feeding salt

[Nick Noyes]

How many beekeepers used to or still mix terramycin with salt. I was told this used to be done quite regular. I was wondering why and if bees need salt in thier diet.

[Michael Bush]

Most using terramycin, that I know of are dusting it with powdered sugar. A few still use the extender patties. I quite using in in '76.

I've never tried giving them salt. But then there are salt blocks out for the horses and I've never seen the bees on them.

[peggjam]

Back when my father had the dairy farm going, in the spring the bees would find the feedroom enmass. I don't know if they ever carried any salt off, but they sure did like the soybean meal. It was an adventure filling the feeders for the palor, and I'm quite sure the cows didn't care for the "extra" protien they had in their feed.

[Kieck]

My brother-in-law owns a dairy, and has problems with bees in his feed stocks, too. I've always assumed they were after the molasses in the feed. He doesn't use any soybean meal. Like Peggjam said, it only happens on his dairy in the spring.

I wonder if the salt has/had anything to do with keeping the medicated feed from absorbing too much moisture or something along those lines?

[Michael Bush]

There is no molasses or sugar in my feed for my horses nor in the feed for the chickens, but the bees are all over it looking for "pollen".

[Nick Noyes]

Nobody has ever fed trace mineral salt?

[louis1st]

i do feed cooking salt to my bees on a regular basis with some syrup.

i have never noticed any problems with abnormal mortality of bees.

if you put too much salt, they just leave the syrup !

[LSPender]

I am currently using Copper Gluconate powder, An essitial salt, mixed in the syrup I am feeding to the bees. This is for protection against mites and general health of the hive. If interested in info do a goggle " copper gluconate + bees" their are 2 articles/ studies from Frace on the use of. I add 1 pound to 250 gallons of syrup. on a per hive basis of 1 to 1.5 grams per liter of feed.

[DANIEL QUINCE]

How about apple vinegar? My uncle back in Romania is using like a few tablespoons per gallon of syrup. I never ask him why. What does the apple vinegar do, and why only apple?

[NW IN Beekeeper]

[...in the feed for the chickens, but the bees are all over it looking for "pollen".]

Commercial chicken scratch feeds are often based on defatted soy flour as a protien builder. I would venture a guess that the bees were after the scratch dust.

[BjornBee]

I have never purposely fed salt. I've heard both sides of it, one being its needed, and the other saying its not needed.

I will acknowledge that it seems bees do collect nutrients from various sources. What they collect and how much, I do not know.

My bees will favor very specific places along a stream for water collection. Not that its more convenient but it seems they favor a certain dirt area over just as easy places a foot away.

They will also collect from the bottom or side of my mulch pile and compost pile. It just seems that there is more going on than the collecting of water.

I just think that salt blocks and other forms of salt, may just be too concentrated. Perhaps the diluted amount in mulch or mud patches are something more they can deal with. I know if I had a little with some food, it can be taken in. Ask me to fill my mouth with pure salt and transport it a few hundred yards, and I'm spitting it back at you.

My primary guess for the apple vinegar is for keeping the syrup from going moldy. And perhaps they just favor syrup with this type over others.

[Nick Noyes]

We have been feeding copper glutanate and apple cider vinager. The copper is for varroa the vinigar is to help keep things clean(feeders syrup tanks etc.) I don't know if either is working. Mainly wondering why the oldtimers mixed thier drug with salt?

[Michael Bush]

>How about apple vinegar? My uncle back in Romania is using like a few tablespoons per gallon of syrup. I never ask him why. What does the apple vinegar do, and why only apple?

I don't know if apple cider vinegar is of any value to bees or not. But apple cider vinegar has many minerals and things in it that are not in distilled vinegar. I'm sure apple cider has differenct constituents than other kinds of vinegar as well.

[mwjohnson]

I can't offer any help in the "how and why" part of your question.
I have been looking thru my old e-mail folders but can't find Bob Noel's wintergreen&mineral salt patty receipe.
He had some observations to share.
I called him about his HBH,and he e-mailed me it.
Mark Johnson

[Dick Allen]

How long have you guys using copper gluconate been using it?

[Nick Noyes]

Just started the copper last fall. Do you use it Dick? Has anyone been having any luck with it?

[DChap]

I have not feed salt directly to the bees, but I left an ice cream mixer out with the brine still in the tub, there were more bees on it than at the fresh water supply.

Blessed be
Doug

[Deano]

when making terramycin pattys last year i added mineral sait from cattle block to pattys . they did not touch them .had to start all over.i think i will use powder sugere this year.

[Dick Allen]

Hi Nick, no I haven't used it. All I know about it is what I've read. My understanding is that it won't do much for a bad mite infestation, but has been reported to keep mites from building up to that level. Did you get it through that guy in England?

[Nick Noyes]

We got our info from a guy in N. Dakota. I got the copper from Jost chemical I believe they are in Missouri.

[louis1st]

look at this thread:

http://www.beesource.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000457#000000