Feeding Stimulant

[GSF]

Has anyone ever used a feeding stimulant with "Essential Oils"? I bought some thinking it was something else. I'm not that crazy about using it. I had thought it may boost the packages & splits egg production but with this stuff I don't see how.

Ingredients: Sucrose, Water, Spearmint Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Thymol, Lecithin, and Emulsifier.

[sc-bee]

That is basically what Honey Bee Healthy is right?

[Vance G]

This product is more or less what I include in syrup when feeding nucs or trying to build comb on splits.  The bees will store it and if necessary build comb to store it in.  It allows you to poke a quantity of feed into a hive when they might otherwise be slow to take it.

A management tool and as you know, any tool can be abused or used to accomplish a purpose.   Like HBH or other such nostrums it is not a tonic that should be fed long term.

[RHBee]

You want to make um eat add some vinegar to drop the PH.

[GSF]

I've no experience with this, thanks for the replies.

[DMLinton]

You want to make um eat add some vinegar to drop the PH.

How much vinegar do you add to, say, a gallon of syrup or, alternatively, what pH do you shoot for?  I presume that this is an alternative to Honey Bee Healthy?

[RHBee]

The amount I add is 1tsp per quart or 1Tbs per gallon. This is not the same as HBH. I believe the ph of honey is in the 4.5 range. I've never measured the ph of the sugar solution after adding the vinegar. Use care with any feeding stimulus you can set off robbing.

[sc-bee]

A portion of a post from Lauri Millers FB site. Since she posted it on FB I suppose she don't mind me sharing it. Go to Feb 8th to read the entire post:

> A primary reason for acidifying syrup is to "invert" the sugar. Cane sugar is pure sucrose. Sucrose is a 12 carbon sugar made up of two loosely joined six carbon sub-molecules (fructose and glucose). The acid disassociates the sucrose into the component parts, mimicking the nectar. This is termed by kitchen chemists "invert" sugar, and was used for baking. Most nectars (not all) are slightly fructose rich. The pH of nectar varies widely too (and many nectars, not co evolved with honey bees, have large components of indigestible (by bees) seven and greater carbon sugars. Practically, the sucrose sugar syrup can be inverted with vinegar or any other edible acid, and very little hydrogen ion donors are needed on the order of tablespoon per gallon.

Lauri is a dedicated beekeeper that has come a long way in a short few years. Wish I had half as savvy ;) Check out her fb site for good information and amazing pictures. Thanks Lauri:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miller-Compound-HoneyBees-and-Agriculture/256954971040510