[Got Honey?]

Hello,

It has been ages since I have posted on these forums. I see that within the last few days that essential oil has been brought up again. I have a similar but different question, has anyone experimented with or has heard from any one that has used a peppermint tea? Or any mint based tea as a syrup for their bees? The main problem with oils seem to be there immiscibility, while a tea would be miscible. Would this tea offer nutrients? Or would it fudge with the bees digestive tract?

Thanks,

 

[wfuavenger]

According to Cameo Wood of Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper, she uses it to "train" her hives to get the minty water instead of pool water or other neighbors water as she has hives in an urban area. This way when the bees go to collect water to cool the hive or drink, they leave the neighbors water sources alone.

She says that she starts off with a 1:1 surag water with mint and moves to less and less sugar until it is just minty water.

Take it for what it is worth... It works for her, but who knows if it will work for you?

My source is the Brushy Mountain video about urban beekeeping at 28 minutes 40 seconds...

 

[justin]

when i am heating water to make sugar syrup i throw in some dried mint and some lemon grass . i grow both and drink tea from both daily. i don't imagine it's strong enough to cure anything that sugar water doesn't cure.

 

[Got Honey?]

Just to let anyone know who is interested:

I used a hive top feeder on my hives this year that (http://www.mannlakeltd.com/m23ProductImages//fd-110.jpg) that have two 2 Gallon compartments, In one half of the feeder I fed the bees peppermint tea sugar syrup at 1:1 (sugar to water by volume) ratio, on the second half of the feeder I fed the bees a Plain Sugar syrup at a 1:1 ratio. I did this for both hives.

The Results so far are that one hive drank both the Peppermint solution and the Plain Sugar syrup solution at exactly the same rate while the second hive Ignored the peppermint solution and drank only the plain sugar syrup.

Both of these hives were new packages. Soon I will judge the brood and overall brood health.

I only have two hives so this wont be a great sample size but I hope it gives us some good info.