This is great info, Michael!  Thank you, Thank you.

My girlzz drink the syrup freely, fast and furious, without need for oils in the past.

So happy to have your advice and keep my girlz happy and buzzing.