It's amazing what ol time beekeepers tell me. I just had a man call about bees behind his chicken coop. While sitting up the hive, he told me that long long time ago, he kept bees. Back then, they would crush peppermint candies to a powder and add it to the water. The honey would not taste of peppermint but the comb would smell like peppermint. He said that he/they never had a problem with mites or beetles...
I did not find anything like that while search the internet. But it was interesting.
Quote from: Terrex on April 21, 2011, 12:59:53 PM
He said that he/they never had a problem with mites or beetles...
He probably didnt, but I dont know how much peppermint came into play.
Mites were first detected in Florida in the 1980's and then the SHB in South Carolina in 1996.
I have heard of people using candy canes to feed bees but they are picking up seconds (broke candy) cheaper than sugar. But I would not use it without knowing what all goes into making the candy canes.