Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Putting Tea in Bee Tea

3K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  Michael Bush 
#1 ·
I'm trying to adapt a bee tea recipe with the interest in providing feed to help bee health instead of just feeding sugar water to the bees in spring.

My recipe is:

In 1 gallon of water, add:

2 cloves of garlic (minced)
400 grams of Stinging Nettle
8 dandelion flowers
1 - 2 leaves of sage
1 tsp chamomile tea

Simmer the above at 160 degrees for 30 minutes then add 8 lbs of sugar.

Cool to room temperature then add 3 Tbs ProHealth (HBH)

Then I was thinking with all the heal effects of pekoe tea, to add a tea bag of pekoe tea (about 1 tsp) to the simmer mixture.

Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
The only thing I would put in the sugar syrup is apple cider vinegar to preserve it and entice them to take it.

A tiny amount of some essential oils might be OK as well (lemongrass, geramiun, etc).

I really don't think a supply of tannins is going to do them any good, they don't eat tannins on their own, only pollen (sterols, protein, carbohydrates) and nectar (sucrose syrup with essential oils).

White sugar and pollen is all they really need.

Peter
 
#4 ·
I added a small amount of herbal tea to my heavy syrup last fall. Steeped in water before adding the sugar. This idea was suggested on a YouTube vid. (Everyone knows if it on the Internet, it must be true). I also added a small amount of apple cider vinegar . I was concerned as I had a split, not heavy with winter stores. I thought the micro nutrients found in an herbal (lemon chamomile), may simulate nectar better than straight processed sugar syrup.
This seemed to work well as the ladies came through a cold winter well.
Though they may have survived despite my action rather than because of it.
 
#5 ·
I wonder if you would achieve basically the same thing by providing a water source with leaf litter or pine needles. Serves several purposes, the bees don't have to go as far to find a water source or a nearby pool, the leaf litter allows them to get to the water with fewer bees drowning and the slowly rotting organic matter will provide the tannins and microflora they naturally get from wild water sources.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top