Honeybee Healthy

[rainesridgefarm]

read the seventh sentence.

[crazytranes]

Earlier you were asking about exact measurement for drops. Like someone said before, it really depends on the dropper.

If you want to be exceptionally accurate, you could always buy some pipettes from a science supply store. Depending on the size, they are accurate down to fractions of a milliliter. As long as you are careful, you could get away with mouth pipetting the essential oils, just don't suck in too hard.

Hmmm... can you tell I spent a lot of time in chemistry classes?

[PCM]

To calculate the size of the drops, I think you would have to know what the
original drop size was, that who ever originaly posted this recipie many many moons ago used.
Other wise I think your just beating a dead horse !

Just my uneducated thinking !

PCM

[Chef Isaac]

but you have to find out that to find out what your cost will be of the recipe.

[JohnK and Sheri]

but you have to find out that to find out what your cost will be of the recipe.

I think it is a little like trying to define a "pinch" of salt. In the overall cost of the recipe, whether it is a little drop or a big one, it won't make enough difference to matter to most people.
Sheri

[Chef Isaac]

sheri: but since the essential oils are htem ost expensive item in the recipe, i would think one would want to know the cost. A pinch or salt in a recipe for four people might not be a thing to think about but make the recipe in a large batch, it matters.

[JohnK and Sheri]

As PCM already mentioned, you will need to determine what the original poster meant by "a drop", keeping in mind he might not have been overly concerned about the definition himself.
I think maybe you are over thinking this, chef. Wouldn't Rainesridge's formula be a good comparison? His makes a quart and takes an ounce of both oils. Compare the costs of his ingredients with the cost of a quart of HBH and ya got your rough comparison. The amount of the oils seem to vary by whoever is mixing it and does not seem to be a critical measurement, certainly not to the point of defining the size of a drop. Phillip's cost is $6 a quart, using 2 tsp per gallon dilutes it fairly thin, even doubling the amount of the oils would make it very cheap compared to HBH.
Sheri

[Nick Noyes]

Does anyone have a recipe that uses cups or gallons? That is the one I am interested in.
It would look kind of funny standing over a 500 gal. tank with a couple of gallon jugs of oils and an eye dropper. Was that 3204 drops or 3205?

[Chef Isaac]

Nick:

Thats funny!!!

Sheri: True.

[JohnK and Sheri]

Nick you just need to make your drops VERY BIG!
Sheri

[rainesridgefarm]

That is pretty funny. the reason I make a quart is that is what I use in a tote of Syrup. Spring is one quart to a 275 gal tote fall is two quarts to a tote. Hope that helps Essential oils are very concentrated and at one point the EPA wanted to have the FDA regulate them as they do pharmicutical drugs. A little goes a long way.

[rainesridgefarm]

I just talked to the wife and I was wrong on our amounts. It is a half pint of each oil the totes. We make it up once a year then keep dipping to get it out of the bucket. Sorry

[dickm]

I've been skeptical about HBH for years. Can anyone point me to a good study that proves its worth?


dickm

[Keith Jarrett]

I've been skeptical about HBH for years. Can anyone point me to a good study that proves its worth?dickm

Dick, HBH, good for formic acid to reduce queen loss, spray for combining hives, introduce queens, ect...

As far as a feed wonder drug, it's not.

[rainesridgefarm]

I agree I think it helps but it is not a silver bullet.

[Chef Isaac]

I read not to long ago that it helps fight nosema. Not sure where I read it and if it is true or not. Some people use it in place of Fumagilian.

[Keith Jarrett]

Some people use it in place of Fumagilian.

Yeah, and some poeple complain they have dead hives from CCD & don't know why.

[Chef Isaac]

he he he

[swarm_trapper]

I feed a ton of it every year and do believe its helps quite a bit, in the overall health of the hives.
I have had hives that did not get it this year and they just don't seem to do quite as good for me. But like every one says it dosen't take the place of any thing i still feed a lot of fumigillian, tera, and try to kill every mite in the hive ;-), and i also feed as many megabee patties as i can (not quite as much as keith lol).
Pretty much what it boils down to is the more money you spend on the bees the better they seem to look. the way a good beekeeper spends money i consider them a stimulus plan for America lol.

[Gregg]

We fed HBH last fall instead of fumagillin, which I believe now was a very costly mistake, and one which I will never make again. Don't know if we had CCD or not, or just nosema (is there a difference?), but we had a lot of colonies with CCD-like symptoms, and continued to dwindle even in February & March in CA until they were completely dead. I estimate I lost 40% of my hives this winter